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Skipjack Joe
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Location: Bahia Asuncion
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| Quote: | Originally posted by SFandH
| Quote: | Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
You're not convincing many here. |
Interesting, how do you know that?
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It stands to reason. People followed Mahatama Gandhi because of his example.
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wessongroup
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Registered: 8-9-2009
Location: Mission Viejo
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Mood: Suicide Hot line ... please hold
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"It stands to reason. People followed Mahatama Gandhi because of his example."
Does set the bar a bit high for you know who .... there skip...
The old adage comes to mind .... Don't ask the question if ya don't know the answer... need a bandaid... or perhaps a tourniquet ... as this one maybe
fatal.... 
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Shell~Gal
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Peace ~ Love and fish tacos
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Pompano
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George, you know I am in the boondocks here..my Verizon air card just won't cut the mustard to show youtube movies. I'll just assume I should be
laughing......
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Cypress
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Most of the ducks down in the swamps where I duck hunt are Wood Ducks. Not big, but very good when mixed into a duck and cornbread dressing with
plenty of gravy. Call 'em "squealers", real sharp little ducks. Probably the most alert and quickest to spot you. Now those little Teal...
Mallards.... Have hunted those Blue Bills rafting up out in the bays... Don't like to shoot 'em with that steel shot, lead shot is much better. But,
the powers that be also decree, "Steel Shot" only. Bad for the barrels of good shotguns.
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Pompano
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The Cypress woody...and those teal, bluebills, and mallards.
| Quote: | Originally posted by Cypress
Most of the ducks down in the swamps where I duck hunt are Wood Ducks. Not big, but very good when mixed into a duck and cornbread dressing with
plenty of gravy. Call 'em "squealers", real sharp little ducks. Probably the most alert and quickest to spot you. Now those little Teal...
Mallards.... Have hunted those Blue Bills rafting up out in the bays... Don't like to shoot 'em with that steel shot, lead shot is much better. But,
the powers that be also decree, "Steel Shot" only. Bad for the barrels of good shotguns. |
Sorry about this tardy posting… been out hunting sharptail grouse in the Badlands. Flying footballs!
To Cypress and everyone reading this…..Oh yeah, wood ducks are challenging targets for sure, but that’s what sets them apart from other, more commonly
hunted species of waterfowl. When they come zooming in over the deeks, they look like bumblebees on steroids.
Cypress, when you say ‘swamps”, I take it you are referring to the marshes & flooded pin oak country down south? Arkansas-Louisiana? (I’ve never
found too many swamps in Idaho, but then..?)
I’ve hunted some Down South a long time ago…close to Stuttgart, Arkansas a few times, and then over at Caddo Bay, Texas/Louisiana border. Great
times and superb decoying for puddlers of every kind, but wing-shooting in the trees is a lot different than open plains. Shooting a wood duck in
flooded timber is like trying to gun down a stone released from a slingshot, only harder. Took me a little practice, but I soon got the hang of it
with some good advice from local buds. I switched to an open choke as the flights were very close and was thinking, Heck, next time I’ll bring my
skeet choke o/u.
And I agree, the little woody is indeed a great table bird, but then I find almost all Dabbling Ducks Delicious!
Actually, we hardly ever hunted wood ducks in my young years. Not just because they were not many around, but because we preferred the big corn-fed
greenheads & pintails.
But…growing up on our southwestern ND ranch bordered by the Little Missouri River, we had plenty of tall dead oak and cottonwood trees with lots of
empty holes for excellent wood duck nesting.
The wood ducks would usually appear in pairs, squealing loudly as they flew past our river bank. Females utter a drawn-out, rising squeal, "oo-eek,"
when flushed, and a sharp "cr-r-ek, cr-e-ek" for an alarm call when danger threatened…..like when a swimming skinny kid would try sneaking up on them.
. The male call is a thin, high, rising "jeeeeee."
Hah... no doubt how they earned the nickname “squealers.” Those that weren’t calling still were audible on their fast approach. The noise made as air
rushed through their pinions closely resembled the sound of a bottle rocket fired on the Fourth of July.
Those ranch woodies entertained us, too. The whole family got a treat when the little woodie ducklings were ready to leave
their nest...we’d sit silently on a huge log down by our big cottonwood and get a great show watching those teenie little woodie ducklings jump
one-by-one from those high nests into the water 25-35 feet below. Little drab-colored puffballs splashing into the river with nary a fatality.
Always loved that sight and thought, “Wow...what little daredevils they are!”.
Teal:
It is the most abundant duck in the mixed-grass prairies of the Dakotas. We literally raise tens of thousands within 20 miles of my Duk Shak. Green
wing, blue wing, cinnamon, etc….we have them all in numbers.
