Survey

A while back an old friend sent me an email asking if I would fill out a survey for her sister.  We were right in the heat of the Newtown shooting spree and she was preparing an article for an assignment she had for a Japanese 'English Language' class newspaper.  It was to be the first article she wrote for them and she was looking for it to be a second career as a writer.  When I contacted her I told her I would be happy to respond but she may be surprised at the depth of my answers, because if she was looking for yes/no answers to her questions, they are not that easy.  Here were the questions and my long winded answers.

Robin,
Bob DaFolder here, old friend of your sister.  Just some background for you and an apology if all you were looking for were yes/no answers to your questions.  I am a duck hunter.  I grew up in a household with many guns and a father who hunted big game on a regular basis and was very active in his local gun club.  My grandfather on the other side was also a hunter and raised pointing dogs for hunting and field trials.  I was exposed to guns at a very early age and currently possess a concealed carry permit and own  shotguns, rifles and a pistol.
Here goes:

What is your opinion on the use of guns by owners to protect their private property?
I am in favor.
Research the Washington DC gun ban and it's effect on home invasion and crime statistics.  There were cases of homeowners being criminally charged with protecting their homes and property with a gun when a thief broke in.  This is the core reason many people own guns.  My mother is 73 years old and lives alone.  I feel better knowing she owns, and knows how to use a gun to protect herself.

What is your opinion on mandatory background checks for gun ownership?
All for it.
I'm also all for a registration requirement for all new gun sales.  My opinion is that any person who is able to legally buy a gun within the existing legislation has nothing to lose by registering their gun.  I am in the minority in this I believe.  Many arguments can be made for not having a nationwide database for who owns what gun/guns but I still think this is legit.


What is your opinion on the proposed reinstatement of the automatic weapons ban?
There has been a ban on automatic weapons since 1986.  I think you are referring to the reinstatement of the assault weapons ban. 
Also for it.
Arguments can be made that people hunt with the military style assault weapons, and some do, but they are a tiny percentage of the hunting public.  More than likely they are used at gun ranges and for home protection rather than hunting.  The ban on large capacity magazines? Sure.  The ban on 'assault weapons' themselves, weapons that mimic military style guns made for killing humans?  Sure.

What is your opinion on hunting as a beloved American sport?
It is, without question.
For some insight on why I hunt ducks, and what I get out of it, you are free to look at my blog (shared with Fred and 2 others) www.h7ht.blogspot.com  I do ask that all content stays out of your article and nothing is reproduced anywhere.  This is a blog for our entertainment and to share with friends, sometimes it can be spicy and taking this blog to literally can be dangerous.

What can America change to make public schools safer from massacres as occurred in Newtown?
Nothing.
This is a tough one.  I'm sure there will be changes, and I'm sure they are all things that are done in the spirit of helping, but I think the more we do the more difficult it becomes to be a kid.  All the armed guards, pistol packing teachers, metal detectors, closed campuses, fences, drills about hiding under your desk etc. makes it harder on the kids.  However tragic it is some defective individual will always be able to murder children.  It sucks.  Does all this make schools safer?  I sure hope so because lots of schools will make changes and every child will be affected so I hope they will be safer.


What does the 2nd amendment mean to you?
It's an outdated vision written by people who had no idea what our future held. 
With that being said I think it does keep the government from regulating some of our freedoms away.  Kind of a dicey question too.  Read the thing over and it has very little bearing on the questions and problems we face with guns today.  But then again the spirit of the thing sure makes sense.

Any other question you think might help you say what you think about this issue!
Gun shows.
Walk in, plunk down some untraceable cash and walk out with any legal style gun.  No background check, no registration, no questions.  In my opinion the single biggest mistake being made today.  Why do we have these types of gun shows?  In my town of 2000 people we have 4 a year.  I bought my pistol from some guy at a table in 2 minutes.  He was also selling wood carvings and household items.

I suggested that she send those very same questions to another old friend, Peter D.  He had a very different history but is now an active member in a gun club that is target/tactical oriented.  His answers:

Unlike Bill, I did not grown up in a hunting family. There were no guns around my house and my parents were quite anti-gun: No guns, toy guns, sling shots etc. I do not hunt. My main use of firearms is for competition.

I am on the board of drirectors (membership secretary) for a 750 member gun club here in Connecticut (http://www.metacongunclub.com/). At this point I own a number of pistols and rifles including:

 

AR-15 Style semi-automatic Rifle (Actual make and model Stag Arms Model 3 - made in the New Britain, CT the town next to where I live)  - AR-15 is a generic term for the style of rifle. Hundreds of companies  make an AR-15 style rifle, for the most part all the parts on those rifles are interchangeable, they follow a strict pattern. Bushmaster, the brand of rifle used in several mass shootings, is taking a lot of heat lately from the media because they are one of the companies that make this rifle. I would be like saying a Victoria Secret bra was used in the murder and people storming Victoria Secret stores for justice. I use this rifle

 in competitions at the club. The standard capacity magazines for this rifle are 10, 20 and 30 rounds. There are higher capacity but they are not as reliable and expensive.

 

This rifle by name, type and magazine capacity would be banned

 

A 9mm semi-automatic carbine rifle (Beretta CX-4 Storm). I use this in Class III competitions at the club. Class III is an ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) designation for firearms that break the main stream firearm rules such as fully automatic weapons, rifles with barrels shorter than 16 inches and suppresors (silencers). You can have a fully automatic weapon in the United States, provided that the weapon was made prior to a certain year and is considered "transferable", no new ones are available to the public. The thing is, because there is a very limited supply they are very expensive to purchase. Minimum price at this point $5000 up to $30000 and beyond. These items are registered to the owner, you must carry the paperwork around with the items and you pay a "tax" for each item owned.

Because of their relative rarity and expense, these items are very very rarely an issue in crime. Usually if they are an issue in a crime they have been stolen from the military. My rifle is not a Class III weapon but  because of the rarity of them they let us use them in these competitions, otherwise there would only be two or three guys in the match. The standard magazine capacity is 17 rounds. Because this rifle is based on a pistol there isn't any higher capacity magazine for it.

 

This rifle by name and magazine would be banned.

