12-29-13

Despite the clear and dead calm conditions we still managed a good hunt today! Chris Podesta was behind the gun this morning and killed all but a couple of the birds that came his way today. We called it a day around 10:00 with a mixed strap including 6 ducks, a speck, and a honker. By no means was it red hot but watching that honker come to the call from a small speck in the sky to putting its feet down over the decoys, made today a success! There is just nothing like a honker coming to the call when they decide they want in!!

Casey

12-28-13

Today was a great day in the world of waterfowling! We had 3 groups of hunters in the field today and we all had great results! The birds were moving and decoying well and the clients did their part putting them down! Lots of big ducks and quite a mix of birds, hopefully it will continue.

Casey 

12-27-13

The duck hunting still sucks, so pheasants it is!! This morning we hit the duck blind with the Chrisp family for a couple hours and we killed 2 sprig but it died after that so we headed out after some pheasants. Casey had planted the birds earlier in the morning so we loaded up and got after it. We flushed 15+ birds and the guys made short work of them!!

Derek

12-23-13

Today it was Bruce, Rg, and his two boys in the field. The weather was perfect for pheasant hunting and the guys had a blast! We hunted behind my lab pup "Cash" and he did a great job and pointed several of the birds!! 

Casey 

12-22-13

The duck hunting has been slow so we switched gears towards pheasants so that everyone got to burn some gun powder! Today I guided the Dermenjians and they had a great hunt! We put up 15 birds on the hunt and they made short work of them!!

Derek  

12-21-13

Another fine day of crystal clear, dead calm weather coupled with the full moon resulted in some decent shooting. I had 2 groups of hunters out today, 1 group in the Delevan blind and another in the Colusa blind. Neither blind was a slaughter but each blind ended up with 7 birds and a few missed opportunities. I sure hope things change soon because it's way past go time! As soon as we get a change in the weather the hunting should turn in the right direction!

Casey 

12-20-13

I awoke this morning expecting North wind again but it was dead calm in Sutter. I had 2 groups of hunters out today so I went to Richvale and Derek went to Colusa. As luck would have it the West side still had 15-20 MPH North wind and it was near dead on the East side. There were a few birds flying in Richvale and we ended up with 7 birds for 2 shooters. Derek on the other hand had a little better action ending the morning with 9 geese and 9 ducks. Not red hot but a step in the right direction!!

Casey

12-19-13

The full moon has been kicking our ass, but with the weather man calling for strong North winds today I took a chance and loaded the blinds with clients. There are a ton of birds around and I was sure that the wind would get them moving. All of the blinds had a decent early flight that was quick to die off. The only blind that held strong was the Colusa blind. Out of the 4 blinds that we shot today, three of them killed 6-10 birds each and the Colusa blind ended with 17. Not exactly what I had in mind but we will take it!

Casey

12-18-13

The lovely full moon is here and the full moon syndrome has set in! Not only are we battling the frozen rice fields but now the moon as well. We got into the blind this morning and the field was almost completely frozen, but the ice was pretty thin so I broke it up and hoped it would work. The flight was pretty dismal but the birds that were flying responded well to the call! We ended up with 7 ducks and a speck. We let a few more get away today but you can't kill them all right?

Casey

12-14-13

I decided to switch it up and give Colusa a try today. We headed out to the blind and there were quite a few birds flying before hours and we were hopeful that some would stick around. The flight started out ok and by 7:30 we had killed 6 and missed a few others. We stayed optimistic and stuck it out until 11:00 but just couldn't get anymore birds to commit. Not a bad shoot considering the weather we are being dealt.

Casey

12-13-13

Back up North this morning. It was dead calm and crystal clear with not much flying other than sprig! We sat in the blind until 10:00 and tryed like hell to coax the few birds that were flying into the decoys but the only ones who wanted to play were the sprig. We ended the morning with 6 sprig and could have killed several more if we were not bound by the limit!! Hopefully at some point the limit will be increased to where it should be!

12-12-13

I headed up north this morning hoping there wouldn't be any ice and as luck would have it we had very little! That was a good start and as we got ready for shooting time to approach we could hear a few birds moving around. At legal shooting time the flight has deceased and was almost non existent. There were a few ducks around and the ones that wanted to play did it right, coming in nice and tight! The guys shot well and we ended the hunt with 8 ducks and a speck.

