Three duck stew in the slow cooker. Mmmm.

Lore Day One and Two 2005

How things have changed and not, enjoy........

Day 1.

4:00 am. Woke up this morning with the promise of a wonderfull begining to
the new season. Overcast and a little chilly, not a bad day for this early.

5:00 am. Picked up Fred with enough time to get to Sauvies Island and get
in line for the lottery to pick the best blinds for the day. Fred does a
great job of picking a low number and we go to the warden to try a new spot.

5:35 am. Warden informs us that Fred has brought the wrong licence.
Although he's already purchaced the correct one, it's back at his house. (25
min away)

6:30 am. After a visit to the local 7-11 to try to buy another licence,
(the machine was broken) we're back at Freds to get the right licence.
Resist urge to leave him there as we are a team after all.

7:25 am. We are now all set up at the old shitty Lewis and Clark spot of
previous years. Conversation resumes.

7:30 am to 2:30 pm. Wait for ducks.

2:31 pm. Go home.

Well there you have it. The first day of the season and we are off to a
roiusing start.

Day 2.

Fortunately for us lessons were learned and today (wed) was
much better. Fred shot the first Greenie of the year and made a cool $10 in
the process. I missed 8 ducks 5 times because I'm sure my gun is bent or
something, not to worry, I'll be getting a new gun soon and all my problems
will be solved. Remember it's allways the arrow, not the Indian.
Speaking of new guns I've been lusting over the new Benelli nova pump
shotgun for almost a year now. Finally I've got the many layers of approval
I need to get one and I'm very excited. I should be able to pick it up next
Sunday. Then, this morning, my best pal shows up with the Benelli Super
Black Eagle semi auto full crumbler. He even let me hold it. Hey, what are
best friends for.

That's it for this installment of the new season of hunting. Maybe in the future
we will have some photos to go with the text. Hope you enjoyed it.

God bless Charlton Heston.

Idaho: Day two.

After a day of scouting other spots it was back to Anderson Lake. Dallas and I were supposed to go hunt this new spot he was talking about but it seems he forgot to go get his Duck Stamp from the post office. Instead we did some scouting in the Killarney Lake area and realized more than ever that we need a boat to access all the goods that the area has to offer. The Coeur de' Alene river splits many of the lakes and marshlands off from the roads. The river is only 20 yards across but there is no way to cross without a boat and bridges are nonexistant. Bummer. We did find a hikeable spot on Killarney but it didn't look too promising. We'll see.

Armed with that knnowledge I woke at 4:00 and made the trek back to Anderson Lake. Setting up in the same spot as last week I was once again careful to be on the alert for Cougar, lest one eat me before sunrise and my chance to see it first. Sounds stupid right? Well, I also think it's stupid but at 5:30am in complete silence and darkness in the tall grass by yourself the mind is a terrible thing. So I waited for shooting hours and the breeze picked up a little. Ducks were talking amongst themselves off in the distance and others flew over my head in the pre-dawn dark. A couple good opportunities came up and I missed a fat Greenie that buzzed my spread. Two shots and still he refused to fall to earth. Once again there were black divers everywhere and they made for nice live decoys just in front of me. As I waited some mallards landed just to my left and started having a little party just out of gunning range.

The light morning fog lifted and a duce flew into the spread. Bang! Folded the hen "like a cheap lawn chair" (thanks for that one Jiggitty). Then all the ducks in the general vicinity got up and bolted like a Kenny Chesney concert just started. They were flying everywhere and none of them wanted anything to do with 3" Black Cloud pellets coming from my hyper-accurate Benelli. Now that the sun was breaking through the fog and everyone had left I put out the spinning wing motor decoy, banned in OR & WA, but not here in the great state of ID. Then the fun started.

