Fox Collectors

Some friends and I did a waterfowl hunt yesterday in northern NY in the Finger Lakes region. Hunting was from a pit blind in a corn field that was harvested early last week. It was the first day of the second part of the split season. Weather was mild with a daytime high in the upper 30's. Plenty of canadas along with hundreds and hundreds of mallards and some black ducks. All the birds were late to fly and the ducks in particular were spooky earlier on, hundreds passed overhead just out of range with just a few dropping in. But when we limited out on geese at noonish and were changing clothes back at the vehicles there were several flocks of at least 200 mallatts that dropped in on the decoys ... no one was in the pit at the time. Maybe the duck scouts knew we were out of the field.

I know this is the Hunting with a Fox forum and I did have a Super-Fox along with a third, wet weather gun in the Hummer. But decided that morning to use an Ithaca Super 10 in deference to the location which was a bit north of Ithaca NY. Nice to bring an old timer home! I used 1-1/4 oz of handloaded bismuth 2's and 4's; no sense using heavier loads or more expensive Nice shot over the decoys and with tight chokes in both barrels of that old "Itakker" as they were called where I grew up.

Anticipation at dawn


Some nice work


Back home

Looks like a great time. Nice looking Ithaca and birds

Nice photos and great hunt!

Thanks Frank, Cool gun!!!

Nice photos, Frank. Did you ever get into all those mallards?
Jim

Thanks all. No Jim we had the morning booked and were done at noonish. Luck of the hunt. Since then I've heard from a northern NY friend that some other groups reported the same thing .... huge flocks of mallards still there as of last weekend and working the corn fields along with the canadas. The ducks in particular were the largest concentration in the shortest time frame that I've seen since hunting way up north on James Bay/Ontario many many moons ago.