Casey

12-11-13

We decided to give the wetland a try this morning since the rice has been a little slow. I met up with Bill and Bob and we headed out to see what we could get done. As we got to the blind I could hear alot of birds and as legal shooting time came I wasn't disappointed. There were alot of birds milling around but they sure were stubborn and did not want to play the game. Slowly but surely we picked away at the singles and pairs ending the mornings hunt with two nice limits of ducks. The guys shot well today and the birds that listened did it right!!

Justin

12-7-13

With the weather man forecasting wind and rain for today I headed to the guide blind South of Colusa. There have been 2-3 grinds of geese in the surrounding fields and I figured we would be able to put the hammer to them! As we got into the blind the fog moved in and killed us!! We had a few birds come in during the fog but the bulk of the birds stayed up above it. We ended the morning with 3 ducks and 3 geese and should have had a few others. Had the fog not socked in on us I am sure we would have had hefty straps!

Justin 

12-7-13

I headed to the blind this morning with Roland, Cliff, and Greg knowing that we were going to slaughter them but as I got closer to the club the fog got thicker and soon we were engulfed in fog!! I could hear the birds flying above it and all we could do is wait and hope that it would break before the birds quit flying. We waited patiently and picked off a few birds but the bulk of the birds were up in the fog. By the time the fog broke the birds had quit flying but we did our best and ended up with 9 ducks and should have had a few others. Casey saw lots of new ducks in the area yesterday afternoon but the fog killed us today!

Derek 

12-7-13

The weather man said wind and rain for today but we were greeted by clear skies and a little bit of fog. I wasn't sure what to expect as I hadn't hunted this blind for a few days and when we got into the field could hear very few birds. As legal shooting time came the fog thickened and we couldn't see many birds but could hear a few. As the morning went on the fog would lift, we would get a few birds and then it would settle back in. Around 10:00 the fog lifted and the wind picked up making for some good shooting! We ended the morning with 18 ducks and 6 specks! It turned out to be a pretty damn good shoot.

Casey

12-6-13

The morning was clear and cold when I met Ken at the casino but the wind was blowing a bit so I decided to head for the rice with hope that it wasn't frozen solid. We got into the blind and there was some open water but as shoot time approached the ice moved in on us and closed up all of the holes. There were a few birds flying but they wanted nothing to do with the ice so we waited, and waited, and waited for the ice to thaw. Around 11:30 the ice started to thin and the wind picked up and I hoped that all of the waiting would soon pay off! Around 12:30 the flight started to pick up and by 2:00 we had limits of ducks and a speck! When we left the field the birds were pouring in and I have no doubt that they just kept coming until dark! All of the birds were super skinny and appear to be new arrivals from up North!!

Casey  

12-5-13

The weather man was calling for a hard freeze last night so we hit the wetland this morning with hopes of open water and lots of birds! We got the open water but not as many birds as expected. The flight was slow and steady and we picked them off one at a time ending the morning with 9 ducks and 3 geese. If it wasn't for some gun problems and some missed opportunities we would have had limits! Either way we ended the morning with a nice strap of birds.

Derek 

12-4-13

Another North wind day! We got into the blind this morning and I was surprised at the numbers of ducks in the air, or lack there of! After yesterdays shoot I figured we would pound them but there just weren't many birds flying. The ones that were decoyed well and the guys put the hammer to them ! We ended up with 12 ducks and a couple specks for the morning. I guess it was quality of quantity today as they were all big birds!

Derek 

12-4-13

We started the morning with strong North wind, plenty of birds, and bent barrels! As hard as we tried Rick, Mark, and I just couldn't hit shit! We were getting groups of birds right in and knocking only 1 or 2 out of each group. It didn't take us long to get back on track and we started making up for our poor shooting earlier in the day. Mark had to get back to work so we called it quits at 10:00 with 15 ducks and 6 specks! Had we been shooting good right out of the gate we would have had our 21 ducks and several more specks, but that is how it goes some days!

Casey 

12-3-13

The North wind was blowing as I met Dave and Ed at the casino this morning, and I knew we would be on the birds! When we got into the blind I could hear some birds but not as many as expected. As it got light we had birds moving around but the majority of them were pintail. We had our pintail rather quickly and then waited patiently for the other ducks to show and they did! Every once in awhile something other than a pintail would make its way towards the blind and the guys would put them on the strap. It took us until 11:00 but we got it done!

