Idaho: Day 6

Lots to talk about today so let's get started.
First off, Willy.  He will now be known only as Clider, navigator for the Iceman and hater of Goose.  More importantly though, he is the 'Expert' and has been padding his lead by folding again.  This time a Hen Mallard and 600 Coots bringing his total to 2.  The mudhens count for a big fat nothing so don't be fooled by his picture, they are just like lake veal, confined to boxes and nailed to the water until someone comes along and hits them over the head.  Just to give you an idea of how hard they are to find and shoot you should know the limit is 25 a day.  Mmmm, nasty.  My next chance to hunt will be with Cilder way away in 9 days.  Hopefully he will share some of his wisdom and 'Expertness' with me and maybe I will get a chance to shoot a duck.

Peat and 1/5th limit of Coots

So you have likely guessed by now that I did not shoot a duck today.  My alarm went off precisely at 4am and I hit my mental snooze bar to sleep in another few minutes. When I finally woke at 5am I was in such a hurry to get out to the lake and set up that I forgot to bring a chair.  Actually I remembered about 20 minutes into the ride so I quickly changed plans.  I figured that the spot where we had the blind last year would be a good choice, not only because I could hunker down on the hard edge of the water but also because that kind of look was exactly what the 'Expert' did last weekend, and we all know how that turned out.  I set my blocks right at shooting time and pushed myself back into the grasses lining the shoreline.  I was set, and lookin' good.  The water was perfectly still so I thrashed my feet to make ripples flow into my decoys making them come alive against the rest of the lake.  Sweet.

That's how hidden it is!

Nothing flying.  Not only was it warm still and foggy, as the fog broke I saw the full moon just slipping below the horizon.  Perfect conditions for nothing.  I had maybe 4 or 5 ducks come anywhere near me all the while on Thompson Lake behind me the party was on.  Happy Greenies in their little protected area sitting in the sun and having no need to move anywhere at all. As I looked around I made a decision.  I saw the perfect area to make a blind.  Now I was planning to wait until Fred G. showed up to build our Anderson blind but this spot was too perfect. 5 yards off the water and covered from all angles.  I took out a Personal Line of Credit for $485,000 and built the pappy of all concealed killing spaces.  It's so good I may never find it again!  The best part is that none of the material I removed was used to make the blind which means it will match the surroundings perfectly all season.  It was well worth the $ and I took the remaining dough and filled my gas tank and had some Doritios.
There you have it.  Day 6.
GBCH

The future of the H7HT

Forgot I had these pictures of my nephews, Ben Elli DaFolder and Win Chester DaFolder.  As you can see they are young 'Experts' already.  Notice how they are practicing leading the ducks, albeit in different directions, with bow and arrow no less!  We do have some work to do with Ben's choice of footwear for the duck blind but you can see these two are clearly the direction of the future.  Way to go boys!

Idaho: Day 5

The SS Rocky Concordia

As I pulled in the parking lot and was packing up I heard another truck pull into the lot next to me.  Lo and behold, Rocky the bartender was here to slay too.  He had brought along his tiny boat and although it would not take me it certainly did take my stuff out to The Point.  My walk was light and easy.  After the extra time getting ready we had very little time to set before the bell for shooting time rang so we only threw out a couple decoys and the spinner and waited for the inevitable morning fly.  Nothing much happened.  I think the majority of the storm front that had been in the area before had moved through.  The wind was nonexistent and the temp was up.  Birds had no reason to fly.

That didn't stop Rocky from pasting a coot sitting on the water that had drifted into our spread.  I explained the finer points of jump shooting and that maybe it's not too sporting to shoot things on the water.  I think he got it.  He planned to eat the coot, mmmmm nasty.

A couple big birds flew about after we put out the rest of the decoys but good shots were hard to find.  I did have one deuce that spun around from the left and gave me a nice belly shot at what I think was a teal or maybe a gadwall.  I took the shot remembering the words of Fred G about 'shotening' my gun and missed a little on purpose.  Greenie is my target, everyone else is small potatoes.  Just look at how he spent his summer, karate lessons?  He's like a ninja duck for Heston's sake.  I will get him.
GBCH

My Summer Vacation

I took Karate lessons

That's right I was there for this debauchery

I had a bunch of kids, but I don't care

Oh shit! how'd this one get in there, delete, delete!

