Day 20. -AKA- Killin' for the King.

Regular readers of the H7HT blog will know that hunting in honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King is a yearly tradition and this year was no different. We were joined by Charter member Cliffy V. for the days hunt. He even took the day off from his busy schedule to hunt with us, what a guy eh? I think he may have been a little circumspect at first to go for the later day 'evening fly' that we had planed but he is now a believer. We arrived at about 2:00 at the Old New spot and walked out to the mighty Columbia River, packed light and fast.

Massive winds and white capped waters greeted us as we set some blocks to our right and left. Our recent clear skies have brought with them an unusual set of conditions for this time of year and we welcomed the chance to be able to face the winds without getting drenched. Cliffy and I held the point while Fred G. worked the corner of the slough. The days first kill belonged to your author, Bob. Two mallards flew in from behind us to the blocks we had set up. With such strong winds, now at our backs, they were basically floating in front of us. We both shot and the consensus was that I took the greenie and seconds after Cliffy took the hen. The drake was easy to get but Cliffy had quite the walk and wade to get his bird, nearly 1/4 mile away by the time the wind brought her in.

The action was fast and furious from there on out. Mallards flying everywhere and all wanting to get down in the relatively calm waters on the other side of the river. We all had some shots but often the birds we traveling at such mach speeds with the wind that shots were missed. Fred shot a massive hen, the biggest we've ever seen, and brought the total to 3. As the day drew near to close we had other shots and then the final kill. A greenie and his woman turned behind us and came over our heads. I put the bead on him and pulled the trigger, watched him fold up and hit the water just in front of us. The wind brought him right to me. Fred G. also claimed him saying that we had shot simultaneously and, it was in fact, he who brought the greenie down. No chance. I claimed the kill, say Amen!

The sun then dipped below the horizon and we packed up for the walk back to the trucks, all agreeing that it was a fine day of hunting and that MLK would be proud. As a post-script to the days hunt I must tell you that back at my house cleaning the ducks in preparation for some tasty Mo-le' we discovered that the last greenie I shot had no less than 14 holes in him. I refuse to share the kill (I need the numbers) but I must concede that perhaps a couple of Fred's BBs hit him. Stay tuned for more afternoon hunts with the World Renown H7HT.

GBCH