Nathan Bender
11-16-2010, 09:46 PM
Haven't been able to post pictures up in a couple of weeks because I have not had my laptop. So here is a couple of hunts from the last couple weekends.
Saturday(11-6-10)-
With the cold temps that we got on Friday night my dad and I walked into the marsh on about an inch of ice. As we started to walk out it started to break up and that's when we broke open a large hole for the decoys. We set up 2 dozen GHG Pro-Grade Mallards and 18 GHG Life-Size Goose Floaters. As shooting time approached we started to hear some mallards on the other side of the marsh start to make some noise. I took a look out the front of the blind to look at the decoy spread and thats when I saw a single drake mallard that was back peddling over the top of the decoys. I stood up and dropped him with a single shot. Next we had a group of 4 Greenwing Teal that cupped up and committed onto the spread and that's when we stood up and dropped two but only could find one. Next a flock of 5 mallards came over the top of the blind and that's when I got on em hard and the flock worked and worked and worked until the lead bird finally gave it up and brought all the others in with her to the water which was when we stood up and dropped three mallards consisting of 2 drakes and a hen. I went out to help the dog break the ice to retrieve the hen on top of it and that's when I saw a flash of bling as soon as he grabbed it. I get it back in my hand and its got a nice ole' shinny band on its leg(my dad's third duck band in this same spot in less than a year). Lets just say he has got the band mojo!!
Forgot my camera on one of the most amazing sunrises I have ever seen. Had to take one with the phone....
http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af93/bnate14/MallardBand.jpg
Sunday(11-7-10)-
With my parents going on vacation early in the morning I had a friend take me out on a public lake. There was not to many birds moving around but we did manage to kill 1 Goose, 1 drake Ringneck, 1 drake Mallard, and my first drake Pintail. The drake Pintail came in with a group of about 10 mallards and that was the only duck that I concentrated on while the others were working. The group finally committed and came right in and I knocked the Pintail down with my second shot and finished him off with the third shot. A day that I will never forget!!!
http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af93/bnate14/DSC_0398.jpg
http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af93/bnate14/DSC_0399.jpg
Saturday(11-13-10)-
With my dad still gone on vacation I called one of my dad's friends up and he was more than happy to go with me to one of our marshes. We arrived to the marsh about an hour early to set the spread up and get everything ready. As we kept on seeing birds landing in the decoys, it seemed like we were checking our phones every thirty seconds. Finally the time came and that's when we had two teal buzz past us and we flat out missed on all six shots. I was way behind my bird because I didn't realize how fast these things were. We usually only shoot teal in October and very few in November. Well after a few more misses we finally started to down some teal. We then had a large flock of Gadwalls come in and they cupped right up and committed and with the high winds I didn't think that they would get out of range so fast. We stood up and it seemed like they had just disappeared in the sky. On my third shot I had finally hit one of them and it fell right into the spread of the GHG decoys. A little bit later we decided to call it and wrap things up. We had a decent hunt with shooting 7 ducks. 1 Hen Gadwall and 6 Greenwing Teal.
http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af93/bnate14/DSC_0420.jpg
A few drakes
http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af93/bnate14/DSC_0413.jpg
Sunday(11-14-10)
With the amount of Greenwing Teal that I saw the day before I decided to go back to the same spot for a solo hunt. I arrived about and hour early and decided to head towards a back pothole that I saw all the teal going into the day before while on the hunt. I brought a dozen Pro-Grade Greenwing Teal, 2 dozen Pro-Grade Mallards, 4 Gadwall, and 6 Life-Size Goose floaters. As soon as shooting time arrived I had some Mallards that started to work but just would not commit to the designated landing zone. I wanted to have them in close and they just weren't close enough. A little while after that it seemed like the Teal woke up and were all over the place. I had a flock of 3 Greenwing Teal land in the decoys and jumped them and killed two out of the flock. Next I had a single drake Greenwing that tried to decoy right in and killed him with one shot. Next came an immature drake Greenwing and I again killed it with one shot. After the fast and furious shooting it seemed as if a switch had been flipped and the ducks just quit flying. After waiting for about an hour I had a Gadwall come into the spread out of nowhere and finally on my third shot I hit it. I waited a little bit longer and called it a day because I didn't see anything else flying around. Ended the day with 5 ducks(5 Teal and 1 drake Gadwall).