Man I barely remember this night, ended up in a prison in BC

, swear we never crossed swords

hanging with lefty Lew E

Crazy Am I?

What's going on beyotches?  Why am I so happy you ask?  Come on look at the fine tail I'm hanging with.  You're lucky I'm way too tired to be doing any flying these days.  I'm still up here in Canada EH?  I'm sure my friends are showing you all a good time, good time doing NOTHING!  HA!  My Uncle Lew E., said he saw your pathetic asses there in da ho,  swam right past you in your boat, which looks good by the way he skyped me some pictures, and you didn't even see him. I'll see you at the end of January, I was listening to OPB on the internet and they say record dry spell this winter, so I'm going to let all the fat asses go first and then fly first class all the way to Cabo.  Until then I quack in your general direction.

ps.  yo mr. white what's up with the hiring of all these new guns and dogs?  i pess on your dawgs.

Oregon Day Three

Day three could not be more perfect, rain, wind, dry warm gear, and the whole place to myself.  I'm at the Old spot out on New Island and I have great water and an awesome blind.  My best buddy is too hunting by himself today out in Idaho on the Point.  With technology today it's as if we are hunting together.  We are able to stay in constant contact; what's your weather?  what's flying? how's the spread? and have you seen Greenie yet today? are often the topics of conversation.  Also the givens.

I'm also wearing some new gear which makes all the difference in the folding world.  A new pair of Columbia omni-tech wader pants, new and improved water proof gloves that are actually warm, and a fresh pair of waders.  Life is pretty good when you add in everything else.

Morning bell sounds and the day now officially starts.  Well this awesome morning turns into typical beginning of the year Old Spot hunting. Not much to report except the dozen teals who flew through my spread and landed in the middle of it.  With a pull of my trigger I could of had my limit they were so close together.  But being the beginning of the season and only down by one, teal are not on the menu as of yet. When I need a little padding at the end of the year I'll enjoy some nice teal taco.  It was a quiet enjoyable morning all and all.  A nice hike in the woods with no cougar, place to myself, and a nice spot to boot.  Wonder how my team mates morning went?

Why Is this Man Going Crazy?

HOW?...

How do you not take this guy with you?  You 

know he wants to go!

It is better to have shotten your gun and miss

Than to never have shotten your gun at all.

-Fred G.

Day Two Oregon

We are the best, right?  We can make shinola out of shit, can't we?  Turn lemons into margaritas, right?  

Perfect conditions when I woke this morning, rain, cold, and wind.  Lisa was waiting for me with great anticipation.  The girl I tell you does not show her age what so ever, I mean so what if the fan for the heat makes a loud noise and the driver side wiper fell off on the highway.  Did I mention it was raining?   She could not wait to get back to her task at hand, take note Waylon and Peat.  

Make it to the parking lot to find one lone truck with a camo dog carrier in the back, great I though another mutt running around with its head cut off.  Make the hike out and make it to the Old Spot by 6am.  The guy with the dog is in my spot so I'm now in search of usable water.  Being the best, you would have thought that because my waders leaked last time out I would have ditched them and used one of my three new pairs sitting fresh in boxes.  No being the Yankee that I am I thought I could get one more use out of them and what the hell it's not that cold today and there is not a lot of water, right?  Well in search of usable water I had to cross some waist high stuff and my boot filled up immediately, filled.  My only option was to cut a bunch of fresh brush and make a huge pile and sit in the middle of it.  With that done I set out my blocks in 3 inches of water and wait.  It's raining pretty good now and the wind is whipping.  Sitting there I'm questioning myself, my expertise, and what drove me to get out of my warm bed.  Just then Bob hits me with a text, "How's it going EH?"  It's him that drove me, that gave me the strength to sit there with a frozen foot and with the wind and rain smacking me in the face. With his encouragement I withstood the elements.  

