[Buffle]

While scouting yesterday found some very plumed up green wings. Decided to hit that spot this morning over the marsh system I have been hunting with the slim possibility those teal would show. Morning flight was very slow. Had about a dozen birds land in the decoys before legal. Around 15 minutes after legal 3 mallards cup right in and I took the drake. Fairly large bird with a high fat content. Didn’t see another bird until I just finished picking up at 10 and had a drake mallard land 10 yards away. Struggled past two days to finish my mallard limit out.

 

[Buffle]

Taking advantage of open water and did a quick afternoon in central. Ended up with one black. Should have had a couple more birds, but shot really poorly. Actually think I was pulling too far in front of them. A ton of birds in my area.

 

[Dieselsonly]

Hey guys - been a member here for a few years now and don’t really post much but figured I would jump on this thread. You all seem like a great group of guys. I hunt primarily central mass. I’ve attached some pics of the second split - it’s been good to me so far! The first split I spent pretty much all my time deer hunting.

 

[Dieselsonly]

Also - just to let everyone know the picture with 3 mallards was with myself and a buddy. That was opening day of second split we had to battle the ice on that day!

 

[AvianAddict]

This warm weather has really screwed the birds up around my spots. Didn’t see too much flying yesterday morning. Had a pair of mallards come in but not as close as I like. They were about 30-35 yards when we pulled up. I whiffed on the drake and my buddy hit the hen. Unfortunately she swam into the cattails and we couldn’t find her. Called in a group of six geese and 2 of them landed in the decoys and the other 4 peeled off. Jumped the 2 on the water and Ingot one and my buddy missed. A little later I called in a pair of geese that did it perfectly and I hit one and my buddy missed again. The one I hit only had a broken wing and we shot it 3 more times as it swam away. I grabbed my canoe to go after it and it tucked into some brush. I looked for it for a solid 30 minutes. No idea how I lost a goose! After that I called it as it just didn’t seem like the morning was going well.


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[HNTFSH]

No dog?

 

[JambroseOutdoors]

Frustrating morning yesterday to say the least. Was the first one at the boat ramp. Proceeded to watch FOUR other groups paddle out (this pond is not big enough for that many people…). The 4th boat decided to cruise around right at legal (pic 1 below). Another group was just waling away on the call and standing in the wide open the entire morning, both they and their boat not even hidden on the edge of the water directly across from me (pic 2). Learned there was a 5th group that setup up about 30 yds away from me on the other side of this point I was setup on. Close enough that I somehow got 7 to cup up and commit, only for them to to shoot at them and over my goose decoys. I paddle over and give my two cents, told them if I hadn’t setup my kayak offset from my decoy spread, they very well would have shot right over me. Still gave them the benefit of the doubt, Asked if they didn’t see my decoys or headlamp when they were setting up, said they knew I was there and pretty much told me to go F myself and they aren’t moving, proceeded to skybust at a couple more birds, shot the most out of any group out there, and no birds to show for it… I left and was home by 8:40. Wife was so confused when I walked in the door lol.

During all this, I somehow still managed to scrape a hen, but yesterday really left a bad taste in my mouth. So much so that I am putting my stuff up for the season, that is it for me. This year was some of the worst hunting etiquette and safety I’ve ever seen. If I pulled up to the ramp this morning and saw as many trucks as there was for this particular spot, I wouldn’t of even hunted it. And if I got there so late that it would mean I would be paddling out there literally at legal shooting time, potentially messing up others hunts, I wouldn’t have paddled out. The guys that setup 30 yds from me, I mean I guess they are technically 500ft away from these house, but they shot 95%, minus the volley over my decoys, of their shots directly into those houses ( I was 550, but my shots were angled away from the houses). And this is the 3rd time this season that people had zero regard to other hunters, no common courtesy, and setup right on top of me or my group. And 2 of the 3 instances shots were fired over my spread. So that is it for me, calling it a season. I wish everyone great success the rest of the season, and I look forward to seeing and hearing more as the season closes out.

 

[Baymen Moe]

Oh man, that sucks Jack. Pisses me off just reading your report. What a bunch of a**holes. No need for that. I’m gonna monitor my spot this week for ice for next weekend. If it’s doable I’ll give you a shout.

