Results in a Clear Calm Morning

Two days of nasty weather produced a mixed bag of birds.  We found that the recent snow line stretched from Sioux City to Watertown, SD.  Also North Dakota was all frozen.  That means the potholes and the big water were ice covered. When we have three consecutive days of severe cold weather, the birds do not hang around.  The birds just plain left all that food behind and headed south.  North of Watertown they stopped and commenced the feeding process.  This is what waterfowl do.  They feed, drink water, get a little sand, and hang out.  What a life.

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With the push of the weather, the boys headed to the pits to have big days of birds decoying into the swamp.  One out of the two they had great shooting, but the second produced nothing.  The third day called for northwest winds of 8-10 mph decreasing in the afternoon.  Unfortunately I missed the first two days due to previous commitments.   Usually during duck season,  I am not to be bothered.  The third day was my best day.  I was up at 4 AM and on the road by 5 AM.  I arrived at the Big Chicken in Tekamah for the rendezvous with the hunters.  

Faces appeared a little long.  Everyone was worried about the lack of strong north winds and clearing skies.  So what, there was still northerly flow and with the overcast gone, we could see the birds coming at long distances.  Your glass has to be half full or half empty on a day like today.  This is true especially for the dark geese.  In the clear blue skies, they really stand out.  Also the high flying snows stand out as well.  With the reflection of the sun off their bodies, we saw high fliers by the thousands.  If it got slow, we just sat down and looked skyward at the enormous flocks of snows heading south.

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Gone are the days when we would decoy snow geese by the hundreds into the swamp.  Now they are in such big flocks due to increasing numbers that you need a huge spread of decoys in an open field just to get a look.  This spring, I am gong to contact a couple of the commercial operators and go south along the Missouri River and pound on some snow geese.  There are so many that there is a spring season for them now and there is no limit in Nebraska.  One of these days Mother Nature will thin them out, and she is not kind.

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Getting back to the day's hunt, all ten of us were well in the blinds before shooting time.  The wind was almost non existent and was light and variable from the south west.  What happened to our Northwest wind?  Shooting time came and went and we all just stood and stared at each other like cows staring at an illegitimate calf.  No one knew what to do.  

An hour later here they came.  Up from the south they circled once, locked up and fell into the swamp.  A small flock, but beggars cannot be choosers.  All hell broke loose and we dropped them all.  Out went the dogs and it was now a great morning.  Small groups of two to four would circle the blind, lock up and start to come in, then climb back into the atmosphere either to circle some more or fly away.  Everyone believed that these were local birds and when they got close to the blinds their bottoms start to burn.  They had been here before.  Even though they have a brain the size of a dime, they learn. 

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We still continued to get small flocks that would decoy and drop right in.  These were fresh birds and had not learned a thing from the locals.  I doubt if they communicate to each other saying, "Be careful over that strip of ground or your bottom will burn."  As the sun rose our action was still good and brisk, but they tended to stay up high and we were forced to take longer shots and a lot less success.

This was really interesting; the wind moved straight south and went dead calm then slowly moved to the northwest, but our action was outstanding.  By 9 AM the duck action just plain dried up, and we saw nothing.  That was okay because 10 AM is usually the start of the Canada shooting.  

It did not take long and here they came.  50% of the birds gave us a look by circling a couple of times and then flying off.  Half of the 50% would lock up and glide toward the decoys and the open water.  I must buy a video camera to take pictures of this scene.  It is absolutely beautiful to hear them honking as they glide to the open water.  Something usually is not right if we lose them before a shot is fired.  

Now the last 25% do the same thing except they drop into gun range and are promptly dispatched.  With the clear blue skies, they stay a little high and our shots are long.  In order to dispatch a big bird we all shoot 3.5 inch shells of either Black Cloud, Heavy Shot Heavy Metal Mixture or just Heavy Metal.  We have the best luck with these loads, some believe.   That is the personal opinion of a few, me included.  Other people shoot different loads, but still the 3.5 inch shell.  That is where the discussion begins.

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At noon, we ended the morning with 26 Mallards and 19 nice big Canada Geese.  It was a great morning and a great shoot.  

 

 

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Good hunting, good fishing, and good luck.  Hank.

