Is there anything cooler than seeing waterfowl come in waffeling?

[ghadarits]

I've always been amazed how waterfowl can be coming in so fast and slow down in the last few yards enough to land reasonably. Last season I had some geese coming in hot and a couple started flipping upside down and then returning to regular flight. Then a couple of weeks ago I had a big group of woodies coming in in standing timber and several of them started waffling. I was so caught up in watching them I never thought of shooting.
They're quite the flying acrobats.
Example of waffeling in this video if you've never seen it.

 

[Mexican Squealer]

Love it. Everything about decoying waterfowl is mesmerizing!

 

[Beehaw]

I read a great article about this in Wildfowl decades ago.
Turning upside down allows them to reduce altitude without reducing speed. They do it to maintain their position in the flock. Pretty amazing, when you think about it.

 

[Mexican Squealer]

I can’t wrap my head around how they don’t constantly crash into each other.

 

[ghadarits]

I can’t wrap my head around how they don’t constantly crash into each other.

Its just as amazing as the people driving on I285 in Atlanta.

 

[1eyefishing]

To me, those instantaneous 90° turns a wood duck can do with his belly pointed at you, and his wings cupped are amazing.
I've missed one 4 feet off the end of the barrel and had it land ten feet away from me in the water twitching and looking at me. I bobbed my head to make it fly off and missed it again.
Love to see those birds come by doing 50mph+ under the canopy of the trees over a ten foot deep creek channel...
Spent quite a bit of time alone in the swamp and the belly boat with a few decoys tied to me back in the day. I think the ducks thought I was mama duck and her clutch.

 

[WOODIE13]

Always heard it called maple leafing, great show in a strong wind and super high birds want in.

Some of the best shows was snow goose hunting in Kansas and high birds did it and set up a tornado with over @ 1,000 birds circling in sync to land

 

[HermanMerman]

Going out west and seeing a cyclone of birds landing in a decoy spread is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.

 

[basstrkr]

Yep, sometime they like a Harrier jet.

 

[WOODIE13]

Was hunting close to Squaw Creek NR, that year they were holding @ 2.5M birds, could see them get up in the morning from the pit.

A lot more than this video has.

 

[georgia_home]

Always liked that. We called it slipping and sliding

whatever ya call it, They do it well

 

[pjciii]

I can’t wrap my head around how they don’t constantly crash into each other.

Must be the one that crashes his buddies has to buy the beer

 

[WOODIE13]

Bald eagles like to get a wad up and pick up those that crashed

 

[Tight Lines]

Such a great video....