My Summer Project
- Thread starter H20fwler
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H20fwler
5 year old buck +
Yep they are at 100% right now with setting hens, it seems early this year. The hooded mergansers are a newer phenomenon, I sure don't mind seeing them. I'm going to try and keep an eye on the boxes so I can get them cleaned out right after jump day and hopefully get a second round in some.
Lots of woodies here right now more should be heading your way soon it hit 77 here this afternoon. Seeing bluewings and shovelers coming through now too. Hopefully your boxes will fill up soon!
woodduck
5 year old buck +
I walked down and checked a couple hours ago but still no dice. I don't get the ducks you do. I'll get some hoodies that stop but never stay. I had a pair of green wings spend the day last spring and that was a first that I've seen. I put a mallard hen house up last year because I've had mallards nest unsuccessfully in the past but they haven't used it yet. A few pairs of resident geese spend the day quite often. It is early yet so im sure they will start nesting in soon.
H20fwler
5 year old buck +
Went out to farm yesterday with the oldest son for an hour or so to give the fish a try and work the dogs in water. Oldest son caught the FIRST ever bass out of our pond, looks like they have been eating very well. Caught two and they were fat little footballs. I was wondering how much growth they had put on since stocking last spring and was very happy with it. I was using a top water weedless frog and had two bass get off short striking but did get a bunch of hand sized sunfish.
Fishing was made more of a challenge with sons dog Lou not wanting to stay out of the water. We wanted to work her with Darcy on taking turns and staying put while the other retrieved and that worked out decent after a few tries. Dogs had a blast and I was really happy with the bass growth.
Fishing was made more of a challenge with sons dog Lou not wanting to stay out of the water. We wanted to work her with Darcy on taking turns and staying put while the other retrieved and that worked out decent after a few tries. Dogs had a blast and I was really happy with the bass growth.
H20fwler
5 year old buck +
They were 4"ish when put in last spring, I would say they are a good 9"-10" and close to a pound now, very chubby! I was just hoping that some survived and would be around 8" I was pleasantly surprised by how they have done.
swampyankee
Yearling... With promise
Out here We have problems with the hoodies killing hen wood ducks and taking over the boxes.
H20fwler
5 year old buck +
I hadn’t heard of that before, I will have to watch for that. I’ve seen the dump nests where a bunch of eggs get piled up.
The hoodies usually show up real early in spring and start setting weeks before the wood ducks.
Having nesting hoodies used to be rare here now it is getting way more common us to see them. This spring I saw more mergansers on our pond in bigger flocks than ever before. Used to be just a couple pair moving through. I figure they like the cover and all the small fish and tadpoles.
I need to get motivated and put a couple cameras close to the boxes and see if there is any competition trouble in spring. I know that as soon as chicks hatch out a new hen seems to start nesting within days and I hardly get a chance to clean out boxes and freshen the wood chips if I don’t stay on it.
H20fwler
5 year old buck +
Four years after this project started I would like to go into a little more of our family's goals with putting the ponds in and what we wanted to accomplish with them.
First they were put in to have a good year round water source and to try and help sexy the property up to benefit all wildlife from bugs to deer and everything in between. We were dealing with a pretty small property and trying to get as much out of it as we could as far as getting it back to nature. We aren't farmers and we didn't buy to try and ever make any income off of it, just a place for family to hunt/fish and relax in God’s creation.
One of the biggest obvious benefits to us as a family has been waterfowl, hunting/watching/nest boxes...with a side of fishing. The ponds being shallow I wasn't sure how the fishing would work out and don't think it would further north where winters are much colder and ice thicker, deepest parts of ponds are a little over five feet.
We have been very lucky being able to attract waterfowl to the ponds. A lot of that has to do with location, we have birds in the area but also I would like to think it has to do some with the ponds themselves. It is almost rare anymore that ducks - geese - herons and shorebirds of some kind don't get up off the ponds when we walk up to them, we try not to disturb them much and only go around them if we actually need to do something at the ponds or are fishing.
