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Jr if they pair up down here and one gets shot? Would the remaining duck just find another mate?
Even if they gave us another 2 weeks. I think it would make a big difference.
Norteast Central Florida is dryer than *** ***** old ladies **** this year so that's a big reason for no birds being around up here but there are also pockets of great habitat that don't have birds because they get no rest. The St. Johns from 46 to the headwaters has pretty decent habitat in the way of emergent vegetation and seeds year in and year out but it also gets 24/7 airboat traffic. Some places that's not that big an issue but the flood plain in that stretch of river is only about a half mile to a mile wide for the stretch with the best food and nearly every square inch of it gets run every couple of days or so. That fact is compounded in years of low water such as this year.
The Kissimmi basin is holding birds but there aren't much around north and east of there.
Can't Chet....They're SECRETS...... :wink
but you could always ask the guy at the check in " Where would you hunt if you were me..." That is sure to get you on a hot spot....:rotflmao
Many things to do.
Knots to be unraveled
'fore the darkness falls on you
Well, There you have it.... It's the Kayakers that are pushing birds off.....and pair bonding doesn't exist... It's "hocus pocus" :rotflmao
Many things to do.
Knots to be unraveled
'fore the darkness falls on you
And there you have it, another reading comprehension problem from our resident waterfowl expert.
Since he's on a first grade reading level I guess I should have clarified that people in any mode of transportation will push ducks, including those jackasses that paddle into a marsh at sunset to sleep and disturb the wildlife before a hunt the next morning, and that pair bonding doesn't follow the hard line protocols that some of the village idiots (including some ”scientists”) believe.... I don't know why I even bother...
Yup that is a good sign. They should be there.
When I was in HS I used to watch a pond not to far from my house. The fist sign of ducks on that pond that same day I would drive out to the twin bridges and the ducks were there. Every year every time never missed.
(year 2020)
Serious question. Hope Hunter doesn't think I'm stalking. How did you come to this conclusion?
No acorns seems to be the culprit.
After dealing off and on for a month with an upper respiratory bacterial infection...at 57 years old I finally used some good common sense went back and sat in my truck...waited an hour but it just turned to drizzle...so I headed home....Too much season left to go and be wet and maybe get sick again.
Many things to do.
Knots to be unraveled
'fore the darkness falls on you
If you're ever around Lakeport, I'll buy you a beer. You seem to have a better grasp on things than some of the self-proclaimed "expert waterfowlers" on here.
We've had some shoots on the O this year that have been nothing short of spectacular, but it's been consistently inconsistent because there aren't a ton of birds down here yet. The birds move and you have to stay on top of them, but I can guarantee you that when they move they aren't all going to STAs. You just have to hunt every day and stay on top of them; if you hunt weekends then chances are they won't be where they were 7 days later.
Just like fishing.
When we HAVE had a cold bump of weather, the shooting perks back up again overnight with fresh birds, it's like somebody hits the reset button and they all start off where they were early-on, then the cycle starts all over and you have keep up. Some of you guys need to chill out with the restriction rhetoric and just hunt as much as possible. It's not pressure, the parking lot of the Lakeport Lodge has been a ghost town since the second weekend of the season---but the birds are still moving around.
As far as slow shooting on the 29th Mak, we actually got shut out on the 29th on the O in the morning as well. NOBODY had a good shoot on the O that I spoke to, and these were guys who hunt every weekend.
We went out, burned some fuel and some time, missed the 11AM breakfast cutoff at the local restaurant due to some heavy mileage while scouting, found birds, and then went out and smashed them pretty good Sunday afternoon considering it was 82 degrees outside and I was sweating my guts out in a t-shirt. Did you hunt the afternoon as well? It was good to us; wondering if you had the same thing in the Glades. I know the Glades are a much different shoot, just curious.
Maybe a few of the "waterfowlers" can take some time to teach the ducks to read English and buy them some calendars so they know when to fly south instead of hoping they rely on sense of impeccable timing despite October temperatures.
If the self proclaimed experts can't kill a duck they have to blame it on something.
No no no, I'm quite certain that every bird that crosses the state line is handed a map and a Garmin Nuvi showing the nearest STA rest stops and they just head directly to it on the Donald Duck Memorial Turnpike. They're just pouring in despite the fact that it's 80 degrees outside; they don't stop until they see an STA check station or a long line of hunters waiting to maybe get a walk-in.
If I change my login name to something with "duck" in it, maybe I can be right on the internet.
Sincerely,
DuckDudeTGunn
I'll be in your neck of the woods, somewhere between Harney pond and eagle bay next Friday so plan on keeping the beer cold....
I have friends in NC that are complaining about low duck numbers. And this is in a year where the hatch was supposed to be at historic levels.
Dang! You should be on "Are you smarter than a Waterfowler?". I'd bet money on ya.
The closer you are to Harney Pond, the better your chances of getting that beer. We're in Lakeport.
Been seeing lots of divers in the Bay and they're moving around from place to place daily. One day they'll be north and the next 20 miles south. Lots of redheads, cans, scoter, buffies and scaup. But again, they're not coming anywhere near shore and they are not decoying near anything sitting more than a foot above the water. Very hard hunting and long sits are required to bag a limit... pack a lunch and be ready to be disappointed. I spend more time scouting than hunting normally, but this year it's been twice as hard to find birds. All part of the game and that much sweeter when it all comes together.
Found some blackbelly whistlers the other day. They're flying to a place where I can't shoot them and they're roosting in a place I can't shoot them. I think I've about figured on a way to get them in between... but I'm only going to get one crack at them. Monday or Tuesday will be the day.
I had you pissed off at hello.
You know that's a false statement as was shown to you by the harvest reports shared by John Monti.
More hunters, more pressure, less birds harvested. So the STA's are not increasing harvest numbers.
I had you pissed off at hello.