A message from Jenny X.

Recreational Update:

Bob DaFolder makes first turns of the season!*

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*Turns shown in this picture may not be actual turns made today.

Yo Yo, check me out.

Click the "Yo Yo, check me out" link stuff up above.

If you see me, shoot me.

The Snow Goose (Chen caerulescens), also known as the Blue Goose, is a North Americanspecies of goose. Its name derives from the typically white plumage. The genus of this bird is disputed. The American Ornithologists' Union and BirdLife International place this species and the other "white" geese in the Chen genus, while other authorities place it in the more traditional "grey" goose genus Anser.

This goose breeds north of the timberline in Greenland, Canada, Alaska, and the northeastern tip of Siberia, and in warm parts of North America from southwestern British Columbia through parts of the United States to Mexico.^[1] It is a rare vagrant to Europe, but a frequent escape from collections and an occasional feral breeder. Snow Geese are rare visitors to the British IslesBarnacle, Brent and Greenland White-frontedferal population in Scotland from which many vagrant birds in Britain seem to derive. where they are seen regularly among flocks of geese.

Idaho: Day 7

Or the day I like to call 'Heston is mad at me' day.
Today I'm hunting by myself because Dallas is off to Montana to hunt deer or elk or something other than ducks, I would have liked to have seen Montana. Anyway, it's off to an early start because there is snow in the forecast and I have an hour drive to my spot on Anderson lake. The roads were clear and I had plenty of time to set up and arrange a nice decoy spread in the shallow water surrounding the point. It's quiet in Idaho at 5 AM, almost eerily quiet, and it's interesting to hear all the animals come to life in the early morning. I could hear the quacking of far off ducks on the other side of the lake, and the wave of snow that started to fall came to me first as the sound of soft snow progressing over the waters surface.

I sat in the light snow and watched as the dark of night turned to the light gray of a snowy morning. Ducks started to fly. I was calling quite a bit because the snow had reduced visibility and I wanted the ducks to know where I was. Several Mallards landed nearby and a couple swam near my decoys. When they were within 25 yards I jumped up and they took flight, my first shot missed but the second took the Drake down. The Greenie hit the water and dove down into the reeds, a natural response I guess, but he must have gotten caught up down there. I saw where he landed and knew that the water was no more than thigh deep so I made my way out to retrieve him but after a fruitless search I came up with nothing.

Regular readers may remember the post on this very blog about my Grandpa Clyde. I first wrote about him because of this very issue, retrieving downed ducks. The HOY7 Hunting Team does everything in our power to retrieve our birds and today was no exception. I searched a grid pattern by walking the whole area he could have been, hoping to jar him loose from the reeds. There was no chance he swam away as I had a great view of the waters surface. Still, I came up with nothing. Grandpa Clyde, I am sorry.

Of course Grandpa Clyde would be sad but he does not have the power of Heston. Only the Great Heston could have punished me for this transgression. And he did. I went through most of a box of shells today and never made another shot after that one. I missed the Geese that flew 20 feet over my head. It's not like they surprised me, I saw them coming at a blistering 5 mph for 40 - 50 seconds before I lifted the Benelli and took careful aim. 3 shots, nothing. How about the group of greenies that circled my blocks twice? 3 shots, nothing. The teal or widgeon that blasted from left to right? 3 shots, nothing. And finally, here's the capper, the group of 12 or so Snow Geese that flew right over my head, again I saw them coming and had all the time in the world to make a good shot. You guessed it. 3 shots, nothing.

So now I have a week to think about what I could have done differently and how to make this up to the duck population and the great Lord Heston. Some act of contrition that will ease my conscience and make up for what I've done. I'm considering joining Delta Waterfowl, my membership will help restore habitat and maybe a cute little baby duck will be born because of my donation. later I hope to shoot him. Whatever happens I hope next week Heston will allow me to slay ducks and geese, and bring them home to my table.