 

[Baymen Moe]

Had an ok hunt yesterday. Spot was completely free of ice. Had an inch and a half around blind on Monday which made me make the trek to open water. Hunted the blind yesterday with my friend and longtime hunting buddy, Dave Bitters of Baymen Guide service. Tons of birds before LST and enough to keep us at it afterwards. Dave bagged a black in short order. I dropped one which became a non retrieve unfortunately. Guess it was a bad day for us Mass guy’s all around.

 

[AvianAddict]

No dog?

She just turned 1 and not ready this season. Next year she will be out there with us.


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[AvianAddict]

Jack that hen you shot looks like it has the bill and wings of a drake?


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[Southcoast hunter]

I went out on the salt Friday and Saturday. Friday was a bust, but Saturday there were tons of Buffleheads. I knocked one down and it flew away. Tough little bastards. I ended up killing a few. I could see guys landing on the rock piles off shore, having a ball with Old Squaw.


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[JambroseOutdoors]

I appreciate it Bill, AA also reached out and was nice enough to extend an offer as well, but I told him I am going to try to earn some brownie points with the Mrs and take a weekend off. I am going to get out for a coastal hunt with AA at the end of the month, so I know we will definitely end the season on a high note regardless. Just wish I would run into more guys like the ones on this forum, but sadly it seems that is becoming rarer and rarer these days.

 

[Dieselsonly]

Went out last Saturday 1/7 to my hottest spot this second split.. had over 100 mallards flying before LST. A few groups plopped right down and decoyed 4 minutes before shooting time, it was great! Was with 3 guys including myself we each shot a drake and we had 2 drakes escape us. I've only lost a bird once before in my life and it happened twice on Saturday.. was extremely frustrated to the point where it almost ruined the hunt. Makes me really want to get a new dog.. its tough finding those bastards without one. Overall a good hunt - besides the lost birds it was a lot of action.

 

[HNTFSH]

She just turned 1 and not ready this season. Next year she will be out there with us.


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That will make a huge difference in lost birds. To the point I don't shoot ducks without one. On that point - ducks, doves, geese, pheasant (in addition of the requirement to find/flush) sometimes people underestimate or understate how many birds they lose without a decent dog.

 

[MattS19]

Shot up north Sunday for my first time at great bay (first picture). Beautiful place, can’t believe I’ve never checked it out. Didn’t expect much, but actually had 3 drake goldeneyes do it right up. Whiffed so hard I almost kept it to myself on the first one. My buddy downed the next two, and man - those birds dove the second they hit the water and came up a few hundred yards away. I tried to get after them, but they won the cat and mouse easily. Newfound respect for them. Oddly, wouldn’t have done it differently - they were good, close shots and the birds dropped hard initially.

Hit Chatham today for seaducking with my buddy visiting from NC. Had a fun eider limit by 10 then turned to brant and had our limit by 2, including a scotch double for me. Lots of eider, old squaw, black and bufflehead still in pleasant bay… fewer but several groups of white wing and surf scoters.

One more day on cape, then a local hunt for me and the buddy Wednesday before driving down to eastern shore of MD with my little brother for two days down there. (If anyone is wondering - taking time off before starting a new job in two weeks - yes I do have obligations haha

 

[AvianAddict]

That will make a huge difference in lost birds. To the point I don't shoot ducks without one. On that point - ducks, doves, geese, pheasant (in addition of the requirement to find/flush) sometimes people underestimate or understate how many birds they lose without a decent dog.

I am very selective of my shots. I lost 3 birds this season that I’m aware of. As I knocked it down on the water and couldn’t find it.


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[Noreaster]

With divers & sea ducks it's inevitable to lose some birds, tough little bastards that love to play dead right up to the retrieval then rollover & dive.
I won't shoot anything smaller than #2s on those birds

 

[AvianAddict]

Question on divers? Do you have to hide as much with divers as puddle ducks? I’m planning to target divers which I never do the last Saturday of coastal. My intention was to find a cut off the main river and just lay down and cover up with burlap.


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[Buffle]

Definitely don’t need as much of a hide for divers as puddle ducks. Divers will be traveling low to the water and are never going to circle. Give them some decoys to focus in on and stay out of their direct sight line and you will be fine with the burlap. I hate shooting from a lay out and avoid whenever I can. I have done very well tucking tight in the creek/sod bank shadows and just sitting on a marsh stool or in rocky areas just sitting on a rock. Like any duck hunting keeping movement down is important.