# California Hunts - Wow!



## straightshooter (Jan 13, 2014)

Each year I plan a trip to northern California to teach shooting clinics (sporting clays/wingshooting) at Birds Landing Hunting Preserve and to duck hunt a few mornings if possible.  Things fell into place this year and I got to hunt two mornings at a couple of the finest duck clubs in the entire country.

Two of my students are members of duck clubs near the shooting club where I was teaching.  Both of these clubs are legendary for producing birds on a continuous basis.

The first place I hunted was at Wheeler Island Land Company, which is located in the southern part of the Suisun marsh, one of North America's largest freshwater marshlands.  The club was founded in 1924, and has been hunted continuously ever sense.  They hunt on Wednesday and Sunday mornings.  

They have a lot of teal, wigeon and pintail there.  Some mallards are found on a part of the property, which consists of 1,100 acres of "very" managed marsh and tule acreage.  The clubhouse has individual rooms and baths for each of the 22 members.  They have an on site staff for maintenance and meals.

My buddy and I shot 10 wigeon and four bull sprig (pintail) before 8:30 Wednesday morning.  

I had an invite to hunt at the Live Oak Gun Club, located in the famous Butte Sink region of northern California on 
Saturday morning.  This club has been hunted by movie stars, politicians and corporate heads.  The club has 12 members and 1,700 acres of managed duck habitat.

Had one of the best NY strip steaks and absolutely the best homemade pancakes (Grandma Webber's) that I've ever eaten.  

They have a strange rule at that club.  Members draw for blinds on a previously prepared selection schedule.  If the member has one of the first three draws, he can only take two limits of ducks that morning, even if he has more than two hunters in the blind.  

That was the case, as we had three in our blind.  That meant, however, that we could take six pintails, which we did.  The wind came and got the birds up and moving.  We wound up with two mallards, six bull sprig and six gadwall.

These were truly memorable hunts, and my hosts told me that each of them were the best hunts they've had this season.  Somehow that happens when I go out there, but my guess is that I'm just there at the right time.  

We don't have clubs like these in Georgia.  Wish we did.  Each of them are "equity" membership clubs, which means the member owns a share of the property.  Here's the crazy part.  Shares at Wheeler Island are now over $100,000 if available and memberships at the Live Oak have sold for $1 million each.  

Calls used were a Haydel sprig whistle, Final Strut Gear Black Magic double reed and a Final Strut Gear El Patron single reed.


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## straightshooter (Jan 13, 2014)

Here are some pics:


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## drdarby45 (Jan 13, 2014)

Great story! I'm glad California is good for something!


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## drt2005 (Jan 13, 2014)

Thats awesome!


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## straightshooter (Jan 13, 2014)

This is northern CA, and not the cities where the nut cases live.  It's farm country.  The club where I was teaching my shooting clinics has sporting clays and pheasants.  They've got 1,100 acres of land.  On Saturday they had more than 130 pheasant hunters and about 80 guys shooting sporting clays.  

The duck season in CA runs 100 days and there is a seven duck a day limit - that's seven mallards, seven wood ducks, teal, gadwall, wigeon, etc.  Only two pintails or canvasbacks though.  You can shoot Canada geese (giant, lesser, Tule, Aleutian and cackler strains), as well as snow, Ross geese and five specklebellys a day.  We could be so lucky.


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## ChristopherA.King (Jan 13, 2014)

That is amazing sounds like it was a great time.


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## king killer delete (Jan 14, 2014)

When are you taken me? LOL


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## straightshooter (Jan 14, 2014)

Well...we've got no ducks in my hole over here, and as much as I might enjoy your company, ducks would be nice...


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## king killer delete (Jan 14, 2014)

None in mine Gota go to the sound. You wana come


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## MudDucker (Jan 15, 2014)

Awesome hunts to remember forever.  There are clubs like those in Georgia.  They are not advertised and should you post something like this about them, you would not be invited back.  I've been to one years ago near Savannah and was a member of one for years.  Unfortunately, the eastern flyway has not held up as good as the western.


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## straightshooter (Jan 16, 2014)

MudDucker said:


> Awesome hunts to remember forever.  There are clubs like those in Georgia.  They are not advertised and should you post something like this about them, you would not be invited back.  I've been to one years ago near Savannah and was a member of one for years.  Unfortunately, the eastern flyway has not held up as good as the western.



I know some of those clubs near Savannah, and have shot at a number of them.  No ducks this year at any of them until a week ago.  They're starting to scratch a few birds now, but the overall harvest is well below the norm.


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## MudDucker (Jan 17, 2014)

straightshooter said:


> I know some of those clubs near Savannah, and have shot at a number of them.  No ducks this year at any of them until a week ago.  They're starting to scratch a few birds now, but the overall harvest is well below the norm.



One I know of and was invited to go to late last year had birds very early and then they left.  They got a few in last weekend.  The club near here had the same report, however, even though I am a former member, I can't buy an invite.


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## alphachief (Jan 17, 2014)

As much as I enjoy roughing it...when you get to hunt an exclusive club like the two you hunted, it sure is a pleasurable experience (especially when the ducks are there).


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## duckone (Jan 17, 2014)

Great story straightshooter!  Thanks for sharing as well as the pictures.  Successful waterfowling days like that are so rare, at least for me, that it is a thrill to hear that at least someone has a day or two like that every now and then.

I'm not sure that I can wrap my mind around a 100 day waterfowling season but I'd like to try.


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## ShellytheDuckSlayer (Jan 17, 2014)

thats a bad looking gun right there. Sweet pics


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## smackdown51 (Jan 17, 2014)

x2 what kinda gun is that? and awesome pics, looks like yall had a blast


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## straightshooter (Jan 17, 2014)

smackdown51 said:


> x2 what kinda gun is that? and awesome pics, looks like yall had a blast



That gun actually belongs to my hunt host for the 
Wheeler Island hunt.  It is a Browning Cynergy waterfowl model with custom Rob Roberts Gunworks chokes.


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## straightshooter (Jan 17, 2014)

alphachief said:


> As much as I enjoy roughing it...when you get to hunt an exclusive club like the two you hunted, it sure is a pleasurable experience (especially when the ducks are there).



I realize how fortunate I am to get invites to such places.  Both of the guys I hunted with take shooting lessons from me, and seem to enjoy taking what they learned from the clays course to the field.


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## alphachief (Jan 17, 2014)

straightshooter said:


> I realize how fortunate I am to get invites to such places.  Both of the guys I hunted with take shooting lessons from me, and seem to enjoy taking what they learned from the clays course to the field.



I've been fortunate enough to hunt a couple similar clubs through the years...sure did enjoy it.  And I just purchased a Cynergy just like that.  I'll be toting to Reelfoot next week for the closer.


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## hogana (Jan 18, 2014)

This is great stuff.  Thanks for reporting about these hunts.


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## king killer delete (Jan 19, 2014)

Great Hunt.


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