12-23-2006 Ohio Combo Hunt

**David Rearick** · #1 12-28-2006, 04:43 PM

2006 Hunting Journal Entries

DATE: 12-23-2006

LOCATION: Ohio

SUNRISE/SUNSET: 7:46 am

WEATHER: Overcast

TEMPERATURE: 40’s

WIND: Mild to Moderate

EQUIPMENT USED: Avery® Finisher Blind, Avery® Finisher Blind Bag, Avery® Mud Case, Avery® Fleece Calling Gloves, Avery® Fleece Skull Cap, Avery® Fleece Hand Muff, Avery® Mud Bag, Avery® Power Flag, Greenhead Gear® FFD Lesser Canada Geese, Greenhead Gear® FFD Elite Canada Geese, Greenhead Gear® Full Body Mallards

HUNTERS: Brothers Dave and Alex w/ their dog Bella, Don Gawne, Erik Nilsson (AKA slayer69) w/ his dog Gauge, and Avery® Pro-Staffer David Rearick

JOURNAL NOTES:

After a quick scouting run yesterday, one of our fields was found to be holding a good number of ducks and geese in the flooded corn. With the rain continuing, we knew we had a good opportunity to shoot our geese and add some bonus puddlers to the mix.

With daylight quickly approaching, we hauled our gear across the tractor rutted corn field, slipping and sliding a good part of the way. There was no way of using the ATV today, as the ruts were big enough to make it more trouble than it was worth. With just a few more bags to haul into the field, headlights approached us down the tractor path. After a quick hello, Alex and his brother Dave stated, “Well looks like you beat us to the field” and I quickly returned with an offer for them to hunt with us. There were plenty of birds to go around, so why not make the party a little bigger and meet some new friends. They stated they had a dog and that was the only possible foreseeable problem. Erik had brought along Gauge, his 9 month old yellow, and he was doing well, but had never hunted with another dog. It was time for him to give it a go, so Bella and Gauge got their introductions and we were off setting the spread and grassing the blinds.

Shortly after light whistling wings were heard over head and the birds were in tight, 2 mallards hit the spread and after some quick shooting, 2 birds were on the ground. The dogs made quick work of fetching them up and we waited for more. Birds were starting to get more active and a single was spotted out front. From 200 yards up this bad boy cupped, committed and put his feet down making his final glide. His big orange feet hung below him and just before he was about to hit the field, the boys put him down. Things were going well and the birds kept coming. We tried our best to keep the dogs in the blinds while working birds and retrieving, but it always seemed that after we shot some and the dogs were picking up, the next flock worked. We were happy just getting some bonus ducks and we were really after geese, so we weren’t worrying to much about the “smalls”.

On schedule the geese started picking up off the water. The first flock looked to work perfect, but wanted to be just behind us, as we knew they would. We had tried to split the difference of where the ducks and geese wanted to be, and it appeared as though we would have to slide up the hill. One loner committed to the spread and Dave put the big honker down. The geese kept coming and we slid up the hill and made some adjustments. The next flock worked real pretty and after some nice shooting we had five on the ground. They hadn’t centered quite perfect and Dave was still out picking up a mallard, so only three of us got shooting. I whiffed hard on my second bird, and tried to make light of it by blaming it on a bent barrel, but I don’t think anyone bought it…

Another small flock worked us and Erik and I finished out our limit. Shortly after two black ducks came barreling into the decoys and the guys on the left took them; one was a real beautiful drake. With three geese to go the next flock worked perfect, hit the hole and after 3 quick shots the day was over. The tally for the day was 10 geese, 4 Mallards, 2 Black/Mallard Hybrids, 2 Black ducks, 2 dirty dogs, and 5 mud covered and whooped hunters. It had been a great hunt with some new friends and some good work for the dogs. Gauge did great for his first 2 dog hunt and is really coming along well. We will be back after them tomorrow!