Waterfowl season outlook, 2011

Dux-R-Us · Oct 7, 2011

From our friends in ODWC

"For Immediate Release: WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 8, 2011
Duck hunters look forward to another great season

blah, blah, blah..."

WTF?? Are we not missing a key element, namely water???? It is only going to be a great IF we get rains of biblical proportions and all the smartweeds, nut sedge, and other plants get flooded.

Take advantage of the drought and build your blind on stilts while on dry land. Then hope, pray, offer sacrifices, whatever to get it to rain.

Tally ho!

K

brandt9913 · Oct 7, 2011

Sooner Lake hasn't run dry Kevin. You should be just fine. A couple friends of mine did very well there last year during the week.

dennishoddy · Oct 7, 2011

Sooner is doing fine. I'm at the 250' level on the stack as we speak looking at the lake.
We had thousands of ducks Last season. We could hear the shooting almost every day.
I did read an article the other day that there may be more ducks this season than at any time in recent history.

Dux-R-Us · Oct 8, 2011

dennishoddy said:
Sooner is doing fine. I'm at the 250' level on the stack as we speak looking at the lake.
We had thousands of ducks Last season. We could hear the shooting almost every day.
I did read an article the other day that there may be more ducks this season than at any time in recent history.

It could be that populations in the Pot Hole region are at record numbers but the birds have to get here and then stay here. Water alone is not enough to keep birds around, save Canadas that feed on wheat. Ducks need habitat, that is submerged vegetation for food and cover. Large expanses of mud flats are no good and hard as hell to hunt. Duck hunters need cover to hide. Ever try hiding on a mudflat? First you have to get to it and close to the water. I am too old and wise (plus have a compromised back) to fight the boot sucking muck like I used to when I was young.

I have hunted several farms around Sooner for the last 18 years. Birds regularly raft up on the Lake then hit the ponds to feed. The ponds are miserably dry and devoid of habitat now. No food, no ducks. It is that simple.

I hear shooting on the Lake time too. Sooner attracts sky busters according to some of the people I know that have hunted it and they have never done very good. Hearing a volley of 9 shots could mean 3 guys opening up at a pair of ringnecks at 80 yards. They shoot at out of rnage birds because of frustration and/or ignorance.

Every year is different so we'll just have to see what transpires. I would love to be wrong about my negative predictions and if I am I will kill and eat a crow, video it and post it on BS!

Tally ho!

Kevin

dennishoddy · Oct 8, 2011

The report was an overall observation of waterfowl populations in general, not necessarily an Oklahoma prediction.
It's certainly spotty, but my pond that has been dry for almost two years is currently full, and has ran over the spillway twice this fall.
Ponds a couple of miles away are dry.

dennishoddy · Oct 9, 2011

Dux-R-Us said:
Every year is different so we'll just have to see what transpires. I would love to be wrong about my negative predictions and if I am I will kill and eat a crow, video it and post it on BS!

Tally ho!

Kevin

Amazing what 24 hours can do. I was at the farm this evening in Grant country, the pond is running over again, water standing in the fields, ditches full, and it appeared some of the creeks may be getting some flow. Looks like lots of rain falling around Stillwater, and areas north.
Maybe the waterfowl season can be salvaged.

Btw do you like crow fried or roasted? HAHA!

Even if the ponds fill up, did they have the right vegetation to hold ducks?
I know most of the ponds that produce weeds the ducks feed on don't have anything but mud. My pond had sunflowers, and bluestem grass growing in the middle of it. The heads are just on the surface.

1000YRDSHOT · Oct 9, 2011

My honey hole was a U-shaped pond that had tons of underwater vegetation and you could hit it twice a week last year and shoot 2 limits of gadwalls in about 15 mins. The best part of it is that it is only 6 miles away from the house (I could wake up 30 mins before shooting time, get there throw out the decoys and shoot, then I could make me 0830 class). But I looked at it about a month ago and it was no longer a U-shape, only the deep end had some water and all the vegetation was dead

I looked at all the other ponds I usually hunt and they were just about bone dry, plus all of the fields I hunt didn't have grain on them..........I sure hope the rain we got starts to turn this bleak outlook around!!! But we still need a lot more rain!!