GBCH

The Rainbow Room 2009

The Next Reader

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IS NUMBER 7000

Idioms For Idiots

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Patience Of Job


It refers to Job’s refusal to condemn God when Satan was allowed to destroy his family and his livestock, essentially turning him from a rich man into a childless pauper overnight. Instead he entered into a series of dialogs that culminated in a fascinating conversation with God Himself. In the end Job saw the error in his ways, sought forgiveness, and everything was restored.

The main idea running through the Book of Job is that when we justify ourselves, by saying that we don’t deserve to experience catastrophic loss, we condemn God, in effect accusing Him of being unjust.

Had Job not been a sinner, God could not have authorized Satan to torment him, and through his patient attempts to understand this, we learn valuable lessons. “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

Red Necks and Google Maps

A day starts off at a place we never made it to last year and this year I've been there twice. Twin Falls. Twin Falls as we all know by now is out past the Old New Spot at Dalton Point. I think it should be re-named, more on that later. Andy and I are both DL hunting (disabled not down low) so the short hike out makes for an easy on the body hike, but same difficulty rating on the bottle. The anticipation by no means is high. While we are setting up I spy a low fly'er and then another, maybe it's going to be a good afternoon. While we are sitting there enjoying the mighty Columbia, it's magnificent vastness and it's unadulterated beauty, Mr. Red Neck with shitass dog show up. I call that dog shitass because he took a huge dump right by our blind. Mr. Red Neck approaches us, "hey guys how's it going? how's the hunting here" he aks us. "I Google Mapped this here place, it seemed to be a darn good spot". (Not speaking to Mr. Red Neck but making an observation) My question to you is when for Hestons sake did dumb shits "lern" themselves on a computer? Was it the library? Why is it the Google Earth/Maps changing the face of duck hunting? Can we, being the H7HT, sue the guy in charge of Google, what's his name? I turned to him and blew smoke in his face and said "listen Hill Billy why don't you pack up the way you came in and take your stink ass dog, and he does stink, then take your "computar" back to Ikea, and forget that you ever saw this place, I think you would have better luck hunting at some damn park or golf course". He then said "Well dude don't freak on my ass I read about this place on some hunting blog...the Hoy 7 Hunting Blog!!" I said "shut up beyatch we are the H7HT, next time you see any of our vehicles make like a tree and blow!!". Senior Red Neck high tails it out of there not wanting any part of us. Hunting presumes. Time passes and Cliffy, once an expert back in 2005, spy's a set of green heads. They were flying high and not wanting any part us. It made me think, being where we are we have to make the best of what we see. If we see some ducks, any ducks we have to make the best of it. In other words we have to "Strike While The Iron Is Hot".

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Twin Falls? I don't think so, the name that is, the Twin Falls have dried up I think due to global warming. I think we are almost out of water. Just look at the Mighty Columbia. I think Twin Falls should be called "The Rainbow", not like gee, but like a water spectrum. "The Rainbow Room". Have you never seen one there?

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It's Not the Best But It Is Ours

How about an afternoon hunt at the Old New Spot I asked myself? Sure what the hell I said. Got out of work and on the road at about 2pm, only need a couple of hours I said. Hell I have "The Patience Of Job".

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It's not the best place in the world to hunt, it's not even half way decent this time of year. But it has something a lot of other places does not, solitude. Imagine if you could a place you owned that you could go out and sit in peace, you are what you make of it. Imagine winning the old Powerball, and being Wednesday I did. I sat among the grasses with my seven blocks out, with my whikey and my wides doing just that. This is what it's going to be like someday, I thought to myself. But one thing will be different, there will be ducks. I'm not bitchin, it's a 20 minute drive and a 10 minute walk, easy enough even in my condition. I sat proudly being a part of the H7Ht, wearing my hat and hunting the way we always have done in the past. Reprezentin I call it, I knew the chances of seeing anything was slim to none, but there I sat. Reprezentin. Hunting the way we always have done. Reprezentin.

