Oregon Chapter IV

Today I pick myself up by the bootstraps.  Can things get any worse?  I know that I invented the Hunting Umbrella but enough is enough.  The deluge of rain broke today and it was time to head out and make a name for myself.  With much encouragement from Bob DaFolder, Deucey Champion, I pack up the vehicle and head to the only place I know.  Water is up to a nice level, it's calm and cool.  I throw out a minimal spread locked together to start, I think if I'm seeing mucho pato I could mix them up later, something I learned on The Founders       Tour this year.  I build one of the best blinds I have built in a long time.  I had 40 minutes to spare so I cut out a spot within a hedge, filled it with as many branches that I could find that still had leaves, put my shadow grass scrim behind me weaved throughout.  I was looking really good Okay!  

Morning was very slow.  No morning fly only the 200 geese that I stirred up walking in by the Old spot.  Bob DaFolder, Deucey Champion, was on the telephone giving me words of encouragement.  I was about to send him a little love aboot the G. Men when I heard a hen off to the left.  Lord Heston give so I took, not what I'm there for but you have to make hay when the sun is shinning.  It's now past 10am and I am contemplating calling it.  Nothing has flied for hours.  

The weather turns.  Cold and rain, slight wind from the east.  I'm thinking it's a sign from Heston to stick it out, so I do.  Not minutes later a Tanker is flying right towards me, coming in low and slow.  It's completely white, and as I sit here today listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd and drinking a warm coffee beverage' I swear to you that I don't want to be the first member of the H7HT to fold a swan.  It lands 15 yards in front of me!  Right in front of me!  It's now swimming around my blocks, this thing is big.  My mind is racing.  Is it a swan?  Never seen a swan out here before I think to myself.  Now I am admiring it how beautiful it is and thinking even if it were a snow goose I wouldn't want to shoot it and bloody its beautiful down.  I am now doing my own version of the Mannequin challenge.  Well wouldn't you know it the thing puts its head behind himself and falls asleep, right there in my spread!  I'm thinking Heston has sent me the best live block ever.  It's pouring out.  It's going to happen any minute now I hear Bob DaFolder, Deucey Champion, voice in my head.  20 minutes at least goes by, it's dumping and there is a huge something in my spread.  Frustration.  I pull out my computer and ask it to give me identification for swan and snow goose.  It tells me it's a grey goose!  That's why I didn't recognize it, I drink Stoli.  I'm all aboot bloodying it's feathers now, hell I'm even thinking aboot the pillow I'm going to make! I wake the fool up with a light whistle.  He's now aboot 20 yards away facing the wrong direction, if he takes off there won't be a cil zone, I must wait for the perfect shot I don't want to risk winging it and swimming away.  Damn fool goes back to sleep.  I'm thinking how great this goose is going to look on the Christmas table.  Recipes are going through my head.  The shot never happens.  I waited 20 more minutes and it slowly swam out of shooting range.  The rain broke and I call it.  Head back to the car and met a nice woman that had a beautiful 4 1/2 year old Toller.  We chatted for awhile about how great he is, Bob DaFolder, Deucey Champion, you should get one, Christmas is coming.  

Another long post aboot nothing.  I did see some beautiful things today, and I did shotten a duck, unless Clider shotten it.