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Crazy_Farmer
10-06-2007, 11:40 AM
Well we had a pretty good opening morning. My brother got here at 4:30 and so we were out there way too early but owell, had a nice little rest on the bench in the blind. Only had a few pairs of teal come and land when it was too dark out but then after that it was pretty consistant. Lots of singles starting landing after they got shot up at other ponds. We got 15 total, 2 wigeons,2 spooners , and the rest mallards. My dad shot one mallard drake and when he went and picked it up, it was banded, his first duck band ever in 37 years of hunting. I'm still saying I wounded it first and he finished it :biggrin: , I guess thats how karma works, me and my brother build the blind, set up the dekes, do the calling, and he shoots the band. It was also the first hunt for my brothers black lab. Still a little young but he made some great retrieves. http://members.shaw.ca/stevensml/hunting/opener.jpg
http://members.shaw.ca/stevensml/hunting/band.jpg

And we've had a couple pairs of wood ducks in a small wooded pond of ours and they normally dont stick around for the opener but they're still here and my brother shoot one really nice male. He shot it in the air about 15 yards away and there isnt a mark on it, most beautiful one I've ever seen and so its in the freezer right now with plans of it being mounted.
http://members.shaw.ca/stevensml/hunting/woodie.jpg

Tanya
10-06-2007, 01:28 PM
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/TRV58/Openingmorningsuccess014.jpg

It was very slow in the corn field for ducks, not so bad for geese, although they were very wary.

Murder
10-06-2007, 01:43 PM
4 widgeons. Not much around today :( Good score all.

Freshtracks
10-06-2007, 02:52 PM
Thnx for the report Crazy_Farmer ... sounds like a great opening day. Congrats to your dad on the banded mallard . Took me over 20 years .. then I got 3 in the span of 2 weekends. Any honkers around? Sweet looking lab your bro has ... how old? M/F?

btw- That pond sounds familar. Not by any chance about 100yds. in from the slough, north side?. I was 14 ... first year hunting with my dad and bro. Wish I had pics from back then.
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Nice day on honkers Tanya. Congrats.

model88
10-06-2007, 02:56 PM
First mallard I shot 25 years ago was banded, the mount is still hangin on the wall. I believe the info we got from the band was that it was originally banded in Michigan if memory serves me correct.

Dano
10-06-2007, 03:12 PM
Well done everyone! The bar is set pretty high for the season already,..... a woodie, banded mallard, and a great bag of geese. Very nice!
Dan and I got out early, no need to though as there were very few hunters out our way this morning. Not many shots either as I believe the ducks are in the flooded fields. We did scratch out 10 birds and missed our one chance at geese (3 birds).
We ended up with 6 mallards, 3 widgeon, and a gadwal. Not too sure about going out tommorrow.
Dan
P.S. Nice looking pup!

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa264/Canso_Dan/opener011.jpg

MooseNuts
10-06-2007, 04:23 PM
Well done to all. I'm headed out tomorrow evening. I will post results when I get back.

Jamie

Crazy_Farmer
10-06-2007, 06:26 PM
My brothers lab is male almost 5 months now. He has a really nice temperament and should grow into a great gundog. Just before it was light out when the first teal started landing, he started going nuts and wondering why he wasnt allowed to go get them or why they weren't dead yet. When he went home he got fed and then layed down so quite some time for a hard earned rest.

I entered the band info into the banding website and it only gives you a bit of information on the bird before they ship you a certificate but it said it was banded in B.C. on august 25 2007. It'll say what town when the certificate gets here but my dads other goose band he has it was banded out in agassiz.

Dano I noticed the leash wrapped around the post on the ground to keep the dog in place. I laughed when I saw it becuase thats the same exact thing in our blind too.

Dano
10-06-2007, 08:49 PM
I had the leash because I keep it for when we come into the launch (I don't want my dog running onto the road, Dan lost a dog that way a long time ago).
Dan had his dog Misty along, she`s 9 and Dan keeps her tied up unless we get multiple birds down on the water, she`s had both legs operated on. With it being slow, I leashed Maddy so Dan`s dog could make a couple retrieves (Maddy is a lot faster). I could have used a muzzle today though, Maddy barked a couple times when the widgeon came in and landed and we didn`t shoot....:lol: Oh, I should add that Maddy does bust out from time to time, the good news for us is the area where she exits is well conceiled, and I designed the routew that way for that reason!
Who else was out in the marsh today, I saw Ian there and there was a white ford with red canopy at the launch when we came in. How about Dave, heard shots from over where he hunts!
Dan

Tanya
10-07-2007, 09:51 AM
Well, we only had a short hunt this morning as our friends had to catch a ferry. Downed half dozen mallards over the corn fields.

rbduck
10-07-2007, 05:25 PM
Congrats to all on those fine hunts. Great memories for everyone.

Ron:biggrin:

HuntNHookSports
10-07-2007, 06:35 PM
Congratulations on the wood duck and the band!

Some nice geese there Tanya.

What a great blind Dano. Looks very comfy.

We had a really good opening morning at Cowichan Bay. 5 pintail, 7 mallards, 1 widgeon, 2 teal and a goose. All in less than 3 hours.


http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Cow_Bay_Opener_07.jpg


Day 2 was not nearly as good. The weather was very stormy, and the ducks were just not moving. 1 mallard, 1 pintail, and a shoveler. Only one other group out in the whole bay.


http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Cow_Bay_Day_2_.jpg


Next Friday I am off to Alberta to hunt pheasants and geese.

Good luck to every one.

Ian F.
10-09-2007, 08:34 AM
Well done everyone!

It's that time of year again, and amazing how I can find time on the weekends were a few weeks ago I couldn't! All about priorities!

Myself I had a great three days, plenty of birds with a great mix of species. Mallards, woodies, teal, widgeon, pintails, a gorgeous drake gaddie and one hefty bonus honker as well!

The new boat (aquapod) worked awesome, birds didn't even know I was there!

http://server3.uploadit.org/files/ianrfeir-mallard.jpg

Only change I would have liked was a bit less rain, the birds just don't fly well in the downpour!

Only keeps getting better from here!

Very best,

Ian

dave
10-09-2007, 09:08 PM
Nope, that wasn't us shooting. We headed up to the cabin and did a little grouse hunting. The boys did great and both got their first grouse.

Crazy_Farmer
12-03-2007, 10:03 PM
Well, we got the banded information back actually a month ago but I totally forgot to post it up and was reminded by dano so here it is:

Banded - 08/25/07
Sex - Male
Species - Mallard
Age of Bird- Hatched in 2007
Location - 7 E of Quilchena, BC
Bander - Andrew Breault , BC CWS- Waterfowl

I find it very funny though, they say it was this years hatch but it was full coloured drake, I cant remember if it had pinfeathers or not though. And it only flew south from pretty much merritt before getting shot.