 

2 9mm semi-automatic pistols, a SigSauer P226 (Made in Germany / New Hamphire) and a Kahr K9 (Made in Massachusetts). The SigSauer is a full size pistil with a standard magazine capacity of 15 rounds. This pistol was in close competion back in the 1980's to be the standard issue for our military - lost out to the Beretta 92. I use this pistol for IDPA competition (http://www.idpa.com/ ). Although the magazine holds 15 rounds, in competition we limit it to 10 rounds because other type of pistols and revolvers with lower capacity are used. This makes it a little more fair. The Kahr K9  is a compact pistol and holds 6 rounds. This is used in competion against similar sized pistols and revolvers .

 

The SigSauer magazines would be banned

 

A .22 caliber semi-automatic pistol (Browning Buckmark - Made in Utah). I use this for falling plate matches. Think of it as a drag race. Two people shooting a rack of standing steel plates. The buzzer goes off and the first one to knock down his plates wins. This has a magazine capacity of 10 rounds.

 

2 .22 caliber semi-automatic rifles (Both Ruger 10/22 models - Made in New Hapmshire). I use these in the falling plate matches and marksmanship rifle matches. These have a magazine capacity of 10 to 25 rounds.

There are higher capacity magazines but they are not very reliable and quite cumbersome.

 

The magazines larger than 10 rounds would be banned

 

1 .22 caliber pump action 22 rifle (Winchester model 61 - Made in New Haven) This belonged to my father in law. I rarely shoot it.

 

I mention the place where these are made because these are jobs that would be lost if these are banned.

 

So, now on to the actual questions....

 

What is your opinion on the use of guns by owners to protect their private property?

People should be allowed to protect themselves and others by any means necessary in and outside of their home. Protecting property with deadly force is another thing. I'm not going to shot somebody for stealing the lawnmower in my garage, I may shoot somebody who has broken into my house before I ask him why he broke into my house. I do have a concealed weapons permit (which means I took a NRA firearms class and have had an FBI backround check - the permit is good for 5 years), you cannot purchase a pistol or revolver without one in Connecticut. I do not carry a concealed weapon. My firearms are locked up in a safe when not being

used at the range.

What is your opinion on mandatory background checks for gun ownership?
Yes! Everybody who purchases a firearm should have a backround check. Currently in Connecticut as I said before, you need a permit to purchase a pistol or revolver. When you do that you also get a quick backround check. You do not need a permit to buy a rifle and if purchasing from a private party there is no backround check. If you purchase from a licensed dealer there is a two week waiting period where a backround check is done. You should need a permit to purchase any firearm and I'll throw in ammunition as well.

What is your opinion on the proposed reinstatement of the automatic weapons ban?
Again, be careful of the terminolgy here. New automatic weapon sales are already banned and existing ones highly regulated. Banning semi-automatic weapons would be be pointless. There are millions of the listed weapons out there already. Most of the versions of the bans do not confiscate the existing ones. The AR-15 rifle was not popular until it was banned. Tell somebody they can't have something and you instantly create a desire for it. When President Obabma took office in 2008 there was a run on guns because everybody felt that he would reinstate the ban. That died down afer a while. Now it comes up again and there are no AR-15's, ammunition, 9mm pitols,

ammunition etc to be found. People are buying everything up. I'm not blaming this on the president, it goes back much further and deeper than that. The only real resolution here would be to turn on a giant magnet to pull out and destroy all the guns. But in the end if it makes them feel better and prevents someone from purchasing a weapon at a moment when they feel most at odds with whatever demons they have I'm ok with it.

What is your opinion on hunting as a beloved American sport?

I don't hunt, But if people want to sit out in the cold wearing silly clothes in order to shoot poor defenseless ducks out the air to satisfy their unresolved gender issues it's fine by me. It's a free country. :)

What can America change to make public schools safer from massacres as occurred in Newtown?

I am not downplaying the recent events, but they are rare. If a person is determined to cause harm they will find the available means to do it. The availblity of weapons is not the cause it's the means. If they are not available  they will find another way. In teh early 20th century the largest school massacre was performed by blowing the building up. That guy was not happy with his taxes.

Treat the cause of the issues. Be a good parent, be a good friend, be a good citizen. 

What does the 2nd amendment mean to you?
It's either very shortsighted to the events of the time it was written or brilliantly wrritten to protect ourselves from our own government in the future. Like the Bible you can interprate it in many ways. I think it means that it give the citizens a means to protect themselves from the goverment should the government decide to infringe upon life, liberty and the persuit of happiness. Sometimes a government decides it does not want to play by it's own rules and I think our forefathers took that into account. There have been and are plenty of examples where a government has decided it no longer likes certain citizens. Now we can always say that won't happen here

because of our constitution but you never know.

But with these rights come responsibilities and it should be proven that your are responsible enough to handle those rights.

Any other question you think might help you say what you think about this issue!

I agree on Bill's gunshow comments. You should not be able to buy a firearm with out a permit and a backround check.

I don't like the idea of categorizing certain guns as more bad than others its uneducated and arbitrary.

I already by default register firearms purchased through a dealer, the state knows I have it, not need for me to do more than that.

I do not want the government to turn me into a criminal by banning what I already own.

I do not want to pay additional taxes to own or purchase a firearm or ammunition.

I do not think banning guns will reduce crime.

 

I have purchased each firearm for a specific competition.

I have no plans on ever using my firearms on a living creature.

When I lived in Philadelphia I actual sold my guns because I felt I might have to use them, or have them used on me. 

Gun control is an easy answer to an unsolveable question, look how well controlling drugs has gone.

 

I could go on and on but I hope this helps.

 

I would hope that if you read this and have any interest in answering the same questions (as you should) you will.  If you can't post them completely in the comment section please send them to me.  I will provide my email if you don't know how to get in touch with me, but knowing this blog, nobody is reading anyway.

GBCH

2008 revisited.

Wind?  Or Memorex?

It sure was a blustery one today.

Day three started just as you may expect after reading this blog for four seasons now. Being picked up at 4:30 am has it's drawbacks but there can also be some unintended fun that comes along with it. Sitting on my well lit front porch waiting to hear the rumble of good ole American V-8 power that is Lisa, I saw my neighbor lady. She's kind of an odd sort. Maybe she keeps strange hours too or maybe, just maybe, she's up to no good. But when she walks by my house and sees me sitting on the stoop holding a shotgun I know one thing runs through her head, don't mess with his shit.

So sure enough Lisa arrives with all the gear needed for a great day of early season folding. We drive off to the Old New spot a little earlier now. See, everyone seems to be hunting there now. Apparently there is a thread on some hunting web site that tells people to go to this area and that the hunting is good there. We officially hate this web site. How dare they share the public lands with the Public. We all know that the H7HT was here first. We all know that we're the best. But still people are invading our space so now we have to get up before everyone else. You know what they say "The early bird gets the ducks", or something to that effect. Maybe it's"Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice I'll shoot your decoys". Whatever.