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Two Days of Mallards

A heavy snow storm rolled across the plains dumping about 2 to 4 inches in the Omaha/Council Bluffs area, but up north in Tekamah it was more like 5 to 6 inches.  Everyone thought the birds would overfly us and head on down to Squaw Creek Refuge.   That would be the end to the duck season, although the Canada geese would hang around as long as they could find water and food.  They are really tough.

The road from Tekamah up to the blind  was tough going as the plows had not hit the country roads and we had to drive in the ruts.  Thank goodness for four wheel drive otherwise a person would have slid off the road into the ditch.  The 1/3 of a mile walk to the blind was just as tough.  Then the work started.  Besides the snow, the temperature had dipped into the teens.  We had to keep reminding ourselves how much fun we were having.

The first thing to do is get out the duck decoys.  The pump in the small lake keeps the water moving so we always have about 10 acres of open water out of the 40 acres available.  The wind was light to west to northwest and the decoys were put up close to the blinds.  In that way the birds would fly into the calm water and would be coming straight into us.  It can't get any easier than that.  Next is to sweep all the snow off the Canada decoys that are on the ground outside the blinds.  I don't care how much clothing I put on or what type it is, this is cold work and a person is always looking forward to getting into the blinds as quickly as possible and get the heaters going.

Shooting time came and it looked really bleak.  There was nothing flying.

Looking south out of the blinds you can see the snow and gray skies.  It was really cold.

Slowly we started getting some traffic.  On a day like this because we have open water we have little competition on the bottoms.  Our only competition is the snow cover, but it was supposed to warm up and we would get a good melt.

Looking northeast out of the blinds you can see the water kept open by the circulating pump.  Notice the ripple and the calm water close to the Canada decoys.  This is a good thing. 

At first we had some local traffic.  You ask, how do you know?  They fly just out of gun range and circle and circle.  You can tell these are birds that have been there before.  When they get too low to the ground over the blinds, their bottoms must start to burn.  Fresh birds and migrators circle once or twice and drop right into the lake.  It is obvious, the locals do not communicate to the fresh birds. 

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As the temperature rose, the sky cleared somewhat and we started to get fresh birds in small groups.  They could have been migrators that came in ahead of the storm, stopped, and now were going out to feed and have a drink.  

Duke brings in a bird while some of the hunters go out and give him a hand.

This process was repeated over and over again as small flocks of ducks would pay us a visit.

This is not a very good picture, but look at the size of that mallard drake.  He is almost the size of a barnyard duck.  That is a good sign that the birds are really healthy. He will eat well.

By early afternoon we had a limit of mallards and we all pulled out.  The weather was warming up as quickly as it had cooled down and the snow was melting.  Next morning would be an excellent shoot.

What a pleasure the drive north was the following day up to Tekamah.  The roads were all clear and there were no ice patches on the highway.  The department had done a good job yesterday of getting all that snow and ice off the highway. 

After leaving the Big Chicken eight hunters headed to the blinds.  From snow packed roads to sloppy gravel roads, the drive up made my vehicle a mess.   The area where we park was just as bad if not worse.  The snow had melted and it was sloppy and muddy.  Getting out would be a problem. 

In the blinds there was no work to do as we had left the decoys in the lake due to the warm up.  The ducks came early.  It was not even shooting time and we had mallards circling and dropping into the decoys.  If they would all hang around till shooting time, we could end this very quickly, but I've never seen that happen.  We might get one to three.  They just all seem to leave right before the time arrives.

This morning we were getting a mix of Canada geese and mallards.  First one flock and then another.  This went on all morning and with the wind westerly to northerly.  The shots came easy as they would ease into the final approach heading straight into the blinds.  All we had to do was pick our bird.

Jack brings in another bird. 

 This time of the year our Canada shooting picks up but now we are getting mostly mallards.  The best part of the day is the dogs.  Every one in the club  considers the work the dogs do the highlight of the day.  They are always so eager to head into the water regardless of how cold it is and fetch birds and bring them back.  On this day we had two dogs working for us.  They are one man dogs and stay close to their owners and pay little attention to the hunters. 

Generally I do not get a good shot with the camera but this group of Canada geese were just floating into the decoy spread and made a good picture.  

Mallards and Canada geese made for a great day.

