What areas of Henshaw are open to MCC duck hunting?
- Thread starter doccherry
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ohh now i want go hunt there... The airboat is amazing good at relocating decoys or just smashing them into the mud!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i am soooo there, @ilovesprig you going to take me?
i am soooo there, @ilovesprig you going to take me?
When Frank (owner of MMC & lessee of Lake Henshaw) was alive, he had a guy that paid to have the North Bay to himself...He also put up a stilt blind near Monkey Island...They would leave decoys out and I was told to leave decoys on more than one occasion (for them)...That is no longer the case...That guy is gone and Frank has passed away...Nobody I know leaves decoys set up and longer...The exception to this would be MCC members who hunt Sunday...They/we can leave our decoys out on Saturday.
It was right around the time when the guy had the north bay leased for himself. I remembered seeing him set up on a handful of occasions that season. The incident I brought up wasn't his set up and it wasn't at the wooden blind by monkey island. I'm pretty sure it was just a group of guys that wanted to lock down "their" spot without having to come out on set up day.
I can remember it happening as soon as the Mendenhalls leased it from VID. There was a kid that lived by the dam that used to do it all the time. I put his stuff in a pile one Friday morning, he showed up threw a fit and called Frank. He came out and let the kid stay in the spot but he did let us hunt for free that Saturday.
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Jack Ford reopened duck hunting in 1980...When Jack left, Al Sorin took it over, and it was pretty much potpourri (few hunters, with few rules)...VID was then going to drop the hunting program (like they had done before)...When the Mendenhall's took over the lease...The program was revamped...$25.00 a day, rental boats, and a 150 yd rule...Also, you can set-up the day before...They also kept the lake open to hunting last year...When they were pressured to close it, because of Covid.
Remember too, the lake was much larger than it is now, there were no willows trees squeezing everyone into what open areas there are, and there were many places to hunt waterfowl in SoCal.
The guys that are regulars kind to have a gentleman's agreement on what areas they like, but decoys can NOT be left out between shoot days...There's a 25 person limit per hunt day, with sign-ups on Monday & Friday...It now costs $50.00 per day and another $50.00, if you want a rental boat...On most days, there's a handful of hunters...The number of ducks taken overall, is quite low for the effort it takes to hunt here.
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I was born in 1986 so unfortunately I never got to hunt when the lake reopened and only heard the good stories of geese in Potato fields and wigeon and pintail thick like mosquitoes from my dad. I do remember that you could setup the day before (10 am) and cost was $25 when the Socins ran it.
I wasn’t knocking the Mendinhalls just noting I never had an issue seeing gear left out before setup days prior to them getting the lease. I hunted there exclusively every Saturday and a few Wednesday from ‘96 to ‘06.
I’m sure I wouldn’t even recognize the place now but I’ll always have fond memories of henshaw and grateful the Mendenhalls have kept the duck hunting tradition alive there.
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I recently posted some pictures of hunting the potato fields in the early 80's...What a lot of folks don't know, is that they grew alfalfa back behind Monkey Island and Fink Rd...If you look closely driving down S-2...You can still see the old rows where the potatoes were grown...5-10,000 geese used that valley back then.
The pic is from 1986-87 season
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The pic is from 1986-87 season
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I wish I could’ve seen that. Nice pictures. I shot my first pintail in that pond in your picture. We nicknamed it “stony” because of all rocks surrounding it. I remember during a couple El Niño years that spot would hold some serious water.
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Funny...Everyone has a name for it...Ours has always been "The Hourglass" pond....Well, because it's shaped like a hourglass...
ps...10 years ago.
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Funny...Everyone has a name for it...Ours has always been "The Hourglass" pond....Well, because it's shaped like a hourglass...
ps...10 years ago.
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Good memories…all the ponds are full. That little one on the far left is where I shot my first honker and cinnamon teal. I’m guessing the willows are a bit thicker now. I remember them starting to grow pretty bad right after ‘01 or 02’. Prior to that it was just the cockle burrs.
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Still a ton of couple burrs, but the willow trees are thick...So thick, you can't walk thru them.........
2 years ago
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Still a ton of couple burrs, but the willow trees are thick...So thick, you can't walk thru them.........
2 years ago
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Gross…my first thought is a dozer and a few boats loaded with cinder blocks. Doze the trees and haul them to the dam, strap them with blocks and sink them to make some legit crappie condos.
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For everything that's bad, there's something else that is better, enhanced, or improved...The willows with high water have let the fishery get way better, especially bass...A number of years back they did just what you suggested with orange trees...When you find them...They can be loaded with crappie & bass.
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A pic from last weekFunny...Everyone has a name for it...Ours has always been "The Hourglass" pond....Well, because it's shaped like a hourglass...
ps...10 years ago.
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Thanks George...I couldn't find this years pix...It's been so dry, "The Hourglass" hasn't had any water for a couple of years...This picture shows that even if the lake comes up...The willows are so far back, it will take biblical rains to hunt behind them...You can see why it pretty much takes a boat across the lake.
It also probably explains why there's so many fewer ducks too...They like shorelines...Rain will help a LOT!
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It also probably explains why there's so many fewer ducks too...They like shorelines...Rain will help a LOT!
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Found some more pics..I can see what you mean..a lot less water and a lot more trees..
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George,
Those are great pictures and it shows just how much the lake has changed in the last few years.....WOW!
Those are great pictures and it shows just how much the lake has changed in the last few years.....WOW!
I heard you can hunt ducks at Henshaw if you are not a member? Costing you more to hunt though.
Is this true?
Is this true?
Yes, you can....$50.00 per day, per person, and $50.00 for a boat, if you want one...Shoot days are Thursday & Saturday for the public...Sundays are members of MCC only...Sign-ups are Monday & Thursday...Drawing will be at 1:00 pm. on those days for 20 hunters (not including MCC members)...If you stay in a cabin the night before shoot day, you automatically get 2 spots...Must be paid before drawing.