freezer
Junior Member
There's no place like home
Posts: 85
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Post by freezer on Jul 27, 2015 8:10:06 GMT -5
I moved back to Pa from Halifornia. I now live in Apollo and love to hunt waterfowl. I have a lot to learn. I'm not familiar with the ducks you have here or how to hunt them. I have more decoys than I need, layout blind two canoes and a boat. I'm not into divers as the ones I shot in the past tasted like liver. A lot of folks think the waterfowl hunting is off the hook out there but it's not all it's cracked up to be. Good hunting was expensive and a long drive from the SF bay area. Where do I start.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2015 8:56:58 GMT -5
There are folks who post here who hunt waterfowl. Hopefully they will see fit to answer your questions. I have never gone duck hunting, but might give it a try sometime before I get too old to enjoy such stuff.
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Post by bawanajim on Jul 27, 2015 9:14:16 GMT -5
The September goose season is a great time, farm ponds and oat fields are where we do best, but if you can't get permission on a farm pass shooting them from fence rows works too! Start scouting and getting permission early.
I'm not sure of your choice of home sites, you went from kooks and nuts, to rude, kooks and nuts, city life is not for me! We judge the quality of the trip by how many times you get flipped off while on 279 heading into the danger zone, nice bunch of Beamer drivers, chatting on their cell phones while putting make up on!
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Post by bowbum on Jul 28, 2015 6:53:40 GMT -5
Now that is enlightening!
I also lived in California in the 60's and early 70's and returned home to PA in 1972. Welcome back.
I've only hunted duck and geese a couple of times and those events were in Saskatchewan. Had a wonderful time and at one point planned on getting serious about it but my hunting partner, and duck hunting inspiration made a major life change and the steam sort of went out of the whistle.
Too old now to make the effort.
Good luck in finding some solid advice and guidance......leading to success.
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Post by fleroo on Jul 28, 2015 12:31:50 GMT -5
You are close to Pymatuning. I hunted Pymie since well before Steel Shot became vogue. My favorite was deke and pass-shooting from a canoe in the swamps. Came to a point, the folks that provided the maintenance of swamp water levels, seemed to have found something else to do ? *coffeespit* We were making long trips toting a bunch of gear, only to find the swamps were mud puddles. Haven't been up there for a couple decades.
Do some research on Pymie and surrounding areas, Hartstown, Linesville, Geneva. Take a visit up.
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Post by bawanajim on Jul 28, 2015 18:44:56 GMT -5
Nope no ducks or geese around here, the weather sucks the lands posted and they are draining the lake. There's better hunting down there, save time and gas by hunting close to three rivers!
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freezer
Junior Member
There's no place like home
Posts: 85
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Post by freezer on Jul 29, 2015 7:38:48 GMT -5
bawanajim, Three Rivers, Really! Apollo is a rural community of 1400. The folks I've met have been friendly and courteous. Nice place to live, not like the shooting gallery I lived in. I fished and camped at Pymy as a kid and young man. I'll be back! If your nice I'll buy you a cup of coffee. Thanks ferloo, I'll dive up there for a weekend and start scouting. I'm very handy (lazy) and have found ways to transport gear easily. I have an inflatable canoe converted to a blind that lets me get to where the water is. It's my life's goal to take the work out of having fun.
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Post by bawanajim on Jul 29, 2015 7:52:17 GMT -5
I have lived here all but a few years of my life when I lived in Texas, I fish pymatuning a couple of times a week in the spring, the early goose season is your best chance at avoiding the mobs, as for ducks, geneva swamp is the Barnum and Baily of hunters, there are more Armstrong county hunters there than Crawford countian's, avoid it at all cost. Creeks and beaver dams are your best bet as woodducks and mallards are what you will be seeing. Scouting and getting permission early helps, don't over look the Erie wildlife refuge, from Cochranton to Guys mills.
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Post by fleroo on Jul 30, 2015 14:39:06 GMT -5
Since you hit on it, I'll relate a very relevant story. As I said, me and some others hunted that area from the 70's up until oh, mid-90's. When we hunted Hartstown, we would park next to the RR Tracks, load our canoe up with all the gear, pop it on our shoulders, and start hoofing up the tracks. This was arduous, and we would take some breaks. Well, in the early 90's, a friend asked if I could show him the sport. I rounded up some guys, and up we go. The new guy friend was, let's see, how can I put this and be politically correct ? Oh, I know......... FAT AND LAZY. Well after we load up, and had two canoes on shoulders, he stood behind his canoe with a puzzled look. He asked why we were being so stupid. I really didn't have a valid answer. He then proceeded to tie ropes to both the front and back of his canoe. He sent his canoe mate across one side of the tracks with one end of the cane, he was on the other side. Off they went, sliding the canoe up the rails. He turned back now and again, SMILING. *rant* when I caught up with him, I asked where he had been for 20 years. *banghead*
Oh, by the way, Marlboro Man (bawanajim) is right about Geneva. A real cluster. On a good note though, if things are too hectic in the swamp, Marlboro lives nearby. Stop in for a coffee. Oh and, as a bonus, his wife is HOTT ! rofl
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Post by galthatfishes on Jul 30, 2015 14:59:55 GMT -5
Welcome to the board Freezer. A group to check out would be the Susquehanna Waterfowlers. They are mostly a nice group of guys.
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Post by Goosehunter on Aug 1, 2015 16:25:35 GMT -5
Hey Freezer, what kinda ducks did you shoot in California?
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freezer
Junior Member
There's no place like home
Posts: 85
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Post by freezer on Aug 1, 2015 20:30:37 GMT -5
Mostly widgeon, gadwall and teal. I got a few sprig and mallard but not many. I mainly hunted Grizzly Island. The other refuges are hard to get reservations on and are a long drive for a sweat line chance. There are other ducks like Spoonies but I won't shoot them as they taste like liver and I hate liver. Things have change a lot over there in twenty years. They flood the rice fields now instead of burning them so there's a lot more water to disperse the birds. With the drought there is a lot more disease in the resting/breading areas as the water is smaller and warmer. Not good for hunting.
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Post by Goosehunter on Aug 6, 2015 5:44:06 GMT -5
Goose hunting is pretty good in Pa, have you ever killed any geese? It's a long ride to Lancaster county for a 1 goose limit but I'll invite ya to come along hunting during the September Goose Season. Got a farm that borders Middle Creek and it's a fun hunt. Meet at 6 am, hunt till we kill a limit of geese and then go for breakfast.
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