Waterfowl Information Sharing Thread

Derwood · Dec 13, 2017

Hi MD hunters--

If you are a waterfowl hunter, it's the best time of the year right now! Use this thread to share what you're seeing during the final part of the waterfowl season. How are the birds in your hunting area? What kind of trends are you seeing? How are they responding to different tactics? Let's hear it.

I'm going out to the Eastern Shore near Centerville on Saturday. I'll give a report next week.

Good hunting everyone and be safe--especially out on the water!

pbharvey · Dec 13, 2017

Just now charged up the lucky ducks!
We'll be on the Potomac Friday and maybe Saturday.

fabsroman · Dec 14, 2017

I am going out tomorrow morning. Scouted yesterday from 8:00 to 10:30 and the results were miserable, but there was a stiff wind. The few geese I saw in the air were having a hell of a time flying in the wind. Not expecting much for tomorrow morning unless the birds move down during the night, but it will give my son a taste of sitting in the blind for a couple of hours and playing with his call without driving my wife and daughters insane.

Doco Overboard · Dec 14, 2017

A good day afield is better than any day at work especially with family. I remember when my youngest son learned to call ducks and geese, drove me nuts. It was collect calls, take them apart, try them out, get better ones. Tune them up down- look for cedar trees, make blanks
Next thing you know it was get a wood lathe order a gazillion bands, lacquers... additional parting tools plus all the gear ammo and guns (cuz you know you need all Browning guns to kill ducks real good) meet Taylor and Mann learn from them on and on.
Worry to death for being on the water in a skiff with hippers on. Layout blinds, decoys, stuffer's making sure he didn't take the plug out after breaking clays etc etc.
Enjoy it while you can.
Now I hardly even hear from him anymore because of what he does for work and the next thing you know my buddy is gone, busy elsewhere.
So have fun and good luck, be mindful of wind chill for the youngsters, should be a good day.

Melnic · Dec 15, 2017

Came home for lunch and this was just outside my fence. My property goes to 10ft beyond the creek

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

fabsroman · Dec 15, 2017

There are a few less flying around in Howard County. The birds were moving pretty good this morning, especially once the snow started coming down. Had 4 break off a group of 10 early in the morning and they landed in the decoys. My dad and I both shot twice and hit nothing but air. It was sad. Had a couple other groups look at us, had a single buzz the blind so close that it should have been dead, but I was busy cooking sausage and did not see it until it was right on us and then past us. After it started snowing, the wind changed and we re-arranged the decoys. Texted my wife to tell her I was looking like a putz in front of my son. Then, the next group of 40 that came by dropped right in, not a single circle. 4 bangs and we were packing up because my son didn't want to shoot, so it was a two man limit for us. As we were packing up, they kept on coming and coming. Could have probably killed 20+ today if there was no limit. We were done by 10:00 and then it was McDonalds time.

Saw a couple of high flying groups, which might mean the migratory birds are starting to come in.

Now, it is time to get some work done.

Yingpin · Dec 15, 2017

Got into them pretty good on Kent Island this morning. Lots of birds flying into the afternoon. Didnt hear a lot of shooting though.

Hundreds of ducks sitting on the water at the bridge. Big rafts of them

LimaVictor · Dec 15, 2017

Me and a buddy this morning right beside St. Mary's College. Saw ALOT of geese this morning but they wanted the field right next to ours! Did get 3 of them though. Good first day!

Marshmallow · Dec 18, 2017

Got our 3 man limit on Friday by 9am. Saturday we couldn’t beat the live birds on the river so we only got 2.

kstone803 · Dec 18, 2017

Saturday we showed up to frozen water the last 1000 yards to the blind off the Potomac. Drove the boat through it multiple times but it just kept skimming over. Pretty disappointing since there were clouds of birds out on the open water we could see all day. Guys on the bigger water shot the snot out of them. We scratched out 4 but all in all it was a bust. Be back out this Thursday and Friday.

pbharvey · Dec 18, 2017

We saw a good 200 birds Friday but maybe only 80 or so Saturday on the Potomac. Shot a few but both days had a situation that could've been fantastic but ended in a missed opportunity.
One more pass and then will kill 'em...or not lol.

fabsroman · Dec 18, 2017

pbharvey said:
We saw a good 200 birds Friday but maybe only 80 or so Saturday on the Potomac. Shot a few but both days had a situation that could've been fantastic but ended in a missed opportunity.
One more pass and then will kill 'em...or not lol.

