WHO STAYED AND WHO LEFT??

[Paul26]

I cannot make my mind up as to the question of numbers of birds in the area. Trusted hunters are telling me that they have seen less in the last week. In the picture below my buffs and mergs are still here......but the bbills that started to arrive 2 weeks ago are all gone.

I'll do more hunting in the next 2 weeks than any other period of the season, so I guess I'll find out.

[Dingbatter]

I kind of feel like a lot of birds passed through last week on the full moon during the cold snap.

[HydeMarsh]

where do you think they went? why do you think they did not want to stay here?

[Paul26]

If they did leave (which I hope not....will find out in the next 2 weeks!), I'll tell you EXACTLY where they went.

I was in Tampa-St Pete from the 9th to the 16th. I drove across that long bridge (I-275, I think) 5-6 times for airport trips. Fellas, I have never, ever, ever seen rafts of divers as numerous and as large as what I saw. They were so massive and there were so many that I went out and bought some binos. They were Divers alright. I am certain I saw 40,000-50,000 over my week there.

Of course I am not saying OUR divers are there. The gulf coast of FLA is a major wintering spot for divers. But I have to admit that in my mind I thought "man, sure wish these guys had stayed in NC!"

Actually, I think they are here, and in decent numbers. We'll see!

[Raging Woodie]

Just a thought, and i hope i don't come off to harsh or brash but i'm just calling it like i see every season. Usually when we get a big push of birds and they first get here they are in plain sight, on big water and it just looks like they are every where. Everybody sits back and goes "the birds are here, we got birds finally".

Then after a couple weeks of pressuring the crap out of them because they are easy to find and haven't been hunted or the birds finally spread out and get into areas that hold better food sources and better cover than what is in front of someones pier or out in plain sight or the weather turns off hot and they stop moving everybody goes "well the birds are gone, weather pushed them out" or "they flew right by us". People say this just about every year.

I can tell you there are birds around people just have to go find them, point blank. Because now they have had enough time to spread out, they have seen some hunting pressure, they are not going to be sitting right in your back yard or in plain sight. When we got the big push of birds it was easy pickens. Now it just takes a little more work and scouting to get on them, and this hot weather isn't going to make it any easier.

Good luck hunting and merry Christmas