Weekend Review - 10/9 & 10/10

Well it was a good weekend for me and my outdoors pursuits.  Not so much for putting any game on the table but for the opportunities that were presented to enjoy the outdoors.

Our Canoe - AKA Swamp Pickle

It started out Friday evening with a late trip to the Pond for some goose hunting with my buddy Busch Pilot.  We haven't had many geese in our hunting spots up until this last week so with goose season only open for another week and finally geese in our spots we gave it a go.  We loaded up swamp pickle (our canoe), some floater decoys, guns paddles, PFDs and off we went.  Left the dog home because we didn't have enough room in the pickle and new she wouldn't sit still while we shuttled gear across the pond.  We got the dekes out and were all tucked in the brush by 4:30pm and waiting for the nightly return of some geese.  With just about 15 minutes of legal shooting a flock of 15 birds came in from behind us quiet as a church mouse.  They landed out past our decoys I figured I better get on the call and see if I couldn't pull them in closer before another flock came in.  I called and they responded and starting swimming their way to the decoys.  They hit the decoys and I gave the command to shoot, up we jump and the geese take flight dodging and weaving Busch Pilots shots as if they were equipped with some type of anti missile defense.   That's right 15 geese landed and 15 flew away.  Good thing I didn't shoot because this allowed me the opportunity to bust BP's chops all the way across the pond and on the ride home.  I knew this would come back to haunt me though. We hear a few more geese come in to the pond while we were loading up the truck so that was a good sign.

Saturday was waterfowl youth day and I was hoping my daughter would be interested in getting up early and hitting the swamp, but she wasn't, so I decided to go turkey hunting instead.  I headed out to a piece of state land near the house where I know some turkeys hang out and worked may way along the logging roads looking for sign and listening for the birds.  At about 8:30am I was working across a flat on the side of a hill that just happens to be the same flat that is home to one of my ground blinds that I deer hunt from.  The blind is just a large dead tree that offers plenty of branches to break up my outline that just happens to be surround by plenty of oak trees.  This spot offers up plenty of acorns and isn't far from the safety of some private land.  As I was sneaking my way across I catch a glimpse of movement and sure enough the deer are in there feeding.  Nice, I'm turkey hunting with a gun instead of bowhunting, I knew then that it was going to be that kind of morning.  The deer were starting to slip off the flat into a small dry creek bed along the boundary of the property so I continue to sneak my way across the flat and finally get a good look through my binos and it's 3 small bucks.  Two of them were sparring (banging their heads together) while the third was working over a little tree with his horns.  I watched them for a bit but just couldn't get a picture before they headed across the dry creek bed and in to the safety of the brush on private property.  No matter what the turnout of this hunt, it was already a success as I was able to watch these 3 bucks in their natural surrounding while they were totally unaware of my presence.

I continued off the hill side working my way back to the car as I stopped at a spot to check out the turkey sign, a few scratchings and a dust bowl.  I decide to sit down and stay put for a bit to see if the turkeys would show but instead 4 whitetail does showed up just 15 minutes later.  I was able to dig the camera out of my vest and snap a couple of pictures as they crossed the stone wall.  I knew if wouldn't be long before the lead doe would hit my wind and when she did she skidded to a stop, turned 90 degrees and went on her way dragging the other 3 deer with her.  I gave it another 45 minutes or so and head out to the truck and off to a late breakfast with the family

Saturday evening found Busch Pilot and I back at the pond to try our luck with the geese again.  We had a lot more geese to deal with a total of 6 flocks coming over and 3 landing on the pond.  The first flock must have been the same group as the night before because they landed in the middle and refused to answer me and swam to the other end of the pond,  can't say I blame them for that.  We got one small group to lock up on the decoys and I called the shot and let it rip and they all flew away untouched.  All I could hear is a little snickering coming from my left and Busch Pilot was just smiling from ear to ear.  The last group that came in landed long but I hit them with the call and they called back and started swimming over to the decoys.  Once they got into the dekes I called the shot, jumped up and shot and dropped one goose back down and missed another.  The funny part was with 12 geese in front of us both BP and I shot the same dang goose.  Working our way back across the pond was a little longer than normal because on the trip out BP lost the paddle end of his paddle so we were down to one and I had to do all the paddling.

