Feet Down Folding

Bob said we need a crest....

  

Bob D. Silver Mt. 2012-2013 season

"Wait He's Smoking!!" Fun Part II

Did you used to smoke?

It was good, huh?

Greenies

Peat likes hunting even more than I do,  I feel that I have certain obligations to him.  He is a good dog due to training, which is something that happens everyday with every interaction.  I realized that in order for Peat to be a good bird dog he needs real practice with real birds, often.  This lead to a bit of a dilemma at first.

You see, Bob prefers to shoot exclusively at mallards, and most of the time he will skip on other species.  At first I thought this was the way for me, but it soon became apparent that neither Peat or I were going to get any better at hunting or retrieving unless we both got some real practice.  I decided to start hunting any ducks that committed to my spread regardless of species, and Peat started getting markedly better at dealing with birds.  On slow days I started taking walks through the sloughs to break up the monotony of empty an sky, occasionally I would jump shoot some of the divers that hang out in these smaller waters.  Throughout the winter my shooting got better and Peat's retrieving skills got way better.

I talked to Bob and he liked this idea enough to put in a post awhile back.  I would like to base the expert title for next year on just the number of drake mallards harvested, minus any NRs of course.  I realize this would have to be unanimous, but last seasons greenie numbers were close. Thoughts?

Non-Retrieves

This is a long overdue post.  As you may know I won the coveted title of Expert for 2013, however I won another thing that I am not proud of, most non-retrieves.  The polls showed me tied up with Bob last year, but I never accounted for closing day.

It was right at first light and I was hunting on the river with Peat, all of the traffic I had seen in the last week was moving up and down the river so that's where I went.  A pair of buffel head dropped in on my decoys and set their wings, well within shooting distance.  I pulled up and shot, the bird dropped and then dove, he came up across the river and then dove again, we spent a lot of the morning and part of the afternoon looking for that bird.  It was right at first light and of course I spent most of the morning fly trying to locate him.  After a long look I came back to a quiet sky and low hopes for the last day of the season.

The day ended up panning out well with a couple more birds right before I packed it in for the season, but I brought my tally of lost birds to 5 for the season.  I put in a lot of hiking this year looking for those birds, Peat put in a lot of swimming.  Some were bad choices due to a lack of experience(opening day), some were because I took shoots that I knew better than to take, and two were due to birds diving and never coming up.  Peat brought in several hard retrieves that no doubt saved a few more from being on that list, and Bob chased one down in the boat for me.

I spent around 25 days hunting last season and everyday was full of lessons.  I learned a lot from each of those birds and I like to think that I won't make those same mistakes again..  We agreed that whomever had the most NRs last season would send in a donation to DU for $2 per bird for the collective total.  I sent that check today and hopefully it will be my last check for that reason.

Dust Devil

As I was going down the road I saw this strange cloud, I saw men working

out there and thought it was from a machine they were using.  

Closer I see  a dust devil touched down right next to them.

See Anything You Like?

On my last trip I found this out in the middle of nowhere.  

Note the cows roaming and loafing within the yard.

Yea I'm Pissed!

A recent letter I sent Cabela's about their flagrant use of trees and energy with all their catalogs and their "Limited Fall Edition"

 

 Not a question but a complaint.  Just received my 2013 limited fall hard bound edition.  All I could say is what the hell!  Thanks for spending all that money on something I have to throw away now.  I could only imagine how much money this doorstop cost.  Why not just send me a gift card for what it cost so I could spend it at your store? "A Thank You to a very special customer" would be better said than a 3 pound book. Seriously, the 8-10 catalogs you send all year are not enough?  You should be sending catalogs via email anyway.  For a company that was on the verge of going out of business I don't see this as a very smart business decision.  I love Cabelas and would like to see them around for a long time, but who ever came up with this idea should be fired. It seems to me that your company should be helping the environment, after all it is an "outdoor" store.  On that note, how would I be able to cancel my mailed catalogs and just receive them electronically?

