Duck Traps, a Pintail, Geese, etc.

Well the 2010/2011 waterfowl season is nearly over, duck hunting has been gone for almost a week now, and winter rages on. We have switched gears from chasing ducks with decoys and guns to using traps and bait with intentions of keeping them alive and fitting them with leg bands.  Several of our duck traps are set at locations that proved us well last year and it's shaping up to be a good season.

Besides combating snow filled traps, the ducks seem to be finding the bait and while the traps aren't set yet, the birds are becoming quickly accustomed to them.  JV and I spent the day cleaning out traps and re-baiting them.  With any luck the skies will stay clear and we won't be burdened with any more of the white stuff that seems to be non-stop this winter.

A hen mallard hanging out on the trap, several black ducks look on.

John brings a trap to shore to clean the snow and re-bait.

This stunning drake pintail was hanging out at one of our trap locations, Glad to see he made it through the hunting season, lets hope we trap him and send him off with a shiny new band!

Just down the shore a ways, at another location we watched several hundred ducks and geese pitch into a small tidal creek.