Well, after a long summer, and an even longer last week (it felt that way!!) its finally that time of year again. Saturday marked the opening day of duck season for us in AR, but when I started hearing about all the people who were already camping out at the local WMAs the night before, we discussed it and then decided it would be best to get some sleep and start our season a little later.
This morning we decided to head up to Big Lake WMA in NE Arkansas. We got into the blind about 10-15 minutes after shooting time, missing some early wood duck action. It wasn't that big of a deal. As we got ready to roll, clouds started to roll in with a southern wind, which is not a very good equation for success. After watching hundreds and hundreds of birds flying in from there feeding grounds up in Missouri back to the Big Lake National Wildlife Refuge. These guys had no intentions of coming down and hanging out with us. The only birds that we could get to commit to the spread were birds that were coming from the refuge out into the management area.
After about an hour or so, we had to young hen gadwalls work the hole. They circled two or three times, dropped their feet and came over the decoys. We dropped both of those birds, Canvas made a perfect retrieve on both of them, making her 2 for 2 for the season. Good start! As Canvas got back on her stand and I put the birds on the stringer, a drake gadwall dropped in and hit the water. Jason shot him, and Canvas jumped up to 3 for 3. I stood there in the water with Can for another hour - hour and a half. She dried herself off, and looked at me like "I swear, Alex, if you shoot one more bird and I get in that water, I will rip your throat out and you will be at the bottom of this hole". SOoooo, I picked her up and carried her to the blind with the other 3 guys (My dad, my cousin Chase, and fellow Diver Destroyer member Jason Turner).
As we were there, we had quite a few groups look at us, and work and work, but just never could commit. It completely baffled me...I had no idea how to fix the problem. They weren't seeing us, there was motion on the water, and there was nothing else to flare them. They are just really hole shy for us.
At about 11:00, we had decided to call it off. As we did, we looked up to see a drake and a hen mallard come cruising over the trees, flip upside down (seriously) and fall in. We dropped them. Another gadwall came in and we took him too.
It was a really good day to get back at it. A little warm, 70 some odd degrees, but its duck hunting none the less. Thursday we have a monstrous front pushing through (well, tomorrow night)....but I'm going to be stuck at Macks Prarie Wings working at the Wings Over the Prarie Festival for Avery. If any of you guys are around, stop in and say hey!
For some reason, the photo uploader is being retarded. I can't upload them, so here is the links to the photos.
http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/greenheadslayer/?action=view¤t=PB200071.jpg
http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/greenheadslayer/?action=view¤t=PB200073.jpg
http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/greenheadslayer/?action=view¤t=PB200074.jpg
http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/greenheadslayer/?action=view¤t=PB200076.jpg
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