Hello Everyone,
I am 60 and have been hunting since I was 15. I have done a fair amount of jump shooting and have a 1 1/2 year old lab with hunting blood.
I have wanted to decoy ducks since watching The American Sportsman every Sunday morning as a child. From what I am reading and scouting, this is the worst time in history to begin the sport in Western PA. However, I am not spoiled by the "old days" because I haven't experienced them.
I scouted Presque Isle a month ago and yesterday mustered the courage to put out a spread. As a beginner, I only had a half dozen AvianX Redheads and 2 hen with a drake Goldeneye by Tanglefree. I set up on a weedbed with my decoys 20 yds. out in 2 1/2-3 ft of water.
CONDITIONS WERE HEAVY FOG - visibility les than 80 yds. When I pulled my decoys at ten, I noticed that one of the Goldeneye decoys had a little curl of monofilament anchor line above water. The three groups of divers that I saw were, a pair then a foursome of large ducks (Scaup? But the foursome looked BIG.) followed by a small flock of Buffleheads.
MY QUESTION: In your opinion, did I attract then flare these ducks with my little faulty layout or was I just lucky to see these ducks momentarily in the fog?
I also had a flock of about a dozen divers cross the highway on my way home around I-80 at dusk
Thank You So Much,
Andy
p.s. It took a lot of time and effort for me to become a good deer hunter and Steelhead/Salmon fisherman. I understand that this will be the same. I really enjoyed my hunt at Presque Isle, especially hearing the calls and seeing something other than Mallards and Geese. But I plan on becoming good enough to pull the trigger at least once or twice a day.
Hee hee, we shall see.
I am 60 and have been hunting since I was 15. I have done a fair amount of jump shooting and have a 1 1/2 year old lab with hunting blood.
I have wanted to decoy ducks since watching The American Sportsman every Sunday morning as a child. From what I am reading and scouting, this is the worst time in history to begin the sport in Western PA. However, I am not spoiled by the "old days" because I haven't experienced them.
I scouted Presque Isle a month ago and yesterday mustered the courage to put out a spread. As a beginner, I only had a half dozen AvianX Redheads and 2 hen with a drake Goldeneye by Tanglefree. I set up on a weedbed with my decoys 20 yds. out in 2 1/2-3 ft of water.
CONDITIONS WERE HEAVY FOG - visibility les than 80 yds. When I pulled my decoys at ten, I noticed that one of the Goldeneye decoys had a little curl of monofilament anchor line above water. The three groups of divers that I saw were, a pair then a foursome of large ducks (Scaup? But the foursome looked BIG.) followed by a small flock of Buffleheads.
MY QUESTION: In your opinion, did I attract then flare these ducks with my little faulty layout or was I just lucky to see these ducks momentarily in the fog?
I also had a flock of about a dozen divers cross the highway on my way home around I-80 at dusk
Thank You So Much,
Andy
p.s. It took a lot of time and effort for me to become a good deer hunter and Steelhead/Salmon fisherman. I understand that this will be the same. I really enjoyed my hunt at Presque Isle, especially hearing the calls and seeing something other than Mallards and Geese. But I plan on becoming good enough to pull the trigger at least once or twice a day.
Hee hee, we shall see.