So out to the newest spot we go. Rebuild the blind. Set the blocks. Tell some other hunters where to go. Wait for sunrise.

Not what you think it is.

The newest duck call.   Double reed!

Remember this guy?

His name is Clider.  And this past season he was, and is, the 'Expert'.  The other day he proposed to me that next year we base the expert title on the H7HT member that shoots the most Greenies.  I know that he wants to see this because he plans to not cil only Greenies but to shoot any duck that flies near enough to make a clean cil.  Perhaps he want's to make next year an even fight.  For Heston's sake, he has a dog that needs to retrieve ducks.  His dog is a retriever!

So I ask you, the H7HT public, to leave a comment in the comment section below stating your view on this departure from normal regulations.  Make them good too.

Just so you know I, Robert C. DaFolder, only shoot Greenies so this would be gravy to me however I think it may be short-sided.  The 'Expert' slays ducks.  My desire to only shoot Greenies just means that I can only be the 'Expert' if I step up my shooting skills and hunting days so that I may have the opportunity to murder more of these green headed bastards that are trying to destroy our way of life.
GBCH.

Levity

lev·i·ty

[lev-i-tee] Show IPA

noun, plural lev·i·ties.

1.

lightness of mind, character, or behavior; lack of appropriate seriousness or earnestness.

2.

an instance or exhibition of this.

3.

fickleness.

4.

lightness in weight.

Rest Well Uncle Lou

what I remember when I think of you is your being in the pool

skimming leaves with a net made from a hula hoop

while we were on our mandatory half hour break after eating

but most people would say that your most memorable trait

was the missing arm you shot off when you were just a kid

something I never really noticed or thought of often

that never stopped you from doing anything much

you still went to the gun club and fished the lake

with that special fishing rod that had a motor in the reel

and I remember how you used to yell at your beagle

whose name was Oliver and seemed to drive you nuts

but I know that the yelling was really just a ruse

or later when you got smaller and your voice grew hoarse

but there was always a story or joke or moral

and a mischievous twinkle in your eye

now you can be free from the constraints of this world

free to visit with the ones gone too early from your life

but I will always remember you this way, my Uncle Lou.

No chance for this view this year.

H7HT Founders Vacation Tour

It All started with Clider.  Last year he was throwing away a buffet top that had been in his basement for years and was covered in layers of paint and grime.  I thought it would be perfect for my Sweetie, she loves layers of paint and grime, so I saved it from the dump and brought it home to my shed.  After months of seeing this thing every time I mowed the lawn I began thinking about the possibilities it had beyond holding yarn and sewing ‘notions’.  Maybe, I thought, it would be perfect for a bathroom vanity cabinet to put over the top of a converted dresser, you know, like they do on HGTV.  And so began The Bathroom Project.

Hunting season ended with a whimper.  Clider was clearly the ‘Expert’ and I was low on motivation to ski because if I’m skiing, I’m not getting paid.  So with the mountain closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays I started to refinish and repurpose the topper.  Soon after I bought an old dresser from the Goodwill and turned it into a sink and storage center with the topper making the system complete.  Along the way Fred G. heard about my project and asks why he has not been invited to help, after all, the two of us always are there to complicate each others projects, what else are best friends for.  I expand my plans to include a complete bathroom makeover with more square footage from tearing down the TV room closet and the hallway linen cabinet.  What could go wrong?  Right?

The weeks before Fred Gs vacation I tore out the TV room closet and replaced it with a new wall.  The linen cabinet was removed and now those extra square feet were created out of those spaces, and the far bathroom wall came down as well.  That wall contained the classy pink kitchen sink and kitchen faucet that served as our bathroom vanity.  It was all held together by a flimsy cabinet topped with a hunk of old kitchen counter.  Even with the wall gone and random plumbing and venting hardware sticking out of the floor it looked better than before.  With only the old nasty cast iron tub and the toilet in place it was time to tear down the outside walls and make the bathroom ‘al fresco’ to the rest of the house.  At this point I’m sure my Sweetie started to question my decision but little did she know the best was yet to come.

Fred G arrives and immediately we set to work by tearing out the tub and remaining walls, the flooring and the tile were next and a trip to the dump left the truck empty and ready to make the voyage to the Home Depot for all the things we needed.  We drank well that night with high hopes and great expectations of the ease of the project to come.  The next morning at the Depot Al the plumbing specialist hooked us up with all the things we needed to make the dream come true, my dream was to clear my head and be sure I didn’t forget anything, we left heavy with stuff.   Next on the agenda was the floor containing  the plumbing and drain lines from the old sink that now needed to be relocated 3 feet further forward.  No big deal in a regular home, but we live in a cabin made of logs, with a floor made of cement.  The first blade on the rented concrete saw did little work and ground down easily so the only option was the diamond tipped blade with usage and cost measured by a micrometer.  Lots of noise and dust accompanied our slow progress grinding through the 6 inches of burly 1950’s concrete until we had created a channel to the far wall and a square hole for the new bathtub drain.  I contemplated buying a big sledgehammer for the job of breaking up the floor but the former ‘Expert’ and co-creator of ‘The New Standard’  (H7HT blog post circa 2002, look it up) convinced me to rent the tool that goes between roto-hammer and jackhammer in the hammer lineage.  This 77 pound monster shook the whole foundation of the house as it slowly broke out the concrete of the floor into small chunks that Fred G pulled out one by one.  We gently exposed the galvanized pipe and drain that sat in the gravel layer under the main concrete slab.  I was a nervous wreck the whole time, The Whole Time!, because one small mistake could spell disaster.  Did I mention we don’t really know what we’re doing?