 

Good hunting, good fishing and good luck.  Hank

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The Mallards and Canadas Arrive

Eastern Nebraska produced in mid November some really nice weather.  It is nice if you want to golf or work in the yard.  None of those things are important.  It is the smell of freshly fired gunpowder early in the morning that fires the blood up.  A frontal movement finally came out of the north with driving winds, rain, and snow mixed.  It came down from the Dakotas.  That was all that was needed to bring in the big birds.  We have all had enough of Gadwall, Widgeon, Pintails, and Teal.  It is the big ducks with their fine looking green heads we are after now, along with the big Canada geese. 

When I was a boy and hunted with my Dad, it was unusual to see a Canada goose, let alone shoot one.  Your limit then was one Canada goose per season.  We always hoped we would have the opportunity to bag one, but it never happened.  Later in life, I hunted in N.W. Missouri southwest of Squaw Creek Refuge for Snows and Blues, and we would periodically have a Canada goose opportunity.  It was very rare that this would happen.  Now, the Canada goose hunting is on the same par in our area with the big ducks.  What is more interesting is we never are able to decoy any snows or blues.  We see them in huge flocks way up in the air migrating south.

Looking Northeast just before shooting got hot.

Up at 4:14 AM the weather was cold and the wind was beginning to pick up.  The front had not gotten here yet, but would be soon arriving.  Gathering at the Big Chicken in Tekamah, Nebraska by 6 AM for cholesterol and coffee, sixteen hunters were ready to hit the blinds and wait for the onslaught that was sure to take place.  It was cold, the perfect weather to hunt ducks and geese in Eastern Nebraska along the Missouri River.

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Inside the blinds the weather still had not nailed us, but the clouds that were forming and blocking out the moonlight told us that we were going to be hit is a blast of weather.  This was what we wanted as the birds would either come before the blast or with it when it hit.  Our shooting sticks were loaded up with the big shells and everyone waited patiently for shooting time to start.  In the meantime, birds came and went from the swamp.  Some came and stayed while others landed and took off.  They were the smart ones as they may have been at the blinds before.  You can always tell which are the local birds.  They just circle the blinds staying out of range, and then leave.  It must make their butts ache to fly over the swamp.

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As shooting time arrived, the birds that had never been at the swamp before or had never had their tail feathers disturbed, were promptly jumped and dispatched.  There is nothing like having a couple of good shots to open the morning at shooting time.  The weather slowly began to deteriorate and the wind started picking up.  With the pick up in the wind came the Mallards.  They were not in big flocks but small groups and there was very little circling.  They would hook once into the wind and then drop like an elevator, feet out and heading to the open water.  The good news was we had some shots.  The bad news was the wind became westerly and the decoys needed to be moved closer to the bank so that the birds would be heading for the calm water.  Our blinds lay on a peninsula that extends north and south right down the middle of our 40 acres of water.  Calm water would be in front of us and the water behind us was starting to form some heavy wave action.

Duke bringing in the bacon

We used three wing duck decoys plus three duck butts that have their heads down.  With two spreads of duck decoys close to the calmer water, this made all the difference in the world.  The next few small flocks came to us closer and gave better shots.  I should point out, we never lose a crippled bird.  Several of our members own really well trained dogs.  I don't know what I enjoy more.  It is either the decoying of the birds or having the dogs head to the water and retrieve them.  When their owners let them out of their pens behind the blinds, on command they are so excited and just jump into the water to gather up the birds.

The Mallards either turned off or we just ran out of birds in our area.  Several of the other hunting spots in the area were getting some shooting, but it shut off for us.  Then it changed.  I remember looking at my watch and seeing 10:15 AM.  The wind was really pounding away, but we were below ground level so it made no difference.  

Here came the Canada geese.  The first flock of 20 to 25 just locked up and started that long beautiful glide into the wind toward the decoys and the open water.  About 25 yards out when the birds were in range, the call went out to "take em."  Sixteen hunters rose and got off at least one shot.  With the wind blowing in excess of 30 MPH, we rose up.  Before we could get our guns to our shoulders, they were riding the wind skyward and away from the blinds.  We only had one opportunity for one really good shot.  That was just fine because we all knew this was the start of a lot of birds decoying to our blinds.

It was a good day.

By 3 PM well before shooting time was to end. we were done for the day.  It can't get much better than today.  

