Trad Gang

Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: PAPA BEAR on December 06, 2010, 06:40:00 PM

Title: ever duck hunted with a trad bow?
Post by: PAPA BEAR on December 06, 2010, 06:40:00 PM

just wondering if anyone else has duck hunted with a trad bow.i used to have a nice little pond that nobody hunted but me.i killed several greenheads as they came in to my decoys and calling.very fun stuff.another method i used was spot and stalk on the irrigation ditches.i even got a canadian goose that way.pretty good practice to.

Title: Re: ever duck hunted with a trad bow?
Post by: highpoint forge on December 06, 2010, 06:40:00 PM

Most of the deer I shoot at, duck. Does that count?

Title: Re: ever duck hunted with a trad bow?
Post by: PAPA BEAR on December 06, 2010, 06:41:00 PM

hahahahahahaaa....NO

Title: Re: ever duck hunted with a trad bow?
Post by: bawana bowman on December 06, 2010, 06:49:00 PM

I hunt ducks quite often. Have done the spot and stalk in ditches and small ponds, but really prefer hunting over decoys just as if using a shotgun. In fact I use a longbow while hunting with guys using shotguns. Have made a few pass shots but mostly shoot as they are coming in to land in the decoys.
(The shotgun guys will even sometimes let me shoot first, but they are greedy little SOB's.)

Title: Re: ever duck hunted with a trad bow?
Post by: T Lail on December 06, 2010, 06:51:00 PM

never duck hunted, but I know guys that swan hunt every year here in NC.......

Title: Re: ever duck hunted with a trad bow?
Post by: wingnut on December 06, 2010, 07:09:00 PM

A couple of years ago a young fellow from alaska came on and was talking about duck hunting with his bow.  He didn't know it was supposed to be hard and limited his first day.

Mike

Title: Re: ever duck hunted with a trad bow?
Post by: PAPA BEAR on December 06, 2010, 07:13:00 PM

its pretty cool watching them greenheads come in tilting back and forth then the rush of wings as they make a desperate attempt to flee..in vain..sometimes.  

Title: Re: ever duck hunted with a trad bow?
Post by: Ragnarok Forge on December 06, 2010, 07:15:00 PM

I have done it and plan to do it again if this shoulder and arm ever heal up.

Title: Re: ever duck hunted with a trad bow?
Post by: PAPA BEAR on December 06, 2010, 07:23:00 PM

feelin any better clay?

Title: Re: ever duck hunted with a trad bow?
Post by: PAPA BEAR on December 06, 2010, 07:25:00 PM

AFFFFFLACCCCCKKKKKK....had to let that one out man.

Title: Re: ever duck hunted with a trad bow?
Post by: BlacktailBowhunter on December 06, 2010, 08:15:00 PM

I wanted to do some Badger hunting near Burns, but the ODFW biologist didn't have any good leads.

Title: Re: ever duck hunted with a trad bow?
Post by: Zbone on December 06, 2010, 08:23:00 PM

Use broadheads, don't want a get-a-way to make the newspapers...

Title: Re: ever duck hunted with a trad bow?
Post by: oxnam on December 06, 2010, 08:29:00 PM

I do it and have a lot of fun.  I can't believe with all these die hard archers, more guys aren't looking for excuses to extend their seasons.  :dunno:

Title: Re: ever duck hunted with a trad bow?
Post by: kahunter on December 06, 2010, 10:20:00 PM

I was wondering this very thing.  Duck hunting with a bow would be a blast.  I'm not good enough to try it yet, but I honestly don't think it would be all that hard to hit a mallard as they decoy in.  A pass shot on a teal would be a whole different story!

Title: Re: ever duck hunted with a trad bow?
Post by: Mike Vines on December 06, 2010, 10:31:00 PM

I have taken malards before, but my favorite is geese.  I don't know how many times geese tick me off the whole year, and hunting season is my way to get back at them.  The one in my avatar was a head shot at 25 yards with an Ace Hex head.  It dropped like a sack of potatoes.  I think I was more surprised at the shot instead of the guys I was hunting with, but I played it off great, and I also had another arrow at the ready and was able to get another shot off at the same flock that came thru.  

