@@HokeOutdoors Yessir. Me, too. I make peace with the fact a yote or a mink or raccoon or a turtle or the soil will find a use for that lost bird. I still hate losing one, always count it toward the limit, but at the end of the day it happens and the bird won’t go to waste in the grand scheme.
@Brandon Wendberg Not always easy for a college kid on a budget. I had a lab throughout college, but she was an adult that my father and I trained when I was still in HS, so it was easy. A puppy takes a lot of time and $.
@Brandon Wendberg Yup is exactly right. I would love to have a dog and hope to get one within the next year but living in college housing and being on a college budget makes that tough
That's always a sweet little hole to hunt. Love seeing the woodies work like that and respect the effort you put in for that lost one. Good vid Yung Thomas!
Nice hunt. Me and my son hunt Woodies in Louisiana and we use a Duck Commander call and I also use a Quaker Boy call that makes a really great ZEET sound.
We always be hitting that like button! You're right, a couple woodies early then different ducks the rest of the morning. We're just starting to get ice up here now on smal water
I had the same thing happen to me yesterday with a hen pintail in some tight cattails, stoned her into the thickest part of it, spent an hour trying to find and no luck. Still shot another 3 Cinnamons (1 hen was banded) & 1 spoony drake.
@@HokeOutdoors Thanks man. Keep up the good hunts & films man. I look forward to watching them. I'd like to come out your way some time to duck hunt. I use to do alot of work in VA, DC & MD. But never got a chance to hunt even though I was out there in winter. Oh well one day.
Sorry for delayed response Thomas. In a word to your question about waterfowl hunting...no. Another crazy migration and weather pattern. 99 present of corn and beans were cut and very dry for water here in eastern SD.One day it's in the 40s next few in the teens.For the 3rd season next to nothing for migration. It's clear to me now one must be set up to field hunt with the mega spreads, layouts, etc ,etc....I'm Not! Have been doing some phez hunting with some success with my young female Lab. Looking forward to your 2020 Virgina waterfowl videos.
Thomas I wanted to do some duck hunting this morning and saw you but on this channel. Didn t know if you changed or were with friends. Hope you will keep my appetite fed this year duck hunting like before so I won t break a hip or get lost if I try to go myself lol. Decide to wash off a little? Been there n done that even worse. Hard to get mallards to acknowledge a wet call and cigs aren't the same wet either. Nice hunt as always.
Thanks Sam! I did change my channel name since I've been traveling outside of Virginia the last couple years. Planning on having plenty of duck hunting videos this season lord willing, and hopefully I can stay dry for the most of the year this go around
I respect the effort you put into looking for the Woodie . That`s all we have on my lake our season is coming back in on the 21 st of this month going to get me a few .
I also had a wood duck that had a clubbed foot snake will usually get a hold of them when they are little and that one got lucky and keep up the good work bro 👍
Very nice hunt. It sure is frustrating to not be able to find a bird but it does happen.. I think I have only lost 2 in the 12 seasons since I got Buddy really made my life easier... lol... I did shoot a spooning with only 1 leg/foot.. FYI - it did swim in a circle.... I will try to find a photo.. enjoyed the video...
Virginia Outdoors Unlimited I did but couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn 😂 it happens 🤷🏼♂️ tons and tons of ducks and geese! Suppose to be really cold this week so you should be seeing them in no time!
What I noticed immediately in the shot cam was that his head was still extended forward. Wasn't sure if you saw that initially. And I was wondering why you didn't go for the bird immediately then. That means the bird is still alive and was holding his head out against the wind, otherwise his head would've folded under his body or back. I look for their head position when I shoot a bird to see if it's still extended or not. Sometimes I wait a few minutes if there are still birds working in the area. If the head is extended, I make my attempt to recover the bird ASAP. In the grass, middle of the spread, wherever it lands. If the head is still extended better get that bird. If the head folds, I know I can wait at least for a bit before recovering the bird. That minimizes lost birds for me. You'll never recover them all, but you'll surely minimize those lost birds. Just take it as a lesson learned. That's how I learned. Watch their head. Good shooting 👍
Yeah unfortunately I didn't notice that in the moment or else I would've been after him as soon as he hit the water. I appreciate the advice about the head position, it's definitely something I'll have to focus on a little more when watching birds fall. Thanks!
