Thunder always hunts the waterfowl opener and this year was no exception.

Opening Day was this past Saturday and we were up at our cabin which means hunting wood ducks on the river.  The habitat around the river is excellent for wood ducks.  The river is fairly shallow and slow-moving (except during the early Spring when it can rage due to snow melting and run off).  There are plenty of trees, logs and woody debris which wood ducks love.

Hubby had scouted out his spot on the river bank the day before.  Finding a good spot is important especially if you are hunting with a dog.  You want to make sure there is not something that poses a danger to your dog.  Hubby was looking for a spot clear of sharp trees and branches since Thunder drives so hard to the birds.  He found a good spot with a nice stump to sit on.

Over the years hubby has learned that the wood ducks are only active for a couple or three hours after sunrise.  He used to try his luck in the evening but that never turned out, so he sticks to morning hunts.  He usually puts out just a few wood duck decoys but doesn’t try to call the ducks.  Wood ducks don’t really respond to calling.  They fly by and if you have a good spot, they might stop to check out your decoys, or not.  Sometimes they just fly by.  They can come from any direction and they fly fast so the hunter and dog have to be ready.

Hubby and Thunder headed out before first light on opening day.  Hubby set out the decoys and he and Thunder waited for the birds.

Finally a drake (male) wood duck landed in the decoys but flew up once hubby stood up to shoot at it.  Hubby hit it and Thunder was off for the retrieve.  The duck dove and swam to the other side of the river.  Thunder chased it and hunted and hunted but could not come up with it.  Hubby thought he had a clean shot, but may be not so reluctantly he recalled Thunder.  Thunder was not happy about not getting his bird but he came back and they waited some more.

Another duck landed in the decoys and hubby got that one with a nice retrieve for Thunder.  No sooner did Thunder deliver that bird then he took off back across the river to the exact spot where he had been looking for the first duck.  Thunder does not like to leave birds in the field.  Hubby decided just to let him go.  Thunder knew exactly where the bird was and after hunting in the heavy cover a bit, he came back with the duck.

The main reason to hunt with a dog is to recover all of the the game, and there is nothing like hunting with an experienced hunting dog.  At 9 years old, Thunder is a well seasoned hunting dog.  The thing that makes him an excellent hunting dog made master hunt tests a challenge for him.  He is going to bring back the birds, to heck with the hunt test scenarios and rules!

The limit on wood ducks is three, but two were all that came by that morning.  Eventually hubby and Thunder packed it up and headed back and on the way out, Thunder flushed a grouse.  Good dog.  Both Thunder and hubby had a blast hunting Opening Day 2015.