1000YRDSHOT · Oct 9, 2011

brandt9913 said:
Sooner Lake hasn't run dry Kevin. You should be just fine. A couple friends of mine did very well there last year during the week.

I hunted Sooner Lake in 2009 and had lots of success, but I would show up at 2am to draw the blind I wanted, sometimes I would just go up there around midnight because people started showing up a little before 2am. It was a lot of work. If you don't have a boat it is a lot of work having to haul your decoys out to the blinds, plus all the other doodads.

I walked around the lake back in early September and it looked like the water was down a little which could make it hard for hunters to hide. There wasn't much in the first place, and you can't build blinds on the lake. You also have to hunt within 50 feet of the numbered stakes.

dennishoddy · Oct 9, 2011

We are in the process of filling the lake. There is no natural drainage, so it must be filled with pumps from the Arkansas River. With the drought, the river is extremely low, and pumping is restricted.

1000YRDSHOT · Oct 10, 2011

dennishoddy said:
We are in the process of filling the lake. There is no natural drainage, so it must be filled with pumps from the Arkansas River. With the drought, the river is extremely low, and pumping is restricted.

I still don't think it is worth the effort of getting to the sign in area at 2 am to get the right blind and then you may be done early, you may not have anything fly by, or you may wait until noon just to shoot a few limits (its very hit or miss).

Foggy days and when all the water in the surrounding area freezes over is probably the only time I will consider hunting Sooner lake this season.

It is a great lake since it holds a lot of waterfowl, but almost all of the waterfowl leaves during the day to feed on surrounding fields and ponds.

Since I have seen the extreme lake of ponds holding water (even if they fill up, they will lack the needed vegetation) and the lack of fields with any grain on them, I'm fairly certain ducks and geese will only be passing through.

Which means any of the good surrounding ponds and fields will be taken or fought over (I've seen hunters run each other off the road around Morrison), and Sooner lake will be packed do to the lack of suitable hunting habitat surrounding that area.

Dux-R-Us · Oct 11, 2011

1000YRDSHOT said:
I hunted Sooner Lake in 2009 and had lots of success, .

2009 was an incredible year for the numbers of duck and geese in the Sooner Lake area!!! Watching the tens of thousands of mallards was like watching a several swarms of bees at once.

1 Jan. 2010, Duck-O-Rama

Dux-R-Us · Nov 14, 2011

Duck update: Nov. 14, 2011.

Thus far the season has lived up to my predictions; somewhat less than mediocre. I have only limited out on Canvasbacks and redheads (that is one and two birds, respectively). Only my shooting acumen has allowed the limited success I have enjoyed thus far dropping 2, sometimes 3 birds at a time. All the skeet shooting I did earlier this year is paying off. I brought down two birds with one shot and thought, "is that a proof ducks?"

I have fired more shots at cripples on the water than at flying fowl. Damned steel shot with their low pellet count. With no. 2 or 3 shot you can shoot 3-4 times at a cripple and not hit it in the head to kill it. I need to get a box of steel no. 6's for swatter loads.

Tally ho,

The Duck

sefentress · Nov 14, 2011

Quite a few ponds around Duncan had birds on them this week end, also saw several flocks of geese on wheat fields in the area. They recieved 3+ inches of rain down there in areas and many of the ponds filled up

I will have an interesting pig shooting video to post soon when I can figure out how to edit etc.

1000YRDSHOT · Nov 14, 2011

My Gadwall pond is producing. 9 Gadwall in 15 mins between two guys. Should of had more, we let some go by thinking they would make a closer pass.

1000YRDSHOT · Nov 14, 2011

View attachment 1622

6 from this mornings hunt. Now to get permission on the newly scouted pond.

Dux-R-Us · Nov 14, 2011

1000YRDSHOT said:
View attachment 1622

6 from this mornings hunt. Now to get permission on the newly scouted pond.

Good on you! While not brightly colored, the drake gadwall is quite a handsome bird. Good table faire as well. They have really increased in population over the last 20 years. I think I hunted 10 years before I ever bagged one and was totally perplexed at what exactly it was.