In the spring and fall they really seem to build up. We try to only hunt it a couple times a season and the shooting is usually very good, I think my youngest son would like to hunt it a couple times a week in fall but I wave him off. I don't like to hunt there that much because I think all the banging no doubt scares the deer on the property and deer season runs parallel with duck season. We have plenty of other places to duck hunt. I love watching and hearing them while I'm in the deer stand and the wife and I just enjoy seeing them around, we even had a pair of sandhills land along the edge last fall.
From watching the waterfowl and shorebirds I think a lot of the attraction is just like with deer or anything else...food/shelter/safety and we try and provide all three. Our ponds are definitely not "clean" manicured swimming fishing boating ponds. We put them in specifically for wildlife and it seems to be working out great for just that, even though they might look like a weedy mess I hope that to waterfowl they look like an all you can eat salad bar.
I've tried some wild rice and jap millet but it really didn't take well. What has done great is native stuff that mostly came on its own that is great cover and food for wildlife and good for little fish/frogs/bugs.
Took some pics yesterday afternoon of the "edge" which I feel is just as important as the edges of a woods or field is to deer/turkey/bunnies/pheasants. It provides food and cover where the water and land meet. We have all kinds of sedge/water plantain/pond weed/buttonbush/bulrush/small willow/swamp milkweed and all kinds of water plants that I don't even know what they are. The only thing I don't like having there is cattails and that is because they will try and take over shallow ponds so I spot spray a couple times a summer and keep it under control. I also keep an eye on the bulrush but it's benefits have so far outweighed any negative about it.
Some pics of the "edge" plants that really help the ponds.
And I had a chance to get another look at the bass! In around thirty five minutes I caught four bass and two decent size green sunfish, my go to lure was a small rubber weedless frog that worked perfect. Had two bass get off and a few big V's shoot towards lure and turn off.
It was like watching shark week the way they would jump and smash the lure, even through the pond weed.
First they were put in to have a good year round water source and to try and help sexy the property up to benefit all wildlife from bugs to deer and everything in between. We were dealing with a pretty small property and trying to get as much out of it as we could as far as getting it back to nature. We aren't farmers and we didn't buy to try and ever make any income off of it, just a place for family to hunt/fish and relax in God’s creation.
One of the biggest obvious benefits to us as a family has been waterfowl, hunting/watching/nest boxes...with a side of fishing. The ponds being shallow I wasn't sure how the fishing would work out and don't think it would further north where winters are much colder and ice thicker, deepest parts of ponds are a little over five feet.
We have been very lucky being able to attract waterfowl to the ponds. A lot of that has to do with location, we have birds in the area but also I would like to think it has to do some with the ponds themselves. It is almost rare anymore that ducks - geese - herons and shorebirds of some kind don't get up off the ponds when we walk up to them, we try not to disturb them much and only go around them if we actually need to do something at the ponds or are fishing.
In the spring and fall they really seem to build up. We try to only hunt it a couple times a season and the shooting is usually very good, I think my youngest son would like to hunt it a couple times a week in fall but I wave him off. I don't like to hunt there that much because I think all the banging no doubt scares the deer on the property and deer season runs parallel with duck season. We have plenty of other places to duck hunt. I love watching and hearing them while I'm in the deer stand and the wife and I just enjoy seeing them around, we even had a pair of sandhills land along the edge last fall.
From watching the waterfowl and shorebirds I think a lot of the attraction is just like with deer or anything else...food/shelter/safety and we try and provide all three. Our ponds are definitely not "clean" manicured swimming fishing boating ponds. We put them in specifically for wildlife and it seems to be working out great for just that, even though they might look like a weedy mess I hope that to waterfowl they look like an all you can eat salad bar.
I've tried some wild rice and jap millet but it really didn't take well. What has done great is native stuff that mostly came on its own that is great cover and food for wildlife and good for little fish/frogs/bugs.
Took some pics yesterday afternoon of the "edge" which I feel is just as important as the edges of a woods or field is to deer/turkey/bunnies/pheasants. It provides food and cover where the water and land meet. We have all kinds of sedge/water plantain/pond weed/buttonbush/bulrush/small willow/swamp milkweed and all kinds of water plants that I don't even know what they are. The only thing I don't like having there is cattails and that is because they will try and take over shallow ponds so I spot spray a couple times a summer and keep it under control. I also keep an eye on the bulrush but it's benefits have so far outweighed any negative about it.