The next day the water went off for good.  We planned well the night before by eating Chinese food and drinking wikki and debating the merits of Fred’s new version of Backgammon that he created without any input from me, how good could it be?  So, with the water off and all our plans in place, I cut through the pipes with a sawsall.  Next we cut the massive cast iron drain pipe but had to go buy a blade called ‘The Torch’ because that cast iron stuff is tough!  Now with all the pipes out and our plans in place we started to put everything back together.  It went slowly.  Fred worked on finishing the electric installation and I worked the tub plumbing.  Al at Home Depot had sold us these connections for galvanized to galvanized piping that used a rubber washer and plastic housing that screw together and hold the pressure between the two disconnected pipes, we were using 6 of them.   The time had come to turn the water back on and check for leaks, tighten the system, and continue with the job of getting the tub and shower in.  The first one of Al’s plastic pieces of shit blew immediately, spraying water all over the furnace and water heater as well as the walls and floor.   Fred blamed the problem on incorrect installation (me) and reconfigured the plastic joiner.  I went to the street to turn the water on again.  The next one blew in seconds.  Since it was another one of my connections Fred again corrected my workmanship.  The third joiner never had a chance to blow as the yelling to “TURN IT OFF” reached me immediately.  Did I mention I was stressed?  At this point Fred worked on securing all the pipes and sent me to put the tub drain together.  I don’t know how often you put together a tub, but this is only my 2^nd one in 15 years.  Just some advice though, tub drains come from the back pipe that vents, not the spot of the actual drain on the base of the tub, not directly over the hole you had to jackhammer in the cement floor, but about 4 inches behind that hole.  Add overwhelming rage to my growing stress.  Time to rethink.

Extra, just in case

 Being the geniuses we are (or maybe I should take this blame) that I am, I cut the galvanized straight through.  In a perfect world we would have decoupled the pipes at the threaded ends and worked from there, but when pipes run under a concrete slab with no access you don’t really have that option.  That night we watched Youtube videos of people threading pipes.  They all started with a professional plumber putting the pipe in a large American Made vise.  The torque generated by the threaders meant it would be nearly impossible to thread the pipes in place and we had little idea of what to do.  The next day after looking at pipe threading options at the rental store and the local ACE hardware I decided the only thing to do was call a professional.  We worked out a system to reroute the tub drain and Fred completed the sink drain.  His vacation wearing down and his calm demeanor likely slipping away, he left for home and the rest of his vacation time.  He also needed a shower.  We all did.  I’m happy to report that upon his return he texted me that he let the water run in his sink till it was “real cold” before filling his ice tray, what a guy.  It would be several more days before we had that option at the cabin.

4 days later the plumber showed up.  I had to get back to work and they charge lots of dollars for weekend visits so we waited, without any running water, until Tuesday.  (At this point I have to give a huge thanks to Clider.  Upon seeing the situation we were in he insisted that my Sweetie and I shower in his fully functional bathroom facilities.  I even got a shave!  He loaned us a big water jug and me some pipe wrenches which came in handy later, showed me his massive pex water system and reassured me that it was no picnic for him to have to plumb his home either.)  I had been dumping Liquid Wrench on the crusty galvanized pipes of the shower where a threaded joint was accessible and using the pipe wrench was able to get them free. I set those up and bought a new shower assembly to go in.   When the plumber showed up his solution for the cut pipes was to superheat a piece of plastic line and slide it over the galvanized.  While it cooled he used two threaded collars in opposite directions to ‘strangle’ the plastic pipe and as it cooled it shrunk around the ole pipe.  I turned the water on and it held.  His cost was only $80 and I was happy to pay it.  I did however wait nervously for the next 3 days for the fix to blow up and I’m still somewhat scared to bury it altogether.  

With the water on but still no tub and shower in the bathroom I spent my Thursday putting the shower together.  The reconfigured and elevated tub drain seemed to work and all the plumbing was holding when the tub went in.  I spent a good amount of time moving some wall structure to make the shower walls fit properly and after I drilled and cut the holes for the tub fixtures I put them together only to realize that I cut holes in the wrong side.  Did I mention I’ve got some stress issues?  That night I had only my 2^nd shower in 10 days.  The water was lukewarm.

I started looking through my phone and found these.

Bob after drinking a bottle of drink, but before I mistakenly pulled the boat  out from under him. 

 Learning to think like the enemy.

Diligently watching for birds, not sleeping.

Even more Experter

Where I finally caught up to my tumbling bird.

Hello, as expert I realize that I am long overdue for a post, so here is said post. Turkey season started on Monday and we live in a fairly turkey rich area so I decided to make a point of getting out to hunt these giant birds in my back yard.

I spent the last two evenings with my buddy Otis, scouting the area and calling for birds.  We heard a few gobbles but didn't see anything moving, it was less eventful than a slow day of duck hunting but it was nice to at least hear some birds.  On Tuesday night we watched a pack of turkeys roost for the night about a  mile up from my house at the base of a steep canyon and decided we'd head out in the a.m. and hunt them.  Otis got the call to work at 5 a.m. so I ended up heading out alone in the morning.





I hiked out to the base of the canyon hoping that the birds would still be in the trees, allowing me to get above them for the fly down.  Nope, they were already on the ground and spreading out when I got there.  I heard a few discouraging gobbles from a group way up the canyon leading me to believe I was never going to find birds, but I decided to keep moving up in case there were more around.  A few minutes later I noticed another pack of 3 turkey just across the draw from me and decided that I might be able to move on them if I hurried, as I made that decision two more birds walked uphill just 25 feet in front of me.  I froze and waited for them to pass, I couldn't make out if they were hens or toms.

This became a game of hide and seek,  they would continuously move uphill and I would follow just out of sight, which was normally within 40ft or so thanks to the steepness and sharpness of the ridge we were headed up.  I kept trying to call them in, they either didn't care or were all hens, because it didn't even make them pause.  At this point I had gone twice as far  up the hill as I ever thought I would, I always see turkey down low and it never occurred to me that they climb this high.  It was starting to seem that I might never get a shot, and that they all must be hens.

Suddenly this big tom came flying in from across the valley and glided down into the group I was following.  He puffed up like the giant birds you see in the thanksgiving day illustrations,  he was huge, I've never seen a bird strut like this.  There was no question now, I found a tom.  Calling wasn't working so I ducked around the ridge and climbed as fast as I could above the flock.  I stopped to get a line on the birds when he stepped out with a hen from behind some brush, perfect line up maybe 35 feet away.

I pulled up the rusty jammer and popped him right in the head, then he started to roll.  I was worried, I've done a lot of reading about turkeys and apparently they can take off on you after they're hit.  He was rolling down hill and then pushing his way through bushes,  it took me a minute to catch up and put another one in his head.  At this point there were no brains left, but he was still trying to get away, like a chicken with his head cut off.  That first shot had been plenty, they are just hard wired to run.

This thing was 20lbs, had an 8 1/4" beard and 15/16" talons.  If you decide to turkey hunt, buy a vest with the built in bird bag, he was a little too big and heavy to walk out with under my arm or over my shoulder.  Tomorrow we roast him, next week I might have to pick up another tag.

