The FLG Down Patrol crew enjoys having guests join them in their quest for waterfowl here in Oklahoma and this season was no different. This year we had the pleasure of hosting a couple friends from Ohio, Johnny and Cory, Blake and Chris from Fowled Reality and Casey from The Management Advantage . All these guys are experienced hunters and, because of our social media connection, it was like we had been hunting together forever.
When they arrived on Wednesday afternoon, I was unsure whether it was going to be a successful week or not. The crew and I had been having trouble patterning the birds thus far. Weather had been up and down like a roller coaster and bird movement was changing on a daily basis. That afternoon, we all took a ride in the boat and setup in an area we could see any birds flying in the immediate area. The next morning we setup on a “safe bet” where I knew we could shoot a few birds and get everyone acclimated to our style of hunting. After a decent morning, we all knew scouting was on the menu for the afternoon. We had to find some birds no matter what and that’s exactly what we did. We split up and that was the ticket. Even though Johnny, Cory and I found a good spot, the other guys found the honey hole in a cut soybean field with a ditch running though it which made a perfect hide. We confirmed it was a field we had permission to hunt and the stage was set for an unbelievable week.
That next morning started early. Field hunting takes a lot of prep work, decoy setup, spinners, motion, cameras, hiding the dog and most importantly, hiding the hunters. Without much wind, the ducks could light into the decoys from any direction so concealment was key. After a very successful first morning in that field, we knew by the body language of the birds that we were going to try it again the next morning. The only thing we did different was added a bunch of water keel decoys and segregated the goose decoys so we could give them a different look. We dug the keels into the dirt with the claw of a hammer and it worked fantastic. We ended up hunting that field 3 days in a row and shooting 87 birds. That is the first time I have ever experienced that many days in a row with that kind of success in the same field.
I want to thank Hoss and Earnie for helping make this a successful hunt. I also want to thank my wife, Erika, and Hoss’ wife, Lisa, for opening your homes and cooking the meals for our guests. I could not have pulled it off without you. Thanks y’all!
Kill ‘em!
Rooney
With my parents in town visiting for Christmas, I decided to take the opportunity afforded to us with a free babysitter to take my wife, Erika, duck hunting. My options of blinds were limited due to the fact that she does not have all the proper gear so I chose a little slough that has easy access and a decent bottom for her to walk on. I’ve been to this spot quite a few times so I figured it would be the quickest setup and it was easy access by boat.
The wind was hard out of the NW which made the ride a little rough but we made it into the backwaters without too much hassle. As I approached the slough, my 18′ flat bottom rode up on an underwater stump. We struggled to get the boat off the hazard with no success. I decided to check the depth of the water against my waders. Seeing that it was shallow enough to get out, I slowly slipped over the edge of the boat only to find out I couldn’t touch bottom! I was hanging onto the rail as my wife tried to pull me back in. It wasn’t working. I took a chance to rest a second and remembered my outboard had a planer fin enough for me to get my foot on. I slid around and get positioned on the outboard and instructed her to raise the trim. I was lifted right into the boat with only a little water seeping down into the back of my waders.
We were able to finally work the boat off the stump, get to our spot and setup just before shooting light. My wife shot her first duck today even if she was mad at me for being “stupid”. Good quality clothing and my hunting partner possibly saved my life today. Be careful out there, there are so many factors that go into having a safe and successful hunt. The weather is turning cold on us. If you don’t have the proper gear for it, don’t go!
Kill ‘em!
Rooney
In 24 hours, the FLG Down Patrol crew will be set up on our favorite slough listening to whistling wings as we monitor our clocks for legal shooting time. This week has been filled with scouting, scouting and a little more scouting.
Something we’ve been dealing with here is an increase in new hunter population. Don’t get me wrong, I love that we have new hunters in the sport but they seem to be concentrating more due to the drought conditions. This does not make for great hunting. The issue of hunter’s etiquette has become an increasing problem. Folks are not respecting public land, skybusting, not staying away from other hunters and I’ve even heard of fights occurring at public gates as hunters are “in line” waiting to get in.
We have decided to back off from our favorite public spots and find where the birds are going when they are pressured. It has worked good in the past and it looks like it’s going to work this year as we have found some great “off the beaten path” spots with very little sign of hunter activity.
Opening week is shaping up nicely with a cold weather front coming in on Sunday. Even with a perfect weather situation, you still have to be in the right spot and the key to success is scouting, scouting and a little more scouting!
Kill ‘em!
Rooney
All our hard work this summer and fall on the FLG Down Patrol timber hole is finally complete. We are now just maintaining water levels and waiting on the migration. Wood ducks are using the creek as well as the new pools. Lots of acorns and pecans have fallen in the water. There is some millet left although the deer have eaten the tops off most of it. Just sitting on our hands waiting to echo the words “Kill ‘em!” through the timber…
Rooney
Since my accident and subsequent shoulder injury a little over a month ago, I have been forced to “take it easy”. Doctors tell me I have something called bursitis which is basically inflammation of a joint in my shoulder at the outer end of my collar bone.
I was feeling really good coming into the first of November so I decided I would start shooting my 12 ga Benelli during the opening week of duck season. After a couple days of hard hunting, I realized I should have waited a little longer so I let it rest for another week and it starting to feel better again. I decided to start taking my son’s Rossi single shot .410 shotgun. I found some steel shot ($$$) and off I went with the crew this week killing ducks.
Let me tell you something, when you know you only have one shot, your bad shooting habits change quickly. This has been a very humbling experience for me but I think it will be well worth it. I’ve now went through a couple boxes of .410 shells and I’m off to buy more tonight….
Kill ‘em!
Rooney
The FLG Down Patrol crew is dedicated to getting youth into the outdoors. This year’s Oklahoma Youth Waterfowl hunt was just one example of this.
This past week proved to be tough for scouting. A cold front moved in later this week and we thought birds would be plentiful. It actually got cold enough to push the fair weathered teal out of the area but it did bring in a few big ducks.
The major hurdle with picking a spot for a youth hunt is it must be accessible by these kids. Most do not have waders and we do not take them in a boat so it is a walk in hunt only. We chose one of our favorite sloughs on public land and made the best out of it.
After getting setup, I presented the kids with a short safety speech and we were into shooting time. Right away we had a flock of 20 mallards working our decoys. One nice drake was quickly taken out of this flock and the kids were on the board. Next they took a green wing teal out of a flock of ten and then a lone drake gadwall decoyed right in and they made a nice crossing shot on it. After the bird action slowed down, we cooked them up a field breakfast, chatted a little and packed it in.
What an amazing feeling it is to get those kids out away from home and into the outdoors. The smiles…the wide eyes watching those birds. One of the older kids made the decision later in the day that he wanted to hunt more with us throughout the year. Our work paid off!
A big thanks to the parents for letting us have their kids for the morning. Thanks to Hoss for running camera. Also thanks to Earnie and Lincoln for helping keep the kids safe and doing most of the calling. This year’s youth waterfowl hunt was a complete success.
Thanks for reading and get a kid outdoors this season,
Rooney
