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txrebel
Posts: 202
Location: Hampstead
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Wed Oct 16, 2013 11:57 am
Haven't hunted out here for ducks yet. Is there any special regulations on hunting the marshes or any areas that I could get to by canoe near surf city  
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aftergolf
Posts: 2224
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Wed Oct 16, 2013 12:00 pm
The marshes/islands South of Surf City between the back bay and the ICW are part of the Topsail Township and are not legal to hunt from my understanding. Hope this helps.
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txrebel
Posts: 202
Location: Hampstead
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Wed Oct 16, 2013 12:13 pm
I heard that but also heard lee island is open for hunting though. Any truth to that. I'm going to try and meet up with a warden to get more insight  
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aftergolf
Posts: 2224
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Wed Oct 16, 2013 2:00 pm
Isn't a bunch of the east end of Lea Island land owned/controlled by the Audubon Society? If so, probably no hunting there either.
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txrebel
Posts: 202
Location: Hampstead
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Wed Oct 16, 2013 2:15 pm
I think as long as you hunt from a boat it's out of city limits getting out of the discharge of a firearm ordinance but I'll try to get up with a warden this week and get clarification and I'll post it up for everyone  
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rdnkvet
Posts: 1433
Location: Wallace, NC
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Wed Oct 16, 2013 9:39 pm
I am pretty sure the township boundaries extend to the midway point of the ICW. Therefore, no firearm discharge allowed in marsh from Surf City bridge south to Lee island and midway ICW to Topsail Island. Not sure about north of bridge.  
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Thunderbolt
Posts: 76
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Thu Oct 17, 2013 11:40 am
Txrebel, this is a topic that interests me as well. And I've also heard different opinions on the matter. Please share what you learn from the warden.  
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kirkwt
Posts: 52
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Thu Oct 17, 2013 6:36 pm
Nothing to get excited about there. Mainly just a bunch of mergansers with a few buffleheads thrown in.  
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meine001
Posts: 109
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Thu Oct 17, 2013 7:38 pm
There's an article in the July 2013 NC Sportsman, page 20 (not available online, so no link) which is titled "Hunters no longer welcome at topsail." The article doesn't really do a great job of describing the off limits areas but says the off-limit part is part of the town of Topsail Beach and is "10 miles long and a mile wide." It does say that "just down the beach Surf City has not banned hunting in the marshes extending from the town to the ICW."  
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txrebel
Posts: 202
Location: Hampstead
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Wed Oct 23, 2013 7:42 am
Still waiting to hear back from the wildlife area sgt but I will let you guys know what I find out  
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chugger
Posts: 132
Location: Somewhere in the marsh
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Sun Nov 17, 2013 10:00 pm
I know I m late to this thread but I hunt out there some last year, mostly toward WB area, i have been fishing though and seen and heard shots fired behind Lea Island. Mergansers, and buffleheads are all I have seen with the exception of some bluebills that came in a few days after the last season ended of course. Saw some birds in New River this week, maybe 10 small rafts max per raft maybe 25 birds. Ringnecks almost all of them, saw a few buffies too.  
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txrebel
Posts: 202
Location: Hampstead
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Wed Nov 20, 2013 12:54 pm
Had some buds go out and shoot a limit the other day in the new river. I've been killing some birds off the intercoastal but mainly hunting near nri to avoid the city limits ordeal and since I only have a canoe. Got hustled by a game warden about at LST and didn't get to start hunting until about 645 still left witha. Drake hooded merganser. Don't taste good but it sure is pretty  
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chugger
Posts: 132
Location: Somewhere in the marsh
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Wed Nov 20, 2013 6:26 pm
Yeah, there not much for table fare. What other birds are you seeing. I was fishing nri the other day and heard some shooting and saw several gansers and buffies light in the marsh. Any big birds around?  
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txrebel
Posts: 202
Location: Hampstead
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Wed Nov 20, 2013 7:19 pm
In the marshes I've been at it's been a feeder creek going to the intercoastal. Mainly been seeing teal ring neck gaddies and wood ducks and of course the everyday group of mergansers  
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txrebel
Posts: 202
Location: Hampstead
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Wed Nov 20, 2013 7:19 pm
Inland it's been teal woodies and greenheads  
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chugger
Posts: 132
Location: Somewhere in the marsh
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Wed Nov 20, 2013 8:49 pm
Sounds like I need to get on the water, just gotta find the time.  
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Visco
Posts: 39
Location: Camp Lejeune
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Thu Dec 14, 2017 3:42 pm
bump... anyone hunting the ICW along Onslow beach this weekend?
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stuecu
Posts: 163
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Thu Dec 14, 2017 4:26 pm
Visco wrote:
bump... anyone hunting the ICW along Onslow beach this weekend?


Saw some delicious hooded mergansers over there while trout fishing earlier in the week shotgun
  
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Visco
Posts: 39
Location: Camp Lejeune
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Fri Dec 15, 2017 9:31 am
[quote="stuecu"][quote="Visco"]bump... anyone hunting the ICW along Onslow beach this weekend?[/quote]

Saw some delicious hooded mergansers over there while trout fishing earlier in the week shotgun[/quote]

OK huh delicious and mergansers I do not think should be in the same sentence... but they are decent if cooked right.

Thanks for the information. I need my boat back from the dealer... hoping I can pick it up today, or might just be hunting the bank somewhere tomorrow morning.
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stuecu
Posts: 163
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Fri Dec 15, 2017 10:02 am
Visco wrote:
stuecu wrote:
Visco wrote:
bump... anyone hunting the ICW along Onslow beach this weekend?