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A few hours passed and it was time to call it, I pulled the blocks, packed the bags and hiked out. Lisa greeted me and we were off. It was a good day. I was able to hike out to the Old New Spot, I sat and enjoyed the peace, Mt. Hood peaking over the closer mountains all lit up by the evening light. It was almost perfect.

Idioms For Idiots

Jump the Gun

Meaning:
Begin something before preparations for it are complete.

Origin:
'Jump the gun' derives from track and field races and was preceded in the USA by the phrase 'beat the gun' (or pistol). This has been known from the early 20th century, as in this example from Crowther and Ruhl's Rowing and Track Athletics, 1905:

False starts were rarely penalized, the pistol generally followed immediately on the signal "Get set!" and so shiftless were the starters and officials that "beating the pistol" was one of the tricks which less sportsmanlike runners constantly practised.
The earliest citation that I can find for 'jump the gun' isn't directly related to athletics, but is a figurative usage, as we use the phrase today - from The Iowa Homestead, November 1921:
"Give the pigs a good start; jump the gun, so to speak, and get them on a grain ration before weaning time."
The use of 'jump' in both phrases derives from the 'make a sudden, unexpected movement' meaning of the word. This usage is apparent in earlier phrases 'jump someone's claim' and 'jump ship' and the later (mid 20th century) 'jump the queue'.

Another Day Number Unkown

One bad knee and one bad hip walk into a bar and the bartender says "what's hoppining?"

Get it?

So Cliffy and I decide not to let our time here on the great planet earth just pass us by, we decide to head out to Sauvies on Sunday. I know what you are saying, "On a SUNDAY?!" "Hunting Sauvies on a Sunday?" "Fred G. is it not the busiest day of the week?" "Aren't you two lame guys?" (lame being disabled by the way) It is. And we are. Being the BEST we figured it out. One word, Afternoon hunting. I pick up Cliffy, after a good night sleep, a tasty breakfast, and a little work around the house, at a reasonable time 12:00 pm. We head to Sauvies pull up to the check in station walk right up pick a blind, Mud Hen 11, and by 1:15 we are set up and ready to slay. We have 2 hours and 45 minutes. Sauvies is different as you all well know, cause you all read the blog, you see ducks and you hear other guys skybustin. After a few flights of ducks way over heads I remember something. They love the whistle!!! How did I forget? I guess being out three times all ready this year this was like the first real day. After a little whistle blowing I worked some ducks into our spread, something that does not happen very often on Sauvies, and some shots were taken and some birds flew away. It's getting closer to dusk now and we have about 20 minutes to go, birds are flying. (note picture in story and picture in header) With a little more whistle I work a set of ducks into our spread, it was then that I "Jumped the Gun". Lets just say it is good to know the Benelli works just fine, hopefully first of the year jitters are gone. We will be back.

Dropped my Tiparello part duex

Meniscus Tear

There are two menisci in your knee; each rests between the thigh bone (femur) and shin bone (tibia). The menisci are made of tough cartilage and conform to the surfaces of the bones upon which they rest. One meniscus is on the inside of your knee; this is the medial meniscus. The other meniscus rests on the outside of your knee, the lateral meniscus.

These meniscus functions to distribute your body weight across the knee joint. Without the meniscus present, the weight of your body would be unevenly applied to the bones in your legs (the femur and tibia). This uneven weight distribution would cause excessive forces in specific areas of bone leading to early arthritis of knee joint. Therefore, the function of the meniscus is critical to the health of your knee.

The meniscus is C-shaped and has a wedged profile. The wedged profile helps maintain the stability of the joint by keeping the rounded femur surface from sliding off the flat tibial surface. The meniscus is nourished by small blood vessels, but the meniscus also has a large area in the center of that has no direct blood supply (avascular). This presents a problem when there is an injury to the meniscus as the avascular areas tend not to heal. Without the essential nutrients supplied by blood vessels, healing cannot take place.

