Nittanyfisher

Thanks Kevin.... I would agree that duck numbers based on my direct viewing has gone down. As for the goose drop, I am really questioning the numbers that they are using to define the populations of resident vs non-resident geese. I guess I will spend more time fishing rather than duck hunting... The issue also seems to be the inverse of what goes on weather related... Drought years because I am on established ponds, I see more ducks but when we have wet years I seem to see less and less. Is there any info that you have seen released related to duck numbers dropping to having the egg clutches being drowned by too much rain by chance?

Kevin, Do you have a link to this article? I am very interested in this since I was looking at my journals and the only time in the last 23 years of Duck hunting that I hit a limit for every one (usually 1-3) guys was 2 years ago. This year on Opening morning I ended up with 2 ringnecks (missed the 3rd one) and that was all that came in but I can only add on 12-14 more that I saw in the air on Saturday. Sunday was a bit better but 0 ducks came in, and I saw 40+ in the air over the farm ponds in Orleans County. As for geese, I can shoot my limit every day in the regular season if I wanted but this year I got 3 opening day and vowed never to even call to another group unless someone wanted one. Yesterday alone I counted 300+ that came in and landed on the ponds.... I was just chalking it up to the geese were pushing the ducks out, but if there is no ducks and just geese that could be interesting. I am really interested in seeing how they estimate or count. At one point there were 82 geese on the pond and then another 3 groups circling the ponds looking for a place to land. It will be that way until they freeze up but I would rather the birds be ducks than Canadas.....

Between the hefty body deer earlier in this thread and this monster with heavy horns. I am really liking what I am seeing in your areas. Congrats to those that were successful!!! I can't get out until gun season (mostly due to no longer bow hunting) but it is really nice to see others have success!!!

If you can throw out some Dog Proofs filled with dry cat food on the trails in-between the timber where they den and the fields then you can put a dent in their population.

I'm hoping that the snotty weather that is scheduled for later this week pushes some over my way. I have permission to hunt all say on Saturday but I usually like to get out of the orchard ponds by 10 or 10:30 so not to freak out the picking crews... Unfortunately this is my last shot at early goose this year due to work and family responsibilities, but if I can't get em I hope that the rest of you have better luck than what we have seen so far.

Duk - I am north of you for where I target geese and you will have some more working down that way... There are a bunch of newly cut fields by me and these birds will be hopping from one to another until we get some real weather or more competition for food from our Canadian neighbors.

I too hunted an Orchard pond and the geese were closer, but mainly 1/2 of the numbers that I have been seeing. I did have 1 good thing happen. We had a pintail come in and swim through the floater decoys. I have never shot one and to see a drake pintail only jacked up my excitement for duck season.

Thanks for the response. I think that between the over-calling and having some really weird land formations (dips and swales that are really deep between me and the bird) doesn't help either. I am going to try a slightly different tactic of trying to get closer to the hollow that he is in via some better locator calls, sit, get him all fired up and then call once or twice every 45 minutes or so just to be sure he is still there. Most of those calls will just be clucks since I think that a really strong yelp is going to be worse off. I think that I am getting him all jazzed up but I'm really not sure of his location other than in the hollow and then the calling too much is making it sound really fake, and of course he could be on a hen too... Thanks for the tip

I am very glad to see that others are having such great success this year. I have been out 3 times and I think that I am struggling to get birds into view mostly due to over calling and further more (sounding like a hunter rather than a turkey). Question for you since some if not a majority of the birds are now starting to nest, are you finding the silent call more effective?

I personally believe that the respect for human life (or lack there of at this time in the USA) is really the root cause of this. Everyone wants to have a reaction that hits home but the reaction trumps that of actual human life. Look at the action called swatting... That is basically 1 step below committing the crimes of opening fire one someone directly, by having another basically do it for you with little to no repercussions. Remember, most of the time, police are not held to the same exact rigors of being able to discharge their weapons mostly due to what their job entails (and in most cases rightfully so)... if you don't have to do it but you call in a SWAT situation on another because he or she pissed you off or bullied you are whooped you in a game online, the possibilities of having a bullet fired by them and nothing coming of it other than 1 dead body and someone else taking the blame for it makes it that worse yet easy for them to rid themselves by someone elses actions

Do you think that it was tumbling when it hit? That might explain the no-mushrooming but very hard to believe since it was found just under the hide on the other side with the point still intact.... I think that you might have a ton of metal in those sabots (like a production issue) and basically if there is no contact with bone they are not going to open up at all.. Just an idea but I would write the manufacturer. Bullets and sabots do some really weird stuff once they hit, the only ones that I don't see open up are the heavy metal ones.... The important part was that the deer was retrieved and not lost....

What damage was done to the internal area/organs in the area of the shot? I am not a fan of high metal consistency bullets. I shoot a Speer Big Game bullet out of my .257 Roberts Ackley Improved in .120 grain and I have only had one pass through this year mostly due to the fact that I shot the doe in the neck. It did break the spine and she dropped like a sack of potatoes, but if I saw this in the carcass, I would be very concerned if the chest cavity was not basically a complete liquefied mess.