Saw some delicious hooded mergansers over there while trout fishing earlier in the week shotgun


OK huh delicious and mergansers I do not think should be in the same sentence... but they are decent if cooked right.

Thanks for the information. I need my boat back from the dealer... hoping I can pick it up today, or might just be hunting the bank somewhere tomorrow morning.


Yeah that was a joke! On a serious note, there are tons of puddle ducks roosting in the marshes along the ICW at night. Question is, can you get a shot at them as they are making their way to the golf courses early-morning?
  
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Visco
Posts: 39
Location: Camp Lejeune
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Fri Dec 15, 2017 9:49 pm
[quote="stuecu"][quote="Visco"][quote="stuecu"][quote="Visco"]bump... anyone hunting the ICW along Onslow beach this weekend?[/quote]

Saw some delicious hooded mergansers over there while trout fishing earlier in the week shotgun[/quote]

OK huh delicious and mergansers I do not think should be in the same sentence... but they are decent if cooked right.

Thanks for the information. I need my boat back from the dealer... hoping I can pick it up today, or might just be hunting the bank somewhere tomorrow morning.[/quote]

Yeah that was a joke! On a serious note, there are tons of puddle ducks roosting in the marshes along the ICW at night. Question is, can you get a shot at them as they are making their way to the golf courses early-morning?[/quote]

I figured it was a joke... thanks for the info.

I am hoping I ran across a honey hole today. was doing some scouting and noticed a large flock of geese and mallards coming from a large field. Going to set up tomorrow morning at the mouth of the creek that is just about a 100 yards from the field and directly in the flight path... or at least from what I noticed today.
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Visco
Posts: 39
Location: Camp Lejeune
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Sat Dec 16, 2017 6:33 pm
yeap... found my spot... and lets just say, Monday I will be there with my Blackcloud 3 1/2" BB hail

we finished the day with a limit of bufflehead and 2 hooded mergansers. We could have limited out with the mergansers, but I just could not get my self to taking anymore.

Anyone know where I can get some geese decoys in Jacksonville? academy and dicks do not have hardly anything.
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seapro180
Posts: 567
Location: Winston Salem
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Sat Dec 16, 2017 7:22 pm
Visco wrote:
yeap... found my spot... and lets just say, Monday I will be there with my Blackcloud 3 1/2" BB hail

we finished the day with a limit of bufflehead and 2 hooded mergansers. We could have limited out with the mergansers, but I just could not get my self to taking anymore.

Anyone know where I can get some geese decoys in Jacksonville? academy and dicks do not have hardly anything.


Do you have good neighbors? And are you hunting where decoys can be placed on the bank/dry ground or in water 6 inches or less? The reason I ask is because I'm reminded of a hunt I had with some buddies when I was about 16. We had all the duck decoys in the world but no goose deeks. We were hunting over a place we made on a good friends farm called the "duck pond" that was in the river bottoms about 50 yards from the river. It was drained after season and planted later on with millet, Milo, and corn then reflooded about 2 weeks before season opened. Anyway, we always had geese interested but could never get them to commit even with calling. So my buddy jokingly said, " we should have took the goose yard art my grandma has in her yard" I took that very seriously. You know the goose decoys some people have in their yards? They are pretty much regular decoys branded for "decoration" purposes. Well it just so happened, his grandma, and two aunt's all had a pair each, my granddaughter and my parents had a pair each, and the neighbors across the street from me (my parents) had a pair as well. After telling everyone our plans and promising to bring them back unharmed they all let us use them. Including the neighbor lol. That evening, when we heard the geese coming, we started calling and after 2 big circles, they came in, landing gear down. Never had them come in on us until that day. From that day on, we said forget expensive decoys! We have got in to diver hunting over the last few years and the hundreds of decoys we have are old puddle duck decoys repainted like divers... Trust me, over priced fancy uv and felt decoys and decoys that look perfect is a complete waste of money. Let the pics speak for that fact. We have killed every species of ducks you can find in nc except sea ducks. Canvasbacks for some reason LOVE the decoys. All birds in the pics are birds killed over puddle duck decoys repainted like divers... So don't let anyone fool you about having to have the best. Find you some cheapo deeks and go! Pic of decoys in the boat are the repainted decoys
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ReelSharp
Posts: 605
Location: Wilmington NC
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Sun Dec 17, 2017 12:02 am
What paint did you paint your decoys with? I have some that need to be freshed.
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seapro180
Posts: 567
Location: Winston Salem
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Sun Dec 17, 2017 8:19 am
ReelSharp wrote:
What paint did you paint your decoys with? I have some that need to be freshed.


Krylon spray paint
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Visco
Posts: 39
Location: Camp Lejeune
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Sun Dec 17, 2017 11:44 am
[quote="seapro180"]
So don't let anyone fool you about having to have the best. Find you some cheapo deeks and go! Pic of decoys in the boat are the repainted decoys[/quote]

I am with you on that... I have a set of mallard decoys that were made in the 1960s that are extremely worn and still work awesome.

Thanks for the advice, I am going to go with my wife today to this antique shop she loves to go to, and see what they have.

to answer your question. were I am hunting is a fairly large flat, roughly 1' at its deepest at low tide. the bottom has a lot of grass that you can tell the birds are feasting on.
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Swan Hunt - SaltwaterCentral.Com