The morning fly was dryer than my boot that was not swamped.  A single then a cloud of mallards so far up that they wanted nothing to do with a bush sitting on the side of a river sticking out like a sore thumb, surrounded by blocks in three inches of water.  I was pathetic and I knew it.  A set of pintails fly through at mach speed and they hit the guys spread across from me, where I should be, and he folds one of them.  Then with a whistle his dog retrieved it, that was nice to see.  By now it's pouring and the wind just blew my pile of brush away from around me. I'm better than this I think to myself, I'm smart enough to know that today is not my day, I have not won but I have not lost either.  I know that there is a fresh pair of waders back home and Wednesday morning the water will be up.  Bags are packed gun is cleaned.

Idaho: Day 4

Day 4 was the first time hunting alo...... Oh my Heston whose puppy is that!?  Is this your puppy!?  This isn't my puppy!  Where did this.... He looks good alright! Yeh?

Man that's one good lookin puppy.  Anyway,  all due respect to Peat, Day 4.  Hunting alone, so for certain I had a cougar shell loaded up and ready to go, just in case the cougar was waiting for me. I somehow escaped again.  When I got to the point on Anderson I put out as many blocks as I could carry knowing full well the 'Expert' believes in mass.  Who am I to disagree?  So with 22 blocks and the mojo spinner out I waited for morning fly while ducks called each-other and flew off in the distance.  Shooting time was close at hand and I spoke to the other Founder, Fred G, by text.  He was hunting too.

Right away a lone mallard (or other big duck, it was still dark) passed from the right.  I took the shot and missed.  Then the small ducks started to fly in and taunt me with their grace.  I passed on the divers and other small ducks waiting for the elusive mallard.  It took some time before a set of two flew in from the right, passed high in front and then flew in again.  Two shots rang out from the Benelli right at the lead greenie....

two from my bent gun

all I could carry

A lone feather floated down into the spot where I had taken the shot.  It looked graceful in its abstract path towards my beautiful decoy spread as I thought to myself about the missed opportunity I just had given up.  No greenie for me today.  Of course, divers landed in the spread, then more came in from the left.  Then even more swam in from the front and all had a nice party in the water just out in my blocks.  I thought they made great living decoys for greenies that may want to fly in but none did.  I waited for another hour before I decided to do a $50,000 remodel on the blind.  New shrubbery and grasses now make the blind look perfect.  See if you can pick it out in the picture.  No.  Of course you can't.  Neither will the ducks in two days.



GBCH  

Time......

To submit suggestions for Mr. William Bartlet's new name as it relates to the H7HT.  Put your suggestion in the comment section below and the Founders will chose based on our genius in all things H7HT.  Good luck!

The 'Expert" slays again!

Today, while working at my post I received this text picture from Willy, the 'Expert'.  Seems that he has been doing some extracurricular work on the side as a deer hunter too.  Is there anything this man can't slay?  I can only hope that Peat retrieved the deer while it was floating in the water.  Meat for everyone!

Idaho: Days 2 and 3

The last few days were such a blast I will have to lump them together for this post.  Thanks for your understanding.
As we all know by now, Willy is 'The Expert'.  He shot the first bird of the season, a nice ring-neck, something I've never seen before and then successfully retrieved it while Peat looked on in amazement.  For Heston's sake it was only 5 minutes after the opening bell of the first day.  So now a new 'Expert' takes the reins of the Idaho chapter.  When Willy told me we were hunting Monday and Tuesday I said "yes sir" just like the non-expert I am.

