Go Back   Alberta Outdoorsmen Forum > Main Category > Hunting Discussion

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 12-10-2016, 02:24 PM
Rio56's Avatar
Rio56 Rio56 is offline
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 1,795
Default Flying dead Duck

really...
About a week ago it's -22 or so and a north wind 40-50 klm .. I'm driving north on Q2 at Red Deer and just crossed the river when I see a duck , a teal I think , flying about 10 ft off the ground in front and to the side of me over the ditch ... it suddenly quit flying and did a belly flop into the snow , bounced once a bit and that was it .. I could see that its wings were still stretched out , head down and its over ...
Never seen or heard of this before .. what was it .. coming off the river with open water and just freezing in mid air , wings or lungs ? it was as dead as a duck can be....
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 12-10-2016, 02:32 PM
bessiedog's Avatar
bessiedog bessiedog is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 8,372
Default

Yup...
I've seen it a few times. Too damn cold, not enough food as well I guess, they just peter out.
My dad had to collect a few mallards in November one year from the schoolyard... they just kinda crash landed.

It's something eh?
__________________
"How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live.”
-HDT
"A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends on the character of the user." T. Roosevelt
"I don't always troll, only on days that end in Y."
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 12-10-2016, 02:46 PM
Stally77's Avatar
Stally77 Stally77 is offline
 
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 300
Default

Maybe climate change is the cause!

Lmfao!
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 12-10-2016, 02:49 PM
catnthehat's Avatar
catnthehat catnthehat is offline
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Ft. McMurray
Posts: 38,585
Default

I happens, they get iced up and down they come, I have seen it happen and heard of flocks coming down when I was a kid, and a elder i Ft. Chip told me he saw a big flock of Canadas come down once up north. - sometimes in a ditch, other times in a school yard, but the only time we hear about it in the news is when a big flock of them land n a tailings pond!
Cat
__________________
Anytime I figure I've got this long range thing figured out, I just strap into the sling and irons and remind myself that I don't!

Last edited by catnthehat; 12-10-2016 at 06:01 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 12-10-2016, 03:50 PM
IR_mike IR_mike is offline
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Iron River
Posts: 5,158
Default

Just seen a large flock of geese (200+) fly over Bonnyville.

Thermometer says -24c.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 12-10-2016, 03:52 PM
Rio56's Avatar
Rio56 Rio56 is offline
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 1,795
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Stally77 View Post
Maybe climate change is the cause!

Lmfao!
rotflmfao .. maybe show us a fish you caught ?
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 12-10-2016, 04:30 PM
Ranger CS Ranger CS is offline
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Pincher Creek
Posts: 921
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rio56 View Post
really...
About a week ago it's -22 or so and a north wind 40-50 klm .. I'm driving north on Q2 at Red Deer and just crossed the river when I see a duck , a teal I think , flying about 10 ft off the ground in front and to the side of me over the ditch ... it suddenly quit flying and did a belly flop into the snow , bounced once a bit and that was it .. I could see that its wings were still stretched out , head down and its over ...
Never seen or heard of this before .. what was it .. coming off the river with open water and just freezing in mid air , wings or lungs ? it was as dead as a duck can be....
Had it happen, carb ice, engine failure down you come. LOL
__________________
Ranger
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 12-10-2016, 04:34 PM
Rio56's Avatar
Rio56 Rio56 is offline
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 1,795
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ranger CS View Post
Had it happen, carb ice, engine failure down you come. LOL
so a duck can freeze up ?
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 12-10-2016, 06:00 PM
RandyBoBandy RandyBoBandy is offline
Banned
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: YEG
Posts: 9,981
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rio56 View Post
so a duck can freeze up ?
Nothing like a lil crude oil to lube the wings
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 12-10-2016, 06:03 PM
catnthehat's Avatar
catnthehat catnthehat is offline
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Ft. McMurray
Posts: 38,585
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by IR_mike View Post
Just seen a large flock of geese (200+) fly over Bonnyville.

Thermometer says -24c.
The instances a familiar with were in ice storm conditions.
Cat
__________________
Anytime I figure I've got this long range thing figured out, I just strap into the sling and irons and remind myself that I don't!
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 12-10-2016, 07:33 PM
tikkahunter73's Avatar
tikkahunter73 tikkahunter73 is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 36
Default

Ive never heard of such a story, but have no doubt its a true story
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 12-10-2016, 10:36 PM
Rio56's Avatar
Rio56 Rio56 is offline
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 1,795
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by tikkahunter73 View Post
Ive never heard of such a story, but have no doubt its a true story
I know .. unless you've seen it .. hard to believe ... but that's what happened ... I don't know how fast ducks fly but it was right there and then poof ... gone into a belly flop ....
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 12-10-2016, 10:47 PM
Bub Bub is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 1,392
Default

I have seen it happening to a pigeon and twice to a crow, one falling 3 yards in front of me. Never seen it happening to waterfowl or any other birds for that matter.
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 12-11-2016, 01:15 AM
KegRiver's Avatar
KegRiver KegRiver is offline
Gone Hunting
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: North of Peace River
Posts: 11,346
Default

Twice I've seen Geese do that and both times in warm weather.
I know what happened to the one, because I had shot it several minutes before but it showed no effect. It flew in a big circle, perhaps five or six miles and then just conked out in mid air.

I suspect that is what happened to the second goose I saw drop out of the sky and it could well be what happened to your Duck.

I don't doubt they can ice up and drop out of the sky but I can't imagine how that would kill them, unless the impact of hitting the ground did, and that wouldn't be the case if it dropped from ten feet into snow.
I'm guessing of course as I have never seen or heard of it before and I have seen them flying in some serious cold temps, like -30 and lower.
__________________
Democracy substitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few.

George Bernard Shaw
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 12-11-2016, 10:01 AM
wwbirds's Avatar
wwbirds wwbirds is offline
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: near Calgary
Posts: 6,651
Default Quite possibly wounded earlier in season

Back in the day before sunday hunting we used to take the dogs out on Sunday morning for some of the local sloughs for a walk and often picked up 5-6 dead or dying ducks. We knew they had not been shot that day as no sunday hunting was allowed so they were birds that had been hit but not mortally so managed to fly a day a week or a month before crashing. I think the introduction of steel shot has contributed to this as shots over 40 yards often do not have the necessary velocity to reach the vitals but can penetrate skin fat and muscle so the wound can take weeks or months to kill. Take shots within 35 yards and usually they fall dead after 40 yards we dont really know.
__________________
a hunting we will go!!!!!!
Reply With Quote
  #16  
Old 12-11-2016, 10:20 AM
gman1978 gman1978 is offline
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Alberta
Posts: 1,247
Default

Seen it happen a few times. Worst was -34 morning with ice fog. They had been hitting the silage pit and they would just fall out of the sky.
Reply With Quote
Reply


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 11:46 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.5
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.