Waterfowl 2021/2022

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  • OneGunTex

    Escaped Member
    Jan 12, 2021
    232
    Southern Maryland, no longer
    Anybody seeing any geese? I have seen a couple groups of 20 here and there, but nothing like the 100+ I used to see around here. Saw one huge group a couple days ago that I would guesstimate was 200 birds. Still not seeing geese in group after group after group like I have in years past.
    Saw thousands at Blackwater last weekend.

    Haven't seen nearly as many on the western shore

    Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk
     

    metalman3006

    Gun Hoarder
    Sep 6, 2007
    2,305
    Church Hill, MD
    Son got his first goose today.
    With the lack of ducks around we blew the dust off the bigfeet decoys and tried our new goose spot this afternoon
     

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    kstone803

    Official Meat Getter
    Feb 25, 2009
    3,924
    Ltown in the SMC
    I'm going tomorrow. I have very low hopes. We got skunked on upper Potomac on opening of this split, saw very few birds in total and the weather has been warm from here to NY. Gonna need a big cold front soon to salvage any of this season.
     

    Archeryrob

    Undecided on a great many things
    Mar 7, 2013
    3,064
    Washington Co. - Fairplay
    I'm going tomorrow. I have very low hopes. We got skunked on upper Potomac on opening of this split, saw very few birds in total and the weather has been warm from here to NY. Gonna need a big cold front soon to salvage any of this season.

    It awful out here. Ever since Duck Dynasty pushed new people into it. Geese learned to feed at the impoundment ponds and soccer fields. Guys all go out and push them off the river too now that the fields has the geese chased off them. Worst are the guys that I saw start and think they can be guides out West here on Resi birds and just destroy hunting for all of us.

    Had a buddy from SC up last week and he went scouting and couldn't find anything to chase if the fields or the river. I saw a bunch of Mergies in the Antietam while I was deer hunting today, but who wants them?
     

    fabsroman

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 14, 2009
    35,852
    Winfield/Taylorsville in Carroll
    It awful out here. Ever since Duck Dynasty pushed new people into it. Geese learned to feed at the impoundment ponds and soccer fields. Guys all go out and push them off the river too now that the fields has the geese chased off them. Worst are the guys that I saw start and think they can be guides out West here on Resi birds and just destroy hunting for all of us.

    Had a buddy from SC up last week and he went scouting and couldn't find anything to chase if the fields or the river. I saw a bunch of Mergies in the Antietam while I was deer hunting today, but who wants them?

    With your reference to resident birds and Antietam, I just went and looked up Fairplay, Maryland. I used to hunt over your way all the time in the mid 90s to 2005. Killed tons of resident geese over there. Any chance you know a guy named Mike Kefauver in Keedysville or another farm owner named Flook?

    I was mostly hunting on two farms off of 67 just SW of Boonsboro. The geese we would see in the air back in the 90s was incredible. They would come off the Potomac in the morning and fly right down the valley looking to feed. Both farms have been sold now.

    As far as the birds are concerned, they are just non-existent in my area. I have been hunting in Howard County since the mid 80s and there used to be thousands of birds in the air. Now, I rarely see a group of 100 in the air. Once in a while I see 20 or so birds moving around, but nothing like it was 20 years ago.

    Almost wondering if it makes sense to buy a property in Carroll County to target geese. Feel like waterfowling is going to have to be duck hunting on the Eastern Shore for me now.
     

    gtodave

    Member
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 14, 2007
    14,176
    Mt Airy
    It awful out here. Ever since Duck Dynasty pushed new people into it. Geese learned to feed at the impoundment ponds and soccer fields. Guys all go out and push them off the river too now that the fields has the geese chased off them. Worst are the guys that I saw start and think they can be guides out West here on Resi birds and just destroy hunting for all of us.

    Had a buddy from SC up last week and he went scouting and couldn't find anything to chase if the fields or the river. I saw a bunch of Mergies in the Antietam while I was deer hunting today, but who wants them?

    I think I know exactly who you are talking about :lol:. Not taking anything away from them, but I think I know who you mean.


    I saw hundreds of ducks in Central region today, so that's promising. Put my dog on her first retrieves! I'm very proud.
     

    OneGunTex

    Escaped Member
    Jan 12, 2021
    232
    Southern Maryland, no longer
    It awful out here. Ever since Duck Dynasty pushed new people into it. Geese learned to feed at the impoundment ponds and soccer fields. Guys all go out and push them off the river too now that the fields has the geese chased off them.

    I'll be honest, this is the third time in 2 weeks I've heard guys complain about new guys getting into hunting and it *really* pisses me off. It's just plain selfish.

    First of all, it's barely true. Hunter numbers have been stable over the last 20 years despite population increases. I'll grant you that maybe more hunters hunt multiple different species, but don't have data there.