Monday was pouring rain on the drive out and had cleared some by the time we arrived at Anderson.  We set out a large spread with some geese and the teal pack for good measure.  The 'Expert' has been doing some research and tells me more is better.  We settled in and the rain came on and off showing us not much in the way of ducks but not long in a startling thing happened.  Greenie showed up.  Not just a greenie, but Greenie himself.  Without landing he swam up on us from the left side from out of nowhere.  He took a good long cursory look at our decoys and then showed us his starboard side as he swam past the blind.  At this point I did not know it was him, just thought he was a typical mallard wanting to die.  Willy and I got ready to jump shoot him.  We jumped..... he stayed.

day 2 overcast and rain

It was about that time when I realized that the thing I thought was a mallard was in fact, Greenie!  Who else would sit tight knowing full well we would never shoot a duck on the water.  I even gave him the ole' boogilie boogilie boo and nothing.  As a matter of fact he sat there the whole time until a hen mallard came in low from the right, banked in front of us and somehow missed getting hit by some nice 2 shot.  Then, like a French Canadian ghost, Greenie was gone.  Bastard!

For Tuesday Willy suggested we take the boat and go find some nice reeds closer to the flyover spot between Anderson and Thompson lakes.  I said "yes sir" just like the non expert I am.  If the rain yesterday was pouring then today it was dumping.  Heston had unleashed some biblical style wind and rain for the ride out.  By the time we got to the put-in the rain had stopped but the wind was still crazy.  We launched the boat and fought our way across the river, through the channel and stopped at.... the point on Anderson. The wind was far to unpredictable to try to navigate with 500+lbs of gear and living beings for the first time ever in the dark of night.

boat pinned to shore by Heston

We set up with the wind thankfully at our backs and waited for the greenies to fly in.  The wind gusts were so hard that, even though we had the most protected spot around, ducks were just cruising by.  The only mallard that tried to land somehow evaded three shots from my gun.  I think the wind was so fierce it must have bent my Benelli. Before we pulled up we donned life jackets and tried to motor down the lake a ways and see what there was in the way of cover further on.  Turning around was sketchy but even more so was the fist two or three waves we hit going back into the wind.  They threw spray and bunches of water over the bow and knocked Peat from his perch.  When we got back Willy and I both agreed that that had been a bad idea.  By the way, I hate the open water.  We packed up and made it back to the truck in time to award Willy the first of his $10 prizes and get home in time for a nice nap.
There you have it, days 2 and 3.


GBCH

Day One Oregon

Well well well, what do we have here?  Another hunting season.  Today marked the beginning of the 12th season for the Hoy 7 Hunting Team and my oh my how things have changed.  The Old Spot has totally retransformed itself due to growth of trees and brush along with the ebbing flow of the mighty Columbia and Sandy rivers.  No more hunting in jeans.  Boats and dogs have been added, things we only dreamed of many years ago.  The team has grown exponentially.  With the popularity of duck hunting increasing over the years, due to the H7HT, the Old Spot is also overgrowing with hunters at a fast rate.  Where as the old days it was just Bob and myself with the occasional passing of Mitch with his dogs Daisy and Duke.

Cliffy throwin signs at Idaho chapter

Today we roll into the newly paved parking lot with freshly painted parking spaces,  I was shocked not to see a space reserved for the H7HT with all we have done for the area in helping it become more popular.  There was only one truck there before us which was a good sign knowing (because we are the BEST) that the water level would be difficult.  The packs felt heavy the first morning as we made it down the graveled pathway to the river.  The morning sky was clear and the air was warm which was disappointing considering the weather forecast was for "dumping buckets of rain."  We arrived at the river finding just what we expected and after a short hike Cliffy put us on some nice water with a great backdrop.  We throw out some blocks and set Leroy up hoping he brought along some of his 2011 magic.  As we settle in waiting for the morning bell to sound we look over the area watching the sundry of head lamps dance in the dark in search of water, very different from years ago.  The morning fly was surprisingly strong which made for great expectations (not really because we know the reality).  After a few desperate blows of our calls the morning dried up as fast as it began, this is where the hard part comes in.  It's now time to stare into space searching for the elusive beast while trying to keep your eyelids from sealing shut due to the lack of sleep from the night before.  Your mind plays tricks on you here, a spider weaving a web or a high flying airplane (apparently there is an airport near by) could give the illusion of a high flying duck.  Just when you shake it off with a rip from your bottle or choke, the illusion becomes reality, just so happens that this reality was ruined by the hunters who thought it would be okay to show up to the dance 2 hours after the dance started.  Two hunters just outside gun length on the other side of our water  pushing a huge cart filled with their shit and with their two dogs running in the water.  This is when a set of ducks decide to fly through our spread.  Thanks guys. I'm glad I'm not you because I would feel like a total dick.

