Skack
Elite Refuge
Member
Registered: Oct
2001
Location: Denton, Texas... Hook'em Horns!
Posts:
6810 |
Hunting pics from HBB
and Aransas area Christmas week hunts.
Well fellas,
I was lucky enough to get away from work for about 11 days and
tried to hunt everyday that I could. I did take some days to
rest as the hunting became slower as the week progressed.
Started out on Wednesday the 17th at Hall's Bayou
hunting with Drundel and Cajun Duckman....it was mighty slow
but we had some good conversation. First morning we shot two
full plumage bluewingers and watched a ringer die in mid air
and then catch himself to fly off into the wild blue
yonder.
Thursday 18th was a hunt at HB specifically
looking for a mottled drake for my wall. Cajun, Brad and
myself scouted out some saltmarsh ponds Wednesday mid-day.
Cajun walked out toward the pond and said it wouldn't be bad
if we walked on the grass clumps (after almost burying two 4
wheelers in it I thought we might be in trouble...should have
checked it myself.) However I was almost guaranteed a motteld
duck if I could make the 75 yard walk due to the amount of
birds we saw. I said f-it let's do it.
Thursday comes
and we drive the ATV up to where the grass line changes and
almost bury the ATV.....it can go no more. We get the ATV out
and we then start our trek not knowing what we were getting
into. Let me tell you a story about the nastiest, boggiest mud
I have ever had the pleasure of walking through in the dark.
As Cajun stated if you could stay on the grass clumps you
would be alright, but nothing short of a friggin'
balerina-balance beam gymnast could have balanced on those
small clumps...not to mention hit them dead on in the dark. If
you slid off it was bog up to your knee and sometimes your
thigh. It took me almost 40 minutes to walk the 75 yards to
the water's edge. At my weight I spent more time on my knees
trying to get my leg out of the previous hole than I did
standing up. Needless to say after 10 minutes into the walk,
shooting my first mottled duck was looking less attractive by
the second. After almost losing control of my bodily functions
and having a "coming to Jesus meeting with myself" about me
losing a lot of weight in 2004, I finally made it to the
waters edge and found that the bottom in the water was quite
hard. We threw out the four black duck decoys and I plopped my
fat azz down to begin regaining my strength for the hunt. As
light broke Brad made sure that I was to have first shot at
all mottled ducks and he was to have it for all other ducks.
We saw several mottleds, specks, snows and sandhills and got a
single drake to come in right over the back two dekes. Splash,
I've got my drake mottled duck.....no band but I am not
particular. I've been looking forward to that day for 10 years
now. Brad yelled...."Is it a drake?" I said
"Yes...Woo-Hoo"...All I heard was a "Good...let's get the F$%#
out of here." The walk out was pretty much the same as the
walk in except the ATV seemed like it was moving away as we
neared it. I was never so glad to touch an ATV in my
life.
I can say with absolutely zero pride lost that
this was the most absolutely physical duck hunt I have ever
been on and I have a new found respect for those of you that
hunt the coastal saltmarsh. I am not saying that I have not
been on some boggy freshwater hunts but none compare to what I
did on Thursday honestly. My hats off to you.
Here is a
pic of my first "full plumage" blue winger
![]() Attachment: blue-wing drake -full plumage
4.jpg
This has been downloaded 143 time(s).
__________________
Mack might bite but Stoops
CHOKES!
Also known as ......skank, skunk, shack, skak,
skrot and skat....
HOOK 'EM HORNS!!...
Last edited by
Skack on 12-28-2003 at 08:36 PM
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12-28-2003 07:01 PM
Seems like that
75 yard walk is one of the easier walks. I think David and I
had a walk in there that doubled that.