How does the meniscus work?
The knee joint is very important in allowing people to go about performing almost any activity. The joint is made up of three bones: the femur (thigh bone), the tibia (shin bone), and the patella (knee cap). The surfaces of these bones within the joint are covered with a layer of cartilage. This important surface allows the bones to smoothly glide against each other without causing damage to the bone. The meniscus sits between the cartilage surfaces of the bone to distribute weight and to improve the stability of the joint

A meniscectomy is a surgical procedure that is performed to remove a torn meniscus from the knee joint. A meniscectomy may be recommended if the torn meniscus is causing symptoms of discomfort. The meniscectomy is an arthroscopic procedure, performed through small incisions with the aid of a small camera inserted into the joint.

How is arthroscopic surgery performed?
Arthroscopic surgery is a procedure that is used to look inside a joint. Through one small incision (about 1 centimeter) a small camera, about the size of a pencil, is inserted into the joint. Using one or more other small incisions, your surgeon places other instruments inside the knee to remove the torn cartilage.

New Feature

A new feature here at the blog. English Idioms. An idiom is generally a colloquial metaphor — a term requiring some foundational knowledge, information, or experience, to use only within a culture, where conversational parties must possess common cultural references. Therefore, idioms are not considered part of the language, but part of the culture. As culture typically is localized, idioms often are useless beyond their local context; nevertheless, some idioms can be more universal than others, can be easily translated, and the metamorphic meaning can be deduced. Got one send to us and we will publish. We will call the feature "Idioms for Idiots". Stay tuned.

Idaho Day 6

Today is what I like to call the secret spot day. The picture you see is the new 'secret spot', it was discovered 2 weeks ago. Dallas and I went hunting at Anderson lake and then we drove around to see what was on the other side. Maybe another place to set up? The chance of a flooded rice field? Perhaps another lake all together? What we found was a small bay on the other side of the lake, chock full of Mallards. We knocked on the nearest door and found the name of the property owner. Dallas made the call.

"We were wondering if we could hunt on your property? My Uncle Delbert gave me your name." Now apparently Uncle Delbert passed a few years back but by the grace of Heston it turns out the property owner worked with Uncle Delbert for 27 years in the lumber mill. Permission was granted.

So this morning we packed up and headed to the 'secret spot'. We had to bushwack for about 15 minutes in the chilly darkness (I left my headlamp in Fred G's bag last week, awesome!) and came out in the small bay. The bottom was not too muddy and fairly shallow for quite a ways out, good conditions for setting blocks. The sunrise was from behind us and we had good cover. Only one thing missing. Ducks. We debated the fickle nature of ducks. Weather conditions, wind direction, fog, rain, cold, nature vs. nurture, what the hell? I guess sometimes those little bastards have a mind of their own.

We did have a few solid morning fly-bys. We could have shot some divers. We missed a couple chances and took a few shots. But for the most part the mallards we saw two weeks ago just weren't there. I guess that's why they call it 'hunting' and not 'killing' sometimes you just don't get what you expect. Don't worry though, there's always next week.

GBCH

Is this potential? Or is this a loser?

Ladies and Gentlemen of the HOY7 Hunting Team meet Clayton. Could this man be a possible duck slayer or just another one of the 'wannabes' that have professed to want to go hunt with the HOY7 Hunting Team? I know for a fact that he has the ability to make his own schedule, he is able to possess a firearm, (praise Heston) he has tasted whiskey before and he is not afraid of Greenie. Being that I am back to the great state of Idaho after my weekend of fun, I know that someone has to step up to the plate. For Heston sake, Fred G hunted for 3 hours without seeing a thing or having anyone to talk to. Somebody help him.

So I throw out the challenge. Is this the one? He sure seems confident. Ladies and Gentlemen, place your bets.

Day 3/5 or 5/3 depending on your location.

