January Mallards

[BrianA61]

I think all the regulars on this forum know how much I like duck hunting. In fact, even when I'm not hunting ducks, I'm thinking about them. This was taken on a late January weekend after the duck season closed. I went to take a (very COLD) walk around a really nice park that surrounds the city library. There were tons of different species of ducks all around. I was able to get relative close with this pair. All of the frost you see around was made by the company I work for. The factory exhaust has a lot of moisture in it and all the surrounding land gets blanketed with "snow". It was in the low 20's when I took my stroll. All the ducks and geese seemed to like it. BTW, these mature ducks are in their full plumage. I'm still amazed at how that iridescent green comes to life when the sun hits it.

[NorthernFocus]

It's hard for those never bitten with the bug to understand what an obsession waterfowl hunting can become. In my youth it was a year round endeavor for me as well.

There is a city park in Anchorage where two or three hundred mallards winter over. The circle of unfrozen water in the middle of the pond gets pretty small but never does freeze completely over. The ducks get well fed all winter. They are wild mallards but are so habituated to people that you can literally catch them with your hands if so inclined. Not sure what the fine would be...

[BrianA61]

It's hard for those never bitten with the bug to understand what an obsession waterfowl hunting can become. In my youth it was a year round endeavor for me as well.

Dan, you are so right. I got bit the very first time I went out. I was chatting with a couple of my hunting partners a month or so ago about this exact thing. I told them that people that don't do waterfowl hunting, would never "get it" why we go. Only other waterfowlers understand that drive. I think my wife thinks I belong in an asylum. Getting up at zero dark thirty, weather is either rainy, cold or both, trudging out in the mud with all the stuff and then return home dead tired from all the "fun" and sometimes with nothing on the strap. She's never said it out loud, but sometimes, I can hear her think. Of course, when I get home and show her shots like the one above, she thinks I'm back in the real world.

[Shadowman]

Nice composition.

[ST1]

Nicely caught Brian.

[IzzieK]

I like the colour and the composition too Brian. Always good shots from you...I do not think you belong to an asylum. I think you are just nuts. j/k....

[bnnrcn]

Very nice image