2 days of youth season and 5 days of regular for a total of 7 days hunting. Played with birds only 2 days. 2 stutters hung up across the field at 200 yards and 4-6 birds ripping at 100 over the ridge were only activity daughter and I have had. Last Saturday I "counted" a double before it even happened when all those birds sounded off. Thought we had them on a string. I've spent enough time in the woods to know better, lol. But seeing my 13 year old daughter with gun up, optics on and shaking was awesome. She whispered "dad ,I think I'm going to be sick " She was totally amped up. Some days they want to talk and others not.
Can't believe how sparse and bare the woods are .
Songbird sightings have been great. Love the watery sound of the wood thrush, rose breasted grosbeaks, scarlet tanager, oriole, woodcock amongst others . Yesterday I called in a lone hen. She clucked and talked a little before hitting my DSD jake and upright hen set up. She "fed" with them for an hour. Wish she would have talked that hour but she said nothing. , nothing better than live bait. Crows starting moving in and she literally jumped into the woods from the fields edge and nestled down to hide. She was 20 yards and I couldn't even see her. Crows left and she popped back out into field to hang with her new plastic friends. Earlier I had a red fox mousing in the field. Watched it stand on back legs and pounce, neat stuff. It trotted towards my set up, looked over its shoulder at decoys, again questioning what it was seeing and then ran off hell bent for leather. Crows fired up and to my dismay they were pestering a bald eagle. Lasered it at 192 yards. Don't see many in these parts. Tomorrow is another day with more memories to acquire. Daughter and I will hunt til 10 or so because she has to go to ballet
betting not too many girls can say they've done that.