A teal memory: One of my prize mounts WAS a beautiful cinnamon drake like the one above…done expertly at rest on a piece of birch-bark
driftwood…given to me by my late friend, Roger Page (nomad ‘aquaholic’). It was a remembrance of an unusual hunt we had together…
‘in downtown Seattle’s Long Acres Race Track.’. …but that’s a story for another time.
Unfortunately, a guest’s beagle chewed it to pieces when the untrained mutt was left alone in my Duk Shak….grrrr… (Note:
The beagle mount is not nearly as pretty, but makes a good boot scraper.)
.
Bluebills
Another favorite hunt is to go after bluebills late in the fall. Honest to God, it’s got to be freezing cold out there for
you to really enjoy the experience!
My old lab, Gypsy, was an expert bluebill retriever…and spotter. Yup….a damn good spotter, too.
To explain her talent: The north end of the big marsh by my shack is a haven for late season ‘bills’. Known as Red Willow Slough.
Gypsy and I hunted this great spot for many a season.…setting out about 3 dozen blocks...and then push-poling my Old Town into our rush-blind.
Sitting there, sipping hot coffee, smoking a stogie…and LONG before I was ready, a big flock of bluebills would suddenly come zooming in from the
north…zip once over the deeks…looking things over…. before making a sharp turn and come splashing/crashing down into our set.
Gypsy had seen all this, of course…and looked up at me with a quizzical expression: “Hey, What’s Up? You sleeping or something?”
That’s when she learned to be my spotter.
From that time on, whenever she heard those approaching wings, she’d put her head under my forearm and push it up…as if to say…”Okay,
sleepyhead…get ready. Here they come!”
Mallards
One of my Duk Shak mallards…courtesy of a taxidermist/hunting buddy.
Mallards. Big northern greenheads. Curly-tails. My favorite as a young duck-hunter.
Mallards. Santee Lakes sissy city-fieds. Still my favorite as an Old Hunter-Feeder. 
More about those Wood Ducks:
Compared to the South, we don’t get that many wood ducks out here in Pothole Country…just not enough good habitat to support them, but we do have a
good representative population that is growing, thanks to hunters and sportsmen.
Wood ducks are greatly increasing in numbers these days…..thanks to sportsmen’s clubs, Ducks Unlimited, and other like organizations that contribute
time and money to constructing nesting sites.
Over the past 20 years, our local DU & hunter’s club members have installed more than 8,000 Wood Duck boxes, or woodie boxes, in sloughs, along ND
rivers and lots of smaller tributaries. A vast amount of continued work by DU members takes place along these rivers collecting data, checking boxes
for nests, cleaning out old nests and maintaining the boxes with fresh wood chips, hinges and tops as needed. We also volunteer to help next-door
Clark Salyer game refuge live-trap for the yearly duck nesting count…using fired capture-nets.
It a given that Wildlife Management can have a huge effect on a bird’s sustainability. The beauty of this Up North area I love is not just in the
land and water we cherish, but also in the waterfowl that continues to claim the Big Open as its own.
Here’s an information tidbit for you: ‘The Wood Duck is one of the only species to nest in man-made boxes. Regarded as the most colorful waterfowl
species in North America, the duck was in abundance before unregulated hunting and habitat destruction nearly wiped out the species in the early
1900s. Changes in habitat protection and hunting laws turned things around by the 1920s, with artificial nesting boxes introduced in the 1930s and
serving as a key component to the species survival.’
Incidentally, one of the other birds is the Purple Martin, nesting almost exclusively in man-made houses, they are revered by homeowners for keeping
flying insect populations like mosquitoes in check. I have built 2 so far…one at my Duk Shak on a high cat-proof pole….and another at my home on the
Rainy River, Minnesota. (A word of caution….in Minnesota the mosquitos are bigger than the purple martins…..)
Build a nesting box yourself:
http://www.ducks.org/media/Conservation/Conservation_Documen...
.
.
Hey….it’s almost time to go set the deeks! I’m outta here..
"I realize the answer is not to create wilderness and walk away.
In wilderness is the preservation of the world. "
Henry David Thoreau
[Edited on 9-22-2011 by Pompano]
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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wessongroup
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Like the "Big Open"... as that's the way it looks to me... thanks again..
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Cypress
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Pompano, Thanks for all the info. Was raised down in the Mississippi marsh and swamp country. Visit family and friends every winter. Do most my of
hunting in Idaho. Fish the tidal marshes for specks, redfish, and flounder when I visit down south. Also set a trot line or two for catfish. Those
Wood Ducks will nest quite a distance from the water. Maybe 1/2 mile.
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Pompano
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SANDHILL CRANE HUNT
For those readers who may not know about sandys:
The Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis to you science buffs) is a large crane of North America ...and don't ask me why, but also
extreme northeastern Siberia. Brrrr!! The common name of this bird references habitat like that at the Platte River, on the edge of
Nebraska's Sandhills in the American Midwest. This is the most important stopover area for the Lesser Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis
canadensis even...sheesh), with up to 500,000 of these birds migrating through annually.
