(Adam Intro) Welcome to KSL Outdoors, I’m Adam Eakle and welcome to Southern Idaho where the opener kicks off today and no it’s not the deer or the elk, but the waterfowl season. Bunch of friends from Utah have come up to experience their second opener, the sun is coming up, time to get into the blinds.
Matt Anderson of Camp Chef is with us this year and before we set out for the fields this morning, he set out to make sure we had a hot lunch when we returned.
(matt anderson, Camp Chef) so before we head out and set up the shoot this morning we are going to throw a couple different options in the dutch ovens and let them slow cook.
(Matt) So we are going to do some boneless pork ribs in BBQ sauce and then some chicken in cream of mushroom soup.
(Matt) drop them on a ranger stove with dutch oven domes, so it’s going to create that convection heat. So really 10-15 minutes of preparation, you can have an awesome meal in a few hours.
(matt) what we’ve done is thrown a flame tamer down. It’s going to push the heat to the outside of the oven and when we put this dutch oven dome over the top.
(adam) what’s left? (matt) shooting. (adam) let’s go hunting. (matt) absolutely
(jody Osterhout, Idaho Waterfowl Hunter) I’ve been watching this field for two weeks now. We’ve have ducks in it every morning and night.
(Jody) Lot of green heads and a lot of pintails in the area too, so we should get a good variety today.
(jeff Bringhurst, Utah Waterfowl hunter) Three minutes guys, three minutes.
We’ve had the opportunity to hunt with Jody the last few openers here in Idaho. An avid waterfowl hunter, Jody always seem to find good areas and fields to hunt. Our hopes are sky high as birds are dumping into the spread before shooting time, the wind is at our backs…The ingredients are here for it to be a great morning.
(Taylor) Seven, nineteen. (jody) we are good, next flock that comes in. You don’t have to ask me twice. (jody) alright here we go guys.
(jeff yelling) Big flock!, get down, get down, big flock!
(nats calling) (jody) oh look at this…oh heck, get them guys. (shots) (jody) I never even pulled the trigger, every time I pulled on one, it was going down. (nate to camera) this is awesome.
(Jody) right over us, coming in guys. (ducks turn) (jody) cut them! (shots many ducks fall)
It’s hard to describe the amount of birds we had coming into the spread. Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, another flock would line up.
(jody) cut them! (shots)
(Adam) Wow that was a cool 15 minutes? (jeff) man my heart is still pumping, that was pretty awesome.
One problem the guys are having is distinguish the hens from the drakes in the morning light.
(jody) get it guys, get it! (taylor) that’s a hen. (dustin) that’s a hen, that’s a hen.
Idaho regs allow seven ducks per hunter, two can be hen mallards. These guys don’t like shooting hens, and too many are falling. So It’s time to gather the birds.
(josh) come on here, let’s go bring it here.
Take a count
(Adam) where we at? (dustin counting) (jeff) thirty one. (jody) we are half way there, shoot the green heads son.
and make sure everyone is sure of their target.
(jeff) only drakes guy, only drakes.
(jody) look at all the ducks coming out in front. We’ve got ducks coming in all over again.
(taylor) where are the green ones at?
(Jody) that’s a hen.
(jeff Bringhurst, utah waterfowl hunter) I can’t describe it, I don’t know how many times we sat and watched birds land because there were just hens in it. You know, we were bird watchers today.
(jody) got a fresh flock coming in off to the right.
(nats calling) there’s a green head. (shot) that one. Nice shot.
(jody) coming over the wheel line.
(Adam) have you ever had something like that? (jody) no, i’ve never been on a duck hunt like this.
(jody) three right here guys. (shots) (jody) look at that, three for three. Ha, ha ha, I think you doubled with me didn’t you Jeff?
(Jody) we’ve got more ducks in the area this year than we’ve had, well than I’ve ever seen.
(jody) any green, one, two. (shots) who picked out the pintail. That was good.
(Adam) well I haven’t been hunting waterfowl that long, but in the last seven or eight years that I have been I’ve never quite had a duck hunt just like that. Had an experience once in Vernal where we had a big tornado buck it came after shooting hours. Nothing like this, we actually ended up one duck under our limit, beautiful green head. Check these birds out here in Idaho, can’t beat it. Coming up on KSL Outdoors, we switch gears and go after some geese, but first lets dive into tonights quiz question.
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(Matt Anderson) so we’ve got scalloped potatoes, green beans with bacon of course and then we have pork spare ribs in BBQ sauce and chicken in cream of mushroom soup. well earned? (matt) absolutely, worked hard this morning for an hour and a half.
As we feasted on Matt’s delectable dutch oven offerings, we couldn’t help but reflect on the mornings hunt.
(Josh Atkinson, South Jordan Waterfowl hunter) We sure had a great time. definitely something most people don’t get to do and if you get a chance, it’s awesome.
Idaho is a good alternative for the waterfowl hunter from Utah. A three day license will run about 50 bucks, finding a field is usually the hardest part of the hunt.
(Nathan Stohosky, Idaho Conservation Officer) You know if a guy comes out a week or two in advance, tries to talk to the landowner to get permission, most guys are really good about giving their permission.
Officer Stohosky also reminds Utah hunters, when cleaning birds, make sure to leave evidence of sex.
(Nathan Stohosky) if you were to breast the bird out, you want to make sure you have a fully feathered head or wing attached to the bird. When it’s in transport, that way we can identify what species of goose it is and or what species of ducks it is or the sex of the duck.
(Jody) We are going to put some decoys on this hill over here and this hill right here and try to create a pocket right here.
We’ve scouted the night before, found a cut corn field with about 500 geese piling into it. Unfortunately we couldn’t get permission on that field, but did get permission on one nearby.
(jody) this has been planted into winter wheat and they are in here eating on the potatoes, you can see where they are eating these young potatoes that didn’t get picked up from the harvesters when they come in and harvested it.
(jody) we’ll get our meat and potatoes today.
(Adam) Our hide is going to be difficult. (jeff) it’s going to be tough, look what we’ve got, nothing but dirt today. so hopefully being up on this road line, there is a little bit of vegetation here. We tuck up close, get these tumble weeds stacked up on top of us. I think we’ll be alright.
(Adam) look at these geese right here.
(nats calling and geese calling back)
(geese calling, shots) 410 works. (Laughs) (adam) nice job. (matt) oh yeah. That’s how it’s done. (adam) way to start out the morning boys.
(Jody to dog) come on bud.
(jody to dog) good boy.
(jody) this year we’ve got a good population of geese already. (adam) nothing like the ducks? (jody) no, our duck population this year is fantastic.
(matt Anderson, Camp Chef) seriously after a duck of day, a day of duck yesterday. This is awesome. That was amazing to watch them work in like that.
(Nate) we end up with two? (jody) three.
So put in a little homework, talk to a landowner and get up here and try your hand at hunting for waterfowl in the fields of southern Idaho. Time to head back to Salt Lake to the guys at fish tech for tonights fishing report.
(high five) (matt) thanks guys that was awesome.
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