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THE COLD HAS GOT THEM
MOVING!
By: Ron Wilson
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Ken Moore, Blaine and Donald
with Tuesdays fare! |
December 2, 2004.... Duck hunting last
weekend was much improved for the grasslands. Saturday, during the storm,
there were thousands of ducks and geese flying high overhead.
This is the earliest that I've seen Specks
down our way in several years. They normally don't show up in the central
valley until the first of the year. We'll have to wait and see if they'll
stay or were just pushed down from Sacramento by the strong north winds.
My son Donald took grandson Derick down to
the grasslands, where they hunted the waterfowl refuges on Sunday. They
did okay, we'll my grandson did anyway as he killed a mixed limit of
mallards, widgeon, spoonies and teal.
This last storm and cold front seems to
have the ducks on the move and the hunting should get better and better as
the season is still young.
The pond mallards that I've been hunting
this year, which are mostly local birds, have either been shot out or left
the country by now.
Tuesday Ken Moore of Ripon, my cousin
Blaine, son Donald and I went hunting dove, pheasants and quail on private
property.
The first covey of quail was a huge one,
approximately 100 birds. After the shooting was done we only had three
birds in hand. Talk about some hard shooting those little feathered
bullets went thru the bushes and trees at warp speed!
Through the briars, brambles and bushes we
went. Donald was easy to keep track of as his phone kept playing a tune
every time we busted a few birds. "Hello Wilson Plumbing" I would hear,
"Call me back later," bang, bang!
I was sure glad I didn't have a business
phone to answer, but then again maybe I should have been answering his
phone for him as it would have at least gave me an excuse for the lousy
shooting I was doing!
Ken and Donald would down a bird every now
and then but for the most part the birds got away clean. Were we
disappointed in the missing, not really we were happy just thinning out a
few birds from the covey. We do this each year and by not wiping out the
covey we ensure they'll be birds to hunt again next year. We believe in
having one or two good hunts a year and then leaving them alone so that
they can reproduce for next year.
So far this year we have found where two of
the coveys have been shot out by trespassers from the Stockton Sportsmen
Club annual pheasant hunts.
Last year we found a few hunters who kept
getting lost and somehow ended up on other peoples property even though
the signs clearly mark the areas for the pay to play hunters who hunt pen
stocked birds. Whenever the birds leave designated hunting areas the
hunters tend to chase them, trespassing on nearby farm land.
I got a kick out of one Stockton Sportsmen
Club member when he stated the birds were their birds and that there were
no longer any wild pheasants in the area.
Although he is basically right that almost
all of the birds we kill are pen reared birds that escape the designated
fields after release, there are a few wild birds left in the area. We
don't hunt the wild ones as their numbers are just to few. We hope that
just maybe the few that are left will reproduce. But with the cats, hawks,
owls and coyotes they seem to be having a real hard time gaining any
numbers at all.
About the only wild pheasant population
that is left is down in the grasslands and up north in the Sacramento
area!
The doves that are in the Central Valley
are in nice size flocks and are huge at this time of year. There are more
doves out there now for a sportsmen to hunt than there was during the
September 1st opener! With the season lasting until almost Christmas there
is still a few weekends to make plans to get out there and bag a few of
them.
How did we do, well the dogs found 14 birds
and we got a few doves when I finally went back looking for my dog B.B.
who had hid in the brush waiting for me to return! That's twice she has
done that. I am not sure but maybe she doesn't like hunting with her two
brothers! Or then again maybe she just doesn't like hunting and is going
to end up being another house dog that stays home with her older brother
watching hunting and rodeo shows! I just hate it when the dog is smarter
than I am! |
