rstallings1979
Senior Member
hunting has been abysmal with deer changing travel patterns and our inability to access 50 to 60 percent of our property due to downed trees and the lack of being able to find a logger. I also hit and could not find a nice booner up in Illinois back in early November so overall it has been a rough year having to think about losing him daily and my wife asking me daily why I seem so depressed.
One enjoyable experience has come out of the hunting season and I know this is a deer hunting forum but I wanted to share it. While deer hunting a spot (that we can actually access) I heard and saw a ton of ducks flying over my head and I could hear them landing a few hundred yards down in some young natural regen hardwoods a few weekends ago. I decided to walk back in the woods around some downed trees a little further and I found a one acre area holding water about 3 feet deep with wood ducks flopping in and out. It was covered with them. Maybe this hole has always been there and I just didn't realize it or maybe the heavy rains from the hurricane filled it up quicker than normal. I told my oldest about it and of course he begged me to carry him duck hunting. I have never been into it having only gone once or twice in my life and my only experience comes from watching duck dynasty 15 or 20 years ago. I do not even own a set of bibs. I set our property up for deer, turkey, quail, and dove and that's all I have ever cared to hunt so this was new to me.
We had our sights set on Friday morning after Thanksgiving. I got my duck stamp for my license and became legal. We borrowed a bib from neighbor's kid and I hung out on the edge with my waterproof boots in about 1.5 feet of water (Bibs are rediculous in price)...not knowing if this was going to be a legit duck hole of not. Needless to say it was. My son had limited out in about 8 shots (he is a dang good shot for being 11), I limited out, and my nephew did as well. He was smiling from ear to ear up until I dropped him off for school this morning.
Now this puts me in another predicament where he is picking out all sorts of duck gear for Christmas and holy smokes none of that is cheap. He also wants me to convert a hidden pond (in addition to the new one I found) to a duck hole and plant millet there this summer when the water level drops on the rear shallow portion of the pond. He is nose deep in youtube duck hunting habitat videos now. Needless to say I think he became hooked. Full disclosure...the ducks he is holding is all of our harvest...not just his (9 total).
One enjoyable experience has come out of the hunting season and I know this is a deer hunting forum but I wanted to share it. While deer hunting a spot (that we can actually access) I heard and saw a ton of ducks flying over my head and I could hear them landing a few hundred yards down in some young natural regen hardwoods a few weekends ago. I decided to walk back in the woods around some downed trees a little further and I found a one acre area holding water about 3 feet deep with wood ducks flopping in and out. It was covered with them. Maybe this hole has always been there and I just didn't realize it or maybe the heavy rains from the hurricane filled it up quicker than normal. I told my oldest about it and of course he begged me to carry him duck hunting. I have never been into it having only gone once or twice in my life and my only experience comes from watching duck dynasty 15 or 20 years ago. I do not even own a set of bibs. I set our property up for deer, turkey, quail, and dove and that's all I have ever cared to hunt so this was new to me.
We had our sights set on Friday morning after Thanksgiving. I got my duck stamp for my license and became legal. We borrowed a bib from neighbor's kid and I hung out on the edge with my waterproof boots in about 1.5 feet of water (Bibs are rediculous in price)...not knowing if this was going to be a legit duck hole of not. Needless to say it was. My son had limited out in about 8 shots (he is a dang good shot for being 11), I limited out, and my nephew did as well. He was smiling from ear to ear up until I dropped him off for school this morning.
Now this puts me in another predicament where he is picking out all sorts of duck gear for Christmas and holy smokes none of that is cheap. He also wants me to convert a hidden pond (in addition to the new one I found) to a duck hole and plant millet there this summer when the water level drops on the rear shallow portion of the pond. He is nose deep in youtube duck hunting habitat videos now. Needless to say I think he became hooked. Full disclosure...the ducks he is holding is all of our harvest...not just his (9 total).
