Reversal of Fortune



Yesterday was an interesting day, a day that made me wonder if the times they are a changin'.  Here's how it all went down.
Clider had been scouting for a good part of the day on Sunday and we talked about where to go the following morning.  I, of course, suggested The Point after he told me that The Blind is about 150 feet from any open water.  Clider also proposed that maybe The Theatre may be a decent spot as he had seen some birds there.  We agreed that we would chose on the way out and that I would pick him up just before 5am.  I slept poorly as I often do the night before going hunting and had plenty of time to get everything ready that morning, mostly because I really had little to bring.  We had planed on bringing lots of lightweight goose shells and a few mallard blocks to improve our chances of luring in some fat bastard geese from the open waters into our dead end decoy spread.  No spinner needed.

I felt a little confused as I pulled up to Cliders darkened house at 4:50.  I texted him after 5 minutes and left him after 10.  Then I felt guilty and drove back by his house but still no lights anywhere.  (It was at that moment that I thought it would be a fun idea to light up the inside of his bedroom with my 10 million candle power roof mounted spotlight, why else would I need the thing, right?  But I didn't.)  I drove to Anderson alone and light.  The walk out and set up was a breeze and even though I only had 12 blocks I felt good with the heavy fog and calm waters.  Clider had loaned me his jerk rig and that brought some life to the spread.



My new wick.

It was unnecessary.  Nothing was flying.  Sure there were the pre-shooting time ducks flying overhead and the geese constantly squawking in the distance, but nothing came my way at all.  It was then I thought that this was a typical Old Old spot kind of day.  But the Old Old spot is where the Oregon chapter has been cil'n birds and The Point has been dry.  Is this the reversal of fortune that I have been talking about?  All good things come to an end?  The pocky-clipse?  The day that the Idaho chapter gives the 'Expert' title back to Oregon? 

I sent a text to Clider to make sure he was alive and sent a picture to Fred G and generally ignored the empty skies as I messed with my phone.  Of course that's when 6 or 8 pinnys flew right to left just over the decoys.  Had I been paying attention I could have missed them with 3 shots for sure.  Back I went to calling a lot and yanking the old jerk string in hopes that ducks would find me in the fog.  Nothing.  In fact, in true Old Old spot fashion, only as I was pulling up and walking off did I see ducks.  The last 2 on the walk out landed right where my decoys had been minutes before.  Hmmmm?
GBCH