When The White Ducks Toll!
Great lakes duck gunning has changed considerably over the last 20 years but one thing remains the same - The Goldeneye (Whistler) is still the toughest late season duck that flies! These ducks, along with Bufflehead can provide fast and furious action for those gunners willing to brave the elements in search of their haunts. With temperatures in the teens, hunting guides Jim Rehley and Jon Roukous joined me in the eastern basin of Lake Ontario to field test Blackwater decoy's Rough Rider diving duck blocks. I anticipated good action, but the results were overwhelming!
5 a.m. found us launching the Seaway #1 at the town ramp in Sackets Harbor, NY. Sackets is located on the shores of Black River bay which can be a hot bed for late season diving duck activity. A brisk northeast wind was clipping as we nosed the 20 footer towards the north shore of the bay and calm water. Upon arrival we followed the shoreline around Pillar point to a famous diving duck point known as "Bull Rock". We edged the boat into the boulders and anchored her fast in position. The flat expanse of shelf rock made it easy to wade and set decoys. The northeast wind rolled out of Sherwin Bay across our right shoulders and out to open water. We were hoping that divers would pitch the rig from left to right giving us great decoying action and some cross gunning as well. We gang set the right front of the rig with 25 Blackwater Bluebill decoys. We chose these because of the high white patches on their sides which provide great visibility at long distances. With these in position we rigged a string of Whistler decoys (Herter's burlap wrapped) from deep water into the left side of our pattern. Between the two decoy sets, we placed 5 more Whistler decoys in what we considered the kill pocket. Our 5 inside Whistlers were set at just 15 yards and the bulk of the Bluebills were between 20 and 30 yards. Ten minutes remained before legal shooting so we passed out steaming cups of hot tea, waited for the birds and wondered if our rig would do the trick.
Legal shooting time came and went with no visible signs of white duck traffic. Migrating flocks of Bluebills passed high overhead as they winged towards some unknown destination. We all wondered whether we had picked the wrong location for our morning adventure. At 7:10 a.m. a single drake Bufflehead buzzed into the pattern from left to right and a quick shot dispatched him as he hooked between the Whistler and Bluebill decoys. "Re-load quick, Here comes another little gang of three!" Two hens and a drake Buff were spinning us wide when they glimpsed the trailing white of our Goldeneye string. Like F-16's they banked hard and crashed the rig with the reckless abandon that divers are known for. When paddles finally flared, my hunting partners pumped actions and short circuited this trio's migration. The white ducks were finally beginning to trade! On cold frosty mornings, diving ducks can trade later than normal and it appeared that this was shaping up to be that kind of day. Jim hissed "On the left - Here they come!" As eyes turned, we focused on a small knot of 5 Bufflehead followed closely by a wad of more than 30 other Buffs. I trilled out the soft Brrrrrr, Brrrrrrr, Brrrrrrr sound that divers make when trading between groups and watched as the first 5 committed hard to our string of Whistlers. The first gang pitched the rig as we hesitated, waiting to see if the larger group would follow suit. "They're gonna spin us wide and pass the rig!" someone said. At 50 yards, crossing left to right, it appeared that whoever spoke those words - might be right. At the last moment, an inside drake spotted our pod of Blackwaters and turned in for a closer inspection. The group followed suit and were soon vying for position within our Bluebill blocks. Diving duck hunters can appreciate the mayhem that ensued over the next 20 seconds. All tolled, 7 Buffies (mostly drakes) lay belly up on the waters surface. The day was shaping up nicely.
While I was pleased with the white ducks that had flown us, I was surprised that no Goldeneye had flown our point. In this gunners mind, Godeneye are the champions of late season divers. They are perhaps the toughest duck that flies and their ability to dive and elude hunters after the shot is legendary in duck hunting circles. Goldeneye will accept only their kind when pitching a rig often shunning all other types of decoys.
Guides Jim Rehley & Jon Roukous aboard the Seaway#1. Blackwater decoys enticed this mix of Whistlers and Bufflehead.
The placement of Goldeneye blocks must also be very specific. Just one decoy out of position and the Whistlers will pitch short or not work the rig at all. High profile splashes of white are critical when decoying late season birds and since this color pattern is mostly found on drakes, the best decoy rigs are weighted heavily with male birds.
We discussed the apparent lack of Whistlers when the tell tale intermittent whistle of an approaching duck caught our attention. There is no mistaking the approach of a Goldeneye and the whistling we heard was being created by a pair of incoming drakes. The two birds approached fast. Banking from right to left, they homed in on our string of faux Goldeneye, never suspecting the ruse until we rose to meet them at a mere 15 yards. We admired the full winter plumage and the bull chests that these two drakes sported. It was obvious that these birds love the cold, impervious to the worst of conditions and most hunters guns. Watching these two birds work the rig was worth the price of admission!
Many more small bands of birds worked the rig allowing us to collect our remaining Bufflehead and an additional immature drake Whistler. The hunt was over at 8:05 a.m. lasting just 55 minutes. While this may seem hardly worth the work to some, true watermen relish the ability to shoot fast, collect ducks and leave without educating large masses of ducks. They know that this type of management will provide some excellent gunning again in the days that follow. As we pulled the rig, our group chatted about how realistic the Blackwater Bluebills had appeared on the water. It was quite evident, that the Bufflehead were attracted to the heavy white patches on the sides of these blocks. We would surely have lost the big gang of Buffs had it not been for our up-wind knot of Blackwaters.
Just two weeks before, I had the opportunity to hunt with Bill Humphries of Blackwater decoys. We shared a layout boat together hunting Bluebills on the western end of Lake Erie. We discussed the pros and cons of different decoy styles and what makes the Blackwater blocks different. Blackwaters are made of high density, flexible urethane. While somewhat weighty, it allows them to ride the waves in much the same manner as a real duck. Since we were ferrying them on board the float rig, weight was not a concern. The body styling is the result of master carvers producing an original from wood which is then used to form subsequent molds. Waterfowler and carver, Gary Joe Bryan assists the Blackwater team in the development of these blocks. A veteran of carving competition, Bryan knows how to make these decoys look real. I asked about material selection and they simply stated that, "We wanted to make the toughest decoys on the market". Humphries demonstrated the toughness by placing a drake Bluebill at a measured 10 yards from our boat. He then told me to shoot it 5 times with the loads I was using. I proceeded to shoot the decoy with #2 Fasteel while Humphries hit it 5 times with 3 inch BB's. I expected to see decoy pieces after the barrage but what I saw was a pretty good looking block! Granted, some of the paint was gone but a duck would surely still work to this decoy. Humphries also explained that the paint schemes on all Blackwater decoys are guaranteed for 2 years.
Currently, there are no Bufflehead or Whistler decoys in the Blackwater lineup. Humphries said that this could change in the near future - I hope that it does! Veterans of big water would surrender all other decoys before they would give up their Goldeneye blocks. Blackwater packages their decoys by the dozen (8 drakes & 4 hens). The additional white in the diving duck rig gets a thumbs up from our group.
White ducks provide tremendous gunning opportunity throughout the months of November and December on the great lakes. Operating in late season conditions can be both mentally and physically demanding. Duck hunting gear can also take a beating in adverse conditions. Hunting with a durable decoy like the Blackwater means there is one less thing to worry about. Gunning the late season is cold hard work but it's worth the effort when the white ducks toll!
Cpt. Bill Saiff III holds a Bull Whistler on a frigid late November Morning.
