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I just got back from Alabama and yes I did do some fishing while I was there but the duck hunting was really something to brag about. I haven't done any duck hunting in several year but my cousin invited me to do some hunting while I was there. Opening day was a few days earlier and he was not able go, since he has his own private duck hunting area, no one had hunted it yet. He has a nice area set up with two separate pits that hold three hunters each. We went out with his two boys and a friend and his son, six of us total. The area had been flooded with a few feet of water in a field that was planted in millet. They had a dozen or so decoys on the water when we arrived and climbed down into the pit. These pits were made out of old gas tankers so they were dry, they also had bamboo sticking out from the dirt around the pit so we could stand up and not be seen by the ducks. At first light the duck started coming in by the hundreds, smaller groups of twenty at a time were trying to land. Most of the ducks were wood ducks and mallards, this was my first time hunting wood ducks. When the ducks were within range someone would yell "Get em" and we would stand up and empty our guns.
Ducks would fall from the sky and then we would sit down and reload, did I mention we had seats that swivel around so they could be moved when we stood up. After the first hour the ducks knew we were there and we saw fewer and fewer ducks. We hunted for three hours and ended up getting 24 total, 12 mallards and 12 wood ducks. All in all a great day to go hunting and the next day held another surprise, I'll write about that later. WH2
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HEY THERE WIPER 2 THAT SOUNDS LIKE ALOT OF FUN!!! I NEVER BEEN DUCK HUNTIN, ALWAYS WANTED TOO CAUSE I LIKE PARTRIDGE HUNTIN UP HERE ABD I LIKE PARTIDGE TO EAT. TELL ME HOW YA LIKE DUCK EATIN OK? HAHA HEY MY BEAUTIFUL OL JAKE USE TO PARTRIDGE HUNT WITH ME. HIS MOTHER WAS FULL 12" BEAGLE AND HIS DAD WAS THE BLACK AND WHITE WATER-SPANIEL AND BEAGLE MIX BUT MOR WATERSPANIEL. THEY WERE SMART PUPS, JAKE, HE LOOKED FULL BEAGLE WITH SHORT HAIR LIKE HIS MOTHER AND HER DISPOSITION, SWEET, LOVIN BUT THEY , SIZE WISE TURNED OUT TO BE ALMOST 14" WITH THE LENGTH OF THIER FATHER. BEAUTIFUL DOGS. I STILL HAVE CLIFF,S PUP. HE,S 11 STILL GOIN STRONG, AND HE LOVE HUNTIN SQUIRELL, WOODCHUCHS PORCUPINE PARTRIDGE, RABBITS, ANYTHIN THAT MOVES EXCEPT DEER THEY WERE GOOD THAT WAY. SPUD TURNED OUT LIKE HIS FATHER LONG HAIREED AND DISPOSITION STUBBORN HAHA BUT GOOD HUNTER. [pirate] JAKE DID ALL THAT TOO. BOY AND LOVES HUNTIN HAHAGOT HIS OWN MIND.[crazy] ANYWAYS WE GOT THE MALLARDS AND WOODDUCKS UP HERE TOO BUT NOBODY HUNTS EM MAYBE I,LL START THIS COMIN. THOSE MALE WOODDUCKS AREE BEAUTIFUL. SOMETIMES I,LL BE FISHIN IN MY BROOK AND THEY,LL STAY AROUND WHETHER I,M FISHIN OR NOT. DIDYA USE DOGS TO GO GIT EM? THEY HAVE A NEW SMALL BOAT WITH A CAMOFLUGE CLOTH AROUND THE TOP I NOTICED HERE. BOTTOMS A PLASTICBOAT WELL HARDER THAN THA, YA KNOW. THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE GOOD FOR ICE FISHIN TOO CAUSE OF THE WIND WHIPIN AND I AIN,T GOT TO WORRY BOUT FALLIN IN CAUSE I,M IN A BOAT TOO. HAHHA DON,T YA THINK THAT,S PRETTY GOOD??? HAHAHA[laugh][laugh][laugh] HAVE FUN NO MATTER WHAT!!! MARE
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Did you bring me back one of those drake woodies? Congrats on a great hunt. its pretty tough to get them wood ducks around home. its time for you to get back to fishing though. We got some ice now, and BLM is getting some fish at bear lake.
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No, I did not bring any back but I did talk to my cousin about having one mounted, he said it would cost about $35, so now I need to find out how much it will cost to have it shipped. They have more color than any duck I have ever seen. I've already sent a PM to BLM about the fishing so I'm ready to go as soon as I get some time. It sounds like you are getting near the time for your hunt to begin. WH2
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The duck eating was the part I left off on the first post. I stopped hunting ducks some years ago because I did not like to eat them but my cousin showed me a new way to cook them. I did not think ducks could be cooked so that they taste good but now I know different. No, we did not use dogs because we did not need them in the area we were hunting and they would have been hard to hide in the pit we were hunting in. I've seen the lay down blinds you are talking about and I agree they would be good for hunting and fishing at least early in
the ice fishing season. Good luck if you try the duck hunting
it sure is fun. WH2
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The last time I saw $35 for a duck mount was in the early 1970s. Today a professional job will run $200 up. I recommend checking around. Quality work will last for years, especially if you place a standing mount under Plexiglas (make sure it's sealed). Poor quality will be eaten up by Dermestids (bugs) in a short span of time, aside from grease leaking out of the feathers. You may only decide to mount one Woody in your life, and a great Taxidermy job will keep you happy for a long, long time. Having been a Professional Taxidermist for many years, I speak from experience. Good hunting, Ghost
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