# Retrieving Birds in Moving Water



## Mars (Oct 13, 2014)

Do yall have any suggestions for retrieving birds in moving water such as a creek or river. I have hunted places with slow moving water that was too deep to walk out and pick up the birds. Before I have picked them up with the boat but this is a pain and I have missed other birds doing this. I have strung some 550 cord between the banks a few inches off the water and this catches them most of the time but I was hoping that there isa better way.


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## Mars (Oct 13, 2014)

And I'm looking for an option other than a dog.


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## Mumpy (Oct 13, 2014)

Fishing Rod and an Accurate cast, hehe


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## Flaustin1 (Oct 13, 2014)

I hunt some fast water.  Its wadeable though.  I just run em down.  I like the cord idea though.  Gonna put that one to use in the next few weeks.


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## BobSacamano (Oct 13, 2014)

falconry.


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## obadiah (Oct 13, 2014)

What about making friends with someone who has a dog and inviting them along?


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## across the river (Oct 13, 2014)

Mumpy said:


> Fishing Rod and an Accurate cast, hehe



You laugh, but I retrieved many a duck in my younger years with a spinning rod and a zara spook.


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## mizzippi jb (Oct 13, 2014)

Mars said:


> And I'm looking for an option other than a dog.



There is no option other than a dog....other than quitting duck hunting.


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## chase870 (Oct 13, 2014)

mizzippi jb said:


> there is no option other than a dog....other than quitting duck hunting.



this


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## Pitblind1754 (Oct 13, 2014)

Man good luck I just hurt my brain trying to think of something


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## Scrapy (Oct 14, 2014)

Fast water is just faster moving slow water to a dog. Shoot them to hit on the bank on your side of the creek. That is serious. I am being serious.


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## ghadarits (Oct 14, 2014)

Scrapy said:


> Fast water is just faster moving slow water to a dog. Shoot them to hit on the bank on your side of the creek. That is serious. I am being serious.



I've hunted places in the past that you could only take certain shots or the birds were almost impossible to recover with a dog or not so I agree with the above post. Set up so you can take shots that give you a better chance to recover the game. If they'll be flying directly over a creek or river good luck sometimes you have to drop back and punt and relocate to a better area for recovery.


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## andyparm (Oct 14, 2014)

Not sure what your set up is like, but making the boat an easier option might be your best bet without a dog. Shooting them on your side of the creek sounds good, but you'll miss way more opportunities than if you jump in the boat real quick. (depending on your set up) If you have them almost exclusively flying in your face then they should just fall behind you...

Hunting the marsh we have the same issues. Most places I hunt don't make sense for a dog. Oysters, fast current, etc. make the boat my only option most of the time. 

Anyways, If you're hunting a creek/river then find a place where you can hide the boat in a small creek or depression in the bank with overhanging trees that is very close. Shoot, pick up, repeat. If you're hunting mostly woodies and it's that time where they're piling over maybe try to get a few birds down before making your retrieve. Doing that can be hit or miss if the current is too swift though.

Really what I'm trying to say is GET A DOG.


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## MudDucker (Oct 14, 2014)

BobSacamano said:


> falconry.



Now there is one outside the box!


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## BobSacamano (Oct 14, 2014)

MudDucker said:


> Now there is one outside the box!



I solve problems...
thats what i do. 

Other than telling him to find a new place to hunt or quit water fowling or standing in the river down stream and catch them. That's all I have.


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## Mars (Oct 14, 2014)

Thanks for the suggestions. I think I'm going to try to weave a net from some nylon string or 550cord about 1ft tall and 50ft wide. That should stretch across most of the creeks I hunt where this is an issue. I will let you know how it goes


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## ghadarits (Oct 14, 2014)

Mars said:


> Thanks for the suggestions. I think I'm going to try to weave a net from some nylon string or 550cord about 1ft tall and 50ft wide. That should stretch across most of the creeks I hunt where this is an issue. I will let you know how it goes



Try a minnow seine. I think you can buy it by the foot on the www and some have floats to keep them on top of the water.


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## Mars (Oct 14, 2014)

ghadarits said:


> Try a minnow seine. I think you can buy it by the foot on the www and some have floats to keep them on top of the water.



Good idea. I don't know if I have the patience to make my own net.


