For the last 10 years I've had a stalwart swamp buddy in my son, Jack. I fixed the spot in my mind and planned a return as soon as I could swing it. It will swallow a five-gallon bucket, easy, and I stuff the bucket with a spinning-wing decoy cushioned with camo netting. Copyright © 2020 Field & Stream. We even get the occasional teal flight in our beaver ponds, and we don’t wait for them to put the gears down. She's soaked to the bone before the hunt even starts. Duck hunting in swamp ponds south Texas. There are no more voices. This is up-close-and-personal duck hunting, and you’ll need to fine-tune your open-water skills to toll in beaver pond birds that are skittish as day-old goats. Try not to horse around during the slow periods. Mallards, however, go where other greenheads went. Over the next 15 minutes, another two dozen ignored my calls and decoys and parachuted into some unseen opening in the swamp, some place that looks little different from where I sat. Maybe going at it solo isn't worth going at all. There are several reasons for this: A. But I’ve spent years trying. If they stick around for a few minutes, you’ll double your decoy spread’s drawing power. And I made the tough call to leave Minnie behind. The tree stand put us at eye level, an unusual arrangement, but a fitting one given that she's my equal partner now. I pulled her up onto her stand and barely twisted away in time. Ten o'clock ducks. Nobody's going to know. This time, Minnie saw them first, or sensed them first, and I followed her rigid gaze down the swamp. You're not really alone. This video is unavailable. Am I too close to the open water? I fold the first duck that shows, the lead drake mallard in a threesome that comes in on a string, just like all the others, straight down the swamp, setting big orange feet without a second thought. First, a half dozen ducks set their wings and settled down 80 yards up the swamp. We've hunted together so often that we can load the canoe, paddle across the swamp channel, and set the decoys without saying a word. Those ducks had rejected us twice. Her collar clattered as she shook, showering me from head to waist. I wait another half hour, then pull the decoys. October 9, 2020 | Timber 2 Table Wild Game Recipes, October 7, 2020 | Timber 2 Table Wild Game Recipes. Adding movement to your decoys can play big dividends during the waiting hours. "I know, girl," I whispered. In fact, no other duck hides in undercut banks or streamside vegetation as well as a woodie. First, three birds, and then three more small flocks, sailing in from down the creek. Concealment is critical. Tie one end of the bungee cord to the end of the decoy line near the last loop. The less I gave these birds to look at, the better. We've hunted together so often that we can load the canoe, paddle across the swamp channel, and set the decoys without saying a word. They might be just enough of a deterrent to steer birds to your blind. Pull the slack out, until the bungee cord just begins to stretch. Migration Alert: Great Lakes States Reporting Strong Bluewing Numbers, Migration Alert: Ideal Conditions Set the Stage for Texas Teal Hunters, Migration Alert: 2020 South Atlantic Preview, Five Atlantic Flyway Public Land Hotspots for 2020, When you're all by yourself in the duck woods, every moment is yours to treasure, Contributing Editor of Ducks Unlimited magazine, T. Edward Nickens is a North Carolina-based freelance writer who has a passion for the outdoors and conservation. How to Use a Signal Mirror in a Survival Scenario, The Best Recipes and Drinks for Hunting Camp, A Flyfishing Adventure to the Greatest Northern Pike River in North America, Hunting Black Bears with Hounds in the Famed Bruin Swamps of North Carolina. You’ll have to navigate creek channels, beaver dams, and boot-sucking mud, so give yourself plenty of time for the often difficult hump into a beaver pond. Kill it. The ducks were early, but, inexplicably, the X had moved. Wood ducks practically ignore decoys, so post up at first light along the pond’s creek channel, the most common route for these early fliers to take in and out of the swamp. But the ducks had never veered from their line. Even older ponds, however, can produce a fine duck shoot. Part of the trick to embracing a solo hunt is to separate the concepts of being alone and feeling lonely. My two concessions to middle age are a knee brace and a collapsible walking stick. All I’m missing is the most important thing: clouds. Things had gotten personal. They simply knew exactly where they wanted to be. I've committed three good mornings chasing just a handful of birds during the peak of migration, when there is no guarantee they will stick around. A short, swift pull on the taut line will set the decoys into motion, and the dropper lines will give them room to roam, appearing as if they are splashing and content. He's grown from a little kid I had to carry across creek channels to a trusted companion who can haul more weight than his old man is able to. And happy to have company. As a beaver pond ages, it also tends to grow as the beavers add to the dam. She mops my face again, an unwitting thanks for my overnight change of heart. The fact that I've been after them, single-mindedly, for more than a week speaks to one benefit of hunting solo: I never have to coordinate with anyone else's schedule. Wood ducks practically ignore decoys, so post up at first light along the pond’s creek channel, the most common route for these early fliers to take in and out of the swamp. Now tie the last snap swivel to the other end of the bungee. We all know how often you can wake up in the middle of the night, drive an hour or more, haul decoys and blinds, hide the dog, watch the sun rise, and still go home skunked. I didn't want to just shoot a duck. Carry small pruning shears to trim away overhanging brush or briars that will snag your coat sleeve as you turn to fire a highball at a cruising flock. Beaver swamp birds have minds of their own, and they aren’t easy to decipher. It's been a bittersweet evolution. Ducks won’t land over decoys. As usual, poor Minnie couldn't catch a break. A maze of overhanging branches and tree trunks creates distracting backgrounds. On a long hike in, her eyes reflect my headlamp in yellow pinpricks bouncing through the woods, a comforting presence. She's a cuddler, and on a long sit she'll lean into my side, partly to share body warmth but also as if to say: We're in this together. If your pond is part of a chain of beaver impoundments along a long creek or watershed—and most of them are—you may be faced with too much of a good thing. In these situations, there’s frequently too much water, so you scouted the pond carefully to pin down the exact pocket of open water where the birds want to be. All told, the gear and pack and gun and shells weigh close to four million pounds. No chance of getting turned around now. My blind bag goes on top of all this, and I cinch down the pack top. A canoe makes it easier, for sure, but I have a pretty good system for my hike-in spots. However, I advise against that. Tie five 6- to 8-inch-long loops into the last 20 feet of one end of the decoy line, using overhand knots. To set the rig up, pass the end of the bungee cord around a tree, heavy brush, or sturdy stake (or a heavily anchored decoy), and hook the line-end snap swivel to the cord. But he also grew into a college student, living in another town, with other priorities and new hunting buddies. Today, one seems to be the perfect number. If more than two flights of mallards snub your set for some other corner of the swamp, move your decoys swiftly. If black ducks are slow to commit, wait until they drop below 35 yards, and take them as they pass overhead with wings spread and vitals showing. For many duck hunters, waterfowling is a social pursuit. Two dozen decoys in the hole. Why are you dragging yourself out here alone? Use jerk cords to add eye-catching ripples to the water. Put a dozen or 5 dozen wooden block (even hollowed wooden blocks, as mine were) in your boat or your backpack and the weight is about 2.5 - 3 times what plastic decoys are. Many products featured on this site were editorially chosen. Beaver pond birds can come very early, especially if you’re targeting wood ducks. Black ducks will circle a beaver pond endlessly, then turn away for no apparent reason.
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