There are five sandhill crane subspecies, but the most common is our old buddy, canadensis crane. Of the current sandhill crane population, the
canadensis subspecies represents 450,000 members of the total population. The sandhill can grow to a length of 4 feet, and live up to 20 years.
It's beak is a lethal lance that can..and has..killed many retrieving dogs. The breeding areas of the canadensis sandhill
are focused in Canada, where these birds can be hunted.
Ahh...Some History!
According to the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, the sandhill crane population began to decline in the first half of the 1900s.
Conservation efforts were undertaken to maintain safe breeding habitats and the Migratory Bird Treaty was passed in 1916. A population low-point was
reached in the late 1930s. The population picked up in the 1950s, and by the 1970s the birds were back at peak populations.
Habitat and Range
A main nesting spot for the sandhill is near the Hudson and James bays in Canada. The winter migration takes these birds toward Texas, New Mexico and
Mexico. According to Outdoor Canada, the best spot to hunt sandhill crane is in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, when these cranes are migrating toward
their winter quarters. In the USA sandhill hunting is good throughout all the Great Plains states to Texas.
Hunting
Pass shooting, like we did a couple days ago, is a common way to hunt sandys..and is done by hunters placing themselves on a known flyway to and from
sloughs to feeds. These are BIG birds and look slow, but don't be fooled...they're coming mighty fast at 30-40mph.
.
Decoying like we did this morning.... draws the birds close to the blind and is our No. 1 choice for hunting
storks. A 12-gauge shotgun loaded with heavy BBs is the standard shotgun choice.
You can use lead on cranes but most hunters stay with steel so they can shoot geese/ducks with them. I only shoot 3' BBB at them & have no problem
knocking them down.
To be consistantly successful hunting cranes you must scout. Cranes are a creature of habit with great eyes. For example, If you have a 200 acre field
they will almost always land in the same area of that field....just like mallards and honkers. You need to know where they are roosting &
which way they approach the field. You must be hidden completely & not show the outline of your body.
Decoys: The absolute best decoy is full upright mounted cranes, but this is a very expensive method at $300-$400 per decoy. I use 40 plastic full-body
no-shine crane decoys & about 30 gray windsocks on 3 foot dowels. Sillo socks also make a good motion decoy. Placement is a little different than
goose decoys. You must put them exactly where the cranes have been & put them in bunches of 3-6 then skip 15 yards or so. Always set yourself
where the birds have to fly over you on windy days to get to the decoys or between the roost & your decoys.
We never have trouble finding a place to hunt cranes. Farmers hate cranes. We usually find them in wheat fields. They
bulldoze the ground something terrible. Gets to the point that farmers know what these fellas are doing and will call us whenever they spot cranes in
their fields. And if the cranes are here when the wheat is still in windrows…the farmers can get downright hysterical…offering up dinners, drinks,
daughters, wives, mothers-in-law, sheep, etc.
Be VERY careful with crippled cranes. Dog can get tore up bad by a wounded crane…or even killed. That's why I always shoot for the head. Either I
miss them completely or they are dead before they hit the ground.
if you have a standing cripple , shoot it again before you send a dog after it, as they will go for the dog’s eyes.
Several things to be aware of is they are very aggresive when wounded. Their long sharp beak is dangerous to dogs & man alike. Also they have
very sharp claws. I had an amigo grab one by the neck & it took a 2 inch chunk of skin off his hand.
This rather hilarious, but dangerous photo below shows what can happen with a wounded crane. This is Dick, a retired New York detective, who
neglected to take his shotgun along when going out to retrieve a previously wounded sandhill…A BAD IDEA! All he had to defend himself with was a
broken piece of board…luckily he KO-ed it before it jumped him and speared his eye. Warning: Do not do this in the field.
Hunting Season
The sandhill crane hunting season begins with the goose season on September 1. The season closes on December 15.
Regulations
A permit is needed before you can hunt sandhill crane. After birds are hunted, the number of sandhill cranes killed must be recorded through the
Federal Game Commission. The sandhill possession limit is five per day, with a total of 10 for two days.
Crane as a viable food source?
YES!
There is no doubt that the poor sandhill crane deserves a better reputation as table fare. Most neophytes ..or just plain lazy…wild game chefs have
the wrong conceptions about eating crane…they always recommend putting the marinated sandhill on a soaked cedar board and grilling the works over
charcoal, then throwing away the crane, and eating the board.
This is simply baloney. The sandhill crane is called ‘ribeye’ for good reason. My favorite is to slice it thin with fajita seasoning. Like any wild
game or domestic animal, the secret is in taking good care of it the minute after it is killed. The old cartoon of a city-slicker hunter driving
around with a deer tied to his hood, remember? Groan…nice way to slow-cook your carcass, I suppose…yeech!
The sandhill crane is superb tablefare. Here’s a couple of other tried and true recipes for you.
