Hank Huntington: Duck Season is on and Booming

Click above to take advantage of this offer and buy from Gander Mountain

Duck hunting started off with an outstanding teal season for the club north of Tekamah, Nebraska where I hunt. This was followed by a really successful small duck shoot that ran all the way up to the 2nd week of October. That is the good news. The bad news for me was my wife and I were on an over seas trip to South America and Patagonia This is the most beautiful place on earth as advertised. Still I was able to follow the progress the club was having thanks to the internet and modern computers. You are never out of touch, if you do not want to be, regardless of where you are in the world. Then the reports changed.

Click on the pick to buy from Gander Mountain.

The last two weeks of October and first weeks of November just dried up. The weather turned balmy and stayed warm and stable for these weeks all the way to the Canadian border. The ducks were not going to come down with that kind of weather. What we needed was about twelve inches of snow on the ground from South Dakota north, and freezing temperatures. It was okay that we had mild weather, but not into the northern states. The birds would come down and stay with us as the corn and beans were all picked.

Click on the pic to buy from Gander Mountain.

When my wife and I got back the first of November, I was ready to hunt, but to no avail. There just weren't any birds. A big cold front was needed to push them out and that was what happened next. One afternoon the boys had some great shooting after the front had passed, and the wind was forecast to be out of the northwest the following day. I was ready.

Click on the pic to price and buy from Gander Mountain.

I arrived at the Big Chicken Restaurant and gas station at 6 AM. No one was there except one hunter. He told me the group had left early to get into the blinds. I asked how many hunters were there and it appeared the entire club and some guests had showed up. That would more than fill up the three pit blinds and left me a little cold. Still, after some breakfast, I drove up. There were a lot of cars in the field south of the blinds. The wind had a really strong blow out of the northwest and it appeared this could be it.

Click on the pic to price and buy from Gander Mountain

There was no hurry to rush up to the pits, so I planned to wait until there was a break when everyone would get out with their backs to the wind. That would give me time to walk in. As I sat in my warm vehicle, I used binoculars to keep track of the activity. There wasn't any. A few Canada geese tried to come in, but the shot was high and they left unscathed. A couple of small groups of ducks worked over the blinds but they never locked up nor gave any indication they would come into the water for a drink and a bit of relaxation. When I saw this, I felt these were local ducks and had their bottoms burnt before. They know just how high to stay.

Click on the pic to price and buy from Gander Mountain.

A person has to wonder when this happens, and there is a lot of calling going on, if the ducks just don't say to each other, "Let us circle awhile. Let them call their lungs out, and then we will leave." Any way, this is highly unlikely as a bird with a brain the size of a quarter probably cannot think.

Click on the pic to price and buy from Gander Mountain.

The boys came out for a break after two hours of no activity. The decision was made to drive south to Fort Calhoun and check out the turkey situation. Anyway, I could visit with my good friend and see if there was any turkey movement on his farm.

HEVI-Shot HEVI-Steel Shotshells

Click on the link above or the pic and buy from Bass Pro. If you season is over, stock up for next year. This is the shell I shoot.

I do have an important announcement if you shoot 12 guage, 3 inch Hevi-Metal and Hevi Steel shotshells. Please go the the Hevi-Shot website as there is a recall on specific lot numbers. You could have a stuck wad on the first shot as the wad may not clear the barrel. More explanation is available on the website. I checked all my lots and I was okay. This is an important safety announcement by the manufacturer. Their website is ( http://www.hevishot.com/). Please check this out.

Tomorrow is another day. Good hunting, good fishing, and good luck. Hank.