Ain't that how it goes most of the time. Let them get a little closer, and then we take them. I got lucky on Friday. Moved the decoys around and the very next group to come by came in with the landing gear down right away, no circling. A couple even landed in the decoys before we started shooting. If it only went like that each and every time. The worst is when they circle and circle and circle just out of range, especially when hunting with people that are mediocre shooters and you have to wait and wait and wait while they are in range for you to shoot, just not everybody else. Those are the days that make the good days the good days and the epic ones epic.

Derwood · Dec 19, 2017

Report from Chestertown area:

I saw more geese flying on Saturday morning than ever before. Thousands upon thousands. Snow geese flew early--there were enormous flocks of them but none took an interest in our field.

There were so many Canadas flying by 8:00 that our struggle was to get them to be interested in our decoy spread since the 60 or so we had out looked boring by comparison to the huge flocks. We took a 4-man limit by 9:15 am. The weather was cold--20F when we got out to the blind with about an inch of snow on the ground from the day before. You couldn't really ask for better conditions.

How are the ducks looking? We were pretty close to the river so I could hear some quacking, but didn't see any high fliers.

fabsroman · Dec 19, 2017

It looks like the geese are coming into the area. I have been seeing more and more high flying groups. Still not cold enough to force them to feed very much, and they can really be picky over here in western Howard County. Saw some birds flying after sunset today, and they weren't flying to roost. Two waves dropped into a cut cornfield. Saw another 1,000+ birds in a cut cornfield around 4:00 this afternoon. A couple groups joined them around 4:30, but those birds stayed right there well past sunset.

The deer were out like crazy at 5:00 tonight. Saw tons of deer all along route 144 on the drive home.

CrabbyMcNab · Dec 19, 2017

Thinking of taking my canoe out this year. I’ve got the stamps, life vest and paddles. Both the Potomac and mononacy are close, any pointers for floating?

fabsroman · Dec 19, 2017

CrabbyMcNab said:
Thinking of taking my canoe out this year. I’ve got the stamps, life vest and paddles. Both the Potomac and mononacy are close, any pointers for floating?

Don't drop the shotgun overboard. lol

Racer Doug14 · Dec 22, 2017

Hope to bust some tomorrow. It will be my first hunt on the farm I have a CDP for deer on. Birds seem to fly around it alot. Have not hunted geese in 3 years. I love to, but it's a PIA to arrange time with all the usual friends and gear. It will be just me and a buddy from work. I limited out at his property my first WF hunt. Hope to return the favor.

fabsroman · Dec 22, 2017

Racer Doug14 said:
Hope to bust some tomorrow. It will be my first hunt on the farm I have a CDP for deer on. Birds seem to fly around it alot. Have not hunted geese in 3 years. I love to, but it's a PIA to arrange time with all the usual friends and gear. It will be just me and a buddy from work. I limited out at his property my first WF hunt. Hope to return the favor.

Good luck. You are going to have to hope that the rain gets them moving around a lot more. I was out scouting tonight and it was pitiful. Lots of birds holed up on ponds or stuck in fields right by ponds. Very few flew in the afternoon. Now, if we could hunt on Sunday when the cold front moves in, that would be the day to hunt.

Racer Doug14 · Dec 22, 2017

I hope we get lucky. It will be tough with rain forecast. I hate the no hunting WF on Sundays. That and still only 2 geese! But, better than buying the PA nonresident license.

fabsroman · Dec 22, 2017

Racer Doug14 said:
I hope we get lucky. It will be tough with rain forecast. I hate the no hunting WF on Sundays. That and still only 2 geese! But, better than buying the PA nonresident license.

Life could be worse. You could be going to work tomorrow morning. If the rain holds off, I'll be shooting clays at PGT&S tomorrow morning.

Waterfowl Information Sharing Thread

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