12/26/2020 Boxing Day Public Land Ring Necked Ducks at Upper Sardis WMA

We didn’t come to the woods to kill ducks, even though I had a box of 3” steel. Dublin and I made our way through the scrub fairly easily until just before we reached the line of sight with the lake we planned on working east until it became just a creek. As we approached the walking became laborious. Briars, grass, bushes. I noticed what appeared to be decoys on the lake, and was disappointed until I saw them start to move. Ducks on a pond! There appeared to be a good number of ring necked ducks and a handful of wood ducks. Dublin and I retreated until we could find an obstructed path to the water’s edge so we could ambush them. I ended up army crawling to about 10 yards from the edge of the water, making Dublin do the same. I popped up and got the ducks up, killing one on my first and third shots. I quickly reloaded as they circled and scattered. I got one more look at them as they passed overhead on their way out of town and dropped a third bird. I sent Dublin after the last bird and he quickly fetched it up. The other birds were crippled and swam to the opposite side of the impoundment. I bagged the bird and made the painful hike along the edge of the water, once falling into the pond and taking a briar strip to the face.

Dublin pointed then flushed and caught one of the ducks on the far side of the pond. I shot another that flopped away from us as we approached. He ran up the bank and caught the third and final bird and brought it to me proudly but with a sense that he had done this previously.

A three duck sneak on what was supposed to be a woodcock walk. Look at that. My wife agreed to a delayed departure for Texas so I may go try and get after them one more time. It just goes to show that you can’t kill them from your living room.