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Opening day of goose season saw the Oakridge Outdoors TV shooting video for an upcoming show. The OGC team's plan worked just as we hoped. When one can get into and fill his limit by 8:10 a.m., that's a magic day. With birds coming off the lake and pitching into a freshly cut field, the action was fast and furious. There are only a handful of days each season that produce like this past Friday morning.
There are many things that make for a successful waterfowl hunt -- from calling, to camo, to setup, to decoys. Of the many things that have changed over the years, it's decoys.
One of the first goose hunts that I ever took part in was just off Lake Ontario, but what I learned on that hunt still stays with me today. I remember just about everything from that hunt. From the camo Carhart coat, which hangs in my closet today, to sitting on a five-gallon overturned bucket in a standing corn field to the "decoy" spread.
The decoys used on this hunt were actually taxidermy standing geese. From that day, goose and duck decoys have changed, from goose chairs to layout blinds, things have changed in the waterfowl world. One thing has stayed consistent: folks love chasing waterfowl.
With duck just around the corner, goose hunting helps one get the mode of wing shooting.
The largest of the diving duck species, the regal "King Can," is unmistakable on the water and in the air. Famous for their highly selective, almost exclusively vegetarian diet, these handsome ducks are considered to be the finest table fare of any duck species. In many areas, canvasbacks are a rare site. Even if they aren't actively hunting them, experienced waterfowlers know that canvasbacks are a beacon for other waterfowl species, so adding a few cans to the decoy spread makes a lot of sense.
For starters, canvasbacks are big birds measuring up to 22 inches in length. Combine their size with the drake's bright white flanks, and it's highly visible at great distances, as anyone who has observed a bull sitting on the water from the other side of the lake can testify. Since the best waterfowling often takes place during very flat lighting conditions, the increased visibility afforded by a few canvasback decoys can often determine whether your spread will be noticed by passing waterfowl.
But canvasback decoys have an X-factor as well. Many hunters observe cans as a security species for other waterfowl sight for duck hunters, perhaps to their shy nature, or possibly because they feed almost exclusively on wild celery and other high-class duck delicacies, canvasbacks have a well-earned reputation for attracting other duck species. So, once hunters have birds working, a few canvasbacks in the mix can give decoying ducks one more good reason to finish.
Anyone looking to add some can-do attitude to his or her decoy spread should take an up-close look at Avian-X's NEW Topflight Canvasbacks. One of three new diving duck additions to Avian-X's popular, custom-style-painted Topflight decoy line, NEW Avian-X Topflight Canvasbacks are molded from detailed originals carved by world champion carver, Rick Johannsen, and combine Avian-X's signature relaxed poses and highly detailed paint schemes with an innovative weight-forward swim keel design to produce incredible realism on the water. An advanced rubberized molding material and non-chip paint ensures these great looking top-flight decoys will remain that way hunt after hunt and season after season.
Sold in six packs, Avian-X Topflight Canvasbacks consist of two high head bulls, two high head hens, one sleeper bull and one sleeper hen, a carefully conceived mix that will have incoming ducks brimming with confidence. These decoys are slightly over-sized for enhanced visibility, measuring 15 inches breast to tail.
Fishing is supposed to relieve stress, so we shouldn't have to worry about our tackle. So it's a real buzzkill when the water-splashed, sun-soaked, stress-stretched zippers on your tackle bag finally say uncle. Plenty do, either locking up or failing outright, while leaving their owners stressed out and scratching their heads over what to do with the high-dollar tackle bag that just died before its time.
Zippers are the weak link in many poorly-designed tackle bags, anglers aren't willing to pay the increased costs associated with super-premium zipper systems that are by no means failsafe and don't always solve the problem. Replacement zippers are neither desirable nor practical, so Plano is constantly designing solutions that remove or minimize the sources of stress around any zipper we incorporate into one of our products. And in the case of Plano's NEW Z-Series Technical Tackle Bags, those solutions involved removing the zippers altogether. Eliminate the zippers. End the frustration. Problem solved.
Both 3600- and 3700-size Z-Series technical tackle bags employ a clever, gusseted top that opens fast, while closing neatly and securely with durable HDPE buckles. Tried and true Velcro closures get the nod for both ample side pockets, as well as on large front and rear mesh slip pockets. The result is a durable, splash-proof, worry-free, workhorse of a tackle toter that provides ample storage for up to four 3600- or 3700-size stowaway utility boxes, plus loads of other angling essentials.
Stress-relieving, zipperless designs aside, Plano's Z-Series technical tackle bags boast a bevy of additional innovative features that will place them lovingly at home on the deck of any drift boat, technical skiff, bass boat or center console.
A new, high-performance Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE) waterproof fabric defies the elements and allows for easy care, while a vivid, light orange finish prevents overheating and delivers high-speed aesthetics.
A breakthrough bag deserves an advanced foundation. Both 3600- and 3700-size Z-Series technical tackle bags ride atop Plano's all-new utili-tackle rail system base -- an innovative, waterproof bottom design with raised corners and over-molded rubber feet that prevent sliding on all surfaces while slightly elevating the bag and contents above standing water. The integral utili-tackle rail provides multiple tie-down points to secure the bag in transit or during rough conditions, while also facilitating fast attachment of multiple accessories.