Hi My Name Is Tank...

I want to make babies.  

2020 The Biggest Question Mark Ever.

 What will this season hold?

A question all duck hunters ask about this time of year.  Maybe there will be changes in the weather that bring ducks in quantities we have never seen before or, maybe, the weather will scorn us like the fat kid at the buffet when the pizza runs out.  Tough to say.

Here is my prediction with a little insight into this years chances.

Option #1:  The current NOAA forecast calls for a big push of cold and weather coming our way.  Just look at that Jet Stream dousing us with cold, rain, snow and ducks.  It's a beautiful thing.  Even if the ducks don't follow we can be skiing from the blind straight to the truck after hunting.  Good news.

Option B.  It rains.  Maybe it rains all the time.  No worries here as we already know how to hunt in the rain, we just bring along a hunting umbrella designed and patented by Fred G back in the 2000's.  A little rain never hurt the duck hunting totals. In fact, we have always returned from rainy days with full strap of fat mallards every time the rain pours down*.

Option #4.  Sunshine Daydream.  Sunshine brings out ducks from their rest.  They want to feed and converse and play and socialize and get shot.  Many good days have happened when the sun is shining.  It's actually a well known fact that Greenies like to bask in the sun.  A sunny day is perfect for team members to relax in chairs and enjoy the day while waiting for the flocks of ducks to be fooled by our perfectly concealed blinds.  In fact, they never even see us waiting. Boom Chackla Lacka.  Dead ducks galore.

So, If I'm telling the truth here, it seems that no matter the conditions, and no matter the weather, and no matter the fly patterns, and no matter the H7HT members, ducks will be on the run this year.  I can only hope that my freezer can hold more than 127,656,907 ducks without getting too full.  Yep.  It's going to be a great year.

GBCH

*(we never shot a full strap of anything on rainy days)

We Set a New Record!

For the least amount of posts for a hunting season.

With that being said, I have an update for some hunting Clider and I did this week.  I'm also including some pictures and info about what we have come to call 'Founders Tour Light' from 2019.

Founders Tour Light:
Idaho has been in a relative drought for the early part of this season.  Not only has the ski season gotten off to a very slow start due to the lack of moisture falling from the sky, it has left us with some very interesting conditions for duck hunting this season.  After my paddle day at Killarney that yielded little in the way of slaying opportunities, but a first Cil of a drake widgeon, I was very excited to welcome to Idaho the formerly employable Fred G.  We took a day to re-acquaint ourselves with the spot we have come to call The Tip.  It sucked.  Little water.  Nothing was flying and nothing was shotten.

before

Being deterred by that day was not possible because the next day we were to hunt with current 'Expert' and all around scouting master Clider.  He did not scout.  We did not have a real plan.  We went to The Other Side and struck out. No water.  We conferred some and came up with a plan to find water at The Theatre.  Once again, we struck out.  By now the sun was up and none of us were thinking good thoughts but yet another plan was hatched to go to the place that has become known as Hangover Bay.  Our luck was aboot to change.  All that was left of the morning we watched hundreds of birds fly near, close, potentially in range and generally away from us.  Some shots were taken and the birds that did fall from our shots were painful retrieves due to the receded water and ensuing boot sucking mud and ice we had to plow through to get them. Clider took a disappointing walk, Fred G gave up on shooting and I was ready to call it due to my inability to shoot anything.  then it all changed.

Ducks started to come in.  Not just ducks but greenies.  Lots of them.  Seems we had waited long enough for the afternoon weather to change and those ducks that ignored us before wanted our little hole in the ice to be their forever home.  We obliged.  By the end of the afternoon many ducks had fallen and we realized that the day had gone from bust to boom.  I think we all were close to out of ammo and much closer to thinking that this was a good day rather than a terrible one.  June was happy too.  For me at least, it would be the best day of 2019.


Flash forward to yesterday.

after

I had work obligations that took me PDX and had a nice working vacation and visit with Fred and the Lovely Rachel, Clider had gone to Boise and hunted with Otis and Fred had done whatever unemployed people do. Weeks had gone by without me going out.  Clider and I finally made a plan to hunt.  Not knowing full well where the water might be and where the ducks were now, our plan was to hunt somewhere by Hangover Bay.  He picked me up on a snowy New's Years Eve morning with June Bug and great expectations that we would just find the right spot near to the newly found Greatest Comfort Station on the entirety of the Trail Of The Coeur d'Alenes. (It even smells nice in there!).

We set up as best we could in slushy water and little cover.  I forgot a chair and my rippler ducks were weak but Cliders new splashing duck made up for that.  We waited out the nonexistent morning fly until a chance presented itself.  A lone duck flew by and apparently Clider was giving me the chance to shoot, I wanted a perfect feet down folding moment and with us both being idiots the greenie landed in the slush outside the spread.  Lesson learned.  As the snow turned to a solid rain we adjusted our spread and had a moment of hope as ducks suddenly gave us more than a passing look.

The moment passed and nothing fell.  The rain continued to fall and things started to remind me of a typical day at The Old Old spot.  Gloves getting saturated,  rain dripping off  my hood, no ducks flying, hungry and cold.  Well of course it was time for Clider and June to take a walk and while I sat in his chair running the jerk rig trying to keep our hole clear of ice, I could not help but thinking of a nice fire and nap back at the cabin.  Not long after Clider returned telling me of the greenie he jump shot and the sickly goose he dispatched from its suffering. It was time to call it.

We did some scouting on the way home but the fact remains that I will likely not be making anymore trips to the blind this season.  Another trade show and the need to buy a comfortable sofa sometime before I burn the old one in the driveway out of sheer anger will mostly end my year. Clider may go again but I did see his vehicle in the ski area parking lot this morning as I made my way up to ski saturated snow on our ski hill.  Maybe Fred and Cliffy will step up and finish the season right.  I understand that this is when things start to get great in the PDX area.  Good luck boys!
GBCH.