My decoys were shining and the motor deke was flashing bright and those mallards just wanted to come right on in. I was being careful now to try to pick out the drakes for three reasons. A. leave the hens alive to make more ducks. 2. There is a bag limit of two hens, and D. The big money on the line for 'first Greenie of the year'. The first group came in, 5 or 6 ducks, one flashing his big white belly at me. Folded. A few minutes later another group. Missed. Then another. Folded my second Greenie. After a while the action dried up as the sun warmed everything up and the ducks settled down to eat and lounge. My left wader boot was full at that point too and I pulled up and headed home. All in all a good trip. Stay tuned....
GBCH

Year to Year

A Late Spring Interlude

No Spilly

Starring Bob DaFolder

Day One Portland Chapter

Why should this first day be unlike all the rest? Set departure time was 4:30 in the a.m., have to get to the Old Spot early due to the closure of the Old New Spot. Cliffy picks me up this morning a little past 5:00. Load up the truck and we are on the way, a little trepidation as to the swarm of hunters we expect to greet us due to the again because of the closure of the Old New Spot. We arrive and to our astonishment we are the only ones there, this is where I get nervous because we are the H7HT we sometimes get things wrong, I'm thinking to myself "maybe hunting season has not started yet, or better yet maybe today is bring a small child into the woods, for hunting that is". As you can see if was foggy this morning so when we happened upon some water we took it. Andy threw the blocks out and I built a blind a little off shore, so we didn't stick out like a sore thumb I also "planted" some branches all around the blind so as no to stand out. After a few hours of a few gun shots from the distant hunters with boats I'm feeling a chill, expecting the sun to be out I did not plan accordingly with layers and need a walk to warm the trigger finger. I walk down towards The Old New Spot and find a place I think will be better for cover, and along the way scare up a few different sets of mallards. After getting the Expert on the line and get the OK to move we do so. We throw out a few blocks and hunker down in the brush. Well the fog burns off and few mallards fly over a few sammy were had, did I mention that Cliffy thought his whikey bottle would hold more? Well I'm dry now, me bottle it is, me feets are wet, and we decide to pack it up. One of our missions with the H7HT it is to make things easier, well there is Lewis and Clark and then there is Fred G. On the way out I decide to go a different way, usually this goes badly but today it was awesome! I discovered a way to get to the Old New Spot from the Old Spot parking lot! only a mere 15 minute more walk. Along this walk I learned two things no make that three. First, horses get spooked by people they don't know caring guns, dressed in camo and with big packs on, we were asked to stay still on the path and walk backwards. Second, some lesbians don't care for me caring guns in the woods. Went a little something like this: "Sir excuse me excuse me sir!" yes I replied, "I do not appreciate with you walking through the woods with a rifle." She says this to me as I just watched her dog take a shit on the path and not pick it up. So I channel a little Jiggity and in Jiggity voice I reply "listen lady I would never walk through the woods with a loaded gun and I do not APPRECIATE your dog shitting on the path and you just leaving it there." That was day one, a beautiful day with a side of knowledge.

Overdue Poetry.

Fall is upon us, you and I we know
First beautiful foliage, then cold and snow
The weather that we live for
The best time of year
Out to the duck blind, a hunting we will go

A cold and early morning, perfect for a walk
Building up the old blind, then the trash we'll talk
Setting out the decoys
A sip to warm you up
Sit low and work your call, the perfect way to stalk

The sun nears the horizon, the birds do start to fly
Now some greenie mallards, they try to pass on by
Your decoys look perfect
Your calling is sublime
The greenies fly on in, now it's time to die

Tradition

"Time To Kill"
by
Bob DaFolder

*
*
You packed up and left the truck over an hour ago.
Sometimes if the moon is still bright you don't even
need a headlamp to make your way out to the area
where you want to set up. It's cold out but the long
walk with the pack on makes you sweat inside your
waders and under all the layers. As you set your
decoys in the still water surrounding your blind, your
body cools and you can feel the chill in the air again.
Finally, with everything complete, it's time to wait
for sunrise.Just before the first light of day you can
hear the whistle of ducks flying near you. Wondering
what they are is almost torture. Are they the fat
greenies you hope to see again at first light, or are
they another brand, something you have never seen
before? Not long now till you start to make out shapes
and can see a little bit better as the sun comes closer
to the horizon. Now, as the other creatures of the woods
wake up and start to move around, you know that the
time is here. Time to kill.

