Chick,Duck Report

[inthebox30lbs]

Been spending quite a bit of time scouting and hunting on the Chick the last few days. Numbers of birds have been low but today 1/2/10 was the most ducks I have seen this year. Quite a few gads, mallards, and surprisingly very few divers. This morning the ducks were slow to move at first but mid morning action picked up. First group of ducks was 10-12 mallards that carefully worked the deeks they were going to swing outside of them and I picked a drake out and missed him three times, easy shot. Great start. Bout 10 mins later 2 gads came out of the clouds and commited, same results 3 shots and they waved as they went buy. Not a good start. Alot of new birds that would work the decoys but not commit land outside them about 80yds out. Could have shot at a bunch more but they were all on the edge of range. (Remington Hd and Blackcloud are not Cheap) A little later in the morn ended up topping off the day. 2 ducks headed right for me they cirlced about 5 times and to my surprise one of them had a nice pointy tail. I have never shot a pintail, seen plenty, missed some but i new immediately as soon as I saw them what they were. Eventually I new they were not going to commit and I gave the drake have 3, #4 HD's and away he went. Saw some more birds, had a few groups of buffle head come in and let them go. Pretty sad shooting day to say the least. Thank god for handwarmers, it was cold today. Hopefully the cold will keep up and keep on movin em down.

 

[blownf150]

Are you hunting up on the north end or down towards the park.

 

[M GO BLUE]

really odd...this morning was by far the fewest ducks I have seen since opening weekend! Didn't see anything until I was froze and gathering up my spread when a small group of grey ducks made a fly-by...

DESPERATELY seeking a new place to hunt...any advice would be appreciated...

 

[blownf150]

I hunted yesterday and today. I had three work yesterday. We saw a good bunch of birds and tried to set up on them this morning. But we never saw the first duck all day. I hope they are on the way if not they are froze. It got down to -20 in North Dakota last night.

 

[inthebox30lbs]

I drove alot of the lake today and saw very few birds, not sure whats going on. I do know that there are still tons of ducks and geese way to the north despite the arctic conditions. The upper Mississippi and the great lakes are supposedly loaded right now with mallards and geese. This year has been weird with all the water and the delayed harvest of crops to the north. November in the north was warm. With the cold temps and snow forcasted for quite a while they have to come down sooner or later. And with our temps the way they are forcasted the ponds swamps and slews are going to freeze and push the ducks towards the bigger water, or rivers. Ironically when I was in Florida for Christmas the Gulf was loaded with sea ducks and Tampa Bay was covered with bluebills. And the Fwc hunting reports indicated that Duck action across Florida was good to excellent. I have family and friends in New York and its been a horrible year up there. And my brother in Wisconsin is a duck hunting nut and he had his worst year in 7 years there. I have spent a ton of time scouting and buring up gas and I have shot more deer than ducks this year, it cant get any worse.
scott

 

[Lucky Bass]

I killed my 4 mallards on Jan. 4th by 9:30, but other than that it's been a tough season for me too. So far I've only got a hold of 2 wood ducks and 3 bluewings in early season and 7 mallards, 2 domestic ducks, and a handful of coots so far... I can't seem to find any huntable geese. I expected to see more on the big water, especially with this ice-up we're seeing.

I just moved to Harrison in July and have burned a LOT of gas running up and down Chick, Hiawassee, and Nickajack trying to find ducks/areas to hunt. I broke down and got set-up to long line after for divers this year, but I can't find enough of them to bother setting up.

I've yet to meet anyone that waterfowl hunts this area. If anyone wants to try and hunt together let me know. I'd really like to find a partner to split trips to Guntersville and back. Heading down there by myself is too expensive. I'm laid off until Feb. so I am pretty much hunting as much as I can.

Norm

 

[SpurHunter]

Man, I am glad I dont hunt ducks around here!!! I was spoiled by starting in AR 10 years ago. Never bothered here after that.

 

[M GO BLUE]

I hunted yesterday morning for half a day, and saw more ducks than I had ever seen before on Chickamauga...Some of the guys hunted again THIS VERY morning again, and saw NOTHING!!! Here and gone in a day????? I've only been duck hunting for 2 years now, and already considering whether or not its worth the trouble...

