Double B on the salt...

**Mike Bard** · #1 01-15-2008, 04:35 PM

Date: January 13, 2008

Location: New York

Sunrise: 7:17

Weather: Mostly Sunny

Temperature: mid 30’S

Wind: NE at 5-8

Equipment Used: Greenhead Gear® OS Black Ducks, Mallards and Bufflehead Decoys, Greenhead Gear® LS Canada Floaters, Greenhead Gear® FB Black Ducks, Avery® Finisher Blind Bag, Avery® Pit Bag, Avery® Finisher Blinds, Avery® Neo Tubs, Avery® Fleece Calling Gloves, Avery® Fleece Hand Muff, Avery® DIY Lanyards, Avery® Field Caps, and Avery® Fleece Skull Caps.

Hunters: Mike Dieck, Terry Connors and Avery® Pro-Staffers Mike Bard and David Rearick

Double B on the Salt - Black Ducks & Brant

….continued from Dave Rearick’s Triple B on the Salt JE: http://forum.averyoutdoors.com/showthread.php?t=37509

After a great first day on the salt marsh, with limits of black ducks, a band, and limits of brant, we headed back to relax and have dinner with Mike D’s family. Mike’s wife, Patty, made us some great lasagna and we kicked back, ate well and watched playoff football. Tomorrow’s plan was similar to this morning’s, as we’d head out on the incoming tide, get back into the marsh and set up for black ducks and then as the tide turned and started to head out, we’d pick up and move to more open waters and set up for brant.

We awoke Sunday morning, a little early, to catch the weather. The weatherman was predicting a northeast wind, which we were excited about, as Saturday we were looking into the sun all morning. Once we had the wind info, we headed off to the ramp and got launched, heading back into the marsh. Once we arrived at the spot Terry has suggested, we again set up GHG® Black OS Floaters and Full Body Decoys, along with a few GHG® Mallards.

Things started out really slow, we didn’t hear much shooting across the marsh and we weren’t seeing much of anything in the sky, except brant that boats running the channels were kicking up. After getting nice and settled into my blind, enjoying the warm morning sun, I heard wings cutting the air behind me, then Mike D. whispers, “Terry, coming from behind you.” There was no response and no movement from anyone’s blind. I heard the wings again, this time really close and Dave popped out and with one quick shot, he took down the morning’s first black duck. Another lull occurred, but was broken by a convinced drake mallard, which cupped up and tried landing with the pair of mallard decoys; I had set out in front of me. Terry and I both fired and dropped him along side the pair of decoys that had fooled him. Not long after the mallard came to visit, another black duck dropped in and glided right down the line of layout blinds, offering up a shot for everyone. After a combined effort from Terry and I again, the black duck dropped into the marsh.

It was now mid morning and Mike D. had to head back to the launch, so he could meet up with his son’s for a Boy Scout function. With Mike picking up, we decided to pick up as well and head out to the bay for brant. We got set up before the tide changed to out going, so we had a little wait before the brant started moving and heading into the bay to feed, but once they did, it didn’t take long to have them start hitting the blocks.

After trying to get some pictures, we decided to get down to it and it only took a few minutes to fill our three man limit on brant. You just can’t beat good decoying brant action. All in all, we had a great weekend hunt with Mike D. and Terry.