Happy Birthday Bob

now make yourself one

Nestucca 2/3 (the day Fred saved my dogs life)

The morning started out as any morning would've while on vacation with Fred....hungover.  We went to the bait shop setting up our shuttle for the day with the expectations of a great day on the river.  With the information I had on this days float, I was expecting another mellow day with one class 2 rapid.  The lady at the bait shop said to just stay far left through the chute and I would avoid the rocks and that the rest of the float was straight forward.  We dropped the boat in and rowed across stream to set up the spinning rod (something we found in the cabin to drift along the side of the boat while we floated to our  next targeted water).  Fred threw the set up across stream and let it drift down.  I threw the set up to let it drift down, but I threw it into the overhanging tree's across stream instead.  I rowed us across and postioned the boat so that Fred could get the line untangled and we could move on down though the rapids.  While Fred was dealing with the line (with the rapids right below us), Waylon decided he was going to jump out of the boat.  So he jumped out of the boat and started going downstream.  I may be exagerating (due to adrenaline and lack of hydration at the time), but here's how I remember it..........."Fred!  Grab Waylon!!!"...  "Oh Shit!".....Fred drops the rod, I drop the oars to grab the rod and open the spool so the rod doesn't fall out of the boat, the spey rods that are hanging out of the back of the boat tangle in the shorline weeds and start coming out of the boat, I grab those then the oars again, Fred grabs Waylon by the loose skin on the neck and pulls him back into the boat, I row us back upstream and Fred untangles the line.  The shittiest 20 seconds of my life!  Phew!   We roll into the rapid and I stay far left.   DING!  Hit a rock.  The next 2.1 miles was crazy.  It took us 3 hours to float it involving a lot of scouting and even walking the boat through a section.  This was not the mellow float I was ready for, but the most technical rockiness of my time so far (all hungover).  After we made it through the craziness and found the first strecth of water we could fish.....of coarse, someone was fishing it.  The gentleman just shook his head when we told him we put in at Fourth Bridge expecting spey water.  The next crazy thing came 1 1/2 hours later.  We came to an island and all the water was pushing right.  Left looked ok, but rather shallow.  I chose right.  We came around the bend and Fred screams..."Pull left! Pull left!".  Thank god there was a soft piece of water to the left, otherwise we would've gone straight into a tree that had fallen across the channel sinking the boat for sure!  Did I mention this was the most stressful float of my life?  I'm wrapping this up.....we floated for an entire day, maybe fished an hour, and had an awesome meal that included more bourbon, more wine, more beer and grilled tuna belly with asian flare veggies and I don't remember going to bed (vacation with Fred yo).

you owe him your life!!!!!

Remember when....

Clider and I wore sheets on our heads to fool the ducks into thinking that we were snow?  It didn't work nearly as well in the house the night before.  Woe be unto you if you happened to be a duck in the living room though.  Found this beauty on a cell phone pic the other day.

Nestucca 1/3

Day 1 started with a surprising text from Fred at 7 am.........awake, can be ready in 30.  With Daylight Savings, Cliffy was impressed!  Already packed, Waylon and I headed over to deep SE to grab Fred and make our way to the coast.  We took the long way to ensure fresh crab/clams on a roadside dealer for the first nights dinner and a definite Fred Meyer hookup for last minute essentials.  When we finally made it to Hebo at noon, we stopped off at the local bait store to make sure they were still running shuttles and to get the low down on our planned float for the day.  With all thumbs pointing to yes, we proceeded to the cabin (thanks Millers!) to unload and set up the spey rods.  Within the hour, we had my buddies driftboat (thanks Joe!) in the water floating down a 2.1 mile stretch.  Though the river was busy, we managed to obtain a nice drift around the first turn.  Fred threw his line first.  The first time Fred has ever thrown a winter shooting head with a sink tip attached on his spey rod.  A beauty of a cast!  So beautiful, Waylon jumped out of the boat to retrieve his line for him.  Waylon received a small scolding for ruing Fred's swing, but........it's in his blood!  We were able to get a few more spots, but the business of other gear fishermen out weighed our classic technique.  We pulled the boat out and jammed home to prep dinner.  This included marinated crab bodies with the legs all done on the grill with garlic bread, caesar salad and wine/chorizo roasted calms.  Not to mention 2 bottles of wine, a bottle of whiskey and a few Buds.  Phew!!!!!!!  Day 1 folks!

In PDX? They hate us, right?

Join us in Portland for the 76th DU National Convention!

With our first 75 years in the rearview mirror, Ducks Unlimited is looking forward to our next 75. The first big junction on the map will be Portland, Oregon, the site of DU's 76th Annual National Convention, which will be held May 22–26, 2013. The city nicknamed Bridgetown promises to help DU build a bridge to an even brighter future, as members and volunteers gather to usher in a new era in wetlands conservation.

Register today »

Genioussness

Yep, In my neighborhood.  Well, really more Clider's hood than mine.

More H7HT folly.

They say the happiest 2 days in life are the day you buy a boat and the day you sell that boat.  Well, I was not happy yesterday as I watched the boat pull away from the cabin on the back of some other guy’s truck. In fact I felt a twinge of remorse for having to sell it.  All the hard work stripping the aluminum and the metal of the trailer, laying down the primer coat and the painting of the custom camouflage with my old pal Fred G. just driving away.  The trials and tribulations of the Hiawatha motor from which I learned to never buy a motor from the 1940’s.  The summertime trips on the river with my sweetie.  And the days of terror on pitch black mornings with a full load of gear heading out into the unknown.  And how about the time Clider, Peat and I  battled fierce winds and waves over the bow on Anderson . Oh yes, the terror.

The two young guys that came to pick up the boat told me they were planning to use it for fishing and I asked them to at least try to shoot a duck or two from the boat someday.  Then I grabbed the title from the Communist I purchased it from,  (Idaho requires no title so it was still from the last owner) and noticed something odd.  Yesterday was March 6, 2013.  Clider and I went to buy the boat from the Commie on March 6, 2012.  I was a boat owner for exactly one year.  Coincidence?  I think not.

Motor on old boat of mine, motor on.

GBCH

Or. Chapter heading to the Coast

That's right folks!  Fred, Waylon and I are heading to the Nestucca R. next week for 3 days of swingin' flies for  wild winter steelhead, whikey drinkin' and good eatin'!  Stay tuned for pics, vids and an overall look of what we find and what we brought!

