Table of contents for August 2021 - Equipment Annual in Wildfowl

“All that happens if you wait, is…you get older,”— Mario Andretti TIME TO DREAM BIG, waterfowler. Time to stop holding back. We all got a big dose of how foolish it is to put off dream trips when last year it became impossible to so much as plan one. Talking with my old buddy Ramsey Russell, purveyor of waterfowl adventure travel, he said, “Covid has changed everything, changed us, just like 911 did.” But he feels like when things start getting back to normal, “it’s going to be like the Roaring ‘20s, but it’ll be the Roaring 2020’s.” Everyone’s pent up aspirations, busting loose. Ramsey is likely the most well-travelled waterfowler that ever lived. We should all broaden our horizons, and it seems like many hunters are. Friends are lining…

GOOD LUCK COUNTING THAT SNOWSTORM If you’ve ever watched a massive blob of snow geese in flight or in a field, it’s mesmerizing. The birds swirl, dip, dive and walk incredibly fast as they prospect for food. This makes counting them extremely difficult and is a big reason 1999 counts of 3-million birds were possibly off by millions. . DID YOU KNOW? Pictures of harvested fowl are cool, especially those where duck totes that have so many green necks hanging from them they look like they’re going to break. Then there are those back-of-the-UTV and on-the-boat pics where birds are piled on top of each other. Yes, these pics are fine, just be sure to separate birds into individual limits before heading for the truck or boat ramp. This past…

AS AN ANIMAL science major at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, the shift to online classes gave Hunter Grams more time for hunting, which proved fortuitous one day last December. It all started rather uneventfully on a mild, sunny day when Hunter and friends Nikki Stratton, Alex McClelland and Tanner Chidley set up in layout blinds in a combined cornfield. Their plan was to sit all day but when the birds failed to fly in the morning, they were having second thoughts. Fortunately, the birds finally started moving with just a couple hours of shooting light left and the hunters dropped a single from the first group and three from the next. When they picked up the birds, Hunter didn’t notice his was banded until his buddy pointed out it sported…

Few pieces of gear are more critical for a waterfowl hunter than waders Though you probably spend the majority of your time hunting from a boat waders make it possible to pull off most of the actions needed for a successful hunt like setting decoys and retrieving downed ducks. Even if most of your hunts occur on land waders are often the best bet to deal with moist soils and the ever present mud of snow goose season. Clothing is also crucial, as the best hunts often occur in the toughest weather And nothing puts a damper on a hunt like hypothermia being dressed properly means you can spend more time in the blind when the ducks are flying Fortunately, today s crop of high tech clothes makes it easier…

WE KNEW WE had a problem when we lost the plumber. “Where’s the water shutoff?” he had asked. “Down in the basement,” I replied, “Here. I’ll show you.” I led the portly gentleman down a steep flight of stairs and flipped on the lights. “Back there. Against the far wall.” The plumber put his hands on his hips. “Ok. How am I supposed to get there?” I could see his point. Between the bottom of the stairs and the shutoff valve was a forty-foot wall of waterfowl gear. Decoys, layout blinds, waders, decoys, boat parts, coolers, decoys, blind bags, shotgun cases, dog training bumpers, decoys, camouflage clothing, and several dozen sacks of decoys were piled up like an obstacle course from American Ninja Warrior. Except our plumber looked more like…

WHEN TAKING YOUR SON on his first duck hunt, where do you begin? I was a senior in high school on my first duck hunt, with a borrowed gun, no waders, and not a clue what I was getting into, but after that I was hooked. Fast-forward 16 years and it is my turn to pass along the tradition to my four-year-old son, Raylan. Around Christmas, I asked Raylan if he wanted to go duck hunting with Dad. Could this be the year I’d get to take him on his first waterfowl adventure, and ignite the passion for the outdoors? He said yes, and was beside himself the night before the hunt, talking non-stop about going to shoot ducks with his dad, mother and uncle. Prepping gear added to his…

