10-07-2012, 06:54 PM
Took the wife and three buddies out to our pond yesterday morning for the circus. Got to the parking lot at 3:30, right on schedule. Not as many boats as I remember being there in years past, weird!
Loaded up the boat with four guys, the guns, the seats, the snacks, two dozen mallards, two dozen teal, 8 widgeon, two gadwalls and two pintails and one fat black lab. The 1548 was loaded to say the least but my 40hp outboard was up to the task and pushed us all down the dike probably around 15mph, better than walking!
Every year the most anxious part of the hunt is hiking out to "the pond" as we call it, hoping no one else has discovered my jewel and set up before me. Luckily we were the only ones out there as we stepped out of the phrag, WAHOO! Temps were cool, mosquitoes were non-existant and we kicked ducks off as we walked to our spot. All the signs pointed to a great hunt and a great season.
As the golden hour approached, we set up or dekes between 10 and 20 yards off the phrag line in three clusters, a bit different than we normally set up. Birds were flying EVERYWHERE at 7:15, buzzing and landing in our dekes. Finally it was time. Safeties came off and birds started dying [
]
Most were teal but I brought down a hen pinny, then a nice buck pinny, alright! I rounded out seven with a two-for-one one out of a flock of green wings at 8am, a new record for me! The 3" no 4s seemed to do the trick for me. My wife with only two previous openers under her belt took a few minutes longer but by the time we packed up the dekes she had seven birds to her name as well, her first limit ever! Made me proud that girl did []
[inline IMG952012100695110936.jpg]
We finished the day with 24 birds between the five of us and only 3 mosquito bites, what a great year!! Can't wait to get out again tomorrow morning!
It's here boys, go get em!
[signature]
Loaded up the boat with four guys, the guns, the seats, the snacks, two dozen mallards, two dozen teal, 8 widgeon, two gadwalls and two pintails and one fat black lab. The 1548 was loaded to say the least but my 40hp outboard was up to the task and pushed us all down the dike probably around 15mph, better than walking!
Every year the most anxious part of the hunt is hiking out to "the pond" as we call it, hoping no one else has discovered my jewel and set up before me. Luckily we were the only ones out there as we stepped out of the phrag, WAHOO! Temps were cool, mosquitoes were non-existant and we kicked ducks off as we walked to our spot. All the signs pointed to a great hunt and a great season.
As the golden hour approached, we set up or dekes between 10 and 20 yards off the phrag line in three clusters, a bit different than we normally set up. Birds were flying EVERYWHERE at 7:15, buzzing and landing in our dekes. Finally it was time. Safeties came off and birds started dying [
] Most were teal but I brought down a hen pinny, then a nice buck pinny, alright! I rounded out seven with a two-for-one one out of a flock of green wings at 8am, a new record for me! The 3" no 4s seemed to do the trick for me. My wife with only two previous openers under her belt took a few minutes longer but by the time we packed up the dekes she had seven birds to her name as well, her first limit ever! Made me proud that girl did [
] [inline IMG952012100695110936.jpg]
We finished the day with 24 birds between the five of us and only 3 mosquito bites, what a great year!! Can't wait to get out again tomorrow morning!
It's here boys, go get em!
[signature]