Bob D. has been.........

Skiing.  Sorry that I have not been putting up things that I've been doing, but none of them have anything to do with hunting.
Here's an update.
Skiing.
Selling 'The Boat' (cause it scares me and I need the money.)
Drywall.
Painting.
Tuning skis and making them fast.
Getting ready to do more drywall and painting.
Have a picture or two...

Waylon update (5 months & 3 weeks old)

Final Day Or.

With Fred having to work, I ventured out to the Old Old Spot on the final day of the season to see if I could add to my total.  As I arrived to the parking lot, I was surprised to see that no one was there.  No one?!  I strolled out to secure the point, construct a $5 blind and set my deeks.  I wish I had my camera then......'cause that was the best $5 blind ever!  As shooting time started, a boat with a couple guys set up on the other side of the waterway but no one else came out.  I felt confident with the few ducks that were moving.  I looked left, pintails flew over my head from the right.  I looked right, a single shoveler flew in from my left.  Whikey gone at 9, no ducks flying so was home by 10:15 making Spanish Coffees.  Such a short and sweet day!

Back From Cali

Sorry everyone, I've been back for a few weeks now and I know your dying to know how my trip was.      But, I finally found my camera, so here we go!  I met my buddy Brennan outside the town of Maxwell (just south of the Delevan Refuge) and we proceeded to the trailer.  When we got to the trailer, I was pleasantly surprised at the work they did to it in the off season.  A new roof/ceiling, a new stereo system with speakers installed in the ceiling, a new floor, fixed the refrigerator, fixed the heater and added a generator to run the heater all night long!  Thanks guys, very impressive!  We unpacked, pounded a beer and jumped in the Polaris to head out to the blind.  It was Friday afternoon around 2, and there wasn't anything flying.  We shot the shit and caught up and around 3:30 the birds starting moving.  We called and called, then I switched to the whistle and birds started to pay attention.  Of course, they stayed just outside our shooting range until a hen shoveler showed me her breast.  In fear of a 'NR', I almost shot twice.  But Brennan assured me there was no way she could get away (being a flooded rice field).  Shooting time ended at 5 and we made our way back to the trailer to get the coals started.  I was psyched to see I had a Weber to grill on this year instead of the old rusty broken gas grill we had last.  The other guy Kevin showed up around 8 and we greeted him with achiote rubbed baby back ribs and grilled veggies.  There is no reason to explain the hangover the next morning.  Speaking of the next morning, we didn't see shit!  Or Sunday morning either.  The evening hunt on Saturday was positive though, we got a few shots off at some Pintails and feathers flew, but nothing dropped.  All in all, a great trip with wonderful scenery and good hunting companions.

Idaho: Day 17

Late season spread

Well, I thought it was over.  My final day of the season out in the blind with my lone brother.  Just he and I facing down the scourge of  late season ducks, ducks with only one thing in mind, to poke out the eyes of children everywhere.  Just a perfect day of snow and scenery.  Unmatched by anything I see while sitting on the barcalounger.  But no.  It was not over.

Phone message from Clider: "You know it's the last chance we have to hunt together this season."  "We could be home early in time for you to do chores."  "Massive storm front moving in at 9am."  "Ducks everywhere!"  How could I say no?  I had already packed up my gear, cleaned the Benelli and thrown my decoys in a pile in the back of the shed but I could not say no.  I wanted to start on my bathroom remodel but I could not say no.  I really wanted to sleep in because I was tired from a great snowshoe the day before with my sweetie but I could not say no.  So off to Anderson we went.

Looking back or looking forward?

The 5 mallards that set down in our spread 2 minutes before shooting time were a great sign.  And shortly after, the 10 greenies circling forever before setting down at the end of the channel were another great sign.  But after that....  Nothing.  Of course Clider shot a Redhead in the channel on a walk to keep his feet warm, he is the 'Expert' after all, but nothing for Bob D.  The storm front never moved in and ducks were piled on top of one another out in the big waters of Lake CdA and we had nary a good look after 7:30 but...
How could I say no? 
Goodbye 2012/2013 season.
Hello new 'Expert' for 8 months.
Next year is going to be GREAT!

GBCH

Remember

Over?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=V8lT1o0sDwI

Idaho: Day 16

The man you see here in this picture is none other than C. DaFolder, my brother from the other side of this Great Nation.  He came to North Idaho to get him some outdoor time in our mountainous area and to spend some time with me, Bob D.  We spent the first day on the slopes skiing Silver Mt. in a foggy cloud that did not allow him much of a view but did let him get back on some skis after many years of traveling over snow with nothing worthwhile attached to his feet.  I must say, the guy looked pretty good for a 7 year absence from the sport.  But enough of lesser pursuits: Day 16.

A hearty meal of Honey Nut Cheerios prepared us for the trip out to Anderson.  We left early to assure us the spot on the point because it's the only open thing around there.  The ride out was tame but the closer we got the faster and harder the snow came down.  I was thinking epic thoughts. We arrived with time to pack up and head out but as we left the parking lot the light from our headlamps illuminated nothing but snow and the 3 feet in front of us.  Sweet!  We walked down the slope onto the lake bed, now frozen over, and started across with me leading the way.  The snow was falling so hard we soon found ourselves in the middle of the first lake next to the puddle that sits in the middle.  Walking back later we found our path did a perfect crescent from the spot where we left the shore, I would be lost in the arctic in no time it seems.  We made it to 'The Tip' with plenty of time to get set and I enlisted C.DF in throwing blocks and getting ready.  After the decoys were set and we settled into the blind it was time for a toast and to watch the light come up.  The snow had lightened some but was still coming down nicely and that coupled with the low cloud ceiling made me think good hunting was coming our way.