*
Circa 2006

Over?

Hi Fred G.

My name is Mark Stevenson. I manage the Oregon State Parks in the Columbia River Gorge and I am also a duck hunter. The ruling for emergency parking in the Gorge along I-84 is one that has been posted for years but has often been overlooked by OSP (Oregon State Police) impart because they are so under staffed. The reason for the fencing has nothing to do with being allowed to hunt or not, this land is managed by US Forest Service. You are allowed to hunt in the area still, but when ODOT planned for the contract for the new fencing, it needed to go on the edge of their right of way.

It is not legal to park on I-84 from Portland to Cascade Locks, even though we have all seen it happen, or in our case have done so to hunt or fish. Though I understand your concern , ODOT, State Parks nor US Forest Service are going to be able to say it is ok, as it is a safety corridor and parking except for emergencies is not allowed.

I feel your pain and wish I could offer a close option for parking, besides the Thousand Acers Parking, which is around 1.5 to 2 miles from where you hunt.

Good luck this Saturday... please call if you would like to talk further.



Mark Stevenson
Columbia River Gorge
Oregon State Parks and Recreation Dept.
503-695-2261-224 or cell 503-969-8256

WOW! Blog Is World Wide!

Pageviews By Countries

United States 122

New Zealand 8

Morocco 2

Brazil 1

Germany 1

United Kingdom 1

Indonesia 1

Lebanon 1

Netherlands 1

A Letter to the Parks Department

Hello.

I am a duck hunter who has been duck hunting the slews at Lewis and Clark Park in Troutdale for about 16 years now. Recently the state ODOT has replaced old fencing along I84 west and blocked our entrance at about 2 miles past the Corbit on ramp making it impossible to park and hunt in that area. It is one of the most beautiful places in my opinion to hunt. I've contacted ODOT and received a prompt response saying they do not own the land beyond the fence that's why I'm writing you. I'm wondering if there is any way we could re-open the area to hunters? Thank you for any help and your time. I've also enclosed my corresponds with ODOT.

Thanks again.

Fred G.
Hoy 7 Hunting Team
www.H7Ht.Blogspot.com

A response within seconds:

I have forwarded your inquiry to District Park Manager, Mark Stevenson, at Rooster Rock State Park. You can also reach him directly at 503-695-2261.

Richard Wilde
Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
Information Center
800-551-6949
M-F, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
park.info.@state.or.us
http://www.oregonstateparks.org/

Wow! A Response

I am the District Manager for this section of I-84 and will respond to
your question.

The new fence is part of a project required by Federal Highways. All
interstate freeways are access controlled and the original fencing had
been cut, taken down or otherwise in poor shape. The recent contract
restored the fencing and installed fence where it should have been. The
area you area asking about is perhaps one of those new areas.

Parking along I-84 is only allowed in emergencies. There are regulatory
signs in place that make this enforceable. I cannot say it's
permissible to hunt in the area you have done so in the past because I
don't know who owns that property. State Parks and the Forest Service
own property along I-84 as well as the railroad. There are some private
properties, but those are few. It could be ODOT's property but it's
unlikely since our R/W doesn't extend beyond the fence line.

You asked about installing a small gate. I believe our contract is
nearing completion. If you are accessing this area from a parking lot,
we may consider that. If it is from the freeway, we don't want to
encourage that access and likely would not want to do this. Call me if
you would like to discuss this. (503-665-4514)

Larry Olson

A Letter to the ODOT

Hello,

I'm not sure if this is the correct venue for this if not please point me in the right direction.

I'm a duck hunter and hunt the slew just past Corbitt.

Recently there was a fence installed at a pull out on 84 west just past Corbitt to the Lewis Clarke park just outside Troutdale. I was curious why.I stopped by and saw that there were no new signs stating "no parking" and "no hunting" so I'm assuming that it still is okay to hunt there. I know this is a far fetched request, but I'm assuming that the fence may have been installed for livestock or to prevent game for crossing the highway, here is the far fetched request, would it be possible to install a small gate?