Do not throw the bird carcass away after breasting. The legs are full of piano wire so don't do well with roasting or grilling, but cut the remains up
and braise with veggies and aromatics to make a stock. Strip the cooked meat off the bones and tendons and use for gumbo, salad toppings, tamales etc,
it's all good. Strain and use the stock as a base for soup, gumbo, beans etc. Nothing should be wasted on these majestic birds beside the fact that
after you have made all the other stuff which is just as good or better than the breasts (which are outstanding.
I like to age them about 5-7 days just like deer, cube in 1 1/2" cubes and marinate in italian dressing and seasoning. skewer and BBQ ..hovering over
hot coals just enough to seer. Leave them rare and they will be tender and succulent.
CRANE CANDY..My specialty. Strip the breast meat and marinate in your favorite jerky sauce overnight in the fridge (12-14
hours minimum) Then place in a carousel meat dehydrator…or hang by toothpicks from the grills in your oven. Low-low heat and crack the oven door
open. Oh yeah…be SURE to line the ovenbottom with tin foil or your Co-pilot will kill you.
Cranes..! They're a little like sandpipers on steroids.
Some really avid crane hunters will go to any lengths to fix up thier aptly named CRANE HOUSE just down the
lane...behold the new cigar & brandy porch to come.
BACK TO WORK!! Okay, enough hunting for today, it's too sunny and warm....besides, I gotta get back to work on my own
project.....the Duk Shak's new garage slab.
BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER
My native American crew (two scurilous Chippewas whom I allow to hunt with me) gets surly if Chief Thunderpants is not there to do
his share.
THE FUTURE GARAGE LOOK....maybe....if the crew can read the blueprints. 
GOOD HUNTING!
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Cypress
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About those Sandhill Cranes. There's a resident flock in the marsh/ pine barrens of south Mississippi. They don't migrate. A huge federal refuge has
been set aside for their protection.
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Pompano
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Subspecies: 'Mississippi Sandhill Crane' - one of America's rarest birds.
THE CREATION OF A REFUGE
Jake Valentine.
The true story of the Mississippi Sandhill Crane NWR involves the hard work and dedication of a leader in conservation. Jacob M. (Jake) Valentine, Jr.
was a champion of the Mississippi sandhill crane and "father" of the Refuge.
Jake was born May 18, 1917 in Racine, Wisconsin. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II, assigned to the 32nd Division in New Guinea. He
received a Silver Star at age 26 for heroism in action at Saidor where, under Japanese fire, he risked his life swimming a river several times
carrying wounded comrades
He received his MA in Zoology in 1950 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Upon graduation, he joined the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and
served as refuge manager at several refuges. Eventually, he became Regional Wildlife Biologist for the Gulf Coast Region, making Lafayette his home
for over 39 years.
One of his early assignments was an investigation into the effects of the building of Interstate 10 on the sandhill crane population in Jackson
County.
With severe habitat decline and other problems, he realized the cranes were at great risk and called for a refuge. In the 1970s during the ensuing
"cranes and lanes" controversy, stoppage of I-10 construction, and case in federal court, Jake's expertise, courage, and determination led eventually
to the creation of the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge.
Without him, there would simply have been no refuge. He continued his involvement with the cranes and the refuge after his retirement in the 1980s
until his passing, a period spanning over 30 years.
Jake won the Walkinshaw Award for lifetime achievement in crane conservation in 1996. His durability in the field was legendary even into his mid-70s.
Jake Valentine with Nest.
Today, Mississippi Sandhill Crane recovery efforts continue, but the bird still carries the description of 'the rarest bird in North America'.
Although the refuge and I-10 were both created, only 20,000 acres of the original crane habitat exist along the gulf coast. The good news is
that the refuge was created and the population of less than 30 birds has grown to over 100. As the refuge and adjacent communities continue to work
together, the crane recovery program has a definite chance of success.
ANOTHER RENOWNED SANDHILL CRANE REFUGE
North Dakota's J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge is located along the Souris River in Bottineau and McHenry Counties
in north-central North Dakota. The refuge of 58,693 acres (237.5 km2) extends from the Manitoba border southward for approximately 45 miles (72 km) in
an area which was once Glacial Lake Souris. The area is old lake bottom and has extremely flat topography and a high density of temporary wetlands.
The Souris River originates in southern Saskatchewan, flows southwest to Velva, North Dakota, and then generally north to join the Assiniboine River
in southern Manitoba. The United States portion of the river is 358 miles (580 km) long and has a drainage basin of 9,000 square miles (23,000 km2);
371 miles (600 km) of river and 15,000 square miles (39,000 km2) of the basin are in Canada. Approximately 75 miles (120 km) of the Souris River are
within the boundaries of the Refuge.
.....photos courtesy of a 'quick search'....
