I, too, have been enjoying some duck hunting on our pond. My Australian shepherd is more than eager to go get some each time I look out the front door of the house.
Recently, with ice covering most of the water, I do my best to drop the birds on land or on the ice. She's eager to go into the ice water though if necessary.
Yesterday a greenhead fell out on the ice and made it to open water before she could race to the other side of the thawed hole and grab it. What followed was a 10 minute circus of her swimming up close to it and having it dive out of sight.
Once she wore it out and was able to retrieve it, she was pretty well soaked. That certainly didn't slow her down. She wasn't having any of my suggestions that we walk the 75 feet to the house and dry off.
"Ducks are still coming in Dad! I'm not quitting now! What ARE you thinking?!"
She's one focused hunter. I'm not complaining.
I've got the ice eater running down there. Its struggling as it is 2 degrees out currently. I intend to run electricity down there this summer. Then I will aerate the pond, and run an ice eater in conditions like this to chase the ducks. We also set a big snow goose spread on the pond and decoy some in every year.
