Wish me luck

[jamesmc]

My brother and I scouted out our local slough and I think it's going to be an amazing shoot in the morning. There is actually 2 sloughs but you have to have a very small boat and pack it quite a ways to get to the other. In the first slough I would estimate around 1000 ducks(a mixed bag of gadwalls, mallards, pintails, ringnecks and coots)

[Jason Mears]

Good Luck

[jamesmc]

All of them were hanging out around the edges in the bullrush and left over lillypads. He and I decided to ease into the the other slough it is about half the size of the main slough. As you enter you are in a large cove on the right side of the slough and you can't see the left because of a large point made up of bullrush. On the right side there were probably around 500 ducks sitting along the edges we were carefull not to flare them as we eased my 12 foot layout passed the bullrush to see the left. I couldn't believe what we saw. It was probably another 1000 ducks sitting there. You couldn't hardly see the water because of all the ducks. Needless to say we will be there at around 3am(to beat others there) and set up on the "X". We have a mixed bag of decoys to set them at ease including 1 doz GHG lifesize mallards, 1/2 doz GHG lifesize gadwalls, a pair of GHG lifesize pintails, 11 coots, 4 GHG lifesize bluewing teal and 1/2 doz GHG lifesize ringnecks. I'm also going to throw out a mallard machine with 4 ghg hotbuys and a jerk cord with 3 ghg hotbuys. Do you think this is too much or not enough. Well anyway wish me luck guys!

[Thráinn E. Skúlason]

You go get them. I wish I could have seen what you are describing.
I think you will do just fine with these decoys.
Don´t forget the camera and post some pictures.
Can´t wait to see them.

Good luck.

[Great White North]

It sounds like spread will be sufficient. Good luck!

[Joe Fladeland]

Good luck James.
I think you will do just fine with the set-up you have. Be sure and post up pictures of the the hunt.

[Bull Island]

we need an update:D
I am glad to hear of someone seeing ducks.

[kyfowlman]

Good luck guys -hope you beat everyone else to the x. Looking forward to the pics!

[jamesmc]

Well it ended up being a bummer. we started off the morning at 3:30 am and paddle about a 1/2 mile across the slough only to realize we forgot to put the most important piece of equipment into the boat(our guns). After retreving our "equipment" we paddle back to the second slough only to find out the the magority was froze out and we couldn't get back there. so we settled into another spot on the main slough. The first thing i did when i got out of the boat to set decoys was step on a sharp broken off reed and put a 1 inch gash in my brand new hodgman waders. so i had to hunt fridged all morning. to top it off we only had one group of birds (apprx 30 teal) work our spred. They made to passes around and were comming in cupped only to be "SKY BUSTED" by a boat at least 200 yards away. We decided to cut our losses and head to the house only to find out later from a friend who was hunting near where we were that not an hour after we left apprx 150 pintails landed in the hole where we were. Not a very good day for shooting. On a positive note Some guys managed to get into our original spot from another direction and were busting them all morning. At least someone got to be on the "X" that morning.

[Bull Island]

You'll get'em

[Craig Silvanic]

jamesmc, you have my luck... BAD LUCK.... but if it wasn't for that I wouldn't have anything.. I keep dreaming that one day it will be my turn... hang in there you'll get'em.