I see groups of 4-8 woodies where I hunt but I'm having difficulty getting them to come down. Seems like each hunt I get @ least 1 to drop into the spread, but that's nothing when you consider how many are flying high above me. Do you think it's the pressure from other hunters around my hole, the spread, or my hide? Any feedback is appreciated!
I can tell you from experience wood ducks mostly land in the same spots. Find where they want to be and hunt there the next morning. Mostly thicker places, tree tops, etc. they like cover to swim amongst.
With woodies I would say it’s probably your spread. Do you typically have much water motion or spinning wing decoys? I think water motion is the most important thing but spinners certainly help too
Woodies go where Woodies want to go....so find out where they like and throw out a few dekes. Woodies are very predictable, so if you see them in a spot chances are that's a safe bet.
@@HokeOutdoors I have 9 wood duck floaters, I put 4 of them on a jerk rig and leave 5 in the spread. I have a mallard butt up rippler I put in between 6 mallard floaters. I put out a teal mojo spinner. 17 in total. It seems like there's enough motion on the water but I'm no pro
@@NHWaterfowl I always scout diligently. I'm always in a spot where woodies are flying, I get your point about going where they want to go. I know I'm not on the X, but I get as close as I can on foot. I don't have a kayak.
In this case I thought I had stoned that bird or I would've gone after it immediately. With this buckbrush in this spot I'm not sure I would've got it anyway though. When it's still dark you can't see into the brush at all and they'll just sneak off on you if they've got life left in them
Respect the effort you made on the lost one. That’s all a guy can do!
Thanks Yup, nothing annoys me more than a bird going to waste so I always do all I can to recover what I knock down
@@HokeOutdoors Yessir. Me, too. I make peace with the fact a yote or a mink or raccoon or a turtle or the soil will find a use for that lost bird. I still hate losing one, always count it toward the limit, but at the end of the day it happens and the bird won’t go to waste in the grand scheme.
@Brandon Wendberg Not always easy for a college kid on a budget. I had a lab throughout college, but she was an adult that my father and I trained when I was still in HS, so it was easy. A puppy takes a lot of time and $.
@Brandon Wendberg Yup is exactly right. I would love to have a dog and hope to get one within the next year but living in college housing and being on a college budget makes that tough
And I Mark it up as a kill on my limit.
Decent wood duck hunt. That's way it is in NC. Lots of wood ducks. Respect for looking for the downed bird.
Thanks Steven! Y’all definitely have the woodrows thick down there
That's always a sweet little hole to hunt. Love seeing the woodies work like that and respect the effort you put in for that lost one. Good vid Yung Thomas!
Thanks Matt! It's quickly becoming one of my favorite little spots, the only downside is how easy they can get away in that buckbrush
Nice hunt. Me and my son hunt Woodies in Louisiana and we use a Duck Commander call and I also use a Quaker Boy call that makes a really great ZEET sound.
We always be hitting that like button! You're right, a couple woodies early then different ducks the rest of the morning. We're just starting to get ice up here now on smal water
I appreciate it brother! Send those mixed species my way! Y'all seeing big numbers of mallards moving through yet?
@@HokeOutdoors I'll let you know this weekend. The Lake Champlain zone opens up again so we'll probably blow them all down to you.
Great woodie shoot, and you did all you could do on the 3rd bird. Congrats and God Bless!👍🤗🙏🙏🙏
I had the same thing happen to me yesterday with a hen pintail in some tight cattails, stoned her into the thickest part of it, spent an hour trying to find and no luck. Still shot another 3 Cinnamons (1 hen was banded) & 1 spoony drake.
Damn, hate to hear that but sound like an awesome bag to make up for it though! Where was the hen cinnamon banded?
@@HokeOutdoors California Oregon border at Tule Lake, CA. Shot her in Southern California.
@@Blue_Collar_Hunter Very cool!
@@HokeOutdoors Thanks man. Keep up the good hunts & films man. I look forward to watching them. I'd like to come out your way some time to duck hunt. I use to do alot of work in VA, DC & MD. But never got a chance to hunt even though I was out there in winter. Oh well one day.
Thanks for the video Thomas.
Great effort on your search. Thanks all a guy can do.
Continue success.
Thanks Sly! Have you been able to get out in SD much so far this season?
Sorry for delayed response Thomas. In a word to your question about waterfowl hunting...no.
Another crazy migration and weather pattern. 99 present of corn and beans were cut and very dry for water here in eastern SD.One day it's in the 40s next few in the teens.For the 3rd season next to nothing for migration. It's clear to me now one must be set up to field hunt with the mega spreads, layouts, etc ,etc....I'm Not!