Derek  

12-3-13

My Clients for today cancelled last minute so I called Bill Karr of Western Outdoor News to see if he would like to join me for a hunt. He said yes and the plan was pit into motion. We met prior to legal shooting time and headed to the blind where we were greeted by the sounds of ducks and geese as well as a stiff North wind. In the pre dawn it looked as if it would be a slaughter and as legal shooting time came the flight seemed to slow down but there were more than enough birds to fill our strap. We had 14 ducks by 8:30 and then waited to see if we could add some specks to the strap! The specks decided to cooperate and we left the blind with 14 ducks and 5 specks! It was a great shoot and I am hopeful that this is the start to more good things to come.

Casey 

11-29-13

This morning we planted 20 birds for the Vanoncini's annual after Thanksgiving pheasant hunt. I met the guys at the casino and headed over to the field. The dog was working well and the guys shooting was on! We ended up with 15 birds out of the 20. It was a good change form sitting in the duck blind and fun was had by all.

Derek

11-25-13

No wind, no clouds, no duck weather, but you don't know if you don't go! I grabbed the clients at the casino this morning and we headed for the rice near Delevan refuge. As we awaited legal shooting light I could hear lots of geese but not many ducks. When it was light enough to see into the refuge it was evident that a ton of geese had moved into the refuge last night and pushed the ducks out, damn geese! We had a few ducks working around and as the morning went on we scratched a few birds out. To my surprise there were very few specks in the mix of geese but all the singles, pairs, and small groups wanted to work and were listening very well. The first group to work us came right over the blind at 35 yards but I got greedy and waited for them to make another pass but they didn't like something and bugged out, lesson learned! We had a few other pairs and singles work right in to 15-20 yards and the guys smoked them. We ended up with 6 specks and 4 ducks this morning, and could have had another 5-6 specks. Not a bad shoot for the terrible weather.

Derek   

11-25-13

Another sunny calm November day, be we are still out in the field putting in our time and being rewarded with a few birds. I headed up North this morning to see what was happening. Prior to legal shooting time we could hear geese all over but not many ducks. As legal shooting time came the geese took flight on the neighboring properties and it was a sight to see! The sky turned black with thousands of snows and specks but unfortunately they left the fields they were feeding and made a B line for their roost ponds paying us no attention. As the morning went on I kept calling at the small groups of specks but couldn't get them to cooperate. They would lock up and come bombing down to 80 yards and start to circle but they kept getting pulled off by the non stop cross flight of big groups of specks jumping between grinds. The ducks were few and far between but we managed to decoy 5 birds on three different ups and the guys shot 100%, killing every bird that came in. It was pretty slow but that's to be expected with the weather we are having!

Casey

11-24-13

This morning I planted some pheasants for the Jensen's and then took them out on the hunt. We started hunting at 9:00 and the guys went to hammering the birds! We worked the natural habitat and ended up flushing 16 roosters and the guys got 15 of them. We had a great time and my dog did excellent, he even pointed a few.

Derek

11-24-13

I have been trying to get my son Cade out for his first duck hunt as a licensed hunter and today was the day. We got into the blind with clear and calm conditions and my expectations weren't too high but I knew we could at least get a few birds within gun range. As soon as legal shooting time came there were a surprising number of birds in the air. We tried to get the teal to slow down enough for Cade to get on them but they wouldn't cooperate so Bigshot and I let a couple of them have it. As the morning wore on Cade had shot at 5-6 birds without connecting but that all changed when 3 gaddys came loafing in and Cade stoned the drake, it was awesome! He has waited patiently for this day and I couldn't  have been happier for him. He was so excited and so was I, it made my season! It's funny how a single bird can make the day and get a guy thinking back to his first duck hunt! We stayed in the blind until 10:00 and then called it quits. Between the 3 of us we ended up with 12 ducks and had we all been on our A game would have had limits. It was a great hunt and I couldn't be more proud of Cade, he is now officially a duck hunter.

Casey   

11-23-13

The winds had died down when I looked out the window this morning, but we still had about a 10 mph wind  blowing when we got to the field. At first light there were not many birds flying but the ones that were decoyed well. We stayed in the blind until eleven and just before we got ready to pack it in I looked up and saw a pair of honkers headed our way. A few clucks out of the short reed and they were headed to us on a string! The birds came right in and put there feet down at 15 yards and the guys smoked them!! It was a great way to end the days hunt. We ended up with 10 ducks and 2 honkers.