Some pics of the "edge" plants that really help the ponds.
And I had a chance to get another look at the bass! In around thirty five minutes I caught four bass and two decent size green sunfish, my go to lure was a small rubber weedless frog that worked perfect. Had two bass get off and a few big V's shoot towards lure and turn off.
It was like watching shark week the way they would jump and smash the lure, even through the pond weed.
Catscratch
5 year old buck +
Nice update!
Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
H20fwler
5 year old buck +
I haven't posted any updates in this thread in a couple of years.
Was out at the farm yesterday planting some Ladino in one of the mowed strips and snapped a couple pics of the ponds.
Flushed a dozen or so ringneck ducks off the front pond as I walked up, a pair of buffleheads and eight or so hooded mergansers. There are merganser hens in all five of the nest boxes on this farm right now, they nest a little earlier than the woodies here so I don't think that will be a problem with the woody production....but they are hard on the young fish!
The duck&goose hunting has been great the few times we hunt the ponds....I'm usually more interested in not spooking the deer in fall, and I really like hearing and seeing them while bow hunting. One day late seaon last year during second deer gun there had to be 200 geese that had roosted on the front pond.
The back pond
West side of the front pond taken from South side
West side looking from the North
East side of front pond from South
East side looking from the North
I need to bring a pole out with me this spring and see how big the bass are now before it gets to weedy, I did see five inch bass in the front pond last summer so they have spawned at some time.
Had an eagle fly over while I was out there , tried to get a decent pic of it, (failed). There is a pair nesting on my neighbor about a mile away, I've seen them taking fish a couple times. We get quit a few eagles around this property due to the river being so close, have seen adults, juvies and dirty headed young ones over the years especially in winter.
Was out at the farm yesterday planting some Ladino in one of the mowed strips and snapped a couple pics of the ponds.
Flushed a dozen or so ringneck ducks off the front pond as I walked up, a pair of buffleheads and eight or so hooded mergansers. There are merganser hens in all five of the nest boxes on this farm right now, they nest a little earlier than the woodies here so I don't think that will be a problem with the woody production....but they are hard on the young fish!
The duck&goose hunting has been great the few times we hunt the ponds....I'm usually more interested in not spooking the deer in fall, and I really like hearing and seeing them while bow hunting. One day late seaon last year during second deer gun there had to be 200 geese that had roosted on the front pond.
The back pond
West side of the front pond taken from South side
West side looking from the North
East side of front pond from South
East side looking from the North
I need to bring a pole out with me this spring and see how big the bass are now before it gets to weedy, I did see five inch bass in the front pond last summer so they have spawned at some time.
Had an eagle fly over while I was out there , tried to get a decent pic of it, (failed). There is a pair nesting on my neighbor about a mile away, I've seen them taking fish a couple times. We get quit a few eagles around this property due to the river being so close, have seen adults, juvies and dirty headed young ones over the years especially in winter.
H20fwler
5 year old buck +
Was out mowing the lanes in pasture this weekend and took about 45 minutes to see how the bass are doing. Caught six from 12" to 6" all came making a huge V's smashing my topwater weedless frog. Also caught a couple big green sunfish and had some spectacular misses where bass came half out of water going for the frog. Didn't get any really big ones like I thought I might, I've seen some huge splashes in there...maybe trying them one of these nights with a crazy crawler or jitterbug will bring a big one up, there has to be a couple in there
Bought some brooder shiners from Andersons this spring and split them between this pond and the new one over at the Little Woods. Hopefully they will stay in the weeds away from the bass and get a chance to spawn.
Also have a pair of geese nesting on the front pond, spotted mama sitting on her nest, should hatch any day now.
Saw two water snakes cruzing around too, along with hundreds of frogs from little peepers to bullfrogs and there are thousands of tadpoles of every size in the front and back pond right now.
Bought some brooder shiners from Andersons this spring and split them between this pond and the new one over at the Little Woods. Hopefully they will stay in the weeds away from the bass and get a chance to spawn.
Also have a pair of geese nesting on the front pond, spotted mama sitting on her nest, should hatch any day now.
Saw two water snakes cruzing around too, along with hundreds of frogs from little peepers to bullfrogs and there are thousands of tadpoles of every size in the front and back pond right now.