Sunday afternoon I decided to sneak out to one of the local sportsman clubs (Eastern Connecticut Sportsman Club) to partake in their weekly Turkey shoots.  No we are not shooting turkeys, well at least not live ones, but we were shooting paper turkey targets for a chance to win a frozen turkey.  The rules are simple.  there are 25 targets about 25 yards away and you can purchase as many shots as you want at $2 a shot.  You shoot once at each of your targets and the person that has a pellet closest to the X on the target wins.  Now you would think this would be easy but remember you are using shotgun shells,  7 1/2 sized shot to be exact and no matter how well your gun patterns,  it is really all luck.  Anyway I donated my money, that's a fancy term for saying I didn't win a thing but if they were real turkeys I know they would have made the table.  It was nice to get out and meet some new people and support the local club.  There were also  plenty of laughs and jokes as well as some food being cooked on the grill.  What a great way to enjoy a fall afternoon.

A fellow shooter showing his winning form

The highly technical review of the targets

Two of my targets

Fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever.

With our Connecticut waterfowl season opener just 10 days away and our youth hunt coming this weekend it's only fitting to give thanks and credit  to the world's leader in wetlands and waterfowl conservation - Ducks Unlimited. 

Ducks Unlimited got its start in 1937 during the Dust Bowl when North America’s drought-plagued waterfowl populations had plunged to unprecedented lows. Determined not to sit idly by as the continent’s waterfowl dwindled beyond recovery, a small group of sportsmen joined together to form an organization that became known as Ducks Unlimited. Its mission: habitat conservation.

DU's Mission and vision are simple yet powerful.

DU's Vision

Wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever.

DU's Mission

To conserve, restore and manage wetlands and associated habitats for North America's waterfowl. These habitats also benefit other wildlife and people.

The number one enemy of waterfowl is loss of habitat, especially breeding and nesting habitat.  Maintaining and improving wetlands along with breeding and nesting habitat is crucial to the success and survival of all waterfowl. Many acres of prime habitat are lost each year to nothing more than the day to day survival of man.  DU is working to restore grasslands, restoring watersheds, replanting forests and working with farmers, ranchers and other landowners to improve the agricultural and recreational value of their land, making it more wildlife-friendly.  This not only benefits waterfowl but many other species of wildlife that use these areas regularly.

If you are waterfowler or looking to get into Duck hunting then DU's website offers loads of information about hunting waterfowl. There is information related to wildlife ID, training your dog, calling, decoys, hunting tips and so much more.  Visit their hunting site at http://www.ducks.org/hunting/


Take some time to review what DU has done and what they are doing every day and see how you can get involved in your area.

Some additional Links related to Ducks Unlimited.

• DU's website - http://www.ducks.org/

• Fact sheet - http://www.ducks.org/media/News/_documents/National.pdf

• Waterfowl Biology - http://www.ducks.org/Conservation/WaterfowlBiology/1310/WaterfowlBiology.html

• Ways you can support DU's efforts - http://www.ducks.org/support/?poe=aboutDU

CT Fall Turkey opener

October 2 was the Fall firearms turkey opener here in CT and with the much need rain finally gone and some great early October weather on tap for the opener I must say I was a little excited.  I wasn't able to get out until the afternoon so I headed out to a piece of state forest near my house that I used to hunt during small game seasons of past.  This little piece of State land reminds me me of a area down in the Delaware Water Gap in NJ where we hunt and seeing I couldn't make it down there for the Archery opener this would have to do.  

With all the rain and wind we had the past 3 days I knew any sign that I found would be fresh so I decided to run the trails looking for scratchings while doing a little calling here and there.  I started out on a trail that would take me north from one of our duck swamps up into the rocky ridge tops.  I love to get up on these ridge tops and run them out while looking over the forest below.  These ridge tops and rocky outcrops offer a great view and it allows me to cover plenty of ground with my eyes instead of my feet.   We have an amazing acorn crop this year and even with the damp leaves it was hard to be quiet because of them.  It's bad enough that all these acorns make it seem like you are walking on marbles, but it's worse when they crack under foot.

I covered plenty of ground and not a hint of turkeys to be found.  Matter of fact there wasn't much sign of anything at all.  Very little deer sign, a few tracks and scat no scrapes or rubs to be seen.  I thought for sure after all this rain the animals would be out and about but nothing.  Oh well it was a great early fall afternoon to run around the woods.