  I also am very happy to chase pheasants with the stick and string.  If you are hunting over dogs, DO NOT USE BROADHEADS.  It is pretty self explanitory, but needs to be mentioned.  You really can't go wrong with ace hex heads.  Judo points tend to just push the birds along (in my experience), and the snarow points (the one's with the wire loops) are just good to look at IMO.  If your not hunting over dogs, bring out the broadheads.  On waterfowl, I love the "Spread Eagle" shot.  If you don't center shot a goose, be prepared to have your cross country shoes on.  Or have a very understanding dog at your side.  

My dog Grizzly (chocolate lab) just looked at me one time when a goose took off across the field.  I guess he had a pretty good memory of the last one giving him a good whooping all the way back to the decoys.  To this day, he will just go over and stand on the birds till one of us gets over to it.  All I can take from this is it hurts to be hit by a good wing while you have a mouthfull of the other wing.  He does the same thing for pheasants.  Alot of guys laugh at this, and I must admit I do too, but this way I get my deep knee bend exercises in when I take him hunting.  It's a team effort.  LOL

Title: Re: ever duck hunted with a trad bow?
Post by: JEFF B on December 06, 2010, 10:35:00 PM

i would love to hunt Ducks with a trad Bow but we aint aloud to in New Zealand ya have to shoot em with a shotgun. thats the law full stop. you guys are so lucky

Title: Re: ever duck hunted with a trad bow?
Post by: Mike Vines on December 06, 2010, 10:35:00 PM

Quote

Originally posted by kahunter:
I was wondering this very thing.  Duck hunting with a bow would be a blast.  I'm not good enough to try it yet, but I honestly don't think it would be all that hard to hit a mallard as they decoy in.  A pass shot on a teal would be a whole different story!

You had better think again.  Shotgun hunting them is hard, longbow and arrow is just insane, but in the same breath, it is a total blast.  I did take the tail feathers off of a green wing teal 2 years ago and I was extreamly lucky to get that.    Them things can move, not to mention their small size.

One thing I didn't mention in the last post, is if your hunting in water, use carbons.  they float feathers up.  Just a big bobber out there waiting to be retrieved.

Title: Re: ever duck hunted with a trad bow?
Post by: PAPA BEAR on December 06, 2010, 10:58:00 PM

my goose came up from a wide ditch and was goin like hell tryin to get away,i was shooting a 70 pound ma11 with around 800grs of arrow.hit him just behind the head with a zwicky two blade.bout took his head clean off.dropped like a spud.bag cooked him..yummmm

Title: Re: ever duck hunted with a trad bow?
Post by: PAPA BEAR on December 06, 2010, 11:03:00 PM

try stickin an arrow into a skimmer duck.(thats what we called them)them babys scoot along the top of the water at around 60mph.would take a miracle shot just to make him swerve.

Title: Re: ever duck hunted with a trad bow?
Post by: wildgame on December 06, 2010, 11:06:00 PM

nope but want to try!! sounds like a good challenge i would love to complete!

Title: Re: ever duck hunted with a trad bow?
Post by: Mudd on December 06, 2010, 11:44:00 PM

If I get the chance you can bet I'll be trying for a goose or two this year.

It just sounds like a blast.

God bless,Mudd

Title: Re: ever duck hunted with a trad bow?
Post by: PAPA BEAR on December 07, 2010, 12:25:00 AM

its a lot of fun mudd i will pretty much bet the house on that...another thing we used to do is spot and spook them dang nutria.them suckers are hard to put the sneak on.they always have things after them so i can just imagine how jumpy they are while feeding in a field.in the water they are easy targets but on land they go into a totally different zone.beaver with a rat tail.

Title: Re: ever duck hunted with a trad bow?
Post by: silvertip73 on December 07, 2010, 11:12:00 AM

Just watched Brooks Johnson hunt geese with his bow on the sportsmans channel.  Shot a couple!

Title: Re: ever duck hunted with a trad bow?
Post by: xtrema312 on December 07, 2010, 11:40:00 AM

no, I like duck and goose jerky way to much to risk a miss.  It is better than venison in that form.

Title: Re: ever duck hunted with a trad bow?
Post by: Mike Vines on December 07, 2010, 06:40:00 PM

Down in Missouri, don't you have a bunch of Snow Geese?  I have yet to hunt them, but they are on my list.  All my gun buddies that go to Texas every year say the "Hot Lunch Program" is the best time to get them, and they come in by the thousands.  The hot lunch program, from what I'm told, is when the farmer's are spreading manure on the fields, and the snow's land in there to eat.