 

[blownf150]

Talked to a couple of buddies that hunted today and saw nothing. I think I will go in the morning I hope some ducks will show up with all the weather. Has anybody been hunting up towards the hiwassie?

 

[M GO BLUE]

blownf150 - 1/6/2010 4:21 PM

Talked to a couple of buddies that hunted today and saw nothing. I think I will go in the morning I hope some ducks will show up with all the weather. Has anybody been hunting up towards the hiwassie?

...yep, thats where I hunted yesterday. Some buddies went back again today, and everything that was there yesterday was GONE

 

[inthebox30lbs]

Thats how its been for me around here alot of birds one day and the next day they are all gone. No food to hold them on the chick so off they go. The days I have hunted with no weather around I would have done just as good if not better sitting on my back deck in my subdivision. How ever I have a buddy who hunts up on watts bar and he has done quite well since the opener, go figure. With all the slews, ponds and what few swamps that are around here logic would say If the ducks that are here are staying they would head towards the open water on the lake.
scott

 

[M GO BLUE]

...Especially since any water that aint moving is solid right now! -just don't think they are here and not sure they are coming anytime soon...

The Guntersville thing intrigues me...they killin any down there?

 

[rsimms]

M GO BLUE - 1/6/2010 8:22 PM

The Guntersville thing intrigues me...they killin any down there?

No....

 

[M GO BLUE]

...Sounds like its about time to resume my pursuit of Sauger (before the water gets high and chocolatey again)...at least I should have something to show for my frozen, aching endeavors...

 

[Lucky Bass]

The Chick is icing up pretty bad too. I had to get out twice this morning and kick ice around to open up my spread.

Chick makes Guntersville look like a prairie pothole. There's no comparison because it has the food (milfoil) and has several large WMA's that can be hunted. Not to say that hunting is grade-a down there by any means but 14 ducks all season up here is getting ridiculous. I have an Alabama lifetime license and I'm going to be putting it to use here soon...

Norm

 

[inthebox30lbs]

Lucky Bass - 1/6/2010 8:13 PM

The Chick is icing up pretty bad too. I had to get out twice this morning and kick ice around to open up my spread.

Chick makes Guntersville look like a prairie pothole. There's no comparison because it has the food (milfoil) and has several large WMA's that can be hunted. Not to say that hunting is grade-a down there by any means but 14 ducks all season up here is getting ridiculous. I have an Alabama lifetime license and I'm going to be putting it to use here soon...

Norm

I agree I have spent a fortune hunting on the chick this year, boat, gear, gas, new dog and shot 4 ducks. My 4 month old lab has been giving me this look when I come home from hunting, he must wonder why Im training him every night

 

[Lucky Bass]

ITB,

That's a great pic. I know exactly what you mean.

I have actually stopped taking my chessie along because he seems to get so bored and restless, and because there's no action he just gets to shiver while we watch empty skies it's just not fun for him. The last few times I went out I actually brought along a bumper so that he could make some retrieves before we packed it up. Now that's sad.

It's funny though, I can tell that he wants me to shoot seagulls. He watches them all the way in and wimpers and looks at me when the gun doesn't go off!

Norm

 

[blownf150]

Nothing this mornig saw a couple could have shot some. But I tend to wait for one more pass and they will comit but no luck. Ice was pretty think up on the river.
Guy I talked to went to Old Hickory and killed a six man limit yesterday.

 

[M GO BLUE]

blownf150 - 1/8/2010 11:07 AM

Nothing this mornig saw a couple could have shot some. But I tend to wait for one more pass and they will comit but no luck. Ice was pretty think up on the river.
Guy I talked to went to Old Hickory and killed a six man limit yesterday.

All Mallards???

I'm gonna go freeze my balls ONE MORE TIME in the morning!...talked to 2 buddies that hunted upriver this morning that killed their limit of mallards and blacks...

 

[blownf150]

Mostly mallards had four gadwalls we could have shot but we were bustin ice. Looked over and they are locked up coming in. So in a desperate scramble to get to the blind and gun we flared them. That's a good morning I hunted up river a good bit earlier in the season. I need to get back up there.