Hello and an Introduction

[Tailfeathers 2]

Greetings fellow wildfowlers across the great Atlantic. In 1974 I was an exchange student in England and have had a place in my heart for the UK ever since. I didn't duck hunt then, but entered our shared sport a year or two later while in college. I grew up on Long Island , NY, about 20 miles east of New York City, suburbs on the mainland, but incredible barrier beaches and marshes all the length of Long Island,70 miles of it. We were marsh rats as kids and my adult life's biggest enjoyment is retracing my tracks in the marsh, any marsh. Mud makes me happy. I am currently living in Virginia, about 60 miles south of Washington DC in a suburban/ rural area and commute every day into DC to work. Work is a device for me that keeps a roof over me and my decoys, some food to grab on the way out to the hunting grounds, and a future pension when I can seriously take up our sport every day, for as much as I can stand it. During our long waterfowling/ wildfowling season ( Sept through April) I pretty much work to then hunt every weekend as well as many days I call in sick, ha. I like all methods of waterfowling, there are many in the US and though I am only able to practice a few, I have a pipe dream to hit them all before my last shell ignites. This year I mostly hunted Canada Goose and some duck. I helped a lot of guys hunt their Tundra Swan on one of the farms I hunt. I shot my swan last season, it is a lottery and I didn't draw a permit this season. High hopes for next season's lottery. I like duckboats. I now have a big back yard and have this habit of slowly filling it up with boats that become OD green and like to be grassed. I also have way too many shotguns, and no more wife to complain about them,and everything else duck related and "how come I don't get as excited with her as I do with hunting." My son just got really focused ( addicted) on goose hunting this season, and my old fart hunting friends think he's the greatest when he runs up a hill full bore to chase a cripple. He reminds us all of our youth, and reaffirms that in our minds we are still, and always will be, a teenager at heart even if our body's like to keep us sober. I am involved with two waterfowling organizations that hold a lot of events to help the sport through education, hunting opportunities for young hunters, handicapped hunters,veterans, and those who don't have access to private marshes and farms etc. We are also very politically active in our state, defending , growing and affirming our sport against the antis. Not all our antis are screammers and screachers. Some are very professional and are in the political arena. A good day afield is closely rewarding as a good day in the public forum, bringing out solid facts and unraveling and unnerving a professional anti. We just won a battle where a proposal to establish over 40 no hunting zones on a big river in Virginia, was blasted to hell and we agreed with one single, small zone, waterfowl still allowed. Ahhh, THAT felt good.

Well, thats a little bit of my life. Hope I am not boring anyone of you. I am looking forward to good, respectful discussion about a great shared sport.

Tailfeathers

Edited February 18, 2011 by Tailfeathers

[wag 13]

welcome to the forum tailfeathers..... some fowling season you have, perhaps you could tell us about what sort of guns you use , cartridges, and decoys you use. Also what kind of patterns you use when out hunting for waterfowl , sorry to be a pain also could you let us know how your permit system works over in the states ...

 

looking foward to your reply

 

regards wag

[harrycatcat 31]

Welcome to the forum my friend, I look forward to hearing about your trips out this season, take loads of photos

[wildhorse 1]

Welcome Tailfeathers

It would be nice to hear about your hunting and see some pics please also do you use a dog and if so what breed?

[Tailfeathers 2]

welcome to the forum tailfeathers..... some fowling season you have, perhaps you could tell us about what sort of guns you use , cartridges, and decoys you use. Also what kind of patterns you use when out hunting for waterfowl , sorry to be a pain also could you let us know how your permit system works over in the states ...

 

looking foward to your reply

 

regards wag

 

Thanks for the welcome. I mostly hunt Canada Geese from farm fields. We have a hunting lease, 22 members 6 field blinds. One blind for ducks in the creek. I place about 30 Canada decoys out in the field. Sometimes a few crow decoys as " confidence" decoys. Confidence for the geese, not the hunters,ha. The geese were tough this season, but got better when we combined decoys with other hunters and put out around 70 to decoys. A number of our members tow 20 or 25 foot closed trailers to haul their ATV's and decoys. Our fields, because of the silty soil, will not always support our pick up trucks in the field so we are required by the farmer to only use ATV's. I'm one of the poor boys on the block ( no ATV) and I haul my decoys in a plastic sled to the blinds. Great " exercise program " at 55 with a mind of an 18 year old. We also have many swan on our farm. Tundra Swan were introduced over a hundred years ago as a game bird and they are known to be pulling up the aquatic grasses in the Chesapeake Bay, grasses that are just now making a comeback, and are vital for crabs, young fish and waterfowl that only eat the tops. Virginia has a lottery swan permit program. Approx 800 apply, 600 are chosen. One bird per permit holder. Approx 200 swan are taken each year and this year 47 were shot off our farm. We invite a lot of guys well beyond our lease holders to get their swan.

