# Maumee bay ducks



## JimmyZ

Went out this morning for my first hunt of the year. Hit 2 mallards the first 15 minutes of hunt and nothing else. Very few birds flying. Geese I seen where all on the other side of river. On vacation second week of season, hopefully more new ducks will show up. I think most of these locals all have a routine already set.

First duck came in right at legal and was a easy 15 yard shot. My lab didn't have to swim for that retrieve, bird fell where rocks meet water. Second came in as a pair, missed 1st and 2nd shots connected on the 3rd shot. My lab made an awesome retrieve on this bird. I hit it in the wing and it hit the water with its head up. I hit it one time on the water and then it started diving. I went to get more shells to hopefully finish it off and when I got back over (I hit this duck on the far right side of my spread and when it hit water it was out of my spread, I couldn't see it, so had to get out of blind) my lab had chased it in to shore and ran the duck out of breathe. As soon as the duck would surface my lab would be right there and the duck would have to immediatly dive again. It was awesome watching her putting her whole head under water to get that duck.  By the end the duck just couldn't go under long enough and my girl got it. It pays to have a good retriever, they definetly bag birds that otherwise may just end up as cripples.

I had one other bird decoy but it was a hen and I had already bagged a hen. She swan around a good 10 minutes in the spread drinking water and messing around. Nothing better than a natural live decoy, to bad no other birds where flying. 

Seen guys who hunted opening day across the bay in MI. They bagged 30 teal for 6 guys. Said they shot 24 teal in the first 15 minutes. Wow. They had some real nice looking drake green wings. 

I was happy connecting on 2 mallards for first time out. It felt awesome just being out there again.


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