[Fowlmouth]

[QUOTE="MrShane, post: 2304930
Due to water levels in Utah, I think we are in for a rough duck season this year.
Don’t get me wrong, there will be some very good days but I think they will be few and far between.
I pray I am wrong though….
[/QUOTE]

Agree! After hearing and reading about yesterday’s youth hunt, I think the same thing.
The bottom line is the GSL has got to get back to normal water level or we are going to have mediocre seasons.

Oh! Anyone know why unit 2 at Farmington is bone dry?

 

[JerryH]

Unit 2 has water in it today. It's filling up but not quite full. Teal lake has some water.

FYI horseflies can fly 19 1/2 miles per hour.

 

[johnnycake]

I can’t afford (and wouldn’t pay anyway) the crazy prices for “premium” ammo. The marketers have done well convincing a lot of people that ducks are flying armored cars that require a modified AA gun and ammo to bring them down.

I like to use cheaper stuff for most waterfowl hunting, but I have found that the premium ammo is worth it and makes a huge difference when I am hunting geese in areas with consistently high winds (+15mph sustained, often +30mph).

 

[Fowlmouth]

I bought a case of 20 gauge 2 3/4" #6 7/8 oz. Kent Dove Steel last year. I had decent success using it on ducks. I still have 5 or 6 boxes left so I will be burning through those this year too.

 

[gander311]

Oh man, you’re not kidding about the horse flies Jerry. I drove out there yesterday and they were terrible. The worst I’ve ever seen in my memory. I was going to launch a new little boat I got and try out my motor, but I got bit three times walking from the driver seat to the back of my truck, and there were literally hundreds of horse flies swarming my truck already. So I rapidly changed my mind and hopped back in the truck. The swarm followed my truck down the road towards Turpin for quite a while and I was surprised at that speed they were still pacing me.

Water levels look rough. 2 and Teal lake were barely puddles like others have said, with water dumping into them as we speak. So hopefully they get up to usable amounts of water sooner than later.

Back on topic, I also stocked up on a few cases of steel with the rebates and stuff going on. I’ll mostly be shooting 3” 20 gauge 4 shot Winchesters this year that I got a good deal on. I also have a case of those same Winchesters in 2’s, and just picked up a case of 2 3/4” 6 shot steel that I think will be wicked on decoying birds. And for late season geese I bought some TSS 7 shot that I’ve been trying my hand at the reloading game.

I will say that for most of what I do, steel shot is fine. But the TSS pellet performance is out of this world. I wish it was feasible to shoot on a regular basis. I will also say that I recently acquired my grandpa’s old Browning A5 sweet sixteen, and it is not steel shot safe. I bought some bismuth 4’s to shoot out of it, and had it an a goose hunt already. Holy cow that stuff hits harder than steel. We had a 3 pack hit the decoys on the opposite side of the spread from me, and I let everybody else shoot first. They killed two of the honkers, and the third one was peeling out still after everyone had finished shooting, so I pulled up on its butt going away at about 45-50 yards for what felt was a bit of a Hail Mary shot. The bird crumpled, like absolutely pillow cased, dead before the dirt. I was quite impressed.

I hope everyone has a safe and great season. And I hope to run into many of you out in the field!

 

[gander311]

This is the “launch” at 2 yesterday. It was about 80 yards to the water line, and I can’t imagine that water is enough to float any boats.

 

[MWScott72]

I saw one of my spots about a week ago and it made me want to shed a tear. The water is WAY down. If we don’t figure out how to get more water into the GSL and surrounding marshes sooner than later, duck hunting as we know it may not look even remotely similar in 10-20 years time.

 

[BYUHunter]

So do I. This will be our 7th year doing it. We will be hunting with an Outfitter (Fowl Plain) out of Abernathy. That's 15 miles north of Lubbock. Great lodge, food, and lots of birds. We'll be there the week after Thanksgiving for a 3-day hunt. I drive to and from. Widowed and retired, I have plenty of time to do that.

From last year; I'm third from the right. UT, TX, CO, VA, & NC all represented here. Family & friends is what its all about. 🥰

View attachment 165230

This is good to hear, as Fowl Plains is the outfit we'll be going with as well. I'll be there the first week of December.

 

[dubob]

This is good to hear, as Fowl Plains is the outfit we'll be going with as well. I'll be there the first week of December.

I sent you a PM.

 

[benelli man]

I'll be shooting up the rest of my bismuth stock and what little TSS I have left in the 28 gauge. Then it will be back to hand loading and experimenting with steel! Probably will buy a box or two of Boss's new copper loads to try as well.

 

[MrShane]

I'll be shooting up the rest of my bismuth stock and what little TSS I have left in the 28 gauge. Then it will be back to hand loading and experimenting with steel! Probably will buy a box or two of Boss's new copper loads to try as well.

I always believed copper was toxic and a no-no during waterfowl season?
Please correct me if wrong?

 

[benelli man]

I'll be shooting up the rest of my bismuth stock and what little TSS I have left in the 28 gauge. Then it will be back to hand loading and experimenting with steel! Probably will buy a box or two of Boss's new copper loads to try as well.

I always believed copper was toxic and a no-no during waterfowl season?
Please correct me if wrong?