I mostly shoot my Benelli NOVA. On nice days, I'll bring out my Browning Citori, and also my Browning BPS 10 gauge, when I get disgusted with my shooting and thing a cannon is the ticket. We shoot non tox shot, by Federal law, for me and most of my friends, thats steel BB or BBB's. Can't afford the $3 a shot Bismith etc shells. Ducks, are steel shot #4's more or less. Modified choke. Another place I hunt as a guest, is in the foothills of the great Blue Ridge Mountains. Theres a 10 acre lake on that farm. We sneak up to the lake edge in the dark and wait for the geese to take off and pass us. We hunt this farm at most, twice a week, so we are not scaring them away from their roost. We then set out decoys in the water and land for the AM hunt. The evening hunt is always a waste, as they fly in just after legal time ( sunset). I wish we had some of your gunning laws here, like in moonlight hunting. There is decent duck hunting here in Virginia, especially on our side of the Chesapeake Bay. I hunt a third farm, the cow pastures . We are the only ones hunting that farm, in an area where deer hunting is the major game, so the geese decoy easy with so little hunting pressure.

Concerning permits. Each state requires licenses. Resident or non resident. The non resident is usually 2 to 3 times as much for the resident. I gues Non residents don't vote so we smack them hard,ha. In Virginia a resident pays $18 for a small game license, $15 for a Federal Migratory Stamp, and $10 for a State Migratory Bird Stamp to hunt waterfowl. Youth licenses are less, and we have an apprentice license for $11 where the apprentice hunter must be within physical control of the firearm with a regularly licensed hunter. After 2 years or before, the apprentice is required to take a 2 day Hunter Safety Course to get a regular license. In Virginia, a deer license (called a large game, including bear, elk and turkey) will cost another $18, a black powder license $18 and an archery license another $18. Ordering These licenses are like a Chineese Restaurant's menu and can add up.

Boats. You can never have too many boats or shotguns...or guns for that matter over here. For waterfowling, I took a 16 foot aluminuim jon boat, added a flat front deck, added angled side decks with flip boards to resemble a traditional Barnegut Bay Sneak Boat from the gunnels on up.I grass it completely, with the same grass, cut from the marsh. Here's a link to the boat of my dreams, a BArnegut Bay Sneak Boat (Sneak Box) http://www.duckhuntingchat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=115191 Mine only resembles them a bit , but no where does the BBSB justice. They are Gods among waterfowling boats over here.

I also have a wide, square sterned canoe and a 3 man Kayak/canoe thing that I painted battle ship camo ( two tones of grey) to use as a sculling boat next season, similar to your punt boat technique, except we have a sculling oar out the stern where the birds can't see them and each man shoots with a regular shotgun as he rises into the sitting postion from lying on his back. Scullboats link: http://www.duckboats.net/specs/scull.html

We also use layout boats over here. They are small, pumpkin seed, flying saucer shaped boats that are towed or carried on larger boats (called tender boats or mother ships) that are set among decoys right up to an on the layout boat. The hunter(s) some are double seated layout boats) have ducks actually land in their face as they and the boat is so low and shaped to blend in with the water around them. I haven't hunted from a layout boat but I am planning to build one, a " Busick" layout boat this summer.

Layout Boats link: http://duckboats.net.nmsrv.com/specs/layout.html

There's a lot more to write about. I'll continue if you guys want.

Rich

[Tailfeathers 2]

Concerning dogs. Unfortunately, I don't have one currently. I am looking into getting one this year. Thing is, I live alone in a house and am away during the work week from 4:30 AM to around 5:30 PM. I am looking into installing a dog door in my garage and then one that gives access to my house from the attached garage. This way, the dog can go out directly into a dog pen while I am away, then when it gets too cold or too hot come back into the heat or air conditioning during the day. I am considering a Boykin Spaniel. This is an American breed, started in South Carolina, bred to hunt in small boats for ducks in the flooded timber and swamps down there. It is called the dog that won't rock the boat. Very intelligent and deep desire to please, they also make great companions off season. http://www.boykinspaniel.org/

My friend that I hunt with a lot has a Lab. A Great dog, at 11 years, a little grey in the muzzle, but so are we. He has heart and swims like a motor boat to the birds, then he does what we call the " aligator whomp" and swims back with the duck or goose. Then goes back for more. When we swan hunt, we retrieve the swan ourselves. You shouldn't send out a dog after a swan unless it is specifically trained or the bird is stone dead. Swan have serrated teeth in it's bill and very strong bills that easily pull up corn stalks, roots and all. They also have nasty talons on the back of their legs.

Labs probably make up about 90% of the waterfowl retrievers in the US. Thanks to you guys for sending them over here so long ago. Chesapeake retrievers are next in popularity. Much bigger and very headstrong, they come into their own, swimming through ice and waves, current and wind into the Chesapeake Bay, almost disappearing , only to return with the bird and desire to do it all again. They were also bred to guard their masters rig when he was away in the old Market Hunting days. They are now bred as great retrievers and less headstrong and make great family pets in the off season.

http://www.cbrrescue.org/

 

Guys are also using American Water Spaniels, again smaller than Labs but bigger than Boykins, but need a lot of exercise every day to keep them happy. Boykins are content pretty much through out the day, but also have the antics of the Spaniel that you grow to laugh at. Some use Springer Spaniels in warmer months and locations. Some guys are also using full sized Poodles as retrievers. I never knew that poodles were bred originally as hunting dogs,but they are and guys swear by them as very intelligent and good retrievers. I figured they were perfume dogs from ancient France,hehe.

There are many field trials in America. Hunters tend to buy their Labs from actual hunting retriever blood, not field trial blood that has evolved too much away from the hunting we do. Well thats the long of it, and from my perspective. I'm not an expert at all, just an observationist among other things, some that I can't mention.