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Jan 10th, 2023
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Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 96 Likes: 5
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OP
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 96 Likes: 5 |
Thought I would update. My old lab got the first retrieve (and her last of her career) on our duck opener last year. A beautiful drake wood duck. She passed this spring due to cancer and is buried down there.
This pond collects a ton of runoff. NRCS didnt know what they were talking about. Next drought we are talking about enlarging the pond to the south and the west. Long time no see. Anyway we got our drought and enlarged the pond in May 2021. It did not fill until Xmas eve 2023. Instead of being like a bath tub it now has some shallow habitat, rock piles, rocky shorline in parts, etc. Even shot some ducks off of it the other day. Pond size effectively doubled.
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3 members like this:
jpsdad, 4CornersPuddle, FishinRod |
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Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 534 Likes: 76
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Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 534 Likes: 76 |
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.
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4 members like this:
gehajake, FishinRod, jpsdad, kswaterfowler |
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Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 534 Likes: 76
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Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 534 Likes: 76 |
Right before the freeze up I dragged up a pile.of.elodea and have left it along the shoreline. The wigeon in particular are waddling up to it and have hollowed out a cave in it. They do like to eat that stuff.
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Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 96 Likes: 5
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OP
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 96 Likes: 5 |
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.
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1 member likes this:
catscratch |
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 16,055 Likes: 277
Moderator Lunker
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Moderator Lunker
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 16,055 Likes: 277 |
It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.
Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
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Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 3,387 Likes: 607
Lunker
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Lunker
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 3,387 Likes: 607 |
"Ducks are still coming in Dad! I'm not quitting now! What ARE you thinking?!"
She's one focused hunter. I'm not complaining. If we all had the heart of a good "working dog", then I think each of us would live to be at least 100 years old!
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1 member likes this:
4CornersPuddle |
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Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 96 Likes: 5
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OP
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 96 Likes: 5 |
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Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 897 Likes: 201
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Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 897 Likes: 201 |
My pond remained open longer then most ponds during this recent cold snap and the other day I had some trumpeter swans on it, I posted a picture on another forum thread, was nice to see them.
We seldom have any around here but do see a few flocks during the migration periods, on the rivers or corn stubble fields.
All the really good ideas I've ever had came to me while I was milking a cow.
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Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 96 Likes: 5
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OP
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 96 Likes: 5 |
Pond is leaking. Appears to be right where the old dam tied into the extension off of it. The gentlemen that did the extension will come fix it, but he is 3 months out. As the pond slowly draws down I intend to plant millet, smartweed, and some other valuable duck foods.
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Joined: May 2011
Posts: 1,752 Likes: 33
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Joined: May 2011
Posts: 1,752 Likes: 33 |
Pond is leaking. Appears to be right where the old dam tied into the extension off of it. The gentlemen that did the extension will come fix it, but he is 3 months out. As the pond slowly draws down I intend to plant millet, smartweed, and some other valuable duck foods. It's worth a conversation to talk to TJ here on the forum. https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showprofile&User=3912
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