Have been doing some phez hunting with some success with my young female Lab.
Looking forward to your 2020 Virgina waterfowl videos.
I love your river hunts, you have to make another one.
Thanks! I’ll have some more coming out here in September
Thomas I wanted to do some duck hunting this morning and saw you but on this channel. Didn t know if you changed or were with friends.
Hope you will keep my appetite fed this year duck hunting like before so I won t break a hip or get lost if I try to go myself lol.
Decide to wash off a little? Been there n done that even worse. Hard to get mallards to acknowledge a wet call and cigs aren't the same wet either.
Nice hunt as always.
Thanks Sam! I did change my channel name since I've been traveling outside of Virginia the last couple years. Planning on having plenty of duck hunting videos this season lord willing, and hopefully I can stay dry for the most of the year this go around
I respect the effort you put into looking for the Woodie . That`s all we have on my lake our season is coming back in on the 21 st of this month going to get me a few .
Good luck down there for the opener and season! How are things looking in terms of birds?
I also had a wood duck that had a clubbed foot snake will usually get a hold of them when they are little and that one got lucky and keep up the good work bro 👍
Thanks brother! Didn’t even think about snakes, I’m sure they could get a duckling down
@@HokeOutdoors yeah
Very nice hunt. It sure is frustrating to not be able to find a bird but it does happen.. I think I have only lost 2 in the 12 seasons since I got Buddy really made my life easier... lol... I did shoot a spooning with only 1 leg/foot.. FYI - it did swim in a circle.... I will try to find a photo.. enjoyed the video...
Thanks Kraig! I am looking forward to getting a dog for that reason more than anything! Please send that photo if you do find it
Never got one with the club foot before! That’s crazy! Turtle missed out on a meal! Lol awesome hunt as always stay safe out there bro!
Haha that's what I'm thinking too. Thanks! Did you get out this weekend in MD?
Virginia Outdoors Unlimited I did but couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn 😂 it happens 🤷🏼♂️ tons and tons of ducks and geese! Suppose to be really cold this week so you should be seeing them in no time!
You are awesome and hope you have more good luck hunting
Thank you! Good luck to you as well this season!
Man I relate to you because I hunt wood ducks all the time, nice hunt!
Thank you! Which state do you hunt?
We shot probably 100 woodies last year between me and my buddy. South Carolina
The lost one sounds like something else got it. With the splash heard later and the bubble trail it could have been a snapping turtle or racoon.
I never thought about that but it makes a lot of sense. I saw one giant snapper in this spot when scouting
@@HokeOutdoors I had an eagle pick up my first woodie drake. I also had a muskrat try to take a mallard. It didn't make it.
Haha I would’ve never thought a muskrat would grab a duck, glad he didn’t get away with it though
Awsome little shoot....good job
Thanks Matt!
Nice hunting video. How did the new wader perform during this trip? A lot of sharp branches at that location. Thanks again for the nice video.
Thanks Nasser! They performed with no issues or leaks. That breathable material is much stronger than I had originally anticipated
@@HokeOutdoors Glad to hear that. H&D makes great products.
Brother I can relate , when it's good it's good and when it's not it's not 👍
Yep, this weather and high water isn't helping much either unfortunately
Great vid! Just made a video on my last duck hunt of the year in Canada.. sad to see the birds head south.
Thanks! How was the season in Canada for y'all this year? I'll check out your video
@@HokeOutdoors was a real good year! Abundance of ducks and geese this year, no complaints!!
ayeee north carolina againnn!!!
Ayeee I like your profile pic!!!
Hopefully there will be one or two more NC hunts coming before I switch back to VA
I also announce to the birds im packing up so they come..
It seems to work a lot of time, just not this day unfortunately
If I had a nickel for sure.
What I noticed immediately in the shot cam was that his head was still extended forward. Wasn't sure if you saw that initially. And I was wondering why you didn't go for the bird immediately then. That means the bird is still alive and was holding his head out against the wind, otherwise his head would've folded under his body or back. I look for their head position when I shoot a bird to see if it's still extended or not. Sometimes I wait a few minutes if there are still birds working in the area. If the head is extended, I make my attempt to recover the bird ASAP. In the grass, middle of the spread, wherever it lands. If the head is still extended better get that bird. If the head folds, I know I can wait at least for a bit before recovering the bird. That minimizes lost birds for me. You'll never recover them all, but you'll surely minimize those lost birds. Just take it as a lesson learned. That's how I learned. Watch their head. Good shooting 👍
Yeah unfortunately I didn't notice that in the moment or else I would've been after him as soon as he hit the water. I appreciate the advice about the head position, it's definitely something I'll have to focus on a little more when watching birds fall. Thanks!