 
Good hunting, good fishing, and good luck.  Hank

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The Elk is in the Freezer

I passed on the mountain states for elk this year because of the great experience I have had at High Adventure Ranch.  I don't have to put up with the altitude in the mountain states or the expensive licenses each state has for an out of state hunter.  While there have been some great experiences in the mountains, I want results. It is only a six and a half hour drive versus spending all day and half the night just getting to the location where you will hunt.  Old age is creeping up on me, and I want to have first class luxuries and a good hunt all rolled into one.  

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Nestled in the Ozark Mountains of southeast Missouri lies High Adventure Ranch.  Snuggled back in the timbered hills with a pasture here and there, the ranch offers elk hunting and other exotic animals.  You stay in either a lodge setting or a private cabin, whichever is available.  Meals are taken in the dining room and lounge located on the ranch.  The food is absolutely outstanding and you have the opportunity to feast on some of the local game harvested on the ranch. 

You arrive the night before the hunt and stay in one of the motels at St. James, Missouri.  Restaurants are a little limited, but you can drive a few miles more and stay in Rolla, Missouri and have a bigger selection.  

The next morning it was only a 20 minute drive to the ranch, and there I got re-acquainted with the ranch manager, Monty Pitts.  I have had nothing but a great experience working with Monty.  He wants you to have a great experience and harvest the type of animal you are after.  Shortly after came my guide, Oliver, who has taken excellent care of me on two other trips.  I like to go one on one with a guide when hunting big game.  

The cabin where I stayed.

We talked about the kind of experience I was looking to have.  This trip was not about horns, but about meat.  I have plenty of horns and all they do is collect dust.  My wife and I really like the wild game, and that was what this trip was all about.  I wanted a good shooting experience and to harvest a young inexperienced bull elk.  

The dining room at the ranch

Monty and Oliver said the ranch had what I was looking for.  While there were plenty of cows to harvest, the age was unknown and you may be shooting an old lady.  They both agreed on an approximate 2 year old bull with one antler.  The other had been broken off in a fight.  There was a problem with this boy.  He was very skittish and the minute he would see or wind you, he would split.  There would be no hesitation and you would have very little time to get off a shot. 

The plan was to drive over to a general area where he was last seen and start hoofing it over the hills and valleys of the ranch.  I needed the workout and this would be a good one.  The weather could not have been more beautiful.  The leaves were about 80% off the trees and so walking would be a little crunchy.  This was going to take some time. 

We took off in a four wheeled truck and drove up a valley between two hills.  We would stop and walk to the top of the hill on each side of the vehicle.  The temperature was in the low 50s so it was very pleasant.  I was lightly clothed not wanting to work up a big sweat, but just to stay comfortable.  After checking out a couple of spots and a small pasture, we headed to a different location.

We saw these big boys while looking for the one horned youngster

All at once Oliver said, " Good grief!  There goes a coyote.  Can you hit it after we stop the truck?"  "Of course I can," was the response.  Now, if that coyote took off, there were two chances of me hitting it and they were slim and none, and slim has left town.  The coyote spotted us and I never even got the door open on the truck because he was really moving.  All I saw was his backside.  We were still moving along the valley floor and I looked up the hill to my right.  There stood an elk with one horn.  He was staring straight at us.  Oliver said we must keep going and should go around the hill and then walk up the back side.  Sounded like a good plan to me.  

We saw this big boy with his ladies just off to the left of the picture.  Look at the symmetry of the antlers.

On the other side of the hill we started the climb.  Oliver grabbed my shooting sticks, and I put two shells into the magazine.  Trying to walk as quietly as possible was a chore, but we climbed the mountain.  After reaching the top, we slowly moved in the direction of the elk.  There was a slight breeze out of the northwest and we were walking straight into it.  How lucky could we be.  I was wearing Sitka Open Country clothing and Oliver had the jungle camo on, so we felt we were somewhat covered.  

Where the one horned elk had been standing was a really nice 6 x 6.  As I stared at him it was very tempting.  Just off to the big boy's left was the one horned elk.  His backside was facing directly up hill to us.  He was barely visible as I had to look between the trees to spot him.  Oliver used his binoculars and I used the scope on the rifle.  This would be a tough shot, but I needed him to turn around. 

Just down the hill was the one horned youngster. 