With a total estimated population of more than 500,000, the Sandhill Crane is the most abundant of the world’s cranes. It is
widely (though intermittently) distributed throughout North America, extending into Cuba and far northeastern Siberia. Six subspecies have been
described. The three migratory subspecies—the Lesser, Greater, and Canadian Sandhill Cranes—are relatively abundant. They are distributed across a
broad breeding range in northern North America and eastern Siberia, with wintering grounds in the southern United States and northern Mexico. The
other three subspecies—the Mississippi, Florida, and Cuban Sandhill Cranes—exist as small, non-migratory populations with restricted ranges in the
southern United States (Mississippi, Florida, and southern Georgia) and Cuba. The total population is increasing in numbers, although some local
populations may be declining. The species is classified as Lower Risk under the revised IUCN Red List Categories. The Mississippi and
Cuban subspecies are classified as Critically Endangered, and also listed on CITES Appendix I.
At the time of European settlement the species was probably more widely distributed than at present. The remote arctic and subarctic breeding grounds
of the Lesser and Canadian Sandhill Cranes have been relatively free of human impact. However, the wintering grounds of these subspecies have been
extensively altered. Hunting, agricultural expansion, drainage of wetlands, and other habitat changes in the 18th and 19th centuries led to the
extirpation of the Greater Sandhill Crane from many parts of its breeding range in the United States and Canada. The population and range of the
non-migratory Sandhill Cranes in the southern United States have also diminished due to hunting, loss of wetlands, and other changes in its habitat.
The Cuban Sandhill Crane was probably more widely distributed in the Cuban archipelago than at present.
Sandhill Cranes are primarily birds of open freshwater wetlands and shallow marshes, but the different subspecies utilize a broad range of habitat
types, from bogs, sedge meadows, and fens to open grasslands, pine savannahs, and cultivated lands. During the breeding season, the three migratory
subspecies may be found in a wide variety of northern wetland communities. Habitats along migration routes tend to be large, open palustrine and
riparian wetlands near agricultural areas, while wintering habitats include riparian wetlands, wet meadows, seasonal playa lakes, and pastures. The
non-migratory subspecies use seasonally variable wetlands, grasslands, and palm and pine savannahs. Sandhill Cranes are omnivorous, feeding on a wide
variety of plant materials (including waste grains) and small vertebrates and invertebrates, both on land and in shallow wetlands.
The leading threat to the species is the loss and degradation of wetland habitats, especially ecological and hydrological changes in important staging
areas. Of special concern are the spring staging areas along the central Platte River, which have diminished due to changes in the river’s flow, and
which are further threatened by excessive water withdrawals and potential dam construction projects. Loss of suitable roosting habitat has
increasingly concentrated the migrating cranes, increasing the risks associated with disease, disturbance, and other threats. Habitat loss continues
to have a major impact on breeding grounds of the Greater Sandhill Crane and on the year-round habitats of the non-migratory subspecies. Mycotoxin
poisoning, abnormal predation pressures, and collisions with fences, vehicles, and utility lines are of local concern for various populations.
We Americans are very fortunate to have so many federal and state refuges for our wlldlife. Let's hope the future will bring many more for our
descendants to enjoy.
The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.
John Muir
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Pompano
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This morning's hunt will be over goose & duck field decoys in wheat stubble.... for Canadas, Mallards, and maybe a
Sandy or two. We head out in 10 minutes...
Good hunting, wherever you are.
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Cypress
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Pompano, Thanks, and have a good hunt.
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Pompano
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Very early Sunday morning, September 25th, 2011.
Two Jack Daniels c-cktails followed by a nice glass of red with last night’s supper of seasoned, marinated, and sautéed mallard breast w/wild rice
put me to sleep like a baby….
…..I got up and cried every hour.
p.s. Goose hunt report to follow 2 tummy alka-seltzers.
I need to interject a little hunting humor on this thread. It’s good for your soul, trust me.
“Vegetarian - that's an old Indian word meaning lousy hunter.”
Andy Rooney
This morning my hunting partners, Munga and Jeff, came over to pick me up at a decent five-o’clock. Hey, I’d been up since 4 doing chores, so no
problem for me. (Note: I’m sure a few of you can relate to these early mornings? If you do, then you know that’s what happens after a lifetime
of the daily Baja routine…meaning we go to bed and are sound asleep by 9 or 10…zzzz….then up and moving WAY before rooster-call. Hey…It’s our
lifestyle and there’s no use trying to change it...we’re in the rut permanently.
Grabbing all my gear and a road-cup coffee, I climb into Munga’s Suburban and we headed west towards the big honker feed we had scouted last evening,
pulling the decoy trailer behind us. It was only about an 8-mile drive, and we took it slow and easy…..on the lookout for the highly-probable
‘pedestrians’.
