# Blew it yesterday



## 357bob (Sep 30, 2007)

Had a nice day out freezing our toes off, shot a few ducks between my son and I (8). Had one chance at a swan but my son had a shell misfire, first time I've ever even seen that happen.
As per my usual I call it quits about 5 minutes before shooting time is over, no particular reason, I just always have. 1 minute left, the guns are cased and I see swans coming,low! No chance to un-case and load up so we just watch the pair glide right over about 30 yards up. They sure looked good, but not as good as the one off to the side about 20 yards up.. WITH A NECK COLLAR -)O(- 
Neat to see, but what a bummer. Add that to the 2 teal I killed with the truck on the way out and it was a couple of firsts for me.


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## king eider (Aug 20, 2009)

oohhh how i would cry.... thats too bad, better luck next time! if their is a next time!


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## utahgolf (Sep 8, 2007)

I never pick up or call it quits until closing time..you never know what could come cruising in the last minute..I figure you sit out in the cold and bust your butt and owe it to yourself to sit the extra few minutes.. duck gods have a crazy way of rewarding that kind of dedication..I have sat out all day and the last 5 minutes I have been rewarded with some trophy birds.


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

that way you all was wait tell it over.that sucks.


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## CANTSHOOT (Oct 17, 2008)

It was cold, but a great day. The birds were shutting down so we figured we would just drop the blind and start picking up. The other first for the day was when we had 4 birds come cruising in behind us. Dad calls the shot, we both rise and each fire a shot. 3 birds drop, which was a shocker. Go and pick them up and two are within a foot of each other. 3 mergansers, wish they were real ducks, but was something else. We will fill our swan tags, I'm pretty positive of that.


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

We picked up about 9:30 am yesterday and as we were picking up, the second ever Gadwall I'd seen on the GSL flew right over where Chaser would have been sitting. As I made a second trip to pull gear out to the truck, there were flocks of birds dumping in where we'd just left.... I hate being burned by leaving early, but that was my fault.


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## Chaser (Sep 28, 2007)

Yeah, looking back we should've stuck it out, at least for another hour or so. Oh well! Not as big of a bummer as 357bob had.


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## spooner (Sep 25, 2007)

357bob –

If your luck is like mine at those times, it is better the way it happened. That way, you can always think you would have shot it. To this day I have a memory that haunts me… (and it was probably 15+ years ago) I had a lone goose coming at me at 10 to 15 yards up. We were 3 min before shooting ends. I pull up, 3 shots later, that goose is still flying. It plays out many times in my mind. If my gun had been put in the case, I could have at least imagined shooting it! :lol: :lol:


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## waterproof (Oct 10, 2007)

Spooner hit it right on the head. The memory of what if is sometimes better than if you had shot and wiffed! Because I didn't draw out this year I have had multiple "close encounters" already. Like the dozen or so that made like the Black Pearl and mysteriously appeared and disappeared Saturday in the snowstorm! It was kinda erie. I am sure I will see more because of my lack of swan tag! You on the other hand will get a few more chances I am sure. 

I would like to hear more about how one hits two teal with his truck?


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## 357bob (Sep 30, 2007)

As for hitting the teal.
We got a little later start than I planned and my first thought was, someone would beat me to our hole. When we rounded the last corner and saw two deer lying on the edge of the road, I figured that was a good sign we were the first ones out that way. I had no idea what was next.
Hundreds of teal spend the night in the shallow weeds along this stretch of road and I was going about 30 MPH when one unfortunate bird bounced off the hood and into the windshield(bent my wiper arm I found out today). Before I could slow completely another one took a liking to my grill. I finished the drive around 5 mph to avoid any others. Had a few flying right down the road in front of us, neat thing to see. I really thought I busted the windshield. 
As far as the collared swan, I saw another tonight but they were about 40 yards out. I took my camera tonight but was so excited to have swans coming over, I forgot about it


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

You keep see those collars you will get one. good luck.


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## WasatchOutdoors (Sep 26, 2007)

Hey 357, were you guys the ones that stoped and talked with me and my 3 little ones there for a couple minutes and then your son got his shot just 10 feet on the other side of the water outlet there on the 1A dike? We were wondering what happened because you could see he was trying to get a second shot off and it just didn't happen. What a heartbreaker that was.


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## CANTSHOOT (Oct 17, 2008)

Nope, wasn't us. We were in the boat, not on 1a. Glad I'm not the only one who had something go wrong. Weird ejecting a solid round. Did you happen to get your swan yet wasatch?


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## cnegeese801 (Mar 19, 2009)

utahgolf said:


> I never pick up or call it quits until closing time..you never know what could come cruising in the last minute..I figure you sit out in the cold and bust your butt and owe it to yourself to sit the extra few minutes.. duck gods have a crazy way of rewarding that kind of dedication..I have sat out all day and the last 5 minutes I have been rewarded with some trophy birds.


I fully agree


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## WasatchOutdoors (Sep 26, 2007)

No, no swan for me yet. We went for the first trip sunday, and were halfway down the refuge road when I realized my tag was still sitting on the kitchen counter at home. I thought my kids were going to throw me out of the truck  anyway, we decided to go anyway and just scout and hope for a random duck or goose to give us a shot. Wouldn't you know it, we're hiding in our spot for 5 minutes and a flight came over just as slow and low as you could ask for and we just watched them float on by. The good news is I'm leaving in 10 minutes to go pull the kids out of school and go redeem ourselves. The tag is in my wallet where it belongs!


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Pick up yer empties! :wink:


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## WasatchOutdoors (Sep 26, 2007)

Oh goob, you know me and my little band, we'll have ours and everyone elses by the time we get back to the truck


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## Artoxx (Nov 12, 2008)

This is the first time in over 8 years that I have had a Swan tag, and I have yet to even SEE a swan this year. :roll:

Our plan is to concentrate on them this weekend, hopefully I can trip over some good luck and tag one in time for Thanksgiving. I LOVE a big bird on the table at TG and only _like_ Turkey, but I _*LOV*_E swan. :mrgreen:

Where is everyone seeing them? :?:


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