Mega post

When your day job involves sitting  at a computer and typing all day, posting can seem daunting.  So, I waited until I had a relaxing evening with some refreshing beverages to sit back and tell my stories.  Unfortunately it's been so long now my memories are fading a little, so I'm relying on photos heavily for this.  It looks like I posted on opening day, so here goes the rest of it.

After opening day was in the books, I decided to go to Swan Lake to crush the massive flocks of birds I knew were dying to go home with me.  After navigating the foggiest conditions I have ever experienced, and getting lost on the lake twice, we(I) set every mallard decoy I owned near the entrance to the lake along with some geese, we then settled in for the morning fly.  I connected with the first two birds to come in shortly after shooting light, two hen mallards in two separate flights.  I don't know how many birds I passed on after that due to concerns about going over the henny limit.  I did manage to drop a greenie right in the spread though, I remember that, it was satisfying.  After a while it became walking time, I went on an extra long one and put the drop on a large flock of mallards on the next point over.  A greenie was carefully selected so that no hens would be at risk. I booglie bood them and got my man. As Peat was doing his duty, the flock came back and I managed to drop another greenie into the center of the bog.  We headed out in the boat and managed to locate the bird in the middle of thick weeds and deep mud, a perfect cap to a long day!

Melissa (AKA the Skirt) decided to join me for a day at the blind.  Having never shotten a shot gun, or having been in a duck blind before she easily blasted a greenie with her only shot ever.  Turns out duck hunting is easy.  I decided that ripping it's head off was a good way to finish her first bird, so I did that.  I also decided to miss everything else that came in.  There was weather that day, wind if I remember right.  Melissa now owns camo waders and has a long term loaner shotgun, I imagine you'll be seeing more of her in the future.

Captain Sean Micheal Murphy offered to take me for a spin in an aeroplane, so we flew up the chain lakes and checked out the area from 1,000 feet above.  It was really cool, and got me super excited to go murdering at Swan lake. In the morning Peat and I headed out and set up in the same spot as before, and just like last time I crushed it.  Greenie after greenie fell into the spread.  I limited out on banded drakes and headed back just 45 minutes after shooting.  It was a bummer to put in the driving and boating time, for just 45 minutes of action.  Wait, no, these pictures actually tell me that it was sunny and there were no birds anywhere at all.  I think I took a nap and got a sun burn....

Somewhere in here is a half told story from Bob D, the former co-expert.  He said I'd finish it, and I'm not going to make a liar of him.  It was a busy day, he shoten two greenies with a single shot, and I pulled a single greenie out of that same batch.  I also was a total asshole and got my first NR in over a year, it made me sad.  I did feel redeemed a bit by pulling off a two shot double on a pair of wideon that were blasting through our spread going mach schnell.  According to pictures I also shotten a few hennys, luckily Bob D took care of what was almost my 3rd hen mallard for the day.  There is also another hen wideon in there.  I was having a pretty solid day minus the NR, we both talked about how great we were on the way back to the car, it was great.

Melissa was back for another day out, and this time we headed to Cave Lake.  We set up just west of where I spent opening day.  The birds weren't really working much, but I managed to drop a greenie and a henny over the course of the day, despite a lot of missing.  It was a beautiful day, Peat hated wading in the muck.

The Cataldo Slough is bisected by scenic I-90,  Otis advised that I go out and shoot some birds there, so I went.  After stepping into four feet of water instead of 6 inches, I took my 4 floating decoys and the dog stand out with me, abandoning the shells and full bodies I had packed out.  It was really cold, really wet, really exhausting, and really pretty.  I got a few pictures of a pretty sunrise and went home.

The Cataldo Slough part deuce, the deadening.  I walked out and Otis kayaked, it's not as deep in some areas, which is nice to know.  There were no birds at all, we went home.

The Founders Tour was awesome.  Despite the low duck counts, we had a good time due mostly to the amazing menu and stellar accommodations.  Also confirmed that the spread needs to be adjusted if birds are not committing.

Otis and I hunt on Thanksgiving every year now, this year Melissa, Otis and I hunted on Thanksgiving.  We headed to our new super secret spot, the swamplands right after you cross the river.  Turns out that is totally huntable, and walkable.  Otis had seen some birds here the day before, so we headed about half way out into the marsh and set up.  Before we had our guns loaded there were birds darting back and forth above our heads, we were a few minutes late and missed some pretty good opportunities.  After a few missed shots we settled in and waited for the goosies.  I ended up heading to the trail of the cda's to pull my socks up and was just sitting down to do so when the geese arrived.  They were getting ready to land on Otis who was now 150 yards away.  He dropped two birds and I was able to pick off a third as they made their escape.  Otis was only able to locate one goose, even with the three of us looking for quite awhile.  I missed some more, and then we went home.

Canada Turkey

I bought a Kayak, I have no Kayaking experience.  Heck I didn't even get a paddle, I'm borrowing a canoe paddle.  Black Friday rules!

The Cataldo Slough part III, Blood Bathening. This actually happened today, current post!  I went scouting yesterday and noticed some geeses on the slough, Otis was back in town and I was itching to try out my new boat.  We launched, and my very first experience was to pass through the pipe under the freeway.  It's about 5 feet around and a couple hundred feet long, and it ramps downward as you hit the halfway point.  Super fun, you kind of rocket out the far end in the dark, Bob D would love it.  We set our spread, 6 goose floaters near me, a spinner and 4 ducks near Otis, 150 yards away.  Otis cracked off two shots at shooting time and so did I.  He knocked down a henny and a greenie, I missed.

Birds were committing left and right.  A few minutes later I dropped a greenie, and then another, and a third over the course of an hour.  I had a jerk rig but no blocks near me, so I hooked up two of my greenies to the clips and that's when they really started to want in.  A few minutes after adjusting the spread a greenie locked up and came gliding in, I acted in self defense and clobbered him with a single shot at about twenty feet. At this point Otis had taken up a spot just around the corner from me about 50 feet away.  There was a large cloud of feathers hanging in the air still when the geese came around the corner, I missed but Otis dropped two.  I did a lot of missing from here on out due to bad decisions, bad technique, and trying to operate the jerk rig in dense cover right up until it was time to shoot.  Mallards were all over us and in large floacks.  We had groups of fifteen to twenty five near our spread fairly often.  Otis managed to knock down two more mallards, a hen and a drake.  I went on a little walk and while I was out Otis managed to drop another goose.

The birds stopped decoying at this point so I pulled my jerk rig of horrors up and re-positioned the geese, we then both moved over near Otis' little spread.  Within a few minutes a lone suicidal greenie came in and Otis cleaned his clock.  We had another greenie land a few minutes later, one of a large flock that refused to land with him.  Once they made it clear they wouldn't commit I jumped him and barely got him with the second shot.  At this point I have to disclose that Otis may have lost a greenie, a hen, and a goose.  The goose dove down and tangled up, the other two glided off into the bushes, this seems to be a theme with Otis. To be fair, he isn't sky blasting, these were all pretty close shots.  It's just this thing Otis is really into right now.  Grandpa Clyde would hate Otis. Today was one of the best days of hunting I've ever had, lots of locked up greenies, I even started passing on hennies in search of a greenie limit.  I feel like a real expert right now, just need to work on my gun pointing skills.