Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Day 5 West Side



Low and behold a burly sound coming down my street at 4 am. I am in my basement packing and it sounds like a tank stops outside my house! Bob my buddy will be doing the driving today, so I'm in my basement filling my bottle to the rim, not with Brim. Bob has a fine new to him Bronco II. It is perfect and he loves it, why? "I love this truck cause I don't even have to wash it" or "hey if you need more space to pack that bag just do it on the hood" or don't worry about the mud on your boots I'm not gonna vacuum anyway" are just a few things he utters. We arrive at the West Side Yo! at 5 am. The West Side is the poker chip side, where as everyone in your truck picks a poker chip with a number on it and you keep the lowest number. I always pick the lowest number, not this time. Bob draws 26 which is good for 6th pick of blinds. We choose Mud lake 4. Mud Lake is a fairly large lake with about 12 hunting areas spaced about 150-200 yards apart. We hike out to the blind, it's rough, there is not much set up for you like on the East side where they actually have set blinds. On the West Side you are assigned a pole, and you have 40 yards on each side of the pole to set your blind and throw out your blocks. We discuss what the pattern of the blocks should be, and where a blind would best suit us. We get to work, Bob throws out the blocks I get to work on a blind, per usual. The morning was beautiful, hard to beat a sunrise over Mud Lake with about 100,000 geese taking flight with a smattering of ducks, the noise is sometimes deafening. Killing time is 6:33. The screaming geese now transforms into the sound track of Saving Private Ryan. Silhouettes of birds flying overhead, grown men blowing into toy horns trying to sound more real than the next, and the bang of 12 gauges. The slight rain is a welcoming silence. After a few morning chances, all taken with no results Bob notices that no one is using a "roto" duck. So Bob unpacks it and sets it out, the sun now breaking through the clouds and shinning upon our spread, we call it being "all lit up," we look good. It's early afternoon now and things are starting to slow down, we coheres in a few ducks with the rotto and a few more chances are blown. Lunch is had and it is delicious. My mouth is alive with flavor Bobs eyes are filled with sleep. I move down and pick a post under a tree along the water. After a few some speedy Teal fly in, bamo! 1 shot fold. Bob awakes to find me wading out of the lake with a Teal I called Face. After a friendly visit from our local game warden a little more whikey we pack it up. Another great day, sunrise, sammy, folding and weather...in that order.

From the West Side

Fred G.


1 comment:

Bob said...

Damn straight!
I should have CIL'd the fist Greenie too!