Canoe pass yesterday

[rudar]

Well, I went out with Ex BC Guide to canoe pass yesterday to see what goose hunting looks like. The wade in to the marsh was a bit tricky with a 16-ft tide, and we kept finding waist-deep holes to fall into. Not many snowgeese flying about; we may have seen 3 dozen or so, and none in range. We did get a number of shots off at ducks; Ex BC Guide bagged three, and I missed a lot. I think I'm not leading enough for wing shooting. The few hunts I've done before have been over decoys, and the birds are moving less... Also, I might be waiting too long before shouldering the gun, so by the time it's up, the ducks are almost right over head and I'm trying to shoot up at too steep an angle.

Still, nice sunny day to be outside, and I'll just have to keep trying And shooting a few thousand clays over the summer wouldn't hurt, either.

I did also borrow my brother's digital camera so I could post some pictures, but must have had the setting off a bit, 'cos none of them really look good...

[Fred]

I'll bet the pics without Ex in them turned out just fine!! Fred

[ex bc guide]

rudar,it was great having you out in the feild,It was interesting getting out there though! it will all come together for you,you will just need to put more hours out in the feild and find out what pattern your gun is doing,This will help you lots,
Mike

[ex bc guide]

Well fred,all the pics should be fine I was not in them.
Mike

[Freshtracks]

Well, we kept finding waist-deep holes to fall into.

... I'll assume you didn't follow the the white tag road.

Were there many ducks moving?

[ex bc guide]

Freshtracks there were lots of duck flying,it seems that the snows have now moved on though.
Mike

[rudar]

Grrr. Looks like the putting more time in the field plan may have taken a bit of a set-back. Was driving to the airport this morning to pick up some friends, and my van's transmission blew a gasket and lost all its fluid So it looks like at least for a few weeks, I'll be putting in time on my back in a puddle pulling the transmission off and hoping that it's "only" a cheap gasket that needs replacing...

btw, I looked at my bird guide, and that hen that we weren't sure about and the CO didn't quite know either was probably a pintail hen, with those brown wing patches: http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/Infocenter/i1430id.html. The gadwalls would have white patches, apparently. I really should get Sibleys; the bird book I have only has one or two pictures of each species, rather than the dozen varieties, ages, genders, and times of year you'd get in a better book...

[Freshtracks]

Yes ex ... even though they've extended the snows open season later ... they usually pull out in Dec and head to the US (skagit flats) before returning in late Feb.

As for identifying a hen duck ... if unsure of wing spectrum ... a hen pintail has a blueish/black bill.. a gadwalls will be blackish/orange.

Looks like the birds will be heading back to the fields with this mild weather and rain.