2024/2025 season picture thread
butterball
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I’ve been seeing them more frequently the last 5 or so years as well.
Was nothing I recall as a kid. Same with wigeon. But I found an old article about the early refuge years here and they mention both.
Well they are wising up which is odd we should have gotten fresh over the weekend.
Course 1000 coots makes everything harder. But 8 rigs Friday, 10 by 5am Saturday and who knows what Sunday brought and a guy hunting Monday morning with 3 people doesn’t help.
Made a couple shots I shouldn’t have last night and cripple sailed a mallard way back in the brush and bog and watched a ringbill sail and than swim away from 100 yards. No luck finding that.
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I’ll try a less busy spot Wednesday.
Course 1000 coots makes everything harder. But 8 rigs Friday, 10 by 5am Saturday and who knows what Sunday brought and a guy hunting Monday morning with 3 people doesn’t help.
Made a couple shots I shouldn’t have last night and cripple sailed a mallard way back in the brush and bog and watched a ringbill sail and than swim away from 100 yards. No luck finding that.
I’ll try a less busy spot Wednesday.
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391 Posts
Saturday was slow. Yesterday we went in the evening hoping for ringbills but only got 2. Didn’t see much.
Today didn’t see much but some wood ducks decoyed and some pintails.
Oddly low number of birds for the wind the last day. Hopefully todays north wind brings some.
Saturday was 2 green wings. Today was the wood and pin. 3 of 5 were properly given the Arkansas. One wood duck least jumped back into the air. Pintails were banking and cruising the shoreline tight which has happens twice this year same spot.
![Image]()
![Image]()
Today didn’t see much but some wood ducks decoyed and some pintails.
Oddly low number of birds for the wind the last day. Hopefully todays north wind brings some.
Saturday was 2 green wings. Today was the wood and pin. 3 of 5 were properly given the Arkansas. One wood duck least jumped back into the air. Pintails were banking and cruising the shoreline tight which has happens twice this year same spot.
Boy when tapatalk sucked this place died.
Anyways I got out with skim ice and iced up splasher this morning and all I got was a blue wing.
Tonight I kicked up a lot and none came back. Got the drake in a three pack of mallards.
Then a pair came and I shot the drake, saw it falling and moved over to the hen. She fell back in the cattails.
So I sent Kona on her. By the time I got back to see the water the drake had ghosted me. My fault for not watching it splash and finishing it. But Kona did a great job on the hen in 6’ tall cattails.
![Image]()
Anyways I got out with skim ice and iced up splasher this morning and all I got was a blue wing.
Tonight I kicked up a lot and none came back. Got the drake in a three pack of mallards.
Then a pair came and I shot the drake, saw it falling and moved over to the hen. She fell back in the cattails.
So I sent Kona on her. By the time I got back to see the water the drake had ghosted me. My fault for not watching it splash and finishing it. But Kona did a great job on the hen in 6’ tall cattails.
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9,856 Posts
Pinky up and everything
(I don't know what "tea party" is supposed to mean other than the literal meaning, so I'm just running with that
)Saw more after picking up decoys. Should be out right now but we gotta grocery shop so I’ll go tonight.
Kona had a great second retrieve. Maybe only 25 yards but it fell on the left side where she couldn’t see due to cattails. It fell into the grass on the bog edge but she wanted to go. Watched her swim around a small point and kept watching for her to swim to where I thought it was. Saw zero water ripples. Finally when I figure I’m gonna paddle down and get the bird I whistle her back and out she pops from what I thought was the wrong spot of bog with a mouth full of mallard. Pintail was all of 5 yards and hit a goose decoy! I was calling some mallard and facing back over bog waiting on them when I saw Kona locked hard over the decoys. Turn and see a flock of pintails and one damn near on water.
Kona had a great second retrieve. Maybe only 25 yards but it fell on the left side where she couldn’t see due to cattails. It fell into the grass on the bog edge but she wanted to go. Watched her swim around a small point and kept watching for her to swim to where I thought it was. Saw zero water ripples. Finally when I figure I’m gonna paddle down and get the bird I whistle her back and out she pops from what I thought was the wrong spot of bog with a mouth full of mallard. Pintail was all of 5 yards and hit a goose decoy! I was calling some mallard and facing back over bog waiting on them when I saw Kona locked hard over the decoys. Turn and see a flock of pintails and one damn near on water.
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9,856 Posts
Shoot, maybe I'll win one of my duck hunting games then 🤣
Well Wally it’s finally cool enough to let them hang for a day or two so I will find out this morning if there is any fat.
Went out last night and if we ignore the first group of mallards inkifter my head on it was a darn good night.
Saw maybe 150 mallards total.
What was cool was 4 times when I hit the call they banked over and circled at most once before being called down as close as I wanted before standing up!! It’s always super cool when I can do that! Ended up with a ringbill (man 30 yards seems far away). Then a Susie from a 10 pack, a single Susie, grabbed a drake out of a 12 er and the last was a single that I had to damn near sit down before I was 100%.
If pics would load you’d see some nice plumb triple curl drakes and one was even the mythical red legged Canadian!
Went out last night and if we ignore the first group of mallards inkifter my head on it was a darn good night.
Saw maybe 150 mallards total.
What was cool was 4 times when I hit the call they banked over and circled at most once before being called down as close as I wanted before standing up!! It’s always super cool when I can do that! Ended up with a ringbill (man 30 yards seems far away). Then a Susie from a 10 pack, a single Susie, grabbed a drake out of a 12 er and the last was a single that I had to damn near sit down before I was 100%.
If pics would load you’d see some nice plumb triple curl drakes and one was even the mythical red legged Canadian!
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