View unanswered posts | View active topics It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 4:26 pm



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 6 posts ] 
 Why do we do it? 
Author Message
Longbeard

Joined: Wed Mar 27, 2013 7:29 pm
Posts: 195
Post Why do we do it?
I decided to head home to make Richmond my hub for hunting on the last weekend of waterfowling as I haven't quite figured out the duckin' west of the Blue Ridge. I planned on hunting some public land west of Richmond on Friday (1/23) and head the other way to some state owned, semi-private land on Saturday (1/24). This would be my first Virginia waterfowling venture in a couple of years, and I was excited.

I spent the entire previous week (make that two weeks) getting my boat ready. Pops built me a wooden sneak boat a couple years ago and I was itching to get some duck and goose blood on it. I tried putting blind doors on it but lacked material to cover them with in the last little bit of time, so I called it good with the raffia'ed skirt.

Friday's hunt would be a doozy. I wanted to float a small river in an attempt to jump shoot some woodies and maybe a mallard or two, and make it to the pair of swamps at the end of the float to explore them and maybe sit for a while. Problem (not really) is that the put in and the take out are the same spot, so I would have to paddle back up the river after the float hunt. Knowing that the river is slow moving and Dad's boat building allowed for good tracking of a short boat, I didn't think it would be a problem.

It wasn't. I got floating at 8AM which was a little later than I had been hoping but, for a maiden voyage in a new area, I was doing alright. I enjoyed going over and under the woody debris obstacles on my way, but saw no ducks on the river. I did, however, have three curious otters swim by me at 10 feet, sticking their heads up as high as possible out of the water in an attempt to figure out what I was. It was a cool encounter. A turkey popped over the river bank 20 yards ahead of me to grab a drink of water. It immediately caught me with the paddle in my hand instead of my gun, and flew off down river. Mouth calling to her friend that I could hear up in the woods didn't do any good, either, and the second black bird flew out of sight as well. Coming around a small bend I heard an eagle cry and saw it take off from its nest between the river and one of the swamps. It is beautiful to see them and wonderful to behold their comeback in populations around Virginia.

Attachment:
RiverFloat.jpg
RiverFloat.jpg [ 180.15 KiB | Viewed 4551 times ]


Another thing I saw was two deer (doe) skeletons: one in the water on the edge of the swamp and another on the water on the river bank. While I can't be positive, I would guess these were this year's EHD kills.

I finally made it to the swamp I wanted to explore and was awestruck by its beauty. Cattails innundated with water is a tantilizing sight for a waterfowler. I dragged the boat from the river to the swamp and started my excursion. I found a huge beaver lodge in the middle of a big hole of open water a ways out into the marsh. Perfect! Then I found the "blind" that someone had built within the past couple of years. It was unbrushed, of the strangest construction and had three mallard decoys with a small Carhart duffel bag sitting on the yellow wood. Rather iconic looking amongst the tall cattails. I got out of the boat and waded to a corner of the swamp, and upon my return was greeted with a rush of wings above me. A single mallard drake was cupped up to land in a spot a couple hundred yards to the south. I knelt down and gave a four note plea on my duck call and he turned right up to me. But I was out in the open, and my hopes of him maintaining his landing pose were dashed when he came near and the wirr of flaring wings was heard. I could have shot, but I was hoping he would turn again for another look. A couple more calls yielded a couple more circles, but he had had enough after that and left. Excited, I tossed my three G&H mallard decoys into the open hole and pulled my boat back into the cattails, covering it with some I pulled from around me. I sat for an hour and, after a short nap, had still seen nothing but the flying Z's and a couple of buzzards in the distance. Seeing 16:00 on the clock, I decided it was time to pack up and paddle back up river.

Attachment:
DuckBoat.jpg
DuckBoat.jpg [ 190.36 KiB | Viewed 4551 times ]


Attachment:
DuckHole.jpg
DuckHole.jpg [ 100.33 KiB | Viewed 4551 times ]


I didn't see many ducks that day, but the scouting mission was irreplaceable. One of those days you have a tough time explaining to someone who doesn't hunt.
"So... you didn't kill anything and just paddled around in the cold and rain/snow/sleet on a river that was all but unnavigable with dead wood?"
"Yeah. It was awesome!"

Saturday had some promise. I would be hunting a swamp I had hunted in the past with success. There were always birds around, especially the geese that roosted on it. Earlier in the season I would wait for the geese to leave before I made my way into the swamp but this was the last weekend of the season and I didn't want to miss any potential wood duck flight at legal. So I would bump the birds in the morning and wait for them to return to get my two geese and hopefully some ducks, to boot. I was exited for this hunt. This was the one I was really preparing for the past couple of weeks in my mad scramble to get the boat ready. I was pumped.