As in many night-time and especially pre-dawn drives through-out ND, you must use extreme caution to avoid deer, antelope, or loose livestock
that are frequently crossing the roads. Sure enough, this morning a skittish roadside doe blinded herself in our headlights…then dashed out to test
our speed and brakes. This is a daily occurrence passing thru or near Clark Salyer Game Refuge. One can count on seeing at least one deer on the
roadway… and usually many more. We all adjust our driving habits to favor the deer….And save ourselves a visit to the body shop.
If you’ve ever hit a deer at speed, you’ll know it takes forever to get all that dang floating hair out of the vehicle.
We drove on, having our coffee and some very tasty caramel bars that Jeff’s wife had made for us….yummm is all I can say about
those. Muchas gracias, senora Jacqueline, for those special treats! We yakked about our alternate plan B to decoy the Canadian honkers and
mallards this morning. You see, the feed we had spotted the evening before was Posted…No Hunting Without Permission. We tried several times to
contact the landowner, but no luck. He was gone somewhere and no voicemail was set up. Well, we certainly would not hunt his field without
permission, even though we know him well and also knew he would gladly give us permission to set up our deeks.
Okay, no problema.…we’ll simply improvise. ’Chance favors the prepared mind’…. a favorite quote used almost daily by my high school biology
teacher….a highly anal personality.
Here’s the dilemma we faced with this goose feed the night before:
It was huge and was drawing every goose in the area to the succulent food there…fresh green sprouts in a summer-fallowed field…a wild goose’s favorite
treat.
But…the field was posted…we didn’t have permission…Thousands of our geese were in that field!...what to do?
Easy …we will set up our deeks in the closest stubble between the goose feed and the refuge (where the geese roost at night and from where they are
flying for their breakfast.) That wheat stubble field was NOT posted, although we politely called and asked anyway. Done deal, the farmer said we
were good to go.
Great! We would be right in the flight path of all those geese….from the water to the feed behind us. All we had to do was get them to notice us,
swing a little, drop down to look us over, and then we’d have them! We were flushed with our brilliant idea. (well, as brilliant as this old ploy
can be after doing it about a hundred times…oh well, some gloating is always nice.) Yup…It was a shoo-in setup…and it turned out just the way we
planned.
So now we arrive in the wee hours before dawn….found our entrance into the stubble field…and drove on in..keeping track on the odometer for the
correct distance out into the big field. We spotted the place in the other field where the geese had been feeding the night before…and chose our
decoy location accordingly…right up to with 50 yards of that other field. (50 yards being 10 yards further than we will shoot at a goose for a sure
kill.)
We park the trailer on the spot…and unload 3 coffin blinds, all the Bigfoot honker decoys, a few motion decoys, shotguns, thermos, and cameras.
Munga and I are old hands at setting up together and have the deeks and blinds placed in no time at all… while Jeff has driven the rig out of sight
and is walking back.
Hey what the…?…How did so many decoys get SO CLOSE to my blind?
Munga’s little joke….very little indeed! Seems he thinks my diet is ‘not working too well’ and I ‘might need a
little more cover to stay out of sight!’ Grrrrrr….
All three of us shoot right-handed, so we point the blinds slightly to the right of the wind... giving us the best possible gun-swing
coverage. We snuggle into the coffin blinds, and check our gear.
Randy, The Purple Sage, is AWOL…celebrating his birthday today in San Diego with relatives, so we can leave his personal decoy at
home…..thank God!
By dawn’s early light…
Ducks are always our very first visitors...and the first will always come way before legal shooting time at a half-hour before daylight. We have 2011
hunting regs in every blind, which includes sunrise times for this year’s hunting season.
Our first arrival.
Yup, this lone greenhead above was too early…and winged in low over our set, landing about 60 yards out. He might make a good ‘confidence’ decoy
….gratis!
We hear lots of geese off in the distance ….check the time….good to go! Lines of honkers appear way off to the east, rising over the trees bordering
Clark Salyer Refuge. They’re on the way and we’re ready…getting out our goose calls and flags.
From half-hour before sunrise to about 9-9:30 we had spectacular action…managing our 3-man limit of 9 Canada geese….3 per hunter. We had geese coming
in to our deeks from every quarter…some coming straight in from the refuge about 4 miles away…others swinging past us to the original feed and
swinging back to glide into our set.
We had a great time picking and choosing our best shots.
There were some memorable wing-shots made…and a few NOT made, too. Hey, if life was always a sure 100% success, it would get mighty boring….at least
for me. I think I deserve top shooting honors today though, if I do say so myself…and I do. Early on, there was this tight little group of 3 honkers
that set their wings on a glide path directly towards my blind…Oh Boy, this will be sweet and easy, I thought. Wrong.. For some reason they flared
off to my extreme right and started climbing.
