Tweaked my back

Last Wed. I tweaked my back, I noticed it as I was packin' my boat up from duck hunting. So Thursday I just stayed home and cooked my turkey and iced my back. Happy Thanksgiving (even though it's a little late) the meal turned out really good, probably the best turkey I have ever cooked. Friday I didn't have to work so it was Ibuprofen and ice all day. Then the work week started, I even took it as easy as I could there.
Which leads me to this morning. I wanted a hunt that was as easy as possible so I went pheasant hunting. I figured I could just take it easy and walk in the open as much as possible. So I started at daybreak, at a spot that I have always done well at, and started walking. Only a half hour in I flushed a hen, since this is a clean up, put and take hunt I was able to take hens. I gave her a warning shot but I missed. Oh well I started feeling better about my spot since I hadn't heard a cackle all morning.
Well it wasn't too long after that and I heard some rustling in the leaves, when I was able to pinpoint it-quarry found. Three shots later I had my two pheasants and was walking out with limit after only 1 hour.

Two really nice birds, my quickest limit on pheasants ever.

My end of bow season

The end of my bow season was deer filled but uneventful. I saw 11 deer and actually had a shot at some very alert doe's. This is a year of firsts for me: first I had a deflection from a branch and then I had a deer duck my shot today. Neither of these firsts are good things, however I'm not out of the venison business yet. I still have muzzleloader season to hunt.
I went duck hunting Tues and Wed morning, Tues. I went 2 for 2. Wed. I would have had the same outcome if I would've just thrown the loaded shells at the ducks. I couldn't hit the broadside of a barn if I was inside.
Anyway here's the pic of Tues.

Like the new calls?

This goose hung out with my decoys for an hour and a half. He just kept swimming by the goose decoys then over to the duck decoys. He must have known goose season was closed.

Oh well no more double duty hunting days 'til next year, duck in the morning and deer in the afternoon.
Now it's all waterfowl.... and some coon and pheasant is open and.......

Whirlwind of hunting

Tues. Morning I went out to a Lake pretty close to the house. Before I even saw my first duck this little guy came walking to me.

 I only had 1 decent shot and I made the best of it, making like a sniper with a shotgun. One shot one kill, I knew this drake was a little tall but I had to try.

I was shooting my newly won shells and let me tell ya, Blindside is some good stuff. This guy was up in the stratosphere usually I don't skybust but I thought there was a good chance of getting him.

Wednesday I got an invite to go to Weed's poo pond, this is a shoot I don't like miss out on. We didn't have the 900 birds that have been there come in, but we had a couple hundred come in and give us a couple limits.

How 'bout that new gun Weed's sporting. He started having problems with the old humpback that he usually totes so he picked up a Stoeger. Of course I'm still shooting the old workhorse X2 gotta love that gun.

Now I didn't say so, but I went out for deer Tues.evening. I didn't see a deer but there were a couple hundred geese and ducks dropping in my field. Since goose goes out this week and next I knew I had to shoot this. So I gave a shout out to a new buddy named Kevin. He told me he would go so we set up a time and place to meet. We got all the gear hauled out into the field, got everything set up and waited for the fun to start. We had 1 flock of  Mallards work in they made 3-4 passes and left out. I never called the shot cause I was waiting to see the wings cup and feet drop. Needless to say I felt pretty bad later, when I found out Kevin wasn't staying all day and I blew the only chance he had at some shooting.
Anyway Kevin left at around 11, so I moved the dekes around and settled in for a well deserved nap. I woke up to a crash and a screech. A Redtail hawk tried to steal one of my duck decoys. So now I'm awake and waiting for the evening flight. I got a couple misses out of the gun around 3:30 on a pair of  Mallards. Around 4:30 the sky started filling up with ducks and geese, my guests had arrived. The first flock of ducks I took one drake, the second flock that came in I carved out 3 to finish my limit on ducks. Then the geese started coming in, the first flock of geese I put 2 on the ground. I didn't have to wait too long for my last goose. I picked out the lead goose squeezed the trigger and watched him drop. When I got up to him and turned him over.............SURPRISE............. he's got jewelery on.

Sporting some new calls this year Buck Gardners spitfire duck call and Molt Gear's EX3 goose call

I'm not saying the new calls were the reason I got limit and a band but they didn't hurt.
In the infamous words of Barnie Calef ,"Stick and Stay make 'er pay". My lovely wife let me stay out all day (it was her night to go out) for our anniversary on the 7th, I wouldn't have this band if she made me come home.
Thankz Sarah.

Just got the band info:
INFORMATION FROM OUR FILES:
Species: CANADA GOOSE
Date banded: 07/22/2009
Banding Location: 15 E CAPE LOOKOUT, ONTARIO, CANADA
Age: HATCHED IN 2008 OR EARLIER
Sex: MALE

last week and this week

Went three for three last week on mallards the first one was on the previous post, here's the others.

My first field hunt this year was at Willards' property. I had a good hunt, however I didn't shoot good. The first goose came in low and quiet. I shot 3 times he was still flying, I called him back, shot at him 3 more times and he still flew away. I was able to get 2 geese out of one flock and crushed a susie out of another. The whole day all I could think of was what Willard had said to me last year,"why were you shooting so much."

No deer yet still tryin'.