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## BobSacamano (Oct 14, 2014)

Go with the falcon. And then train it to stretch the net across the river for you and you won't even have to get wet.


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## Mars (Oct 14, 2014)

BobSacamano said:


> Go with the falcon. And then train it to stretch the net across the river for you and you won't even have to get wet.



Yeah. I wouldn't even need to shoot. I could stay in bed and it could have them cleaned and on the grill when I woke up.


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## BobSacamano (Oct 14, 2014)

Good point. I'm glad I could solve your problem.


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## king killer delete (Oct 14, 2014)

A dip net with a long handle


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## Flaustin1 (Oct 14, 2014)

My favorite stretch of river is not dog friendly, nor can you get a boat in it.  Sometimes those options aren't really options at all.  You don't have to have a dog to be a serious waterfowler.  It does make it more enjoyable though.


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## king killer delete (Oct 14, 2014)

Flaustin1 said:


> My favorite stretch of river is not dog friendly, nor can you get a boat in it.  Sometimes those options aren't really options at all.  You don't have to have a dog to be a serious waterfowler.  It does make it more enjoyable though.


Depends on where you hunt. Down here the oyster beds will tear a dog up.


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## Scrapy (Oct 14, 2014)

BobSacamano said:


> falconry.



Is fishhawk included in falconry?  Would a falcon retrieve a dead bird out of the water? If you got a falcon hot on a duck you better have your lead right or what is going to retrieve the falcon?


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## quackertackr (Oct 15, 2014)

Would a float tube work?


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## dixiefowl (Oct 15, 2014)

I use a kayak, and we take turns playing bird dog. It's a lot of work but when all the other holes are shot up by the end of January, fast water can be your only option. Good Luck


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## Gaducker (Oct 15, 2014)

gill net,  Gets em high or low.....

I have never had had a dog but I have always had a boat, Like I heard on shark tank last night, I am VP of MIH , One way or another I get the birds, I dont get wet and I darn sho dont walk out there and get em.


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## Gaducker (Oct 15, 2014)

mizzippi jb said:


> There is no option other than a dog....other than quitting duck hunting.



Come on now!!!!!!!!!!!!!    Theres plenty of options and 99 % of them you dont have to feed.  Well 98 if you dont count the falcon....


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## mizzippi jb (Oct 15, 2014)

Gaducker said:


> Come on now!!!!!!!!!!!!!    Theres plenty of options and 99 % of them you dont have to feed.  Well 98 if you dont count the falcon....



Haha. Just my mentality on it bro-ham.  That's why I do it.


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## WOODIE13 (Oct 15, 2014)

Take two boats, one with a motor and a kayak that you keep close to you, it works.  Fishing rod with a top water plug works well too, at least on the New River.


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## BobSacamano (Oct 15, 2014)

Gaducker said:


> Come on now!!!!!!!!!!!!!    Theres plenty of options and 99 % of them you dont have to feed.  Well 98 if you dont count the falcon....



when the morning migration slows you let the falcon catch a squirrel. :banging he

you people can't figure out anything on your own.


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## king killer delete (Oct 16, 2014)

BobSacamano said:


> when the morning migration slows you let the falcon catch a squirrel. :banging he
> 
> you people can't figure out anything on your own.



One thing we have figured out is your dogs name is Falcon


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## brobi9 (Oct 20, 2014)

We used to run a line across the river that was made out of pool noodles (painted black),milk jugs evenly distributed for flotation and 550 cord.We anchored it with 10 pound weights on the opposite side of the river and let the line come across the river at an angle so that the birds would float with the current along the noodles to our side for an easy retrieve.


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## Mars (Oct 20, 2014)

brobi9 said:


> We used to run a line across the river that was made out of pool noodles (painted black),milk jugs evenly distributed for flotation and 550 cord.We anchored it with 10 pound weights on the opposite side of the river and let the line come across the river at an angle so that the birds would float with the current along the noodles to our side for an easy retrieve.



Thanks. This seems like the best option for me...other than the falcon.


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## BobSacamano (Oct 20, 2014)

brobi9 said:


> We used to run a line across the river that was made out of pool noodles (painted black),milk jugs evenly distributed for flotation and 550 cord.We anchored it with 10 pound weights on the opposite side of the river and let the line come across the river at an angle so that the birds would float with the current along the noodles to our side for an easy retrieve.