Well, they are still well within good range…say 35 yards max…but I couldn’t swing that far right with the 12 gauge on my shoulder. I made a snap
decision while they were still in good range…and fired John Wayne style from the waist ..swinging far right in what I judged to be the best elevation
and direction. Thought, this will be a solid hit….or I’ll miss clean. Hah…unbelievably, the goose crumpled… a solid hit. Two pairs of hands did a
little modest clapping over in the other blinds. Gracias, compadres! I won’t even think of trying that again…no sense ruining a good record.
As you can see above, I had my limit of 3 rather quickly. I was lucky in that, but I’m always lucky when hunting. So I traded the Browning 12 for
the Nikon 40…and then some real fun started! My pals began to get the birds coming over them finally…and I was snapping photo after photo while
trying to stay hidden and not spook any approaching honkers….no small feat for someone my size.
We count up all our birds….7 in all so far…we need just 2 more for our limit. And here they come…!!
Done Deal. Nice double, Munga.
We now have our limit and it’s time to pile up the deeks, and check the ground for empty hulls.
Then kick back with another refreshing cup of Joe.
Then we gather the birds together for some photos. And I kick myself for the umpteenth time for forgetting the dang camera tripod! Well, I could
have used a deek or something, I suppose…but these individual ones are not that bad. We have our photo record of a fine morning’s hunt…with truly
good friends….that’s all that matters.
Time to get to the chores back at camp:
A wheelbarrow is very helpful for hauling these heavy honkers.
The Cleaning Table
Sam does guard duty until we arrive to clean the geese.
All goose/duck carcasses are bagged/sealed well and ready to donate as free food to a nearby fur ranch.
In the sink go the goose breast fillets…to soak in water with a little salt, before bagging for transport or freezer.
I had noticed this old tree fort in the backyard…and it reminded me of all the time that’s passed since the kid’s built their hideaway.
The Kid’s Old Tree Fort
[Edited on 9-27-2011 by Pompano]
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Cypress
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Pompano, Try cooking up a pan full of duck and cornbread dressing, Southern style. Have had duck every way you can imagine. It's tops!!
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Pompano
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Cypress
Pompano, Try cooking up a pan full of duck and cornbread dressing, Southern style. Have had duck every way you can imagine. It's tops!! |
Sorry Cypress, don't have much of a liking for cornbread...never really did. I'm a little strange, I know....but...shhhh.... I love
curried crane. 
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Cypress
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Oh well! Ever try duck gumbo?
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estebanis
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Been doing my Duck Breasts "Chicken Fried". They are very good like that. The wife figured that out and now I have to share
Esteban
Interested in the Stuffing recipe Cypress can you give me a little more info on cooking 'em that way?
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Cypress
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estebanis, Boil the whole duck till tender, debone, then mix with the cornbread along with all the rest of the ingredients you normally put into
dressing. You should have lots of stock left over from boiling the duck, mix that in as well. You want it soggy but not soupy. Put in the oven and
bake awhile. I might have to start duck hunting again.
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Pompano
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HUNTING : Today’s grocery list: 2 WMDs, olive oil, rosemary, coarse sea salt, onions, apple, whole cloves, dry sherry, & cream
"I was all for leaving school and getting started in the fur trade as soon as possible, but my mother wouldn't hear of
it. She said I would have to wait until I was through the third grade or reached the age of eighteen, whichever came first."
Patrick McManus - Outdoor Life/Field & Stream (One of my favorite humorists..ever.)
Hunting North Dakota…Yesterday’s events: Yup, like the title says, this thread has a hunting theme, but I never do any
stalking.
It’s Sunday afternoon…and just when you think it's time for a nice little siesta, you loved one gives a grocery
list to fill.
Well, at least it’s grocery/hunting/shopping, which is a heckuva lot better than going to a Safeway.
Our talented and attractive chefs said that for dinner tonight, , depending on our 'shopping' ability, they will jointly make this
presentation:
"Wild Duck Dinner, Wild Rice, Wild Wings Wine… and a Wild Dance."
Well…we are hyped! Just think…Wine!
It's going to be dang hard to beat this morning’s great goose hunt, but we’re duty-bound to give this afternoon’s duck-hunt our best efforts. After
all, we’ve promised the gals to fill that grocery list.
Today’s extremely WARM temps are not exactly typical duck-hunting times…it’s 80 degrees and a stiff, hot south wind! A little sticky for
duck-hunting, but as Chief Dan George was fond of saying …at every occasion… “We shall endeavor to persevere.” (Methinks Chief Dan was NOT a
teetotaler.)
.
Anyhoo….it was definitely HOT at the first water we came upon, and was already claimed by a huntress with a nice set of decoys.…
“Ciao, cacciatori bene! Tesoro, put down camera and bring me Coppertone...”
OO-kay.... could be I’m in deep doo-doo again for that one?? Do I hear a faint voice scolding me from Italy?
ahem...It’s probably best to move right along now……
…….a little further down the trail is our Grocery Store...in a slough.