My duck places are still low on water and birds. I lost one of my best ponds to some other young hunters. It was the only pond in the area that had any birds, and I estimated close to 1000. That was a brief visit one afternoon before opener. Don't know what's what about it now. The young guys put up a blind they pirated from a boat blind. Looked like yellow corn stalks and it defintely clashed with the mud and surrounding prairie grass.

I Got to run our Golden 'Paddy' at a "Euro"-style pheasant shoot saturday. He retrieved 25 birds. I'm getting to the point I'd rather just dog handle than hunt.

I'm off to chase quail this week. Going to try Canton Lake. Then this weekend we head to the parentals in NW Indiana for Thanksgiving, and deer hunting.

Tally ho!

Kevin

Porter · Nov 14, 2011

Dux-R-Us said:
Duck update: Nov. 14, 2011.

Thus far the season has lived up to my predictions; somewhat less than mediocre. I have only limited out on Canvasbacks and redheads (that is one and two birds, respectively). Only my shooting acumen has allowed the limited success I have enjoyed thus far dropping 2, sometimes 3 birds at a time. All the skeet shooting I did earlier this year is paying off. I brought down two birds with one shot and thought, "is that a proof ducks?"

I have fired more shots at cripples on the water than at flying fowl. Damned steel shot with their low pellet count. With no. 2 or 3 shot you can shoot 3-4 times at a cripple and not hit it in the head to kill it. I need to get a box of steel no. 6's for swatter loads.

Tally ho,

The Duck

I've fought the Blackcloud craze for a couple of years now, and finally gave in. It's tough to pay $25 bucks for a box of shells, but I have halfway through the first box I was sold. I'm saving more money by not having to swat birds on the water. Those things cut ducks like crazy. I have not had a single cripple this year. Not one! Every duck and goose I have killed has dropped dead. Now for the disclaimer part, I also added a kicks high flyer full choke. That could be playing a huge part as well. The combination of the two seems to be working great. Just my .02

1000YRDSHOT · Nov 14, 2011

Dux-R-Us said:
Good on you! While not brightly colored, the drake gadwall is quite a handsome bird. Good table faire as well. They have really increased in population over the last 20 years. I think I hunted 10 years before I ever bagged one and was totally perplexed at what exactly it was.

My duck places are still low on water and birds. I lost one of my best ponds to some other young hunters. It was the only pond in the area that had any birds, and I estimated close to 1000. That was a brief visit one afternoon before opener. Don't know what's what about it now. The young guys put up a blind they pirated from a boat blind. Looked like yellow corn stalks and it defintely clashed with the mud and surrounding prairie grass.

I Got to run our Golden 'Paddy' at a "Euro"-style pheasant shoot saturday. He retrieved 25 birds. I'm getting to the point I'd rather just dog handle than hunt.

I'm off to chase quail this week. Going to try Canton Lake. Then this weekend we head to the parentals in NW Indiana for Thanksgiving, and deer hunting.

Tally ho!

Kevin

Thanks, Kevin.

We'll get together before the end of the year and slay some ducks! I agree, I think the gadwall drakes are good looking ducks!

Sorry to hear about the loss of one of your ponds. I don't think any real migration has happened yet, just the first small push.
Went back this afternoon to do some fishing and found 14 Mallards on the water.

Good luck with the quail, and deer hunting!

Porter said:
I've fought the Blackcloud craze for a couple of years now, and finally gave in. It's tough to pay $25 bucks for a box of shells, but I have halfway through the first box I was sold. I also added a kicks high flyer full choke.

I bought a box of that stuff once used it and decided against using it ever again. There was nothing left to eat!!!

My main hunting buddy and I do work on ducks with 6's and 4's, I just use Federal 3" Speed-Shok 1 1/8 OZ. I use a light mod. choke.

I use the same federal stuff but in 2's and BB's for the honkers, with the same choke.

We usually don't have to many issues with dropping them.

dennishoddy · Nov 14, 2011

Dux-R-Us said:
I Got to run our Golden 'Paddy' at a "Euro"-style pheasant shoot saturday. He retrieved 25 birds. I'm getting to the point I'd rather just dog handle than hunt.

I'm of the same frame of mind. A good day
In the field means good dog work.
I'm constantly amazed on how their
Nose can figure out which direction a pheasant
Is running.