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## mizzippi jb (Oct 20, 2014)

Bob, remember that time we used shop vacs on bream busters on that little tributary of the Satilla?   It was before they invented dogs.  Good times. The birds were flocking into that place like the salmon to Capistrano.


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## BobSacamano (Oct 20, 2014)

Aw, the old days. It was a most trying task to get the generators within extension cord range of the pool noodle laced fence we fabricated that morning to allow for the shop vacs to run. But we persevered and made it happen.


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## GSURugger (Oct 20, 2014)

#noodleLyfe


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## BobSacamano (Oct 20, 2014)

id just like for some of these guys to take some pictures of these clusters they're talking about when they set them out this season.


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## andyparm (Oct 21, 2014)

Mars, if you create and use a device such as the one described above, you really owe the forum a photo of it. A noodle retriever cord is something I must see!!


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## chadf (Oct 21, 2014)

^ this !
Good chuckle, might as well get a safety float rope from the neighborhood pool, tie a big as rock on it and throw it across or gaf  hook, make sure those sky carp don't get by, plus you eliminate need to buy waders or feed a dog.
Take pic !


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## chadf (Oct 21, 2014)

andyparm said:


> Mars, if you create and use a device such as the one described above, you really owe the forum a photo of it. A noodle retriever cord is something I must see!!



Frank &  mike getting outta truck or meeting/grabbing gear to head to hole.

Frank: hurry mike running late again, gotta beat those sky busters and hope the water ain't dried up in our hole.

Mike: shut it, we got plenty of time, I got some face paint for us.....

Frank: shut it let's go, u don't need calls, or that CensoredCensoredCensoredCensored stuff u had to get off tv, let's go!!!! Nimrod

Mike: ok I'm ready, wait forgot the bird grabber 2.0 (mike jumps into bed of truck)

Frank: what ? 

Mike: so I read on GON, that a pool...... 

^ all I could picture in my head while trying  typing this while chuckling.


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## BowhuntingFanatic35 (Oct 21, 2014)

pool net that reaches something like 20 ft. spray paint it green or black and put it on the bank close as possible. other than that, have fun swimming or dont shoot them


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## king killer delete (Oct 21, 2014)

how about a bow with fishing line


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## brobi9 (Oct 21, 2014)

Y'all laugh, but we were in high school and needed a way to get to our birds in a river too deep to walk. Worked for us before we could afford the nicer commodities in life


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## BobSacamano (Oct 21, 2014)

killer elite said:


> how about a bow with fishing line



come on KE, you're better than that.


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## king killer delete (Oct 21, 2014)

BobSacamano said:


> come on KE, you're better than that.



What ever works.


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## Bjrink (Oct 21, 2014)

I have to cross a ditch where I hunt that is a bout 50' across , have the same problem, went to bass pro and bought 2- 30' x3' seines and now they can't drift downstream. Works great. Btw paint the bouys


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## Bjrink (Oct 22, 2014)

Using a net doesn't make you lazy, it makes you lose less ducks. The last old timer we took to our swamp ended up wet on the bank why we limited out on woodies


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## mizzippi jb (Oct 22, 2014)

Bjrink said:


> Using a net doesn't make you lazy, it makes you lose less ducks. The last old timer we took to our swamp ended up wet on the bank why we limited out on woodies



I give up. Why did you limit out on woodies?


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## Scrapy (Oct 23, 2014)

One of the last best places I had to hunt was owned by a foreigner. He got in some US troubles and for that year his land manager and me and my cousin got to hunt there a bunch. Sometimes as was the rest of us, the manager could not make it and we would hunt the far end of the place about two miles away from the Big House. Do not let this worry you because the fellows that had hunted there previously only hunted the open ricefields in blinds highclass and we mostly hunted swamps for woodies. Never the less, That manager's yard dog lab would hear us crack the first cap at shooting time and by the time the second flight came in that dog would be there retrieving for us. We never said a word to that dog , no hyar , fetch, whistle , hand signals  no nothing. He would stack them up at our feet. And once we put them in a hollow, he would never go back to them just in case.

When we quit he was no where to be found.  Later, drive up to his house and he was already back home. Now, that was a good ole dog.


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