"For Hunters by Hunters"
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"For Hunters by Hunters" |
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UPDATE ON VALLEY WATERFOWL BLINDS 2007/2008 SEASON January 2008 As I write this article we are roughly three weeks away from the close of the 2007/2008 waterfowl season. This season like many others in the past has been a real hit and miss affair. For the most part the middle of the season was very tough for Valley Waterfowl blinds as well as blinds across the north valley. Pretty much everybody I talked to had the same complaints – no birds, lots of high flying geese and few ducks. The season did not start out that way, however. The Delevan blind shot good opening day and for the first month most members hunting the blind shot at least a few birds each time out. There was a couple of days when members shot limits or near limits and of course those days when not a shot was fired. But for the most part members had opportunities for birds each hunt day. Around the first week in November hunting got tough and the usual response to my inquiry on how members shot was “very few birds” or “didn’t fire a shot”. Since the first week in December, the Delevan blind has shot better but even then it is definitely hit and miss. Hunt it on a storm day or the day after the storm or with a strong north wind and you will get plenty of opportunities for birds. Just last Saturday for instance, the day after the high winds on Friday, January 4, members Tony Espinosa and Mark Ackerman shot 12 birds and could have easily limited if they would have shot spoonies. The next day the same blind saw no birds shot but two days later members Josh Delaney and Jonathon Simonich shot limits of ducks. The McCrea blind has mirrored the Delevan blind with the shooting being decent early and then going dead after the first part of November. Since the storms of mid December it has shot well just before, during, and a day after a storm but shoot it a few days later and you might not get a shot. But then again, you never know. Lastly we have our Sutter Blind. This blind was the most expensive to lease and was to be our best shooter but unfortunately wasn’t able to hunt until the second week in December. This was due in no part to Valley Waterfowl. Since coming online it has been pretty consistent. For the most part everyone that has hunted it has shot at least some birds or had opportunities to do so. There have even been limits shot on some days. New member Scott Campbell for instance got an easy limit on December 29 and limits were shot during the storm on January 3. Sutter should continue to shoot well for the remaining season. One thing that I want to mention before I close is a reminder for members to please notify me if they need to cancel a hunt. In doing so, you will give other members an opportunity to hunt. The vast majority of VW members have been very good about calling but there have been a few occasions when that has not been the case. I assure you those members not notifying me of a cancellation will have little if any opportunities to hunt thereafter. I also want to remind members that we will be having junior hunts on February 2nd & 3rd after the close of the regular season. I will be notifying junior members and their parents of these hunt opportunities. In closing, let’s all hope that our storms continue, that ducks and geese fill the sky, and that we all shoot straight and true. ~Ron Tobeck |
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