Derek

11-22-13

I awoke to the howling North wind again and was excited to get into the blind! I met up with Phil and Kate and we headed to the rice blind near Delevan. With the amount of birds that I had seen go into the refuge yesterday I was sure that I had made the right choice but as shooting time grew near I was disappointed in the lack of birds that I was hearing. As legal shooting time cam so did a few birds and they went to work on them. It didn't take long to see that it was going to be another day of watching the sprig show so we tried to make the best of any other kind of duck that came near. We had 7 ducks by 9:30 and then the action slowed and then just died! We did however manage to get a few geese after that but the few ducks that were still flying wanted nothing to do with us. We called it quits at noon with a mixed strap of ducks and 3 geese. It wasn't exactly what I had in mind for today but as long as we are getting some shooting I won't complain! This is typical November hunting, you just never know what will happen day to day. 

Derek  

11-22-13

The North wind was howling and the birds were flying! I headed back North this morning and was happy that I did. At first light there were birds flying but not the big groups that I saw yesterday morming. Mostly singles and pairs today but that usually makes for better shooting and before long we had the strap full of 21 birds! They were a mix of mallard, widgeon, sprig, and teal. The geese still didn't want to play but we managed to get a bonus speck that couldn't resust the trusty redbone! It looks to me like we are getting some new birds from up North, as some of them were very skinny and worked like a dream. Now let's just hope they keep coming!

Justin    

11-21-13

Today I decided to give Richvale a try and I am glad I did!! At legal shooting time we had a big flock of widgeon come in and knocked down 5! As fast as we could shoot there were birds coming in and by 7:30 we had 10 widgeon and 4 mallards on the strap! We stayed in the blind until 8:30 looking to add some geese to the strap but they wouldn't works so we called it a day. It was a great shoot in the North wind.

Justin

11-21-13

Today I guided Arman for ducks. We went to the blind near Delevan Refuge and it was on! The wind was howling and the birds were in the air. We made short work of the sprig and then the waiting game started as we had waves of sprig in the air and had to look hard to find anything else. We stayed after it and ended at 9:00 AM with our 2 limits of ducks and a speck. The strap was a mixed bag of anything that flys the valley! I don't know when, if ever we will see our sprig limits increase, but there seems to be more of them than anything else!

Derek

11-19-13

Today I guided Bruce and Hal for ducks. With the weatherman calling for wind and rain I decided to head for the rice near Delevan Refuge. We rode to the blind in the wind and rain and just as expected, once in the blind the rain quit! At legal shooting time there were a few birds flying and Bruce smoked the first duck that came in. We sat waiting patiently but there just wasn't much flying but a few birds here and there that would not listen no matter how hard I tried. Around 9:00 the rain started and the ducks started flying! Between 9:00 and 11:30 Bruce and Hal took down another 13 ducks and 1 speck. The hunting was by no means fast and furious but we stuck it out and the guys ended up with a great strap of birds!

Casey

11-18-13

Today I guided Bruce Casella for pheasants on the club. We started at 8 AM and worked our way through the natural cover. It did not take long to start putting birds in the air and B

11-15-13

Today I guided Randall Walker for ducks. We hit the rice and had a stiff North wind blowing and plenty of birds flying, however, they were 99% sprig! It didn't take long for us to bag our 4 sprig and then we sat and watched the show as group after group of sprig worked the decoys. As we sat watching the sprig every now and then something else would sneak in and we would put the hammer on them! We stuck it out until 10:30 and ended the hunt with 13 ducks and a speck! It always amazes me how the sprig come out of the wood work when the North wind blows!

Justin

11-10-13

Today I guided Jim, Tom, and Eric for ducks. We hit the rice not expecting much as the weather was forcasted to be sunny and 75! When we got to the blind there were a few birds flying and we did our best to fool them but most wanted nothing to do with us. We stayed at it and managed to end the hunt with 7 ducks and a speck. Far from red hot, but not bad given the weather.

Justin

11-9-13

Today I guided Jim Harrington and crew. The weather was clear and calm so I figured I would give the wetland a try. We got into the blind and there were a few birds flying but they were not listening well. Every once in awhile we would fool a few into range and the guys would go to work on them. Today it was quality of quantity! We ended the hunt with 7 mallards and probably should have had 5-6 more. For the weather it was better than expected and the guys had a blast giving each other a hard time!

Casey