Welcome to TheOhioOutdoors
Wanting to join the rest of our members? Login or sign up today!
Login / Join

Last couple of hunts...

bowhunter1023

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
49,507
288
Appalachia
Finally got around to getting some pics off the camera from the past two waterfowl hunts I've been on. The weekend before last was our first hunt in a "wetland" type area both my buddy and I have been wanting to hunt for years. Turns out we had an "in" to get on it and the first hunt didn't disappoint! We should have killed some more birds, by we had a couple gun issues and my buddy couldn't hit the broad side of a barn that morning! I killed 3 of the 4 that morning and took all 4 home to put in the freezer which made me happier than a pig in slop!!!

We were still settling in our blind when we had birds land on the water. They came in straight over the blind and landed looking away from us. They didn't have a clue we were hidden in here!



Here was the view to the left/front of the blind. That house is a good 300 yards away and all our shooting was to front/right of the blind...



This was looking to our right...



I bought 11 full body decoys from Curran last year and this was the first time we had them out. Although we didn't land any geese, they sure looked good hanging out by the water!!!



I owe my buddy one for snapping this picture. It is one of my favorite hunting pics!!!



It wasn't a great day to be a duck, but it was a great day to be a duck hunter!!!



This past weekend, I went to a spot I found and had some success on my first ever solo hunt. I've been working for 3 years now to make myself independent when it came to waterfowl because I was always a tag along and got left out a good bit TOO due to an existing hierarchy when it came to who got to go on the boat when my buddy and his dad went. I can't even begin to explain how exciting it was to hear wings whistling overhead at first light! I landed 4 ducks to the left of my jerk line and my first ever duck was stone dead in the water 1 minute after legal shooting light!!! The Baby Mojo and Rig 'Em Right jerk line is perfect for this spot...



The is the view towards the river from where I sat and where the birds landed. I plan to hunt here again this weekend and am taking a buddy along. He's never killed a duck before, so it may be the blind leading the blind to the blind ;), but we should have fun nonetheless!!!

 
Ricer2231

Ricer2231

Senior Member
3,709
0
Muskingum county
Awesome pics Jesse. I have never duck hunted in my life but your setup sure looks like it would be a great setup to kill a lot of ducks. It also looks like a lot of work and dedication. Good luck this weekend, hope ya kill a bunch.
 
jagermeister

jagermeister

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
18,299
237
Ohio
Awesome pictures, Jesse. Looks like you have access to a couple fantastic duck holes there! I really like the blind in that first spot... you did a good job brushing it in.

Gotta love a good jerk rig. I tell you, the more you use it the more you'll see the drawing power that it has. IMO it's one of those tools that is really underutilized by most duck hunters. Most guys put all of their stock in spinners... which is fine... I mean, spinners pull a lot of birds from far away. But nothing finishes birds as well as a quality jerk rig.
 
bthompson1004

bthompson1004

Member
1,238
100
NWOhio!
This is really good stuff here Jesse! Thanks for sharing this...it was fun to read and see the great pictures that were taken...Don't you just love it when a plan comes together?!
 
Archertl

Archertl

Senior Member
7,418
178
Tacoma, Washington (Native Ohioan)
Great pictures man. Im going out every day I can until the season closes on 31 Jan in Washington State. The temperatures are looking good for my birthday hunt on Thursday. We have had some pretty cold temperatures lately and the ducks are moving! Good luck the rest of the season Jesse.
 
Last edited:
bowhunter1023

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
49,507
288
Appalachia
Well see the thing about a jerk rig is some guys aren't sure what a jerk rig is, so the more you talk about a jerk rig, the better understanding those guys have of a jerk rig and how to use a jerk rig in areas where a jerk rig will work.

What? lmao

We stopped by the second spot pictured above last night and it is all but locked up with ice right now. However we lucked out and can move to the mouth of the backwater and hunt near the river as the water level is down about 3' and I can use my waders in that spot now. The plan is to get there early Saturday morning and take a rake/shovel to bust what ice is right in the mouth of the backwater and clean it out the best we can. My hopes are that the wind direction holds and the birds will want to land coming in to the backwater. If that is the case, I can bust the ice far enough back to run my decoys on the edge of the break, giving the birds plenty of room to land directly in front of us and the intersection of the river and backwater.

My buddy who is going with me has never killed a duck, so I sure hope this comes together!
 
jagermeister

jagermeister

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
18,299
237
Ohio
Jesse said:
Well see the thing about a jerk rig is some guys aren't sure what a jerk rig is, so the more you talk about a jerk rig, the better understanding those guys have of a jerk rig and how to use a jerk rig in areas where a jerk rig will work.

What? lmao

We stopped by the second spot pictured above last night and it is all but locked up with ice right now. However we lucked out and can move to the mouth of the backwater and hunt near the river as the water level is down about 3' and I can use my waders in that spot now. The plan is to get there early Saturday morning and take a rake/shovel to bust what ice is right in the mouth of the backwater and clean it out the best we can. My hopes are that the wind direction holds and the birds will want to land coming in to the backwater. If that is the case, I can bust the ice far enough back to run my decoys on the edge of the break, giving the birds plenty of room to land directly in front of us and the intersection of the river and backwater.

My buddy who is going with me has never killed a duck, so I sure hope this comes together!
Click to expand...

Maybe we should call it the "cotty rig" instead... I think more guys on TOO would understand that. lmao

---

Quick tip on busting ice this weekend: Do your very best to keep the ice in LARGE chunks. The more you break up the ice the harder it is to clean out the hole... and an ice cube filled shooting hole is not too enticing for the birds. If the ice is thick enough, walk the perimeter of your shooting hole first, then (depending on size) break that hole into 2 or 3 large chunks... Try to push those chunks under the other ice without breaking them. If it's thick enough, you should be able to create a nice shooting hole without the need for a rake at all. Good luck, brother.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.