Today was day 5 for Bob D. and day 3 for Fred G.
It was Cliffords birthday last night. We went to the party.
We went hunting the next morning.
To quote Forrest Gump "That's all I have to say about that."
GBCH

Bob D. has a New Job!

The time for jealousy is here. Expert slayer and new Captain of the HOY7 Hunting Team Bob DaFolder is now employed by Silver Mountain. As of today I am now the King of the tech shop on the top of the Silver Mountain ski area. My job description includes skiing a lot and making sure everyone else skis fast on their perfectly tuned skis and snowboards. In addition to the jealousy you are feeling for my job I must add that my commute to work will now include riding a gondola to work every day. Suck it 9 to 5'ers.

Now you may be thinking, " Bob D. Aren't you employed by Dave Smith Motors? Aren't you the best car salesman ever?" I'm sorry my friends but that title still belongs to Mr. Dallas Y. friend of the HOY7 Hunting Team and slayer of an undisclosed species of duck. I had to give my 2 minute notice to D.S. Motors yesterday and moved on to bigger and snowier things. While I enjoyed my time selling forty thousand dollar trucks to mustached ranchers from Montana I had to return to my outdoor roots. And since the lottery winnings have not yet arrived to allow Fred G and myself to have our dream job, I will continue in the ski industry.

So do your research and check out Silver Mountain ( www.silvermt.com ) and get ready to suppress your envy as I embark on my new career. But don't forget, my true destiny is to fold ducks like a Loose leaf Binder at the lunchroom bell. And stay tuned for the finest day of hunting exploits yet to come.

GBCH

Idaho: Day 4

Well well well. It seems there's a new expert in town boys. Say hello to Bob DaFolder, expert.

That's right day four in Idaho has been good to me. Slayer extraordinaire Dallas and I set out extra early due to daylight savings time and drove to Anderson Lake. We had been there before with not much success, but due to the lack of hunting spots we know of, it was on the agenda. As we arrived and packed in our blocks a misty fog settled over the lake. It blocked out the nearly full moon that was hanging over the area. A double group pattern was set and this theoretically left us a shooting lane right in the middle of our decoys. Of course I overestimated how much time daylight savings time subtracted from the normal shooting time. Turns out daylight savings time is one hour, who could have known. So we waited in the morning chill and fog.

Ducks appeared out of nowhere, as if emerging from thin air, and flew past our spread. We hardly had the chance to shoot before they were out of range. A 'V' of geese came from our right and Dallas, not knowing the distance, and I not wanting a goose, let them pass. From there on out it was game on. I called repeatedly to let the ducks know we were there and several groups of teal or widgeon came and went. A couple shots were taken but nothing fell. As the fog lifted 3 bufflehead locked up and landed right in the spread, pretty as can be. Then they flew away.

So, I know what you are thinking. "Bob D. what about the ducks you did fold? What's the story there?" Let me tell you, it was sweet. Two big ducks came straight in and flared just as they passed the spread. I put a bead on the bigger duck on the left and.... Blam! Dallas shot him dead. He retrieved what I thought at first was a Pintail but it was not. In fact I have no idea what it is. Some research is in order because I sure know what a Pintail looks like, Fred G shoots them all the time, but this one? Who knows? Shortly after that 3 ducks came from the right and turned into the spread. My Benelli met his outline, followed him and folded that green headed bastard like a notebook. After that the fog cleared and just that fast the action died. That is of course until we pulled up the decoys. Several volleys of ducks flew right over our heads without a care in the world.

We packed up and did some scouting. Driving to the other side of the lake we found a cove holding about 50 - 60 Greenies. Dallas rang the bell of the nearest house and a lady in her bathrobe came to the door and told us the name of the guy who owns the property. At this point the huntability of that spot is in question but a phone call has been made. Next time there may be even more Greenies to add to my Expert totals. Stay tuned because the next hunting outing will be special and thrilling all at the same time. I guar-an-tee!

GBCH