Just before the hunting bell a threesome of greenies came right up the channel.  I let C.DF know that those were the perfect shot and explained my 'baseball theory' so that he would not be known as a skyblaster here on these pages.  It was not long before another bird came the other direction from the big side of the lake.  "Take him" I say and a lone shot rings out.  A miss, but what do you expect from a guy whose last hunting trip was to the Old Old Spot maybe also 7 years ago?  I took no shots that day and C.DF took only one more, even with the greenies I scared up from the channel later, but the weather was perfect and the company in the blind was all I could ask for.  Not often do the DaFolder boys get together, but we had a snowy good time freezing our feet and sipping wikki in the blind, ducks or not.
GBCH

Butt Cold

Hello,
It was the coldest day I've been out so far, butt cold.  I've been eyeing a place to hunt about half way between home and Anderson lake for awhile now, no hike and shallow water that doesn't freeze.  I decided to go check it out today, being that the weather was calling for calm and clear.
        After sleeping for an extra hour I loaded up Peat and we hit the road.  It was a quick set up only having to walk about 200 ft from the parking area.  I was settled in by ten till, listening to sounds of a few ducks starting to fly.  About 5 till a pair set down dead center in my spread,  perfect set up.  The pair of coot decided to walk straight up to me and then poke around on shore for awhile.  Other than that, the theme for the day was nothing moving anywhere except for some ice fishermen.  A little hiking in the channel that runs to the river and still no shots had been taken.  A lone bufflehead swung by to watch me pack up the spread.
      I left by 10:00 so I figured I should go do some exploring.  Killarney Lake was the next stop, which was just a giant sheet of ice.  As I pulled in to the lot there were three guys loading up an air boat, they had been skunked too and said they might just call it for the season.  I asked them about a dike that I  always saw people parked next to and they said there might be some birds out that way.  Nope, an hour later and no birds anywhere.
      On the way out the road comes within about a hundred feet of the river.  I figured why not take a look, I was still wearing my waders and Peat can always use some exercise.  I started waking toward the river and noticed it was about a 15 foot drop down to the water,  I could see quite a ways and again there were no birds.  Until five mallards exploded from the base of the bank, scaring the crap out of me and forcing me to defend myself.  I'm not sure if I've ever emptied my gun so fast before.  When the feathers settled one greenie was floating dead as a door nail about 30 feet out in the river, I'm pretty sure the switchblade he was plotting to use on me is at the bottom of the river now.  Peat launched down the bank and brought the bird back much faster than any before, it was a moment of pride.  He hurdled up the steep embankment and brought the bird straight to me, no dawdling, no dropping.
       That greenie had died quick and clean, a real expert slay.  While breasting him I noticed a hole dead center in his chest, upon closer inspection one pellet had gone through the breast and heart.  Peat is going to open up so much new terrain for the Idaho chapter, only 12 more days to train with real ducks.
   

Uhhh Uhhh Uhhh

 

Idaho: Day 15

There we were, sitting on the ice wearing white sheets over our heads and looking like big white turds on the surface of the lake.  I felt stupid sitting out there in front of a mini river full of decoys and watching the light come up around us but Clider said he knew they would come in, and he's the 'Expert' after all. After he took a walk to the puddle behind us, the one where all the morning fly ducks seemed to be going, some came my way.  I shot wildly at them struggling to shoulder my gun while dealing with wearing a big sheet.  I missed.  When it was my turn to take a walk the Gadwalls that came in were no match for Clider's one shot double fold.  Of course that was after I heard his first attempt go "click" from 100 yards away, but I digress.  Did I mention we were wearing sheets?

Other than a few other random ducks that flew while seated, and the inevitable ones that flew while we were packing up, not too much happened.  The weather was warm and the rain front that was to move in at 9:00 did not happen.  So we packed it up and went on a scouting trip towards Thompson Lake and the CdA river beyond.  On the walk out a lone Canadian was floating badly on the river.  He appeared almost dead and was only able to lift his head weakly when we went towards him.  Thinking he was another hunters N.R. Clider sent Peat after the big bird and Peat brought him in.  Good Dog!  After some debate as to what killed the Canadian I decided that if he was full of holes, and since Peat brought him in from a place that none of us could have gotten him, Clider can deduct a N.R. from his own totals.  If he died from natural causes or some new strain of bird flu that we are all infected with now, the N.R. totals remain unchanged.  We will see.

In any event the new spot we looked at seems nice.  It's frozen over now but next season could prove to be yet another new look for the H7HT.  I can only hope that when my brother, C. DaFolder, comes to visit we are able to limit out and get me a little close to the 'Experts'  insurmountable lead.  He, of course, will be hunting every day until the end of the season. 


GBCH

New Stuff.

Looks fast eh?

Today I traded an old chainsaw for an old trolling motor.
Does it work?
Do I have a deep cycle battery?
Will it fit the boat?
Will I ever use the boat again?
Is that a roto wing from 3 years ago?
What is 347 divided by 96?
All these questions and more will be answered in the spring.
Stay tuned.....


GBCH

First Or. Hunt of 2013

Ladies and Gentlemen, last Sunday, Fred G and myself ventured out to the Old Old Spot and secured the 'point' to slay.  We went to slay for Odin.  In years past, we have gone killin' for the King.  This past Sunday, we went killin' for Odin.  Odin was a mix of Husky and something something something.  He was Katrina rescue dog, that for obvious reasons, didn't enjoy the water.  But nonetheless, was the obedient companion of our good friend Lynnette (and faithful Blazer buddy of mine) for many years.  He went to eternal rest this past Sunday morning.  With the H7HT's dedication to Odin's memory, we ventured into wonderful conditions.  Cold, slight wind, perfect water levels........spooking flocks of mallards while setting up.  Wikky was tipped in honor and CIL'n time came.   Yup.........we saw some ducks.  In fact, even a couple Pinnies responded to Fred's whistle and would've added to the tally if it weren't for those stupid Brants.  But anyways, good times were had and sammies (elk, pork, turkey and blue cheese meatloaf wrapped in bacon on a toasted bagel with 2, yes 2, fried eggs) were devoured.  Not quite sammy of the year (needed salt), but still delicious.  Right now, I am packing to visit our friends in California to hunt 'pit style' blinds in the rice fields outside the Develin Refuge in Northern Cali.  Hopefully, it won't be 75 deg. like last.  However....I plan to slay.....I plan to come home 'expert'.  Look out u'da'ho!  The seasons winding down and the target has been set!

School of Ice

 I have spent a lot of time and energy hiding myself.  Ducks can see very well and the last thing you want to do is be obvious, Right?

My good friend Ken has been getting more interested in duck hunting lately, especially after I gave him an expertly slayed hen mallard a couple weeks ago.  A week ago he showed up with a beautiful Remington 870 wing master, wood stock, perfect bluing, beautiful gun.  So Sunday we went to the place where I spend my days off, the point on Anderson lake.  Home to a wonderful new blind, expertly crafted by Mr. DaFolder and myself, the point is also home to some of the only open water that you can wade into around here.

