Aaron Hitchins
09-17-2006, 09:37 PM
It's one of those days that mean nothing to you if you dont hunt, but they surpass Christmas when you do. The alarm was set for 5:15 but I didnt need it...
The tension rose as we drove across the lake with a soupy fog surrounding and disorienting us. Thankfully our pal Garmin wasn't led astray and we made our way safely to the blind. After the decoys were set we pulled into our blind and prepared ourself for first light and the birds that would coem with it. About 10 minutes after legal light a drake wood duck melted out of the fog and swooped over the decoys before being dropped with a made in Disneyland shot that signalled the start of the 2006 duck season. The birds didn't fly as much as usual but through the course of the morning but those that flew close enough to us in the fog were decieved by the decoys and those that were decieved by the decoys wound up being miraculously shot with a miraculously small amount of shell consumption. By the time the fog lifted in the morning we had 7 ducks dead. All of the shots were taken within 25 yards on fairly convinced ducks. The bag consisted of 3 beautiful Drake Woodies, 1 Hen Woodie, 2 Ringnecks and 1 Hen Mallard, which was by far the best morning of duck hunting I've ever had. I came home and plucked ducks for a good while before going out to try and fill out our limit in the evening hunt. The birds didn't really fly because it was the bluebird day to end all bluebird days but we managed to shoot a pair of ringnecks and I managed a double on Greenwing teal, which made me want to retire from hunting right there and go out having made the best shots of my life. It was a great day of hunting with our final tally at 10 ducks!!! It was an awesome day, my best ever as I shot my limit, which is the first limit of anything I've ever shot and I managed to double 3 times, which is better than I did all of last season!!! It was a memorable duck hunt for Dad and I seeing as how we had put a fair amount of work and planning into the blind and set up and it payed off!!!
Here are some photos of our morning harvest as duck pictures in the darkness arent really that great...
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/Aaron-Hitchins/Hunting-Aaron001.jpg
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/Aaron-Hitchins/Hunting-Aaron009.jpg
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/Aaron-Hitchins/Hunting-Aaron038.jpg
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/Aaron-Hitchins/Hunting-Aaron042.jpg
Check out the plumage on thsoe woodies on the right!!!
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/Aaron-Hitchins/Hunting-Aaron010.jpg
The Game Hog laden with some different quarry...
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/Aaron-Hitchins/Hunting-Aaron031.jpg
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/Aaron-Hitchins/Hunting-Aaron014.jpg
A LS floater with the blind in the background...
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/Aaron-Hitchins/Hunting-Aaron036.jpg
Greenhead Gear isn't just for Greenheads!!!
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/Aaron-Hitchins/Hunting-Aaron025-1.jpg
There we are... the best day of duck hunting I have witnessed... now we just have to wait for some new birds to move in with the next North wind because all of the residents seem to have a pretty good idea of where the Hitchins Restricted Fly Zone is...
Aaron
The tension rose as we drove across the lake with a soupy fog surrounding and disorienting us. Thankfully our pal Garmin wasn't led astray and we made our way safely to the blind. After the decoys were set we pulled into our blind and prepared ourself for first light and the birds that would coem with it. About 10 minutes after legal light a drake wood duck melted out of the fog and swooped over the decoys before being dropped with a made in Disneyland shot that signalled the start of the 2006 duck season. The birds didn't fly as much as usual but through the course of the morning but those that flew close enough to us in the fog were decieved by the decoys and those that were decieved by the decoys wound up being miraculously shot with a miraculously small amount of shell consumption. By the time the fog lifted in the morning we had 7 ducks dead. All of the shots were taken within 25 yards on fairly convinced ducks. The bag consisted of 3 beautiful Drake Woodies, 1 Hen Woodie, 2 Ringnecks and 1 Hen Mallard, which was by far the best morning of duck hunting I've ever had. I came home and plucked ducks for a good while before going out to try and fill out our limit in the evening hunt. The birds didn't really fly because it was the bluebird day to end all bluebird days but we managed to shoot a pair of ringnecks and I managed a double on Greenwing teal, which made me want to retire from hunting right there and go out having made the best shots of my life. It was a great day of hunting with our final tally at 10 ducks!!! It was an awesome day, my best ever as I shot my limit, which is the first limit of anything I've ever shot and I managed to double 3 times, which is better than I did all of last season!!! It was a memorable duck hunt for Dad and I seeing as how we had put a fair amount of work and planning into the blind and set up and it payed off!!!
Here are some photos of our morning harvest as duck pictures in the darkness arent really that great...
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/Aaron-Hitchins/Hunting-Aaron001.jpg
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/Aaron-Hitchins/Hunting-Aaron009.jpg
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/Aaron-Hitchins/Hunting-Aaron038.jpg
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/Aaron-Hitchins/Hunting-Aaron042.jpg
Check out the plumage on thsoe woodies on the right!!!
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/Aaron-Hitchins/Hunting-Aaron010.jpg
The Game Hog laden with some different quarry...
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/Aaron-Hitchins/Hunting-Aaron031.jpg
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/Aaron-Hitchins/Hunting-Aaron014.jpg
A LS floater with the blind in the background...
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/Aaron-Hitchins/Hunting-Aaron036.jpg
Greenhead Gear isn't just for Greenheads!!!
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/Aaron-Hitchins/Hunting-Aaron025-1.jpg
There we are... the best day of duck hunting I have witnessed... now we just have to wait for some new birds to move in with the next North wind because all of the residents seem to have a pretty good idea of where the Hitchins Restricted Fly Zone is...
Aaron