    Second, even if it is true, it's not a bad thing. Hunter perception has decreased in the last 20 years. Fewer hunters = more people who don't like hunters. Who don't understand why we do it, think it's a nuisance or worse, and will try to stop it. It means more shoreline registered by people who don't hunt it just to keep you off. It means no getting permission to hunt a field, more land locked up in leases, less opportunity for everyone.

    For every 85yr grizzled old hunter who dies, there needs to be a 15yr old kid who gets excited to kill his first deer or duck. For every guy who sells his shotgun because goose season got shut down, there needs to be someone to take him turkey hunting and keep him engaged in the outdoors & shooting community. Every time a kid in PG County starts asking questions about hunting and where his food comes from to his lib parents, there needs to be an uncle who takes that kid hunting, gets him hooked, gets him to buy his own shotgun when he turns 18 and be on our side in November, not another disgusted lib.

    The population is growing. That's an unstoppable fact. They ain't making any more land. The question is, are you going to get your own slice and make it a haven to introduce new friends and family? Or are you going to be selfish, try to drive off newcomers, and hope you die before you see the day your grandkids can't hunt anything anywhere because you drove off their chance to have a place, both literally and figuratively, to join in?

    Rant over. Sorry. Continue with the regularly scheduled programming. I've shot 0 ducks and 2 geese this year. It's too damn warm.

    Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk
     

    kstone803

    Official Meat Getter
    Feb 25, 2009
    3,924
    Ltown in the SMC
    We saw some geese and had a couple look interested in the spread but overall we pulled the trigger zero times today. Saw some sea ducks in the river but overall really slow day. Here's hoping for cooler weather
     

    Archeryrob

    Undecided on a great many things
    Mar 7, 2013
    3,064
    Washington Co. - Fairplay
    With your reference to resident birds and Antietam, I just went and looked up Fairplay, Maryland. I used to hunt over your way all the time in the mid 90s to 2005. Killed tons of resident geese over there. Any chance you know a guy named Mike Kefauver in Keedysville or another farm owner named Flook?

    I do not know either personally. I do know of a Kefauver on Rt34 with the firemans hat on the mailbox that got fined for throwing corn in the pond. One of his kin and one of the Canfield kin had a running gun fight 5 years or so back on Mansfield road and had every cop in Washington county over there. Every Mennonite I talked to over there was like "Did you hear what happened!!" :lol2:

    I think I know exactly who you are talking about :lol:. Not taking anything away from them, but I think I know who you mean.

    Does his name sound like Co Dee? If so, the rat bastard used my buddy's name as a name drop to get field permissions. He got some as they thought since he knew my buddy they let him in and he ruined that. Funny thing, he stopped into Keystone sporting and my buddy was there and he didn't even notice the man standing there that he was name dropping for permission. I don;t have too much good to say about him.
     

    fabsroman

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 14, 2009
    35,852
    Winfield/Taylorsville in Carroll
    I do not know either personally. I do know of a Kefauver on Rt34 with the firemans hat on the mailbox that got fined for throwing corn in the pond. One of his kin and one of the Canfield kin had a running gun fight 5 years or so back on Mansfield road and had every cop in Washington county over there. Every Mennonite I talked to over there was like "Did you hear what happened!!" :lol2:



    Does his name sound like Co Dee? If so, the rat bastard used my buddy's name as a name drop to get field permissions. He got some as they thought since he knew my buddy they let him in and he ruined that. Funny thing, he stopped into Keystone sporting and my buddy was there and he didn't even notice the man standing there that he was name dropping for permission. I don;t have too much good to say about him.

    lol - that would be Mike Kefauver. He works for the DC Fire Department. I was just telling the story how that area is so small that 5 minutes after I shot a large buck back in 2002 off of route 67, everybody in Boonsboro knew about it.
     

    pbharvey

    Habitual Testifier
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 27, 2012
    30,158
    Despite the one bird limit we had a great hunt today.
    #1 son shot his first banded bird. It was a local bird but still cool to get one.
     

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    fabsroman

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 14, 2009
    35,852
    Winfield/Taylorsville in Carroll
    Despite the one bird limit we had a great hunt today.
    #1 son shot his first banded bird. It was a local bird but still cool to get one.

    That is awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    The birds are finally here. Was coming to this thread to post up about it. I am hearing them flying around outside and have been hearing them all morning. Six birds for a morning is plenty good, especially since most people do not always want to take them home with them.

    Looks like the migrators are finally coming in because the birds I am seeing this morning are flying high and one pond by us is packed full of birds.

    Trying to find a place west of route 31 to hunt on. Then, it will be fun, fun times again with entire days spent breasting out birds for jerky. lol

    Congrats to you and your boys.
     

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