Here are a few interesting facts about the Eastern Wild Turkey.  The Eastern Turkey can be found in 38 North American states with the farthest Western state being Washington.  There are approximately 5,000 to 6,000 feathers covering a turkey's body.  The Eastern Wild Turkey can run up tot 25mph and fly as fast as 55mph.  There is plenty of information on wild Turkeys on the NWTF website.

Sunday morning I decided to go check out another swamp to scout it out for the upcoming duck season so I loaded up the dog and off we went.  There wasn't much water out in the swamp at all and no ducks to be found so seeing Hannah was having fun I decide to walk the old logging roads looking for sign and it didn't take long to find some.  Found plenty of scrapes and rubs along with some beds.  There had to be at least 20 scrapes in this tiny little area already and the majority were fresh.  I worked the scrape line to get a good bead on it just in case I decide to sneak back in with the bow.  On the way home from our scouting trip I stopped at the lake to get Hannah some water work and then home to give her a bath.  Great way to spend the morning.

A few more pictures from the past two days.

 

Weekend of survival

Work has been just wearing me out lately and leaving me just blah and not much going on in the outdoors for me so taking advantage of the little opportunities are important.  For instance, this past weekend as I was on my way home from a late breakfast with my wife and daughter I noticed some coyotes on the edge of a field and I just had to stop. Normally when I do so they head right back into the woods but this time was a little different.  Momma coyote was on me immediately upon pulling off the road and I was certain they would be gone before I could shut the truck off, but instead momma went into the brush and the two beautiful blond pups stayed in the field.

The two pups looked my way for a bit and then went about their business of  hunting the field. I couldn't believe it.  I knew momma couldn't far but she was okay with them out in the field alone.  I decided to hunker down with my binoculars and camera and enjoy the show as these two pups worked the field over looking and listening for some small meal.  One of the pups was a non stop hunter while the other liked to take a little time out to enjoy the cool grass.  As I sat there watching their attempts at hunting for food which is a necessity for their survival, I couldn't help but notice that no one was stopping to take in the moment, not even my own wife and daughter who were on their way to pick up some supplies so I could finally close up the pool.  They did call me to ask if those were coyotes in the field so I know they were paying attention.  I can't tell you how many cars drove by, but it was at least a hundred and only 4 people stopped for a quick look - 5 minutes at most.

I sat there on the side of the road just watching and thinking.  Watching the daily survival for sustenance that these pups face, just as we all do all the while being thankful for the opportunity to see such a thing just minutes from my house and place of work.  I kept wondering where their mother went and how long she would leave them out there.  They continued to feed across the field getting farther and farther away from where their mother went back into the woods and then all of a sudden they just start hunting the field back to where I first spotted them.  As they got closer to the edge of the field they perked up and out came momma.  She was big and an incredible gray color.  She knew I was still there and gave me another once over but she settled down and I watched pups interact with her for about 10 minutes before they all got up and started up the field to the back wood line.

I decided it was time to get home so I hopped back int he truck, drove the two minutes to my house and was dumbfounded that my wife and daughter were already home from the store or as I thought maybe they didn't go.  I walked into the house and they asked where I've been and I answered them in way that said "watching the coyotes, where do you think?!" and my wife's reply was all this time.  I looked at the clock and realized I had been watching them for almost an hour and a half when honestly it only felt like minutes.  WOW. 1.5 hours gone from the day and I didn't even know it or even care.  I just smiled, walked outside and started on the pool.

The next morning the dogs had me up just before sunrise as the need for them to go outside and do their business forced me to get up before I was willing to.  As i was outside waiting for them to finish I could here the distinct sounds of ducks on the lake so once they were done I made a cup of coffee and down to the lake I went to watch the sunrise and hopefully learn a little something from the ducks.  Well I did get to enjoy a beautiful sunrise as the fog was drifting across the lake but just as the previous day I got an opportunity to watch the day to day grind of survival of the local wildlife.  I noticed many fish not just rising to the surface but jumping clear out of the water.  This lake is stocked with trout and has a healthy population of bass and soem panfish.  Now I couldn't tell if these fish were feeding themselves, which I'm sure most were but the ones that were coming completely out of the water had me guessing.  Were they feeding, fleeing or even trying to impress the misses for the fall breeding season.  I never did get to determine which it was but it was still fun to watch a fish jump 12 to 14 inches clean out of the water and perform some sort of acrobatic spin and then back in.

