$250,000 blind construction.

Hunting season is close at hand and there's still work to be done.

With that in mind Clider and I headed out in the new boat to build us some blinds. I'm happy to say that the new boat is 2 feet longer and much wider than my old boat.  This makes for a more stable feeling ride and more room for the essentials, like thousands of decoys.  The GoDevil motor has been refurbished and seems ready to run forever.   I'm also happy to report that I no longer have to worry about the boat, it's Clider's job now.  The photo here shows the newly minted Captain and his first mate at the helm of the as yet un-named boat.  We were off to Anderson and loaded with all the gear to build blinds with one small exception, but who needs twine anyway?

First we turned downriver towards Lake Coeur d'Alene to see what was at the end of the river.  As it opened into the lake we were pleasantly surprised to find many spots on which to hunt.  Most of these needed only a pair of clippers to be ready to go, and not knowing exactly where the water would be when the time was right, we built nothing.  Tall reeds and grasses line the shoreline and the floor of the lake is solid and level, gradually sloping away from the land.  As long as the water (which was a good 2' deep) stays up for a while this area is in play.

Back at Anderson we first stopped at 'The Point'.  All the stakes and most of the twine were still in place from last year so we moved on, knowing that all that's needed is a good refill of cuttings the day of the first use.  Further down the shore line we came to 'The Blind'.  Here is where the main building needed to happen.  We put down 5 or 6 stakes in the water and hammered them to a good sitting level.  The large brush we cut from further down the shoreline and sunk into the ground with the aid of pilot holes and my sheer hugeness.  These will form a backdrop that we can fill with whatever grasses are matching the current conditions.  The problem that we have had with this blind is being seen from the backside as ducks are circling.  The saplings hopefully will cure that. With the addition of some twine and seasonal grasses we will be right at the waters edge for prime slaying action.  Let's hope the water stays up for a while.

Looks like nothing, right?

Another spot we hunted last year was on the other side of the lake from 'The Point' and I'm going to call 'The Other Side' from here on out.  Birds seem to like the area and last year we had a good couple of days there.  It's right next to the road and has super easy access but the lake floor there is sticky mud and slopes away from the shoreline quickly.  Not a problem if you know a dog named Peat.  I happen to know a dog named Peat, coincidence?  We looked around for the spot to drive in more stakes and realized that the cover on the short hillside was good all by itself.  All we had to do was go into the low scrub brush and cut out a spot for chairs and gear, the brush was the perfect height already.  Another blind ready to go.

After a quick motor back to the truck we were headed back home.  Along the way a bumper that holds the front of the boat in place on the trailer flew off and bounced over the car behind us.  Clider had to walk back down the road and find it and then worry the rest of the ride back if more things were going to fall off, like the boat.  Did I mention how happy I am that he has a boat and not me?  Now we are one step closer to opening day which is good, cause it's only a week away.

GBCH