EARLIER THIS SPRING we dog-sat for my brother-in-law. As soon as he dropped Leni off, I reached down to scratch her behind the ear. She whimpered instantly, so I calmed her down and took a look at her inner ear. Prominent patches of dark wax and a strong yeast smell told me all I needed to know. While I’m not a veterinarian, I did own a golden retriever at one point that was prone to ear infections. Actually, she was plagued by them. It was terrible, and a near constant source of anxiety on our part because we knew when we’d get them cleared up, it was just a matter of time before she’d come down with another one. Lux was predisposed to them through an allergy, we now believe.…

THE GUYS DID some shootin’ that morning! In California no less! Must have been around the time when the Federal Government’s Migratory Bird Act established the twenty five ducks-a-day limit. When we think of historic duck hunting, our minds reach from Chesapeake Bay to Stutt gart, Arkansas and stop. Well, there’s ducks in those California marshes! This hunt was near Merced, California but the duck hunting runs a long way north and south in the verdant valleys where miles of crops are planted and harvested and marshes dot the map. Many were and still are the lavish duck clubs that were frequented by movie stars like Gregory Peck, Robert Taylor, John Wayne, Clark Gabel and his wife Carol Lombard—all dedicated duck hunters. Gabel’s wife was killed in an airliner crash…

AFTER NAVIGATING THE rocky St. Lawrence River in the predawn darkness, Roger Yanik and his hunting partner, Fred Mondou, arrived at one of Yanik's favorite hunting spots. It was cold that morning in November 2020, but the chill would soon burn off with the sunrise. "We set out four dozen mallard and Canada goose decoys," Yanik said. "Thirty minutes before sunrise, we could hear ducks calling and see them flying, following the river. We called to them and worked them until they started coming to the decoys—four, five, six at a time. The Canada geese were flying farther out on the river and we could not get them to come. But we shot seven species—mallards, wigeons, green-winged teal, spoonbills, wood ducks, mergansers and pouldeau (coots). They never knew we were…

AS THE LAST DECOY WAS SET, the sun began its rapid ascent in the east, just a few minutes ‘til shoot ing time. The hunters arrived early so they could take their time and ensure everything was perfect, the hide brushed in and out of sight, the decoys positioned so the geese would finish at point blank range. A mid-October front had sent thousands of specks southward and this opening day would be one to remember. Only a minute to go now, guns loaded, a new season breaking in the dawn of the early morning Nervous joking and laugh ter subsides as the moment of truth upon us. There’s nothing like an opening day to get the blood boiling with the promise of another season chasing ducks and geese. Getting…

A SOLID BOAT FITTED WITH A good motor instantly makes any waterfowl endeavor cooler. When you have this combo you never have to worry about the we can t get he e and only f we could et up there” comments. You get where the birds want to be and wreak havoc. Plus, on those days when waterfowl aren’t cooperating, or you find yourself off the X and the birds are already f lying, it’s just a fantastic feeling to be out on the water. Your options are virtually limitless, from boats and motors designed for f looded timber to those specially engineered for open water environ ments. You can get as fancy or as Plain Jane as you want You can trick out your boat with shelves heat ers,…

1 HUNTER: Nelson Weaver, Penn Yan, NY BAND #: 2097-83545 SPECIES: Greater Snow Goose (M) BANDED: 08/12/2015 LOCATION: Near Pond Inlet, NU RECOVERED: 12/17/2020 LOCATION: Geneva, NY 2 HUNTER: Gary Koester, Caddilac, MI BAND #: 2227-83675 SPECIES: Mallard (D) BANDED: 08/28/2019 LOCATION: Near Roslyn, SD RECOVERED: 10/14/2020 LOCATION: 1 mi NW of Sebewaing, MI 3 HUNTER: Patrick Comerford, Kalamazoo, MI BAND #: 1278-10113 SPECIES: Canada Goose (M) BANDED: 07/28/2019 LOCATION: Near Attawapiskat, ON RECOVERED: 11/19/2020 LOCATION: Kalamazoo, MI 4 HUNTER: Sam Finney, Carterville, IL BAND #: 2167-78632 SPECIES: Mallard (D) BANDED: 08/26/2018 LOCATION: Roseau County, MN RECOVERED: 12/31/2020 LOCATION: Reynoldsville, IL 5 HUNTER: James Dohr, Austerlitz, NY BAND #: 1717-24600 SPECIES: Common Eider (H) BANDED: 08/23/2005 LOCATION: 6 S of Milbridge, ME RECOVERED: 11/9/2020 LOCATION: 1.3 mi N of Cousins…