MrShane, according to Boss's website it was deemed non toxic in 2013 by the USFWS. I don't know much beyond that other than that is how they are marketing it.

Boss Shotshells: 12 Gauge Boss Copper 12 Gauge Boss Copper

 

[MrShane]

MrShane, according to Boss's website it was deemed non toxic in 2013 by the USFWS. I don't know much beyond that other than that is how they are marketing it.

Boss Shotshells: 12 Gauge Boss Copper 12 Gauge Boss Copper

After thinking about it more I remembered it was the copper plated lead that was not allowed for waterfowl.
Full 100% copper rifle bullets are allowed in lead-free big game hunting zones.
So 100% copper shot makes sense for lead-free waterfowl hunting zones.
Thank you for jogging my memory Benelli Man!

 

[benelli man]

MrShane, according to Boss's website it was deemed non toxic in 2013 by the USFWS. I don't know much beyond that other than that is how they are marketing it.

Boss Shotshells: 12 Gauge Boss Copper 12 Gauge Boss Copper

After thinking about it more I remembered it was the copper plated lead that was not allowed for waterfowl.
Full 100% copper rifle bullets are allowed in lead-free big game hunting zones.
Thank you for jogging my memory Benelli Man!

No problem! One can never be too careful. The last thing anyone wants is a ticket.

 

[dubob]

You can see ALL of the approved, non-toxic materials approved for use on waterfowl in the USA at this link: Nontoxic Shot Regulations For Hunting Waterfowl and Coots in the U.S. | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

As to copper specifically, here are the approved uses of copper:

Copper-clad iron: 84 to 56.59 iron core, with copper cladding up to 44.1 of the shot mass

Corrosion-inhibited copper: ≥99.9 copper with benzotriazole and thermoplastic fluorescent powder coatings

Tungsten-bronze: 51.1 tungsten, 44.4 copper, 3.9 tin, and 0.6 iron, or 60 tungsten, 35.1 copper, 3.9 tin, and 1 iron

Tungsten-iron-copper-nickel: 40–76 tungsten, 10–37 iron, 9–16 copper, and 5–7 nickel

*Coatings of copper, nickel, tin, zinc, zinc chloride, zinc chrome, fluoropolymers, and fluorescent thermoplastic on approved nontoxic shot types also are approved.

 

[MrShane]

You can see ALL of the approved, non-toxic materials approved for use on waterfowl in the USA at this link: Nontoxic Shot Regulations For Hunting Waterfowl and Coots in the U.S. | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

As to copper specifically, here are the approved uses of copper:

Thanks Bob.
I will just stick with my sub $14/box 2.75” 20 gauge steel and keep on having fun.
I also shoot cheap Wally World 100 packs at the 27 yard line and get mocked for not shooting STS or AA’s.
Maybe I am just a cheapskate?
I would rather buy worms than spend my money on premium ammo! Haha.
Want to bring your boat down and join us at Yuba Thursday?

 

[dubob]

I got an update today from BOSS that compares their old copper plated bismuth against their new solid copper shells. It shows that the penetration of both are VERY close to identical. The video is just shy of 10 minutes long. Again, the cost is going to be a stopper for lots of folks, but for those that can afford the freight, it looks like you will not be disappointed. I still have about 170 rounds of their bismuth, so it may be a year or two before I try their new copper loads. I will be using the 3s mixed with 5s in a 20 GA, 3" hull.

Boss Shotshells - Boss Copper Shot Ballistic Gel

 

[saltcreekammo]

Salt Creek Ammo, duh 😏 Utah company. Trying out our new steel line and TSS for geese and pass shooting.

 

[DREW_22]

Salt Creek Ammo, duh 😏 Utah company. Trying out our new steel line and TSS for geese and pass shooting.

Pretty penny for those them there shells. Better post some dead duck pics this season.

 

[dubob]

Here is a cost comparison based on prices shown on Rogers Sporting Goods website except Sal Creek - that price is direct from Salt Creek website. Local (Utah) prices should be close plus tax. Y'all might think that the brands costing the most might be better, but I've been killing ducks dead with Winchester Xpert, 2 3/4", 1 1/16 oz, #3 or #2 shot bought at Wally World for over 10 years now. Buying them in the store right after the season closes will get you even better prices. If spending $1.00 to $1.40 per shell works better for you than spending $0.68 per shell, then go for it.

Brand	Gauge​	Shell Length​	Load​	Velocity​	$/Shell​
Rio Blue Steel MGN	12​	3"​	1 1/8​	1550​	$ 0.65​
Federal Speed Shok	12​	3"​	1 1/4​	1450​	$ 0.67​
Winchester Xpert	12​	3"​	1 1/8​	1550​	$ 0.68​
Fiocchi Flyway Series	12​	3"​	1 1/8​	1550​	$ 0.80​
Hevy Shot Heavy Steel	12​	3"​	1 1/4​	1500​	$ 1.00​
Kent FastSteel 2.0	12​	3"​	1 1/8​	1550​	$ 1.20​
Remington HyperSonic	12​	3"​	1 1/4​	1700​	$ 1.20​
Salt Creek Ammo	12​	3"​	1 3/8​	1250​	$ 1.40​