Water Water Water

I'm standing here in water.

The water that was just at my feet.

But now...

It's up to my waist.

It's gotten deeper.

It keeps getting deeper.

I'm standing waist deep in the water.

Wondering if will ever go out.

No matter where I go, 

Or where I turn, 

I never seem to get out of this water.

I hope my waders do not leak

It sucks my expertise 

It never seems to end.

I will hunt in it or drown in it

Waist high in the water, 

I know what will happen.

The water will get deeper.

Deeper until I drown my expert status, 

Greenie will drown with it.

When the water leaves, 

Out will it go with me.

It's only waist deep, 

For now I am still afraid.

RIP Bob DaFolder

Can't Believe Bob DaFolder is gone*  GBCH
Cillin for the King won't be the same.

Cillin for the K, old timers day

Bigly Bob D.

What!? Bob D is gone?

No more ducks for me

* A season wasted

The last Day of Hunting......... Ever.

I don't get to hunt anymore.
With the season drawing to a close I don't have any opportunity to go out and become 'The Expert' at all. See, I broke two of my fifty eight ribs in a work related accident.  As a matter of fact I don't even get to do my new found job of making snow safe for beginner skiers either, but that's a story for another day. Broken ribs are painful, annoying and just plain stupid.  Maybe the worst part of this terrible ending is that even if I wanted to, (and I do) I can't participate in this years Killin' for The King ceremonies. A time for Bob D. to travel to P-Town and see all my old haunts and shoot Greenies hanging in mid air.  Right in front of me. With a gun that works. It's just plain sad.

What's maybe more sad is my last day out was totally uneventful.  Not a problem at the time but I really thought that I would have another month to slay birds. I went in the kayak out to The Tip and sat at a blind that other hunters made.  It was huge.  I actually showed up early enough to watch them pull up to the parking spot in front of the bridge and spotlight me with their headlamps.  I'm sure they were thinking that they were going to the new blind but they arrived in time only to see me setting up.  I even shined my incredibly powerful headlamp at them a time or two just to let them know I was there, and they were not.  Bitches.

Nothing happened at all.  But it was a beautiful day and I never even considered it would be my last.  If only I had known.  I'm also including a picture of Clider after shooting a fat goose from my 2nd to last day of hunting.  Turns out that he has lost all confidence in himself after my accident.  He's like a child devoid of ability and will.  You can tell he hasn't done anything like hunting because he would certainly have posted a story or two if he had.  So sad that he needs me to show him the way. You would think that a weepy weak adolescent boy that had been 'The Expert' so many times could get his shit together enough to go out by himself.  Maybe next year Clider, maybe next year.

So at this point I realize that my ribs will not heal enough to let me get in one more day for the season and that makes me sad.  I love my time in the blind. It's a kind of therapy for me but unfortunately not a therapy for broken bones.  Enjoy it while you can cause you never know when you can't.
GBCH

A Post By Fred G.

Opportunity knocked today.  My first day off with nothing to do but enjoy a day of hunting.  I check the weather the night before.  Strong east wind averaging 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph.  30 degrees with a windchill of 24 degrees.  Water at the 7 foot level.  Sounds great right?  I am hesitant with the wind being so strong but I had to find out.  I'm thinking the back side of the cove so to be out of the wind.  

Thinking that I will have the place to myself I wake at a reasonable 5:45. That will put me at the water around 6:30 and with cilling time at 7:20 that gives me a nice settle.  Well I wake at said time but the wind at my house is whipping and it's freezing cold.  I think that it has to be 10x worse out in Troutdale, I'm dragging my feet and having second thoughts.  I already have the car packed and a guy like me deserves a party after a long two weeks.  I make it to the lot and there are four trucks already there!  What the hell!  I head out and I have to crab walk out there due to the stiff in my face, brutal.  Second guessing again.  

I make it to the water and I don't see anyone close by so I'm thinking that they all must be set up around the corner and probably in the cove, so I find a nice spot.  I throw out 7 blocks, make a nice standup blind and have only 1 minute settle time.  The wind is ripping from behind me.  I think I'm looking pretty good.  I have 4 blocks in front of me in the river and  3 blocks to my right in some shallow water looking very comfortable out of the wind.  

Ducks are flying.  Ducks are flying at mach 10.  Three greenies are stalled to my left but my gun is not in my hands and by the time I retrieved it they were gone.  Lost opportunity.  Widgeon are dumping everywhere.  A lone greenie flies through my spread, I don't take a shot due to the wind thinking that if a wing it the wind is going to take him where I can't go.  Lost opportunity.  More widgeon.  3 fat greenies fly in perfectly, stalled, literally stalled right over me.  I pull the trigger missing because I'm leading it but it didn't't need any leading it just needed to be shotten.  I pull the trigger again with a follow up shot, CLICK!

I try reloading my gun and get a shell completely stuck.  Jammed it is.  I need to disassemble my gun to fix it.  I am able to get all the shells out of it but I am only able to put one shell in.  Dumb gun, I am missing the 870 now.  Well I think now I'm Mitch.  Single shot.  It's all I need right?  I have been the Expert many times, one shot is all I need.  Four more fat greenies come in again.  Again completely stalled in the wind right over my three block to my right over ankle high water.  Pull the trigger.  Click!  lost opportunity.  Take the SBE apart again, reassemble, reload, try putting off a round, CLICK!

I'm walking out with the thoughts of what could have been.  Then I notice a pile of dead seagulls.  Someone shotten three gulls and left them in a pile.  Then I realize that on the walk out the wind will be at my back and carry me back to the lot.  All in all a nice morning.  An awesome sunrise over Mt. Hood, and some nice looks at ducks all before 9 am.  Maybe I'll clean my gun and go back out again some day, maybe not.

GBCH

R.I.P PTD