http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af93/bnate14/DSC_0426.jpg
Thanks for Reading,
Nathan Bender
Saturday(11-6-10)-
With the cold temps that we got on Friday night my dad and I walked into the marsh on about an inch of ice. As we started to walk out it started to break up and that's when we broke open a large hole for the decoys. We set up 2 dozen GHG Pro-Grade Mallards and 18 GHG Life-Size Goose Floaters. As shooting time approached we started to hear some mallards on the other side of the marsh start to make some noise. I took a look out the front of the blind to look at the decoy spread and thats when I saw a single drake mallard that was back peddling over the top of the decoys. I stood up and dropped him with a single shot. Next we had a group of 4 Greenwing Teal that cupped up and committed onto the spread and that's when we stood up and dropped two but only could find one. Next a flock of 5 mallards came over the top of the blind and that's when I got on em hard and the flock worked and worked and worked until the lead bird finally gave it up and brought all the others in with her to the water which was when we stood up and dropped three mallards consisting of 2 drakes and a hen. I went out to help the dog break the ice to retrieve the hen on top of it and that's when I saw a flash of bling as soon as he grabbed it. I get it back in my hand and its got a nice ole' shinny band on its leg(my dad's third duck band in this same spot in less than a year). Lets just say he has got the band mojo!!
Forgot my camera on one of the most amazing sunrises I have ever seen. Had to take one with the phone....
http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af93/bnate14/MallardBand.jpg
Sunday(11-7-10)-
With my parents going on vacation early in the morning I had a friend take me out on a public lake. There was not to many birds moving around but we did manage to kill 1 Goose, 1 drake Ringneck, 1 drake Mallard, and my first drake Pintail. The drake Pintail came in with a group of about 10 mallards and that was the only duck that I concentrated on while the others were working. The group finally committed and came right in and I knocked the Pintail down with my second shot and finished him off with the third shot. A day that I will never forget!!!
http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af93/bnate14/DSC_0398.jpg
http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af93/bnate14/DSC_0399.jpg
Saturday(11-13-10)-
With my dad still gone on vacation I called one of my dad's friends up and he was more than happy to go with me to one of our marshes. We arrived to the marsh about an hour early to set the spread up and get everything ready. As we kept on seeing birds landing in the decoys, it seemed like we were checking our phones every thirty seconds. Finally the time came and that's when we had two teal buzz past us and we flat out missed on all six shots. I was way behind my bird because I didn't realize how fast these things were. We usually only shoot teal in October and very few in November. Well after a few more misses we finally started to down some teal. We then had a large flock of Gadwalls come in and they cupped right up and committed and with the high winds I didn't think that they would get out of range so fast. We stood up and it seemed like they had just disappeared in the sky. On my third shot I had finally hit one of them and it fell right into the spread of the GHG decoys. A little bit later we decided to call it and wrap things up. We had a decent hunt with shooting 7 ducks. 1 Hen Gadwall and 6 Greenwing Teal.
http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af93/bnate14/DSC_0420.jpg
A few drakes
http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af93/bnate14/DSC_0413.jpg
Sunday(11-14-10)
With the amount of Greenwing Teal that I saw the day before I decided to go back to the same spot for a solo hunt. I arrived about and hour early and decided to head towards a back pothole that I saw all the teal going into the day before while on the hunt. I brought a dozen Pro-Grade Greenwing Teal, 2 dozen Pro-Grade Mallards, 4 Gadwall, and 6 Life-Size Goose floaters. As soon as shooting time arrived I had some Mallards that started to work but just would not commit to the designated landing zone. I wanted to have them in close and they just weren't close enough. A little while after that it seemed like the Teal woke up and were all over the place. I had a flock of 3 Greenwing Teal land in the decoys and jumped them and killed two out of the flock. Next I had a single drake Greenwing that tried to decoy right in and killed him with one shot. Next came an immature drake Greenwing and I again killed it with one shot. After the fast and furious shooting it seemed as if a switch had been flipped and the ducks just quit flying. After waiting for about an hour I had a Gadwall come into the spread out of nowhere and finally on my third shot I hit it. I waited a little bit longer and called it a day because I didn't see anything else flying around. Ended the day with 5 ducks(5 Teal and 1 drake Gadwall).
http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af93/bnate14/DSC_0426.jpg
Thanks for Reading,
Nathan Bender