Duck Depression

[CouesPursuit]

Just replied with a text and pm buddy, and yes a couple of Walt Gabbard's songs will make your senses go if you're hooked on quack!

[Coues assassin]

Well how did everyone do? Let's see some pics

[CouesPursuit]

I think I saw less than a hundred ducks total this weekend, it was very slow in a usually good area. I did formally meet some great people that I've run into the last few years and I started with the first shot of the season on a decoyed greenhead. It ended up deep in the cattails and the dog made a great retrieve on it. Had evidence of BB's from his head to his feet.

 

I didn't shoot many birds but that one mallard and a couple hen teal but I had a fantastic time with the dog and the elk bugling like crazy in between the few shells fired. The anticipation of the season was easily fulfilled even with mostly empty skies.

[Guest akaspecials]

The weather has got to cool down a little more up north to push those teal out of Utah! Have the duck dynasty crowds faded? Or were there still the guys that can't tell a difference between a duck call and a kazoo?

 

Also coues pursuit, my buddy jerry is living back down the valley again. We should be hunting weekdays a fair amount if you can swing out of work. Gotta kill this moose up in newfoundland before I get that boat operational though! Passed a few small bulls today and my dad almost got a 40 incher but things just didn't come together! Seen black ducks and few teal up here, but not much at all in the way of decent flights. Don't kill them all before I get back down to the states!

[CouesPursuit]

The weather has got to cool down a little more up north to push those teal out of Utah!

 

Agreed. It was the least number of ducks I have seen and the most mosquitoes in October. Actually it was the first time I remember mosquitos at all. I had to bug out of our spot opening morning at 9AM because the dog was absolutely covered in them.

Have the duck dynasty crowds faded?

The next day I elected to hunt a small but open body of shallow water. Although I hardly got any bird traffic, I obviously was blinded in well with a good looking spread because I had 3 guys approach from behind me with the sound of loading guns at about 100 yards. Luckily the dog started growling and I waved them off. A couple things about them make me wonder like the fact I purposely had a mojo running for people to see it, or the time it took for them to realize, 'hey that's a guy and his dog' (about 2 full minutes before they turned around and unloaded their guns). They did scare me a bit but it's all good. There weren't too many yahoos but apparently still a few. It was a really good weekend other than the lack of birds!

Good luck on that Moose, we'll be in touch. And you know I can't take off weekdays to hunt this year man don't tease me like that!

[Guest akaspecials]

I thought you had some deal where you got a weekday off here and there! Anyways, I killed my archery moose tonight! I'll post a story as soon as we get him packed out and I get a few rum and cokes in me. I'll be in touch when I get back and we'll slaughter some ducks.

[CouesPursuit]

Got the calls out and polished last week, have been flocking and airbrushing some old school full bodies that were given to me, installed a couple on/off remotes for the wingers, and now the dog won't leave me alone. Duck depression is in full effect for both of us. 100 days to the opener can't come soon enough.

 

2 ducks or 14, they're all great days in the blind.

Not a big fan of eating our Arizona divers but after seeing so much red on the water on a scouting day, I decided to set up in the layout boat one morning and crushed my redhead and canvasback species limits in minutes. Shot the ringers for the dog, and couldn't resist the hooded merg. Donated him to the taxidermist.

 

Back to my favorite puddle ducks

 

 

 

 

Anyone else going crazy?

[murfys69law]

I remember sitting in the blind in Louisiana with my uncles yellow lab freezing out butts off shooting ducks and geese. Some of the best times I ever had. Haven't done much here in AZ. Went to San Carlos one year and got a few teal and one green-head but that was 20 years ago. Now you got me wanting to go again.

Great pics and awesome looking lab.

[CouesPursuit]

Great pics and awesome looking lab.

 

Thank you, he is an amazing boy.

 

As I plan on doing a couple cast and blasts on the Colorado River this fall, we've been working on fast current retrieving quite a bit lately, upriver at Saguaro.

 

Determined even at the end of the session.

 

And of course, has to lick every boated fish.

 

[murfys69law]

Hunting over a good dog is without a doubt one of the best hunts you can do. They are just a wonderful animals to watch work.

Funny story that Justin Wilson the old Cajun cook used to tell.

He was selling one of his best bird dogs and the guy wanting him asked to see him work. Justin took the guy out in the middle of winter and it was cold as heck. The guy shoots a duck and then tells Justin to send the dog. Justin says, "That duck is dead and he ain't goin' now where. We will pick him up later in my flat boat. The insists he send the dog so he can see him work. So Justin sends the dog. The water is cold so the smart lab just tip toes on top of the water, Picks up the duck and tip toes back. The guy looks puzzled. Few minutes pass and he shoots another one. He tells Justin to send the dog again, so he does. The smart lab does the same thing. Tip toes on top of the water, picks up the bird and tip toes back. Justin asks the guy what he thinks. The guy replies, "I would'nt buy that darn dog for any amount of money". Justin asks him why? the guy says, "That dang dog can't even swim"

[Dave in AZ]

Great pics!

[bhuntin]

love the pics! get yourself one of those dale calls for the offseason.......

[brademan76]

I'm looking forward to waterfowl hunting here for the first time this fall as I just moved here in early June. I know it will be a far cry from what I'm used to seeing in NE, but I'll take what I can get to just get out after some birds. Whats everyone's opinion on spread size? I'm used to going from early season 2-dozen teal and mixed puddler dekes to late season, big water spreads of 6+ dozen ducks and a couple dozen honkers-but this was typically hunting from a boat blind...

 

From what I'm beginning to understand, most places are walk in, so that is going to limit me to probably a couple dozen small floaters if I'm going by myself. Sound accurate?

 

Any other tips, or if anyone is looking for a waterfowl partner, please holler.

[CouesPursuit]

Between historic waterfowl survey counts,

http://www.wideopenspaces.com/highest-number-ever-recorded-for-continental-waterfowl-population-video/

 

the strongest indicators in almost 2 decades for an El Niño event,

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2015/07/20/el-nino-intensifying-could-rival-strongest-in-history/

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/articles/june-heat-breaks-records-el-nino-locking-us-in-for-back-to-back-hottest-years/54618/

 

and Drake coming into his prime (5 years old in December),

I'm hoping this is the best year in my lifetime to not have any fall big game hunts. The depression still lurks but I can see shooting light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[CouesPursuit]

The depression is over. I have 5 hours to LST and I can't sleep for the life of me. Layout blinds are covered and ready and decoys are by the blinds waiting to be set in a couple hours. I hope some CWT member somewhere is feeling this same excitement as me. I'll post a report tomorrow, no birds or 14. Life is beyond good.