Hello from Idaho

Holy skiing!  It’s been hard to fit greenie killing into my schedule with all of the fantastic powder that has besieged our area.  But like any true Expert, I put a little time aside and got after it. 

A couple weeks back I did some scouting and saw nothing between Kellogg and Swan Lake.  Undeterred I headed out to Anderson to hunt about half way between the point and the blind.  I set a fantastic spread, almost a whole boat worth of blocks and shells.  I then settled in on the edge of the water while the light was still low and waited.

I knew I was in an area that gets a lot of traffic, and it was a good thing too, because nothing wanted to commit.  I had a close call with some swans flying at just the right angle down the shore line, shot fired, shot missed, thank Heston.  When they are lined up right at you those necks are invisible.  That didn’t stop a pair of honkers from flying about 40 feet off the deck right at me about 20 minutes later though.  One shot and a goose came crashing down on the beach to my right.  After that it was a whole lot of watching high flyers, almost no ducks to speak of anywhere. We packed up and headed home, unaware of the kickass snowstorm headed our way.

About a week later I did a little scouting and spotted some birds out on Swan Lake, a place that has always looked promising but never delivered the goods.  I headed out extra early as the boat ride would take about 30 minutes.  The launch was shallow at Medimont, I ended up having to use my back to shove the boat off the trailer.  In the channel I was accosted by several swans that confused by the boat, jumped out and were struck by the bow.  Everyone appeared ok, so I moved on.  That was the second time in a week I almost put a swan on the CTP score board. 

I got to the Swan lake channel, boated in, set up a magnificent spread, and settled in.  5 minute before legal time 5 mallards came in, settled for a second and then took off.  After that I watched as my channel froze and the birds moved in and out of the big part of the lake.   Lots of birds but nothing wanted anything to do with me.  After a few hours of freezing, Peat and I went to walk and then grab the boat. 

After a crunchy walk in a foot of breakable crust I got in the boat and turned to see a single greenie hovering dead center over my spread.  As I approached the spread two more greenies and a hen took off.  Greenie you are a bastard, Peat and I headed back empty handed.

On the way back I decided to check out a potential walk in spot that I was telling Bob about a while back.  I parked the boat and headed over the dyke, I could see the potential new point and it was loaded with mallards.  This point extends past the icy bays on either side and comes close to the open water.   I think I’ll be watching this spot for the next warm cycle.

As I’m about to get back in the boat a single greenie comes out of another wetland on the river side and flew well within shooting distance.  I dropped him with the kind of confidence that you have when you are the Expert of the world’s finest hunting team.  A single shot and then Peat navigated some patchy ice for a retrieve that would have been a miserable commitment for me to get.  We loaded up and headed back.  I parked the boat at the mouth of the channel and took Peat for the obligatory walk.  About half way down a huge fat greenie popped up and surprised both of us.  I shotten three times at a very big target, I messed three times.  Confidence back in check.

A week of shralping the gnar (Skiing like an Expert) later, it was time to get Peat out of the house for a mid day walk.  We headed to Killarney around 1:00 and after spotting some birds in the channel headed out to get our jump shot on.  After frightening everything away without firing a shot we tromped back across the snow and shallow water and decided to walk the river. At the river I put the sneak on the biggest buffle heads and mergansers I have ever seen.  I decided to leave them be and continued down the bank.  I spotted some geese swimming down river and decided to follow them.  The snow was knee deep and after about 20 minutes it became clear I wouldn’t catch that group.   I looked around and spotted a stationary flock floating near the raised embankment.  We speed hiked for another 10 minutes and then closed in for the shot. What happened next was a first for me.  As I came up another group of birds closer and to my left flushed.  I had been doing a lot of thinking about my triple shot a little while back, and decided that I really wanted to work on shottening doubles.  So as this surprise group flushed, I picked out a goose and shot it, then I picked out a goose and shot it, then I picked out a henny and I shot it.  Three birds, three shots, three retrieves. 

Peat and I headed back, and for the first time ever I really wished I had a bird strap with me.  Knee deep snow combined with two geese and a duck made for a very long walk back.  Now I know you are feeling really bad for me right now, but don’t. Everyone has a cross to bear, and mine happens to be shottening more birds than I can carry.  If that’s wrong, I don’t want to be right.