LOOKING FOR A new smokepole for the coming season? Look no further than Browning’s Maxus II Wicked Wing. Handling the new Wicked Wing brought back a memorable 1993 goose hunt near the Mississippi River in far western Minnesota where Browning introduced their new Gold semi auto to a group of writers. My recollections of that trip were long drives to an area north of Chokio, Minnesota, where the geese were, and sharing a room with the legendary Grits Gresham, shooting clay targets by moonlight and the incredible explanation of how the Gold worked by Browning’s chief gun designer, Josef Rousseau. Nearly 30 years later, the Gold’s spoor can still be found in the new Maxus II. Chambered for up to 3 ½-inch shells, the Maxus II will handle about any…

“ONCE THEY START COMING IN we’ll want to be quiet and not move,” whispered Richard Kropf, my newfound waterfowling friend. “We still have a half-hour until shooting light, but pretty soon they’re going to start pouring into the decoys.” No sooner had Richard offered the advice when the sound of high-speed wings slicing through the sky broke the morning silence. All I could make out were silhouettes ripping through the air, dropping into the decoys without hesitation. Then came plopping sounds on the water followed by telltale rings and ripples moving through the tiny spread. Over the next 20 minutes, wood ducks piled into the decoys, many within ten yards of where Richard, his brother Brent, and I, sat on the edge of a wide spot in a tiny creek.…

THEIR WINGS WERE LOCKED, and the space between them and the ground was shrinking. This group was going to do it. I could feel it. Nope. Another flflare. You see, when I fifirst started my waterfowl career, I didn’t put a lot of emphasis on my hide. I fifigured a few scattered corn stalks, the concealment of a freezing concrete ditch, or scattered tumbleweeds would do. How wrong I was. Yes, there are some areas you can skimp on when it comes to saving greenbacks. Your hide, however, can’t be one of them. Ducks and geese have the advantage. They have an overhead view of the ground. All it takes is a single bird to catch a hint of something wrong, and just like that, the game is over, all…

Of course, not every waterfowl killer on the planet wants or needs a motorized craft. I smashed plenty of limits using a garage-sale kayak back in my college days. All it needed was some olive spray paint and a little TLC. Since then, I’ve graduated to a more sophisticated craft, but haven’t gone away from paddle power. Here are a few that may make your duck heart flflutter with excitement. BEAVERTAIL /// STEALTH 2000 SNEAK BOAT Complete with a foam-padded dog platform, this craft features a wide, catamaran-style bottom that makes sitting or standing extremely safe and easy. Capable of flfloating in just four inches of water, the 460-pound capacity boat can be propelled with a push pole, paddles, or an electric trolling motor. Tie-down slots are found front and…

THE ONLY THING YOU REALLY NEED to take in the field with you is your shotgun but having a few other items sure makes the time more pleasurable—and often more productive Toting along a few key acces sories can make life more comfortable and make those marsh marathons easier. Because the longer you stay in h m h mp fi d h m k y y harvest some ducks The following products address long-standing problems and alleviate a lot of inconveniences. Some should be considered essential like the hearing protection Others like the UTVs make getting there easier. Some deal with minor issues that become recurring themes throughout the season And a few make the process of hunting easier on your body. And as much as it pains the traditionalist…