The Last Hurrah for Duck Season

Hello All:
Wednesday was the last day that one of our local WMA's was open for duck hunting. A new Friend, Jesse Morando and I were out early and set up a spread of decoys on the upper end of Lake Cunningham.
The flights were sporadic, but I scratched down a Wood Duck and a Black Duck. We don't have a lot of Black Ducks in our area, so that was a treat.
We also saluted a couple of Canada Geese, but no harm to them resulted.
It was a good day and we really enjoyed being out in nature's living room. There were a lot of "sky busters" but several ducks were killed. Maybe they died of shock from the noise!!!!!
Time to start thinking of spring turkey hunting and trout fishing. Also, my friend Gene Cunningham and I are planning to take a February camping trip and need to finalize our plans.
I hope you are all taking advantage of what the outdoor sports offer. Nothing is as relaxing or clears the head like a day in the great outdoors.
Get out and recreate!
L. Woodrow Ross

Hunters Pro Shop

Hello Hunters and Fishermen:
Check out Hunters Pro Shop. It is a neat website and you will find some great deals there on hunting supplies. I have recently become affiliated with them and am a featured writer for the site.
Check out the recent article on turkey hunting. It includes some great tips on preparation for the upcoming spring season. Get out those calls and practice, practice, practice!
Don't forget that scouting for turkeys and shed hunting for whitetail shed antlers go hand in hand. Sheds make great conversation pieces and give you an idea of what kind of bucks survived the hunting season in your area.
Duck season is winding down, but the mallard population is good in our area on the Atlantic flyway and we have a lot of non-migratory canada geese due to the stocking program of a few years back. The geese and ducks were flying today and we had a great time even though the shallows were frozen and the temperature was frigid.
Now is a great time to be using those cold days that keep you indoors to re-stock your fly boxes. If you are not a fly tyer, consider learning it is a great way to extend the enjoyment of trout fishing and is a lot of fun on its own.
Don't forget to check out www.HuntersProShop.com, www.lwoodrowross.com and www.flyfishnorthamerica.com.
Get out there and enjoy our great outdoor heritage.
L. Woodrow Ross

Banded Mallard

It was unusually cold in South Carolina on Jan. 2. I was hunting on Lake Cunningham in the upstate and the day started at 18 degrees and one inch of snow.
I launched the kayak and paddled up the lake to the marsh, concealed the kayak and took a position some cattails.
Official shooting time was 7:04 and shortly afterwards, two mallards dropped in and I took the drake, but had no shot at the hen. Only one more opportunity was presented when a wood duck passed at a high level. I took a shot, but missed
It was a good outing, but what made it more special was the band on the drake mallard. When I called in the information, a lady told me that the duck was banded in 2003 at Alabama, New York. I didn't even know there was such a place.
When one considers the age of the duck and the exposure to hunting on the Atlantic flyway, it is remarkable that it survived so long.
The banding programs yields a lot of good information about ducks, and gives hunters like me a thrill to find out where they were banded.
That is only the second banded duck that I have killed in many years of hunting and it was very exciting.
Happy hunting.
L. Woodrow Ross