While I was enjoying the fish jumping I noticed one of the local Osprey circling above looking for a morning meal and as I was watching him I would catch myself pointing out the tell tale rise of a fish as if I was directing the osprey.  I had to laugh at myself for that one.  It didn't take that osprey long to catch his breakfast and off across the lake he went.   Not long after that I watched a single duck drop it.  I didn't' have my binos with me but it sure looked like a Merganser and soon enough it too was diving under the surface trying to find it's own breakfast.  A few dives later I watched another Merganser drop in and start its drive for survival.  And finally those ducks I heard quaking early which were responsible for me being down at the lake to witness all this started to come across the lake and feed.  An hour later I decided, well I need to head to the hardware store so maybe I should leave now and stop up at the swamp for a short duck scouting mission.

It was about 7:45am when I arrived at the swamp and I wasn't really expecting much seeing the water levels are still scary low but as I sneaked my way down to a spot at the back of the swamp that has a little damn and makes a nice little pond I noticed some ripples in the water which is usually a tell tale sign of ducks.   ofcourse now I had my binoculars and camera so up the binos came and I could see the duck through the brush just working along the edge of the water eating acorns.  I watched it through the binos for a bit and decided to sneak closer and try to get some pictures.  The ground was covered with pine needles, pine cones and even acorns but it was nice and quite and made the sneak that much easier.  My problem was all the brush along the edge of the water so every now ans then you just couldn't see the duck at all but I could still see ripples in the water and make out some splashing noise.  There was an opening that this duck would end up working right into so I decided to lay down on the ground and wait him out to get a good picture of him.  As he as hitting the opening near a branch in the water a frog jumped and splashed. and sent the duck back the other way....ARGHHHHH.  I got up and relocated and continued to watch him feed along the edge and looking for an opening to move close and get some pictures.  It took a while but I was finally able to get closer to the edge of the water where I can finally have a clear opening only to have him on the other side of a dead tree that was laying in the water.  Now growing up I always wanted to be a wildlife cinematographer and here I was just trying to get a simple picture of a duck in it's natural habitat.  Well it took over an hour bit I finally got some pictures even though they were not want I wanted.  I finally backed out and headed out to the hardware store content and happy with my morning.

Sunday evening as I was preparing for the start of another week of the daily grind I couldn't help but reflect back on the weekend of survival that I witnessed and was very thankful for it and I am sure I will be reflecting back on it often as I fight through the day to day survival issues that we all face.

Upcoming Local Events

Every fall with the start of hunting season around the corner we start to see a flurry of events available to the public related to the outdoors and I figured I would post up a couple in my area.  Make sure to check around your area for some of the same.

Sept. 18 & 19, Sat. & Sun., Cabela's/Ducks Unlimited Northeast Waterfowl Festival
Cabela's/Ducks Unlimited Northeast Waterfowl Festival
Cabela's is proud to be hosting this waterfowl and carving competition. This show combines all aspects of waterfowl. In addition to introducing a new carving show to the New England area, the festival provides a weekend of events and activities for the whole family, including dog trials and training seminars, carving and painting demonstrations and seminars with champion decoy carvers. Other highlights will include waterfowl taxidermist displays and seminars, carving and painting for the kids, educational programs; the Federal Junior duck stamp program display and live birds of prey. Entries and registration for the competition will be between 5pm-6pm on Friday, September 17 and on Saturday, September 18 between 8am-10am. The Festival and competition show will be from 10am - 5pm on Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free.
Saturday & Sunday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Location: Outside the Store.

Saturday September 25th - Connecticut Hunting and Fishing appreciation day - to celebrate the contributions that hunters and anglers have made to the conservation of Connecticut's natural resources.  Hunters and anglers have been at the forefront of the conservation movement for over 100 years. They showed their support for conservation by requesting taxes and special fees on hunting and fishing equipment to help pay for wildlife and fish management, habitat restoration, and other conservation programs. It is important to recognize the outstanding contributions that hunters and anglers have made and continue to make towards wildlife conservation.

I had to edit the post because I almost forgot one.   Sunday September 26th, Women Gone Wild event - No it's not what you think, but instead an opportunity for women to experience many outdoor activities such as fishing, shooting and even game care and some first aid.  The proceeds of this event will also be used to help the fight against Multiple Sclerosis.