Believe it or not in Florida we see a lot of club-footed birds. I don't know if from giant softshell turtles or alligators.
Huh that's interesting. I'd guess both probably chomp a few
Nice job
Thank you!
Were you shooting tungsten or steel? I switched to tungsten for woodies due to their propensity for diving after falling.
Steel, I just don't have the money to buy bismuth or tungsten with my college budget. I will make the switch to bismuth though once I have the ability
You can’t walk in a marsh for shit at this point 🤣
Great shooting dude! How do you get them marked so quickly?
Thanks! I think it’s mainly experience on the marking
Come west to Washington for banger hunts
One day I'll get out there! How has the season been for y'all so far?
@@HokeOutdoors pretty darn good still lots of teal and pintails but the mallards should be coming down soon
Heck yeah
👍🏻
Went out this morning lost the one woodie I had down my buddy got one down too n we where able to find it 💪
Does your GoPro lose battery fast like mine
Yeah my GoPro batteries last about an hour but I have a bunch of backups
Late on this video what kind of choke do you use shooting wood ducks
I use a Carlsons Light Modified for all my puddle duck hunting
Gotta love a water swat
Yep! Only thing that beats it in my opinion is folding them when they're backpedaling over the decoys
Just shot a pair of mallards my first ever true green head
Congrats man!
Just shot my first one today
That wood duck might have got caught in a foot trap for muskrats
Hmm didn’t think about that. Definitely could be a possibility
What’s that tracker on the barrel?
It's a Shotkam
I see groups of 4-8 woodies where I hunt but I'm having difficulty getting them to come down. Seems like each hunt I get @ least 1 to drop into the spread, but that's nothing when you consider how many are flying high above me. Do you think it's the pressure from other hunters around my hole, the spread, or my hide? Any feedback is appreciated!
I can tell you from experience wood ducks mostly land in the same spots. Find where they want to be and hunt there the next morning. Mostly thicker places, tree tops, etc. they like cover to swim amongst.
With woodies I would say it’s probably your spread. Do you typically have much water motion or spinning wing decoys? I think water motion is the most important thing but spinners certainly help too
Woodies go where Woodies want to go....so find out where they like and throw out a few dekes. Woodies are very predictable, so if you see them in a spot chances are that's a safe bet.
@@HokeOutdoors I have 9 wood duck floaters, I put 4 of them on a jerk rig and leave 5 in the spread. I have a mallard butt up rippler I put in between 6 mallard floaters. I put out a teal mojo spinner. 17 in total. It seems like there's enough motion on the water but I'm no pro
@@NHWaterfowl I always scout diligently. I'm always in a spot where woodies are flying, I get your point about going where they want to go. I know I'm not on the X, but I get as close as I can on foot. I don't have a kayak.
How can you tell if they are drakes or hens in the sky I can’t see Coker when I look at them
The head...of the sun is out they’re plumage makes a big difference
Yeah I typically look for the crest on the head if they're silouhetted. If the sun is on them though the bright side pockets are a dead give away
Bro I hate losing birds 😭 woodies are infamous for diving and being impossible to find
Me too! One day I'll be able to get a dog and then hopefully I won't lose many after that
@@HokeOutdoors yeah a dog will definitely help out to find those birds that dive
Shooting boss this year ?
Unfortunately not. Trying to save some money so shooting steel again
beauifful viee gretings frromm argentina¡'¡¡'
Moving way to much especially with no blind
I think you can get away with a lot in the first thirty minutes of light. After that yeah not so much
Can't barely see any action cause the camera angle points to the dark side of the pond.
Yeah it was an ideal setup for filming but that was definitely the best hide we could get so had to go with it
We’re in no are you hunting
North carolina
North central area
You should try down here on the east coast
If you would retrieve birds right after shooting them you wouldn't loose as many
In this case I thought I had stoned that bird or I would've gone after it immediately. With this buckbrush in this spot I'm not sure I would've got it anyway though. When it's still dark you can't see into the brush at all and they'll just sneak off on you if they've got life left in them
Shooting birds on the water...👎