Rando Report post Posted January 20, 2016 After contemplating what I did wrong on the last two time I went duck hunting and missed plenty of mallards and shovelers and the info I got from all of you I headed back out to the area I have been seeing ducks on tanks. I decided against sitting a tank the first hour and just went with the game plan of being quieter and trying to get glass on the tank first and making a game plan from there. Took the Can am out this time so I could move around the desert quicker than the truck. After hitting the first tank right around 740 I notice a truck parked over by my truck and trailer so cruised over there to see if someone was messing with my stuff. Turns out it was game and fish, kinda funny because when I drove up on them they had there Binos out and were glassing the tank I was just on. Ended up bsing with them for a little bit, turns out they had received calls over the last few weeks of someone messing with wildlife with aircraft or something. Anyways that pretty much killed the first hour of light so I was pretty bummed and feeling like I was not off to a good start. Jumped back in the can am and started sneaking up to tanks. On my way to the fourth or fifth tank I decided to swing by this little tank not far off the highway that I skipped last time. As I sneak up the large berm and poke my head over the tank I see about 10-12 canvasbacks and two other that look like shovelers of some type!!! I freeze and start panicking they are going to fly off and I am too far away I stare at them and nothing, they don't see me. So I grab my rangefinder and laser them up real quick and they are 62 yards away and I know I have to run atleast 12 yards in the wide open to even have a chance. I take a deep breath, look at my buddy, and start sneaking with my shotgun up. As a stroke of dumb luck they don't fly at all until I get about 40 yards then they take off. I hit 2 canvasbacks with one shot and the one dropped dead, the other flew down and my buddy finished it off, and missed the Shovelers with my second shot. Shot the other Coot or Scaups (not sure which they are to be honest) when I jumped them and then hid and they circled over top of me. What a blast of a good time! Thanks again for all the tips and strategies, they really helped save me probably years of frustration. And I got the first ducks that I can actually get stuffed much earlier than I imagined. I think tank hopping has mostly run its course for me. I am sure I will do it a few more times but starting next year I will be working on a place to hunt from a blind with decoys, getting ducks that are coming in just sounds like a good ole time. I haven't been this obsessed since I went on my first ever elk hunt years ago. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
6ANut Report post Posted January 20, 2016 Great looking drakes and congrats on your success. Get to working on your duck call, I have one in my vehicle which is the best place to practice IMO. Calling ducks in az is I feel harder than in some of the northern states cause u really can find groups of ducks that are very call shy. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SwampMafia Report post Posted January 20, 2016 Good job!!! Those aren't coots, they are either scaup, or ring ducks. The hen looks like a canvasback or redhead hen Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesPursuit Report post Posted January 20, 2016 2 ringed neck drakes and 1 ringed neck hen, and 2 drake canvasbacks. Good job Rando, if jumping tanks got your blood pumping wait until you outsmart a wile ol greenhead and his gang decoying into your setup with their feet down and wings locked up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesPursuit Report post Posted January 20, 2016 and p.s. that sickness you have coming over you about now only gets worse with time and experience. There should really be book written about breaking the news to loved ones when a person contracts duck blood and the steps they need to take to deal with it the rest of their life. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rando Report post Posted January 20, 2016 Thanks guys it is definitely a sickness that I understand now. I had a feeling I wasn't Id'ing those ducks right. I shot the three ringnecks out of the same group that flew over me so that makes sense. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dmoto Report post Posted January 20, 2016 Yep, those are ringys. Nice job! A decent eater if you cook them right. Brining is key. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
eagle#eyes Report post Posted January 20, 2016 Very cool. I think it would be a blast to get into duck hunting, unfortunately due to time and family obligations I can only be subpar at hunting a limited number of species. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
