2012 Duck Season
 

Any other wakeboarders excited for duck season?? I cannot wait!!!

I hope this will be my first season. I'm take my safety course the first weekend of Dec.

ITs been pretty shotty around here. I think its been to warm to drive them south so far.

I had some pretty good luck down here in TX. Took 2 teal, 2 mallards, 1 pintail and 1 woody down last weekend. Came back to the house and set up in one of the fields.. bagged 3 sandhill cranes. Not too shabby!

I am going pheasant hunting for my first time this Saturday. Last weekend, I completed my hunters safety course and I have been practicing regularly on clay so I am ready to start.

Here's a picture of my pup doing her first retrieve in training with a chukar.

GD, where did you take the course? did you do the 10 hour class thing? That sounds terrible. Just wondering if there is another way.

Also, how does your V do with guns? Buddy started freaking out over the gun shots. Didn't happen until he was about 5. Pretty bizarre considering.......

If Buddy is your dog, and he freaks over gun shoots, that means he is gun shy. Usually its too late for the dog and he won't hunt worth a crap, but you may be able to break him back in. DO NOT just go out and shoot over him though. Start small.

and yes, a ten hour class is awful. I took it when I was 8.

CIE Jrod. Hope your ready, it's more addictimg than crack. Nothing like sitting with all your buddies in the blind BS ing and eating hella good food!! If someone can walk me through how to upload pics from an iPhone I'll post pics of our hole!

http://www.hunter-ed.com/California/...136afba795c630

jarrod, do this first then will find u the 4 hr follow up class next. and thats all u need to do.

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/huntered/classes-home-study.aspx

here are the california approved teachers and courses. do the online porion first then find one of these follow ups next.

Jarrod,

You may be in trouble with Buddy if he is freaking out. Its very hard to unring the bell.

We train puppies to ignore the gun through careful introduction and repeated exposure. We have them get excited for the bird and blank far away and work it inward. Eventually, we get to blanking over the pup whenever a bird is flushed. Rather quickly, the dog associates the bang with birds. Now, she looks for the bird when she hears a shot.

My only advice would be to work birds without a bang to build his excitement for the bird. Next, start blanking behind your back when the bird is flushed. Start with small crimp charges and work your way up. If you can get the excitement to exceed the bang you may be able to turn him around. But, I am also no expert on dealing with this issue

Regarding the hunters safety course, I took the internet course last week which consumed about 6 hrs and the classroom course last Saturday which consumed 4 more hours. I highly recommend this combo over 12 hrs in a classroom. Less pain.

The internet course I recommend is:
http://www.huntercourse.com/usa/california/

For the classroom course, I think there is one nearby this Saturday if you can get in. Otherwise, you may need to wait until next year. Call these guys for info ASAP.

Hunter Ed Instructors conducting the course are:
- Gary Buffon - gbuffon@wans.net phone daytime 510-236-3862, Eve 510-236-7106
- Kevin Zimmerman – zimmkw@gmail.com phone 510-845-7034

Jumped about 70-80 out of our timber hole today :D they sure like flooded millet and rice!!! :D

Today was my second day hunting. We (my dog and I) got 3 of 3. She worked the fields like a machine and I had a blast.

Duck season is something that I would really like to do. There simply isn't any good duck grounds near me. I'm hoping that later in the year I can join my ladies family up north. Not sure if guns and future in laws should co-exist just yet.

Love duck hunting!!! Pretty hard core and been doing it for years. Nothing like a good dog, buddies, or kids in a duck blind bust'n them!!! Last hunt I just sat back and enjoyed my 13 year old sons smoke'n birds out of the sky!!!

Old Cooter does pretty good for a big 'ol lug...
Lane with a beautiful pintail.
My nephew with two limits of ducks, a banded pintail drake, and two snow geese as a bonus!!!

This old dad can put some folks on the birds!!!