We showed up extra early to avoid anyone who would poach our spot.  The drive was sketchy but that mentally reassured me that no one else would be making the trip out to our blind.  There was a lone truck in the lot but no footprints, I was a little concerned until we got out there.  Two inches of fresh snow covered everything, it was reasonably cold with a light wind and still snowing.  The creek starts about 50 yards from the blind with a shallow pool about 20 yards across and then flows by the blind and  through a narrow channel out to the Coure d' alene river.  This channel is anywhere from 6- 10 feet deep right now and curves about 200 yards back to the river with high banks on both sides.  Everything else was dry or frozen with the  exception of a slightly thawed section behind us.  That spot is about 5" deep and has two thawed strips that are about 1' wide and 40' long, basically just two mud holes.

With plenty of time to spare I set out a pretty large spread, geese in the opening, a plug of drakes and the roto just in from that, a space with plenty of room to land, feeder drakes and a bunch of hens near the blind and a group of teal  in the fast moving parts of the channel.  Each one was carefully placed I even managed to drop (unbeknownst to me) one of the roto's legs in the channel near the teal.

We set up and watched ducks land just out of range, in the opening, several flocks came in and that's where they wanted to be.  We had shotten our guns at a couple of circling buffleheads and mallards but they were a little quicker than us.  After a beautiful morning fly the action had cooled down, no kills but at least we had fired our guns.  Ken was enjoying the whiskey and excitement, the weather had gotten a little nicer too, no wind or snow.

At this point I realized that the little mud puddle behind us was bustling with mallards again, Bob and I had seen this on our last trip.  I grabbed a few of my good feeders and two of the full bodies and we went over to the mud hole.  From the cover to the hole was about 50 yards, further than my comfortable shooting range.  We kept watching birds come and go but nobody would come near us.  At this point it was time for desperate measures, would they care if we sat out on the ice in complete view?

So we sat out on the ice about 10 yards from the hole,snow cover jackets but max-4 pants.  This feels stupid, cars can see us from the road, sitting like dicks in the middle of the ice.  The first duck lands in the far hole 10 minutes later 35 yards away. She gets up on the ice and walks around for a little bit, this is the perfect opportunity for Ken to slay.  Ken scares the bird up and waits, I think it's too late, then Ken places one perfect head shot in the Northern Shoveler.  She drop stone dead and Peat goes out for the retrieve, all of the shot hit her in the head and neck.  Ken had never fired that gun before that morning.

20 Minutes later another group came in, as they set their wings I placed a shot.  The bird rocked and then coasted over me, I rolled on to my side and fired twice more, both misses? He just kept gliding away toward the river.  A few seconds later a cloud of feathers lands around me, I must have connected.  I hoped up and headed to the river expecting to find a wounded bird floating. Nothing,  Giving up, I starting circling back along the channel path when I saw a black spot out on the ice near the bike trail.  Peat brought back my drake gadwal, two big holes above the breast and a dozen in the butt.  I don't know how that bird kept flying but it made it quite a ways.

Tiny merganser is huge compared to the bufflehead that was swimming in the big spread as I approached.  One of our pellets must have hit him earlier in the morning as we were shooting at his friends and family. He was so small I didn't want to shoot at him so i tried to grab the very much alive diver.  The bird wouldn't have it, straight under water, he was fast and fairly healthy.  After 5 minutes I realized I needed to use the gun and loaded up some 4 shot. First shot and he went under, while I was looking for him I thought the roto leg at the bottom of the channel had been blown off of the bufflehead and felt like a total ass-hat   Realizing that that leg was the size of the whole bird I started looking down stream. 20 minutes, a bunch of sweat and 6 shots later I finally connected with the little guy in the cda river, about 30 yards out.  One pellet had hit his tiny little dome, Peat brought him in.

Ken and I moved out on the ice near our original spot, the action had relocated.  Sitting on the ice makes it hard to follow birds and turn with them, that is the only reason we missed a limits worth of birds.  It was a busy day full of learning and this Wednesday I will put my new found knowledge to the test.  White bed sheets and a milk crate will hopefully provide me with an unapproachable lead.  Watch out, 8 months ago Ken didn't do much running  now he is training for Ironman.  When he gets into something he gets into something,  Future H7HT?

I am 1 bird away from Fred and Bob's combined total,  just saying.

A Little Waylon For Your Viewing Pleasure

Idaho: Day 14

Yesterday Clider and I went a’ slaying.

It had been much of a cold and dry week since the last time we were out and we both worried about the water levels out on Anderson.  It seems to be the only game in town right now unless you want to risk certain death and head out in a boat to the big open water of Lake Coeur d’Alene.  No me, not there, no way.  So after deciding on a time that gave the ‘Expert’ a few more minutes of rest we headed out into the cold.  Fortunately no other hunters had made plans for The Point that day.  We had the place to ourselves which was good because most all of the water on the lake, and all the surrounding areas, had frozen over.  Clider set his multitude of good looking decoys and I let him, he is the ‘Expert’ after all.

We had decided to sit on opposite sides of the slough to minimize our profile and also to have more area which to see all the inbound ducks that were coming with the morning fly. It proved to be a great idea for me.  Right at the bell a lone greenie came straight in and turned to the left, my side, and showed me his big white belly.  Quick as a former 'Expert' I raised my gun and folded him with one shot.  The retrieve was simple.  After that action we waited for quite some time before the next birds came by and unfortunately they wanted little to do with us.  The best look was a group of 4 that came from behind us and beyond them a group that wanted to come land in our slice of water.  They wanted in until Clider took a couple shots at the first group that is.  No blame though, I would have done the same.  Even with both of us taking walks to stay warm no other folding was to be had that day.  I could tell Clider was frustrated but I felt pretty good after last weeks N.R. to have a one shot - one bird day.

Clider plans to bring another new hunter out on Sunday so we spent the rest of the morning building a $89,000 blind out at the extreme end of the point's other side, an area we called 'the tip' last year.  I hope Clider and Ken have a murderous good time while I work away at my mountain top retreat.  Another goodie from that day, I saw what looked a lot like a Mojo wing at the bottom of the water in the slough, turns out it was.  I pieced together losing it 3 years ago (or at least one just like it) in that very spot.  I left the wings of my new roto on the clump of grass you can see in the photo.  When I came back days later only one was there and I figured the other was gone forever.  The odds that it blew into the tiny river, sank and stayed there for years with all the water flowing in and out with the seasons, is slim but I can think of no other option.  It looks the right age and is in the exact spot I lost it.  Hmmmmm?  Heston at work?  I like to think so.