Yeah, we are usually dressed Artic Circle style…
……..but not this fall. 2011 is not normal…not normal at all. How so, you say? Read on:
===Weather notes: Okay, this is definitely weird weather for autumn…and in North Dakota?? Not our usual climate at all. Overall it’s been a strange
year Up North, with all kinds of freaky floods, thunderstorms with 60mph winds, lightning fires, hail the size of tennis balls pulverizing planted
fields and killing livestock . Also took out my Southwind’s windshield and 20ft awning . Bummer event, but State Farm’s always quick to pay.
(As shown above, my ND hunting area was pretty much cut off from the outside world from late May to mid-July. A normal 60-mile drive was then a long
150-mile detour to check out my flooded Duk Shak basement.
Oh well, suck it up…..get it fixed and move on. After all, it WAS fishing season…duh. I pulled the Yarcraft to mi casa on Rainy River/Lake of the
Woods.)
BACK TO HUNTING FOR THE GROCERIES:
‘The Duck Factory’
The Duk Shak has a dozen good sloughs nearby…holding hundreds of puddle ducks which feed not only on the pond’s wild rice, wild celery, and other
grasses, but also they fly out to feed in any number of wheat, barley, corn, and pea fields in the area. It’s this combination of wetlands and fields
that make North Dakota the Duck Factory of America. We do ducks….very well.
This is too balmy a day to even think of putting on hot chest waders, slogging through some really stinky mud, probably tripping on a cattail and
pitching headfirst in the slop…and then working like a galley slave setting out the blocks on the water.
Anyway….as bright and warm as it is….the birds won’t be flying out anywhere until almost sundown….no-shooting time. So we decide to cruise the area
sloughs and see if we can generate some pass shooting. Our chances are good. (Remember what my biology teacher always said about Chance?)
We know about several big drainages with sloughs and prairie trails along their length…perfect duck holding waters.
The technique pays off quite well…and we get some terrific wing-shooting at the first reed-filled slough.
Pulling up on a section line between sloughs, the guys let the dogs out for some exercise after being kenneled for an hour.
Time to ….Stretch those legs! I can imagine them both thinking…”It’s GOOD to be a dog…especially during hunting
season.”
This section line road, or ‘prairie trail’ as we used to call them, between the bog sloughs makes a perfect pass from which to shoot at the ducks
winging back and forth, as you can see in the photo below.
Below: After the first grocery item is checked off....
Good dog, Sam! Nice redhead!
......the action continues as our English visitor scores on an overhead grocery....a fat teal.
I say! Jolly good show, Jeff (groan...forgive me, Jeff...I just had to do it....once.)
The retrievers certainly earn their bisquits today. What a great pair!
THE OVERLOOKED SPOONBILL....yes, sadly...the spoony IS an overlooked grocery item.......and usually found in the Reduced
for Quick Sale department.
We have a diversion hunting up this spoonbill. Spoony? Well, they can’t ALL be greenheads and bull pintails.
We don’t discriminate while grocery shopping.
Jimmy Durante. look-a-like??
We see rafts of coot everywhere…mudhens….remember it’s still warm and the little black ducks with the sharp ivory beaks will be around till the first
frost…then skedaddle south… in the middle of the night.
Nobody around here, except Crazy Alice, has ever actually physically seen a flock of coot migrating south. At least not in daylight.
Well, I know they don’t walk to Mexico, so we’ll assume they either fly or take the Red Eye Express. Not a highly-prized duck, although there are
lots of coot mothers out there who love every one of the little mudsuckers.
I will only say we don’t kill, cook, or embrace coot EVERY DAY!…certain recipes like mi amigo, Steve, has are very good.....’nuff said.
I know, I know…your uncle Rancid has a killer recipe for coot….sure. He eats muskrat, too… am I right or wrong?
(Below: Update to the Coots. Last night we had a good cold snap...this morning there's not a coot in the county.)
.
.
Looking for a duck that fell out of their shopping cart, Jeff and Munga take their dogs into this stubble field to find a downed teal that sailed from
the road pass…and they did their job very well, finding it with their keen sense of smell.
We stayed with the great pass-shooting on this section line between the large sloughs holding rafts of puddle and dabbling ducks.
ND duck sloughs like these have a great variety of duck species. But Clark Salyer is a mecca for all species of North American birds. Hence, avid
birders from around the globe journey here….cameras, telephoto lenses, binoculars, and sketch pads at the ready.
We are primarily after the succulent teal for tonight’s planned dinner….but gadwall, widgeons, and mallards are okay, too.
This is what's On the Menu.
Delivered even!
Muchas gracias to a great Co-pilot, Kelly, and renowned
chef:
HER CO-PILOT'S GOOD ROAST TEAL RECIPE TO FOLLOW…THE WHOLE BIRD
Roast Wild Duck (Teal)
Hey, It’s all good Up North…!
‘Almost’ as good as Baja
[Edited on 10-4-2011 by Pompano]
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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