If you guys are wanting to have a great time, try doing any wing shooting with a bow.  It's an awesome time.

Title: Re: ever duck hunted with a trad bow?
Post by: buckster on December 07, 2010, 07:19:00 PM

No, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night!  :biglaugh:

Title: Re: ever duck hunted with a trad bow?
Post by: greyghost on December 07, 2010, 07:32:00 PM

When stationed at Corpus Christi, TX (1980-1983) on the I&I Staff there I was lucky to have hunted the Kings Ranch and some duck hunting with the recurve along with fellow gun hunters. They were great guys and always gave me first shot (flu-flu's) and then they followed up with a gun kill. Really had a blast.

Title: Re: ever duck hunted with a trad bow?
Post by: kahunter on December 07, 2010, 07:46:00 PM

I should have qualified that statement about not being hard with 1) if you are a good shot(which I am not!), and 2) if you get the perfect decoy setup where they right in on top of you.  Of course that rarely happens, at least on the hunts I have been on.  

Geese would be a blast for sure.  One of my life goals is to kill a pheasant with a bow.  a duck or goose would be right up there too.  I have a long ways to go in the accuracy department though.

Title: Re: ever duck hunted with a trad bow?
Post by: Mike Vines on December 07, 2010, 08:35:00 PM

Quote

Originally posted by kahunter:
and 2) if you get the perfect decoy setup where they right in on top of you.  Of course that rarely happens, at least on the hunts I have been on.  
 

It's simply basic when duck hunting.  They land into the wind, so set up with the wind at your back, and leave a landing zone in the middle of your decoys right infront of you.  Make it so that is the only spot there is for them to land, and they will.  If you do it wrong, and they land and swim in, you could shoot them off the water, but where is the fun in that?  Wait till they swim close enough, and jump them up.  They also take off into the wind (atleast they catch air to get up) offering you an awesome shot opportunity.  It is actually a really fun time.  If your anything like me, you will have way more misses than hits, but each miss is a learning opportunity.  Try it, you'll love it.

Title: Re: ever duck hunted with a trad bow?
Post by: Ragnarok Forge on December 07, 2010, 08:47:00 PM

I am getting better but it is going really slow.  I am working in my blacksmith shop on a bunch of knife blanks I made a while back.  I can't even hold onto a blade to forge it right now.  I am gonna be sucking at shooting my bows come the spring 3D shoots.

Title: Re: ever duck hunted with a trad bow?
Post by: bloodyarrow on December 07, 2010, 09:10:00 PM

Just got back from hunting with misty morning outfitters in kansas everyone but me was carry a shotgun I had my Brackenbury we were hunting geese and ducks. I made some beleavers out the gunners

Title: Re: ever duck hunted with a trad bow?
Post by: on December 07, 2010, 09:49:00 PM

I will never forget the sound of that thump when my blunt caught up to the blue wing teal I stalked and jumped off a small pond.  I was fourteen and no one would believe I got it with my bow out of the air.  I have gotten geese circling a field looking for food, and jump shooting ducks and geese floating rivers out of a canoe.  I have not had much luck on fast flying passing birds.  I keep threatening to only hunt birds and the only deer that I would shoot would be the ones that got between me and the pheasants and turkeys, but my back and legs tell me that would have been more practical when I was younger and healthier.  There are times when the area rivers have more birds on them the marshes and what can be so hard about sitting in my kevlar Mad River with the back rests on the seats.  Next year, we will have some adventure afloat.

Title: Re: ever duck hunted with a trad bow?
Post by: Sam McMichael on December 07, 2010, 09:53:00 PM

Hell, I can't hit 'em with a shotgun!

Title: Re: ever duck hunted with a trad bow?
Post by: chopx2 on December 07, 2010, 10:28:00 PM

Quote

Originally posted by Sam McMichael:
Hell, I can't hit 'em with a shotgun!

That is the best reason of all to use a bow...built in excuse  :D

Title: Re: ever duck hunted with a trad bow?
Post by: Mike Vines on December 07, 2010, 10:38:00 PM

Quote

Originally posted by Sam McMichael:
Hell, I can't hit 'em with a shotgun!

that's why you give them up, and start enjoying the hunt more.