I know the person or persons that should receive this will not, but I feel better getting it off my chest.  Thanks for listening.

Duck Numbers Remain Strong Breeding Population Survey estimates 45.6 million ducks; Water conditions right for excellent duck production

BISMARCK, N.D. — North America’s spring duck population is down slightly from record levels, but pond counts are up 24 percent over last year, according to the 2013 Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey released today.
The survey, which has been conducted annually since 1955 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Canadian Wildlife service, puts the breeding duck population at 45.6 million, the second-highest level ever recorded.
“We started with high numbers of breeding ducks, and we have great water in the right places for renesting and duckling survival,” said Frank Rohwer, president of Delta Waterfowl. “Duck production should be excellent.”
Of the 10 species cited in the survey index, only American wigeon and canvasbacks showed an increase from 2012. Wigeon breeding numbers sit at 2.64 million, up 23 percent from 2012 and 2 percent above the long-term average for the species. Canvasbacks showed a modest increase of 4 percent, with the population estimated at 787,000, well above the threshold to have an open season.
“Wigeon, a species which had many folks concerned about a long term decline have now increased two years in a row,” said Joel Brice, vice president of conservation for Delta Waterfowl. “It is nice to see canvasbacks back to near record populations.”
Mallards were at 10.37 million, down 2 percent, but still 36 percent higher than the long-term average. Despite the overall decline, mallards increased locally in the Eastern Dakotas, Southern Manitoba and Southern Saskatchewan.
Northern pintails came in at 3.34 million, a decrease of 4 percent overall. However, pintail numbers increased in southern Saskatchewan and Alberta, a reflection of improved May pond count numbers. Pintails remain 17 percent below the long-term average.

Both blue-winged teal and green-winged teal populations dropped from record levels of 2012. Bluewings are estimated at 7.73 million, a 16 percent decline. However, bluewings are still 60 percent above the long-term average. Greenwings declined 12 percent to 3.05 million, but like bluewings, remain at historically high levels — 51 percent above the long-term average.

Strong Production Expected
May pond counts, an index of wetlands across the survey area, were tallied at 6.89 million, a significant and important 24 percent increase over 2012.
“We started with good water, and it got better with rains in May,” Rohwer said. “All research shows that renesting effort and duckling survival are tied to good water conditions.”
May ponds were up 59 percent in the Eastern Dakotas, 44 percent in Southern Manitoba, 40 percent in Southern Alberta and 6 percent in Southern Saskatchewan.
“Southern Saskatchewan and the Eastern Dakotas are the holy grail for prairie duck production as they hold a very high number of breeding ducks,” Brice said. “This year, duck numbers and wetland conditions are excellent in both places.”
“A number of our staff were concerned in April about the late spring, delayed nesting and a poor frost seal which resulted in poorer than normal run off. However, then the rains came. These rains helped recharge and sustain the small, temporary wetlands that drive duck production. The presence of these wetlands will drive the renesting rate and significantly improve duckling survival.”
Renesting rates are important because many areas of the breeding grounds have poor hatching rates. In drier years, such as 2012, hens that lose a first nest to predators are far less likely to make a new nest and lay more eggs.
“Last year, wetland conditions eroded over the course of the breeding season which is very common, this year conditions improved markedly with spring early summer rains,” Rohwer said. “Our field crews in North Dakota and Manitoba have found renesting ducks, including a gadwall still laying eggs just this week.”
Good production translates into a lot of young ducks.
“Young ducks are far more likely to decoy and respond to calling,” Rohwer said.

The more you know...

I thought this was a joke at first, nope.

http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/biology/news-duck-penis-size-depends-competition?image=0

Remember When We Had Fun?

Why?

Do they send all the duck porn at the same time every month?

(of course Cunning Tater is my hero in life so he's included too)

But damn, all at the same time?  I can only sit for 15 minutes without my legs going to sleep

.

Jeez!