Slowly he moved up the hill and then turned and was facing both of us.  I was shooting between the trees, and as I looked through the scope only his left front was visible.  A neck shot was a possibility, but that thought was not a good one. A miss or a crippled animal might be the result.  Also I was shooting downhill about 50 yards and at about the 40 yard point the ground rose up. 

He moved toward us, but still did not know we were there.  Then he turned to his right and looked down hill.  He was broadside to me, but his left front shoulder was not visible due to the ground.  The cross hairs were put as low as possible, and the round was sent.  Boom!  That was all it took.  He made three steps and fell over dead.  For me, that was a tough shot between the standing trees.  Shooting a 300 Win Mag, the bullet entered above the left shoulder and went right through the lungs and exited the other side.  

Success

Nice young meat, and he will eat well. 

My guide

The animal was picked up by the ranch staff, skinned, gutted outside, and then hung in a cooler overnight.  In the morning the elk was deboned and the meat packed into bags and coolers in the back of my truck.  Iced down, the meat would be kept cold till we got to the processor the next day in Iowa. 

 

Good hunting, good fishing, and good luck.  Hank

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Pintails, Widgeon, Gadwall and Teal

The weather snapped cold with driving winds from the north and a cold front moving south rapidly out of the Dakotas.  It was time for the birds to come south riding the north wind ahead of and with the frontal passage.

Nineteen hunters in three blinds huddled as they waited patiently for shooting time to begin.  Forty acres of open water was waiting for thirsty birds as they headed south and the club had it all waiting.  The corn was picked in the surrounding fields so the area had it all to offer the tired, thirsty, and hungry ducks.

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As the hunters walked into the blinds, the sky exploded with the ducks off the lake as they were spooked into jumping into the air and heading for some safety.  They always come back after a bit of feeding on that fine Nebraska corn left over in the fields after harvest.  They need water to wash it all down and sand in their gizzards to grind it all up.  The club has it all.

When shooting time came, it was one flock after another that decoyed into the lake.  Not much circling was done.  They just locked up and dropped in, feet extended and back pedaling as they dropped into the water.  This was outstanding duck shooting.  The strong north wind just held them over the water as they dropped down into the lake.  Even if you were a bad shot, you didn't miss today.

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Thank goodness someone was taking a steady count of what was taking place, as by 10 AM it was all over.  A limit of ducks was harvested for each of the nineteen hunters.  It cannot get much better than that.  The general feeling was that by the next day with the number of birds piling in, it would be even better.

The bags were totally mixed and to the surprise of everyone, there were some Mallards in the bag.  The hope was that with the fast moving front, it would push some out of the Dakotas.  Two of our club hunters were hunting in North Dakota and reported that the Mallards were pouring in out of Canada.  Now we needed something to push them down to Nebraska.  The bad news was there was plenty of open water, the crops were all out, and there was plenty of feed on the ground to keep them there.  Without snow on the ground we had to wait for the really big gigantic push.

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The next day only 11 hunters showed up for what was to be another day like the day before.  However, it was not to be.  The lake did not hold any birds from the night and that is usually a bad sign.  On the other hand, there was a lot of open water in the Tekamah area, and the fields were open and picked so they could be anywhere.

Shooting time came and a small flock of birds worked the area.  They did not drop in as before but were more cautious.  They had their butts burned yesterday and remembered the sting of the steel shot.  They finally could not resist a drink of water and came within gun range and were promptly dispatched.  With a good north wind we let the dead birds drift down to the south shore.  There was no sense in getting out of the blind and having another group start to work with people out in the lake gathering up ducks.

The second flock repeated the same process.  First they took a look and then they circled a couple of times before dropping into gun range.  Shooting was good and more were harvested.  The flocks were much smaller than yesterday which was an indication they were spread out over the bottoms doing what ducks do, eating corn, drinking water, and eating sand to get the needed grinding for their gizzards.

By 9 AM the wind had really subsided and the flocks now were few and far between.  By 10 AM the wind went totally dead calm and we were staring at a clear blue sky.  This was not good duck hunting weather.  Still everyone went home with some birds.

By 11 AM, it was time to call it quits.  The wind had moved to the south and could not even be called a wind, but a light breeze.  The decoys just sat still in the water with no movement.  It was time to go.  This was still a good morning.  It beats work any day.

 

Good hunting, good fishing, and good luck.  Hank.

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