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Greg,
I had the opportunity a couple of years ago to hunt near Garrison in North Dakota and really enjoyed it. We stayed near Sakakawea and found plenty of birds. I had a good week there and hope to return someday. You live in a great part of the country.
Karl


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Originally Posted By: treblig1958
I love this yearly thread because I get to see all of Greg's shotguns but I finally saw one of Greg's shotguns I didn't like. The J. Blanch & Sons. There is a first time for everything.


Well...you felt the need to comment that you dont care for gjws Blanch (a gun I almost bought btw), can you please tell us what you dont like about it? IMO...the pictured Blanch is the finest gun hes got, its an amazing gun actually and if you had it your hands, you wouldnt want to put it down. Blanch finished those back actions better than anyone during that time...rivaling H&Hs version of the same gun. Beautifully finished, top notch engraving, and best quality Damascus. There just isnt much there to not like.

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I don't like it compared to his other guns. But being a Brit I know one thing it handles like a dream.

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I love everything about gjw's Blanch.

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I've just returned last week from my annual grouse/wookcock hunting trip in Michigan's northern peninsula. I saw fewer birds this year compared to the previous one, no doubt due to the excessively wet spring and summer. Minnesota had reported a 50% increase of drumming reports and I had hoped for an increase as well. It seems as though I was seeing some smaller birds from a second hatch, if that's possible.
Anyway, I still had a great time and thankfully managed some birds. In addition to the usual GEMS sites, I came across an area managed by the Michigan DNR specificaly for woodcock which looked good. I love October!
Karl




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I just got back from the UP too. Birds were definitely low and very wild which seems to go along with low numbers. I had a couple good days, really had to work at it with good dogs. I heard MN was tough too despite an increase the spring drumming count by approximately 50%. Makes one think drumming counts are only a reflection of how the birds fared during winter but tends not to reflect fall numbers. I had fun though and shot my 16 ga SLE that weighs 5 lb 13 oz. I had a new stock made for it and really enjoyed carrying and shooting it.


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Set out today to hunt the place I went to high school. A small town on the Saskatchewan prairies. I haven't been back in 40 years and at that time it thrived in upland and ducks but not a goose or pheasant to be seen. Still no pheasants but plenty of Canadian geese.

My objective was to see the land, drive the old roads, see a few very old acquaintances and try one large slough that used to be full of canvasbacks.

Met up with an old high school chum who now farms 62, quarter sections of land. He said he only saw one upland bird this season. I can see why. The farmers have planted up to the edge of the road, no ditches, bulldozed every dried up slough possible (it was very dry here this year) and along with herbicides and pesticides there isn't an upland bird left.

My slough that I used to sit around and dream of shooting a canvasback those long years ago still held a good raft of them. At that time I had no dog, no boat and had little idea of how to hunt them.

Today I had no boat, have 2 dogs, but still no idea of how to hunt them. They sit out in the middle of the slough much too far to shoot and slowly shy away from the side I was on.

There were plenty of other ducks but I had little desire and only took 2. The bunny was a bonus. Surprisingly, my younger lab retrieved it.

I had a good day, reminded me of my younger days and saw some great country that really should hold a lot more upland birds. Sadly, I won't be back again.

Remington 1894 B Grade


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Tamid,
Sometimes visiting old haunts can be bittersweet, I know I've done it myself at times and it's hard to resist. But I find it good for the soul and the memories. Glad that you could go back.
Buzz,
Glad to hear you connected a couple of days, hopefully next year will improve. The winter and spring weather will decide. Still, October is still young and the woodcock flights have yet to begin!
Karl

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Originally Posted By: Tamid
My slough that I used to sit around and dream of shooting a canvasback those long years ago still held a good raft of them. At that time I had no dog, no boat and had little idea of how to hunt them.

Today I had no boat, have 2 dogs, but still no idea of how to hunt them.


Glad you got to "go home again", Tamid, to some extent.

The way to kill the canvasbacks is really quite simple, if you think about it. You just have to be there before they get there. Haven't hunted cans in Cannadey, yet, but I've never seen a place that holds the same ducks 24 hours a day. They have to come into it from their roost at some time, and you've just got to lose enough sleep to beat them there. A few dekes near the edge will usually cause them to swing by, even if they intend to light in the middle.

Being in the right spot at the right time is the best "calling technique" I know of.

SRH


Last edited by Stan; 10/16/17 07:07 AM.

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Stan,

I don't want to take this thread off context but:
The slough is big enough they just move around it. I have never seen them off the slough as everytime in the past I went there, morning or evening they were there. Perhaps a Nova Scotia Duck Toller to get the raft to move closer to the shore.


Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.
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