So, with everything packed and the boat on top of the car, I decided to check the website (a new convenience for the season) to make sure the property would be open to hunting the following day. I read "Hunting Closed" in the blocks for January 24 and 25. A few expletives later, I turned off my alarm and went to sleep. Or tried to.

These were the kinds of frustrations that kept me from hunting waterfowl in VA the past couple of years, but it is no longer a deterrent for me. I'm all in to play this game that all of those who have duck hunted in this state play.

I found this quote on another forum years back, and don't think it was associated with anyone at the time. If you happen to know who it is by I would love to find out:

"Thus we see that the lot of the duck hunter is not a happy one. He is the child of frustration, the collector of mishap, the victim of misfortune. He suffers from cold & wet & lack of sleep. He is punished more often than rewarded. Yet he continues. Why? Because one great day-- and great days do come, days when the ducks are willing and the gun swings true-- repays him many times over for all the others." -Unknown




Best,
Royce

_________________
"We are measured more as hunters by the things we choose not to shoot, than by those that we do." -Unknown


Tue Jan 27, 2015 11:19 pm
Profile
Jake

Joined: Thu Oct 16, 2014 7:49 am
Posts: 27
Post Re: Why do we do it?
Royce,

That sneaker is perfect for killing ducks out here in the hills. I have one similar and use it often, in addition to my bigger boat. They are around...

Jealous that you can go east to hunt regardless of bird numbers.


Wed Jan 28, 2015 8:50 am
Profile
Boss Gobbler

Joined: Fri Dec 03, 2004 10:59 pm
Posts: 2851
Location: Roanoke
Post Re: Why do we do it?
I like that set up Royce!

_________________
"What gets us jangly is the suddenness of everything. We hunt turkeys because we want to hear them gobble, watch them strut and all that, and we hunt them with shotguns because we want to be close to them when those things occur." - Jim Spencer


Wed Jan 28, 2015 10:30 pm
Profile WWW
Longbeard

Joined: Wed Mar 27, 2013 7:29 pm
Posts: 195
Post Re: Why do we do it?
Sawyer: I am hoping to! Just gotta find the birds! The east is cool. It seems like you always see a bird or two when you go out, but its still tough. I like having a the piedmont streams and swamps that allow for easier floats. I need to get myself a kayak or something a bit more durable to float rivers out here. Add it to the wish list...

Scott: Thanks! Its my baby. I think I convinced Pops to build himself one so he can join me. I am thinking about adding a trolling motor mount so I can get on a little bigger water/go longer distances. Hope your season went well!

_________________
"We are measured more as hunters by the things we choose not to shoot, than by those that we do." -Unknown


Thu Jan 29, 2015 8:59 pm
Profile
King of Spring
User avatar

Joined: Sat Dec 04, 2004 9:27 am
Posts: 1907
Location: Roanoke, VA
Post Re: Why do we do it?
Love reading your exploits. I wish I had found waterfowling when I was your age. It would have made the time between deer season and spring turkey much more enjoyable. Sure, we had some grouse back then but know that I know waterfowl a little, I'd much prefer the adventure that waterfowling offers.


Fri Jan 30, 2015 10:48 pm
Profile YIM
Longbeard

Joined: Wed Mar 27, 2013 7:29 pm
Posts: 195
Post Re: Why do we do it?
Thanks, Dale! When I sit down to write about my days I struggle with not turning them into long stories like that. Not that that is a complaint, as I feel it can capture more of the reality of it all. Its all about the journey, for me, and I hope to portray that a little. Plus, I have always enjoyed creative writing and this is a great outlet for that.

Waterfowling is certainly a great adventure. Nothing else like it, really. This past season I didn't really think about waterfowl much and dove head long into deer hunting. It was fun and I had some awesome experiences. But then I went back to New York and was reminded of all of the reasons that I used to choose waterfowl over everything else. So here I am. Again. Beyond obsessed and raring to get my butt kicked by this game we call VA waterfowling.

I would love to get on some grouse though... definitely one of my bucket list species. I've shot at a couple, but connecting with those buggers is a chore. Really want one on the wall.

_________________
"We are measured more as hunters by the things we choose not to shoot, than by those that we do." -Unknown


Sat Jan 31, 2015 10:23 am
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 6 posts ] 


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group.
Designed by Vjacheslav Trushkin for Free Forums/DivisionCore.
Translated by MaĆ«l Soucaze © 2009 phpBB.fr