Idaho: Day One

The real day one started with a plan for just one hunter, me. I had no choice but to go back to Anderson Lake because the attempt to meet with Dallas a couple days ago and see a new spot ended badly. The good news is that the cold has returned and I was greeted by a frosty windshield and my breath hanging in the air yesterday am. It's about 50 miles to the lake so I poped in some NRBQ and hoped that the trip would not be in vain, with no ducks flying.

It was a little scary on the walk out to set up for two reasons. I didn't hear a thing from the duck world on the way out. No quacking and milling around in the pre-dawn darkness. No whistling flyovers of ducks you can hear but not see. And for another reason, My Sweetie told me about her friends husband who had to shoot a cougar last year while duck hunting. Seems that the cougar was stalking him in his blind and he happened to see the big cat getting ready to jump. Bang. So I really don't think that the spot I go to at the lake has any kind of cougars nearby but I'll tell ya, at 5:30am in the total darkness walking through tall brush in complete silence with nothing but your small headlamp, this story was on my mind. I loaded a shell just in case.

To my great delight there were lots of ducks flying though. Right about the time I got set up small ducks starting strafing my position in the grasses. There were a couple mallards or so that flew in to take a look and I probably should have taken a shot at them but, like our title says, I wanted to "foldem with their feet down". I'm not sure but I think I saw a pinny too in the groups of ducks that came by and I worked some mallards with my call from the other side of the lake right in to my spread but for some reason they didn't like the set and off they went.

I've added some Teal decoys to my set up and let me tell you, it seems to have made a difference. All morning long Buffleheads and some kind of black looking diver ducks were everywhere. Today's picture shows some of the groups that came by for a visit. I didn't want to take them because they are not the best eating (although I hear Teal are extra tasty) so I was content to have some live decoys in my spread. Along about 10:00 or so the sun finally broke through the fog and low clouds and the action dried up. I packed it up and headed home for my 2:30 round of golf. I love America!

Not bad for the first day of the season. I hope to head out again on Thursday with Dallas to check out this new spot he found. I'll keep you posted. On a side note: My sincerest condolences to the Portland chapter of the HOY7 Hunting Team on the barricade of the Old New Spot. That kind of shit will not stand. Remember what these fine men said....

Dare to do things worthy of imprisonment if you mean to be of consequence. ~Juvenal

Laws control the lesser man. Right conduct controls the greater one. ~Chinese Proverb

Never do anything against conscience even if the state demands it. ~Albert Einstein

No radical change on the plane of history is possible without crime. ~Hermann Keyserling

When leaders act contrary to conscience, we must act contrary to leaders. ~Veterans Fast for Life

It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong. ~Voltaire

If... the machine of government... is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law. ~Henry David Thoreau, On the Duty of Civil Disobediance, 1849

Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape! -- You Know Who!