Hours later two young kids walk past us dressed in the worst non-cammo ever and caring just guns and wearing a lone call.  They reminded me of Bob and myself of the early days, I smiled. Two kids out in search of something, learning every step along the way.  Just then my bubble was bursted and I wanted to kill them.  Two ducks flew through our spread and I was able to call them back with a few sweet notes, finally.  By this time the two young lads settled in about 500 yards from us trying to hide behind a few sprigs of brush.  As these ducks were banking a second time to join our party one of these punk ass kids decides he can hit a duck out 300 yards and decides to unload his gun at them.  Opportunity ended.

We give it a few more hours, eat a fine lunch of fried egg sammy with bacon ham and cream cheese on a bagel, finish up the rest of our wikki, (to make our packs lighter for the walk out) pack up and head back.  Day one Portland, mark it done.

For Openers....

Things that happened:
We arrived a little late
Ducks were flying
The weather was perfect for early season
Willy shot a duck right away
My safety was on
The blind is now looking good
I am not the 'Expert'

Wait till tomorrow...

Anticipation

Deep inside i am silent

outside rain will fall

call, quack, bang, splash, elated

Tradition

"Time To Kill"
         by
Bob DaFolder


You packed up and left the truck over an hour ago.
Sometimes if the moon is still bright you don't even
need a headlamp to make your way out to the area
where you want to set up. It's cold out but the long
walk with the pack on makes you sweat inside your
waders and under all the layers. As you set your
decoys in the still water surrounding your blind, your
body cools and you can feel the chill in the air again.
Finally, with everything complete, it's time to wait
for sunrise.Just before the first light of day you can
hear the whistle of ducks flying near you. Wondering
what they are is almost torture. Are they the fat
greenies you hope to see again at first light, or are
they another brand, something you have never seen
before? Not long now till you start to make out shapes
and can see a little bit better as the sun comes closer
to the horizon. Now, as the other creatures of the woods
wake up and start to move around, you know that the
time is here. Time to kill.

Tradition

"No Me In Team"

You walk into a 7-11 only to be stared at

Wearing your camo and your floppy hat

Buying a red bull and a Dew for the ride
Everyone still thinks you're a terrorist
Confused as to why you are dressed the way you are
Brush you off with merely a thought
"Another one of those crazy hunters"

Why do we do this?
The late nights and the early mornings
The cold wind and rain
The complaining girlfriend

The loss of sleep and the long weeks at work

The constant threat of equipment failure
The worries of blue bird skies
And not enough wind

Why do we do this?
Because the lure of a morning spent in a duck blind
Among friends is just to strong, and with a
A bottle of Whikey

And pack of Chokes,

What could go wrong?

H7HT sits still as the mornings sun starts to warm
All around you the world suddenly seems alive
Full of possibilities for the day
As the minutes tick by, the opening bell rings
You grip on your death stick ready to slay.

Shooting time
Why do we do this?
The moment all becomes clear
As a team we act in unison
And in this moment we are defined
The lure of being a duck hunter
In pursuit of the ultimate game bird
Is just to great.

All the time and effort that is put into this adventure
With buddies and Lisa on the drive

I am a duck hunter and this is my moment  

Die Greenie die. 

Horrible News.....

To my H7HT teammates.  I am back from vacation.
The reasons why I'm back so early aren't important.  What's important is that tomorrow morning, the first morning of the season, I will be hunting.  Say goodby to your money and your belief that you can be the "Expert", as we all know who is taking that title home.  Bob D.

(Cliffy.  Good looking dog.  May he retrieve many greenies.)
GBCH.

