Cold Morning Duck Hunt

I've been so focused on deer hunting for the last few months that I haven't spent much time duck hunting. This past week I planned to change that trend, and I invited a couple of my friends from work to come out and duck hunt with me at our lease. I had high hopes for our hunt because I have been seeing lots of ducks on the ponds this year, but with the recent Arctic air that moved into our area I wasn't sure if any of the birds would still be there. I figured they had either packed up and headed South or there would be more birds that had moved in from the North.

Just before we arrived at our hunting spot early Saturday morning the thermometer on my truck was reading 1 degree. There was no wind at all so I knew the pond would probably be completely frozen over and we would have to break ice to put the decoys out. And that we did. We busted ice, threw out a few decoys, and waited for legal shooting hours to arrive, which is 30 minutes before sunrise.

Once the clock ticked over to 7:08 and we could legally begin to shoot, the ducks began piling in. It was one of the best duck hunts I have ever been a part of, and by 8:00 the four of us had limited out! Here is a picture of the crew. From left to right: David Mackintosh, Justin Berndt, Lee Flannery, and myself.


This was quite a mixed bag of ducks with most of them being Widgeons and Gadwalls. We also saw some Pintails and a Redhead drake but we couldn't get a shot because they were too far out and wouldn't commit. There were also some Mallards that came in, and Lee shot the trophy bird of the morning by bagging his first Mallard drake.

It was an awesome time with some good friends! I can't think of a much better place to watch the sun come up and enjoy the immaculate handiwork of our Creator!

Here are a few more images from the weekend. Thanks to my friend Justin for the picture in my new blog header.

Rabbit Hunting

Due to some icy road conditions this morning, I got to stay home from work, so my buddy David and I went rabbit hunting this afternoon. I haven't hunted rabbits since I was a kid, and I forgot how much fun it was!

While we were out hunting we saw a few deer, some ducks, and a big bobcat. We ended up seeing three cottontails, but two of them got away. I missed on the only shot I took, but David was able to connect and bag one rabbit.


David, it was a blast! You better fire up the stew pot this evening!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Shawn Peterson's Big Iowa Buck

I got these pictures in an email a few days ago from one of my friends in Iowa. The hunter in these pictures is Shawn Peterson, who is one of the Guides and Directors for SYC Ministries of Northwest Iowa. I had the pleasure of meeting Shawn during the SYC deer hunt this past fall. I contacted him to congratulate him on his hunt and asked for permission to use these pictures and his story on my blog. Shawn most graciously accepted my request, so here is his account of how the hunt unfolded:

"I finally got a keeper on the first day of late muzzleloader. Made a 2 hour stalk, through knee deep snow, to get within 60 yards of this buck and doe bedded in a thicket. Tried to grunt the buck out, but no luck. Figured this stalk would end quicker, but I ended up sitting against a tree in the fenceline from 10:00 AM to 3:00PM until the doe finally came out. Left my backpack down in the timber with my snacks and water, ended up eating a little snow to get me through. The doe fed out in front of me for an hour, then bedded down at 100 yards facing me for 35 minutes. I couldn't move at all and started cramping up. She finally got up about 4:40 PM and continued to mill around, while looking back into the thicket periodically. I was hoping he was still there. The buck finally stepped out about 4:50 and gave me a 100 yard shot. I dropped him in his tracks with my new Knight Long Range Hunter, which could be my new favorite gun. The bitter sweet problem was that he flopped his head a couple of times and snapped both of his antlers off and I was sick. He had to be within a couple of days of shedding his antlers. The doe that he was tending eventually worked downwind of the buck and allowed me a chance to reload. When she was about 10 yards from the buck, I popped her also. She ran about 75 yards. This was a hunt that I will never forget. The work to get them out was even harder, I'm glad that I at least took my snowmobile. My day finally ended about 10:00 PM. The buck is a typical 10-point with split brow tines and gross scores just over 158", the first mature buck I've taken with a gun for over 11 years. My success comes from one thing, and that’s because God continues to bless me on my hunting endeavors."



Congratulations on a great hunt and a great buck, Shawn! If sitting there all day in those kind of conditions isn't dedication, well then, I just don't know what is! That is definitely a bruiser of a buck and a hunt to remember!

An email from another blogger . . .

I recieved a nice email earlier today from another outdoors blogger, and I thought I would share what it had to say:

Rob,

My name is Greg Edmonds and I am from the Richmond, VA area. I wanted to drop you a note to say that I have enjoyed reading your blog, and it is refreshing and encouraging to see the numbers of folks out there who are passionate about the outdoors as well as its Creator. Keep up the good work.

I have just gotten started blogging over the last few months. I was felt led to start one for the guys in our area to read in conjunction with our newly established church Outdoor Ministry. Check it out when you get a chance - trophytalk.blogspot.com.

Take it easy,

Greg Edmonds

Thanks for the kind words, Greg! I really appreciate it.

I got a chance to read Greg's blog this evening and it is worth checking out. I have included the link above.

A New Year, A New Decade

It is hard to believe, but 2010 is upon us.

Seems like just yesterday it was the year 2000. There have been many milestones in my life over the past 10 years - got married, graduated from college, started a career, started a family, bought a house, and the list goes on. It has been a good decade for my family and I, but we are excited about a new year and what the Lord has in store for us in 2010!

I've also had lots of milestones when it comes to hunting over the last decade - shot my first deer, got on a hunting lease, shot my first turkey, got my first deer with a bow, started this blog, as well as many other exciting memories. I am thankful for the opportunities I've had to go hunting and the resources I've had access to. I don't know what I would do if I couldn't hunt!

I'm not much on new year's resolutions, but as I look toward 2010 and this new decade I have several goals (some being long-term) I would like to reach for.
1: Harvest a Pope & Young deer.
2: Teach my daughters how to hunt and fish.
3: Implement management practices to improve the property I hunt.
4: Continually learn more about hunting and wildlife.
5: Go on my first elk hunt.
6: Purchase some land of my own.
7: Never cease to be amazed at the beauty and awe of God's creation.

Happy new year, everybody!