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The Great Duck Massacre of 2019-2020

Ok, I’m coming up there to hunt with you. You’re going to need to provide the dog, Bubba died back in May. Mother in law died on Friday, Bubba died on Wednesday and my Dad died on Sunday. Rough 9 days. Not getting another dog.

Bubba dog....

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Drake mallard on the far left is the last bird he ever picked up....

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You have to bring up dogs......really, the only way to experience the true art of waterfowling is to have a dog that can do his job better than you can yours.

I had a black as well named Coal Train. We called him Coal. His third year he had over 100 retrieves before a loss. Black as coal and comin like a train once he got his nose on ya.
 
Beautiful black

This is a block I’m trying out “ebonizing” on to get it colored right for a black.....

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I stuck a mallard head on it for reference. Looks decent in that pic, but it got lighter over time. I think it’s the cedar I used when restle coating. I’m going to use some oak sawdust next. More tannin should give me the color I’m looking for.
 
I can shoot wood ducks all day every day here, I’m coming up there to shoot black ducks. Just so we’re clear
 
I just started waterfowling last year. Didn't see many black ducks. From what I have heard they were very prolific for a long time but are rare here now. I'm between lake Huron and Lake Erie. It's good to know they aren't gone I guess.

@dalton916 that's a beautiful dog there. I've been training my own but he wasn't bought for waterfowl he was bought for tracking. So I started late with him. Hunting dogs of all sorts are just freakin' awesome.
 
I grew up duck hunting along the Barnegat Bay in NJ. Duck hunting like Bow Hunting is an addiction. Unfortunately for me, I now live in VA. We do not get the flights of birds that we once had down here. The winters of late have not pushed the birds down as in years past. The other thing I have noticed while the east coast is a major flyway, birds have really switched their migrating patterns to the central and Mississippi Flyways. I assume more habitat and food with all the development in the last 20 years have lead to this along with with more gunning pressure.
 
bigjoe said:
The other thing I have noticed while the east coast is a major flyway, birds have really switched their migrating patterns to the central and Mississippi Flyways. I assume more habitat and food with all the development in the last 20 years have lead to this along with with more gunning pressure.
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Its interesting you say that the ducks have moved to the Mississippi Flyway. I now live in SE Louisiana and last year was the first that i have paid attention but everyone i talk to around here says the last 5 yrs or so have been really down with duck numbers.

its interesting you are seeing something similar in another part of the country.

The two schools of thought that i have heard around here are either that the flyway has moved further to the west or that the farm lands to the north have been flooding their crops to attract the birds and as a result they never make it down to here.
 
cb750 said:
I just started waterfowling last year. Didn't see many black ducks. From what I have heard they were very prolific for a long time but are rare here now. I'm between lake Huron and Lake Erie. It's good to know they aren't gone I guess.

@dalton916 that's a beautiful dog there. I've been training my own but he wasn't bought for waterfowl he was bought for tracking. So I started late with him. Hunting dogs of all sorts are just freakin' awesome.
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He was a great one. I’ll never be able to top him.
 
There's something about the Mid Atlantic that holds the black ducks. They are definitely a salt marsh bird. During cold snaps we will shoot a few over fields. Corn fed black duck is different than minnow fed black duck....lol.
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Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
 
Just bought a case of shells and a case of clays. Momma is out of town, so it's a boy's week. Gonna be dusting clays every night this week.

Gotta get limbered up for this season. Thanksgiving will be here before ya know it!
 
Reviving this thread. Hammered blue wings during special teal season and limited out on woodies this split opener.

Here's a video I slapped together on lunch talking about the gear I like using for woodies and my thoughts on hunting them without having to pass shoot them.

 
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