He's Here!

Let the Jedi training begin!

Let's Take A Minute to Remember What's On the Line

A note to my teammates.

Greenie and I discuss the proper time for his friends to fly by and see the H7HT.  It will be after I return from vacation of course.  Good luck on opening day losers.

Scouting with Rocky and Maya

Nice spot eh?

This time around it was off to Round Lake.  The place that the dead old man recommended.  The place where we are supposed to be able to shoot limits everyday.  We had a plan.
Rocky and I loaded up the boat and made our way onto the St.Joe River channel which winds it's way towards massive lake Coeur d'Alene past Round and Chilloquat Lakes.  On the way we stopped in places to check the other side of the bank and hopefully find great spots to build a blind.  Much like my earlier scouting the water has receded to the point where any viable cover is many yards away from the open water, and as the river levels recede, so does the lake.  We were getting shut out at all the spots we checked.  Finally we made it to the end of the channel and a nice point of land surrounded by water and some low weeds.  This spot looked great, water on all sides, cover and the chance to shoot over reeds that stretched for no more than 15 feet away.

We pulled down the blind that had been set up last year (shoddily made of metal stakes and twine) and built a new blind (perfectly made of wooden stakes and twine) in the hopes that when the time was right we could return and fill the lattice with available cover that matched what was happening in the natural world around us.  The only question was who had been at that spot before and would they consider it "their spot" the way some hunters do.  If so, they may tear down our handiwork and install their own.  I like to think when they see how perfect our building skills are, they will move along.  Perhaps we should have peed around the perimeter too.  Maya did some retrieving and showed her abundance of energy that makes Chesapeake Retrievers the workhorse of the old time market hunters.  

On the way back we found two other potential spots to hunt on the other side of the St.Joe, the side we had ignored the whole way out.  This side of the river opened onto other smaller parts of the lake and in one bay we saw hundreds of black ducks and many geese too.  Once again the water was still knee to hip deep in the reeds and rushes that stretched out 100 yards to the waterline.  Later in the season, as the water recedes and the reeds dry out, this may be a fantastic spot.  Further evidence was a big old wooden floating blind built by some old time duck hunters, now high and dry on the shore.

We saw another possible spot on the way back and marked it as well but now it was time to head back to the boat ramp. The river took about 40 min from one end to the other and we made it back just in time for the boat to run out of gas about 200 yards from shore.  Good lesson here, always bring the extra tank of gas.  So there it is.  The scouting trip to Round Lake. It won't be long now.
GBCH

Scouting with Willy and Peat

The Masterpiece

Like the title says, we all went scouting.  Really we went to build the blind on the point at Anderson for the year and see what there was to see about digging a pit blind on the other point. (It was pointless)  We unloaded the boat at the ramp down the road and made our way back to the Anderson slough.  After waiting for a guy and his girlfriend to pilot their bigger ski boat through the channel we got to the point.  It's important to note here that they were in shorts and a bikini and were wakeboarding, kinda warm yet, eh?

We cleared the grasses and put down some wooden stakes and twine that will act as the foundation for this years slaying masterpiece we call 'the point'.  Then the new trail was cut so that we can walk out easily without getting all wet and icky, who wants to walk in the water when you are hunting anyway.  To further our not getting wet program Willy worked Peat by throwing bumpers and getting him to jump from the boat and shore to retrieve.  Peat even went multiple sets and brought back 3 in a row with just hand commands.  Good Dog.  With the cut brush piled close by for blind fodder and the area secure we looked on the other side of the channel to see about the late season pit.  It was not the time yet to build that particular spot so we headed back to the ramp and home in time for a nice nap.

One week 4 days to go.
Something to keep in mind is that I will be on vacation for the opening 3 days of the season.  Willy will be out for the first and second day hunting the point.  Will there be a new 'Expert' before I even have a chance to hunt?  Will Fred G and Cliffy go out and slay?  Will I have to pay out before I even return to Idaho?  All these questions and more will be answered soon, so stay tuned.


GBCH