2011 Season in Review

The end of the 2011 Waterfowl Season closes the book on my 7th year hunting the Mendenhall State Game Refuge, located in the heart of Juneau, Alaska.

Overall it was one of my most successful seasons for ducks, but lacking in opportunities for geese. I was blessed to hunt with many friends this year and to be able to hunt both the opening and final days of the season.

One of my most memorable hunts took place on Black Friday. I was fortunate enough to hunt the storm tide with strong winds and shoot my first limit of the season! Alaska has very generous bag limits due to an abundance of waterfowl, low hunting pressure and just plain awesomeness!

I hunt out of my Marsh Rat duck boat any chance I get so this trip was originally meant to take place on one of the many islands in the refuge. When I got to my launch spot, I could tell the wind was too high and the trip out to the island would be dangerous. I opted to stay close to shore and tied up behind a log that had a nice blanket of snow that would conceal my presence.

The log concealing my boat

With the high winds (gusting over 25 knots) and the associated waves, the ducks were constantly moving and looking for secluded places to set. I had several fair sized flocks work and even dropped two of the hen pintails out of a flock of a dozen birds that nearly landed on me.

I shot my last bird just as the tide receded, leaving my boat and decoys high and dry. At that point, I was doubly thankful I hadn't ventured farther for this hunt. Dragging my boat back to my launch spot was hard enough as it was.

My limit of 4 Mallards and 3 Pintails on the bow of my boat

Here's a short video of the hunt: