Idaho: Day 14

Yesterday Clider and I went a’ slaying.

It had been much of a cold and dry week since the last time we were out and we both worried about the water levels out on Anderson.  It seems to be the only game in town right now unless you want to risk certain death and head out in a boat to the big open water of Lake Coeur d’Alene.  No me, not there, no way.  So after deciding on a time that gave the ‘Expert’ a few more minutes of rest we headed out into the cold.  Fortunately no other hunters had made plans for The Point that day.  We had the place to ourselves which was good because most all of the water on the lake, and all the surrounding areas, had frozen over.  Clider set his multitude of good looking decoys and I let him, he is the ‘Expert’ after all.

We had decided to sit on opposite sides of the slough to minimize our profile and also to have more area which to see all the inbound ducks that were coming with the morning fly. It proved to be a great idea for me.  Right at the bell a lone greenie came straight in and turned to the left, my side, and showed me his big white belly.  Quick as a former 'Expert' I raised my gun and folded him with one shot.  The retrieve was simple.  After that action we waited for quite some time before the next birds came by and unfortunately they wanted little to do with us.  The best look was a group of 4 that came from behind us and beyond them a group that wanted to come land in our slice of water.  They wanted in until Clider took a couple shots at the first group that is.  No blame though, I would have done the same.  Even with both of us taking walks to stay warm no other folding was to be had that day.  I could tell Clider was frustrated but I felt pretty good after last weeks N.R. to have a one shot - one bird day.

Clider plans to bring another new hunter out on Sunday so we spent the rest of the morning building a $89,000 blind out at the extreme end of the point's other side, an area we called 'the tip' last year.  I hope Clider and Ken have a murderous good time while I work away at my mountain top retreat.  Another goodie from that day, I saw what looked a lot like a Mojo wing at the bottom of the water in the slough, turns out it was.  I pieced together losing it 3 years ago (or at least one just like it) in that very spot.  I left the wings of my new roto on the clump of grass you can see in the photo.  When I came back days later only one was there and I figured the other was gone forever.  The odds that it blew into the tiny river, sank and stayed there for years with all the water flowing in and out with the seasons, is slim but I can think of no other option.  It looks the right age and is in the exact spot I lost it.  Hmmmmm?  Heston at work?  I like to think so.