Any help and information would be helpful.

Thank you very much.

Fred G.

Hoy 7 Hunting Team

www.h7ht.blogspot.com

America Rules!

Idaho: Day One

The real day one started with a plan for just one hunter, me. I had no choice but to go back to Anderson Lake because the attempt to meet with Dallas a couple days ago and see a new spot ended badly. The good news is that the cold has returned and I was greeted by a frosty windshield and my breath hanging in the air yesterday am. It's about 50 miles to the lake so I poped in some NRBQ and hoped that the trip would not be in vain, with no ducks flying.

It was a little scary on the walk out to set up for two reasons. I didn't hear a thing from the duck world on the way out. No quacking and milling around in the pre-dawn darkness. No whistling flyovers of ducks you can hear but not see. And for another reason, My Sweetie told me about her friends husband who had to shoot a cougar last year while duck hunting. Seems that the cougar was stalking him in his blind and he happened to see the big cat getting ready to jump. Bang. So I really don't think that the spot I go to at the lake has any kind of cougars nearby but I'll tell ya, at 5:30am in the total darkness walking through tall brush in complete silence with nothing but your small headlamp, this story was on my mind. I loaded a shell just in case.

To my great delight there were lots of ducks flying though. Right about the time I got set up small ducks starting strafing my position in the grasses. There were a couple mallards or so that flew in to take a look and I probably should have taken a shot at them but, like our title says, I wanted to "foldem with their feet down". I'm not sure but I think I saw a pinny too in the groups of ducks that came by and I worked some mallards with my call from the other side of the lake right in to my spread but for some reason they didn't like the set and off they went.

I've added some Teal decoys to my set up and let me tell you, it seems to have made a difference. All morning long Buffleheads and some kind of black looking diver ducks were everywhere. Today's picture shows some of the groups that came by for a visit. I didn't want to take them because they are not the best eating (although I hear Teal are extra tasty) so I was content to have some live decoys in my spread. Along about 10:00 or so the sun finally broke through the fog and low clouds and the action dried up. I packed it up and headed home for my 2:30 round of golf. I love America!

Not bad for the first day of the season. I hope to head out again on Thursday with Dallas to check out this new spot he found. I'll keep you posted. On a side note: My sincerest condolences to the Portland chapter of the HOY7 Hunting Team on the barricade of the Old New Spot. That kind of shit will not stand. Remember what these fine men said....

Dare to do things worthy of imprisonment if you mean to be of consequence. ~Juvenal

Laws control the lesser man. Right conduct controls the greater one. ~Chinese Proverb

Never do anything against conscience even if the state demands it. ~Albert Einstein

No radical change on the plane of history is possible without crime. ~Hermann Keyserling

When leaders act contrary to conscience, we must act contrary to leaders. ~Veterans Fast for Life

It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong. ~Voltaire

If... the machine of government... is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law. ~Henry David Thoreau, On the Duty of Civil Disobediance, 1849

Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape! -- You Know Who!

Maybe Heston Is Not Right!

Maybe Heston is wrong, maybe it is time to sell the guns,

maybe it's time to hang up the boots. What's next a dog run

at the Old Old Spot? Wait there is one there already. Hopefuly

some badass hunter will not put up with this, this thing they call

fence, and bring his badass snippers. Why?! A solid, meaning well built,

4 foot fence. Can't realy get a leg over safely with out tearing a sack.

And wait! Where would you park?

Maybe it's time to call it.

No signs say no hunting.

No signs say no parking.

You still can't dump.

WHY?!

Yet another Jiggitty Jeff update:

In response to my latest post about getting skunked on my first day of the season Jiggitty responded.....

That sucks. My first day of hunting went off with a bang. Only it wasn't a mallard getting shot and folding like a cheap lawn chair! Instead I ended up piss drunk with a lot of my "Suburban Neighbors" and decided it would be a good idea to discharge an AK-47 in my back yard 3 times. Needless to say my neighbors are pissed at this beaner! But not in a bad way, in a "Why so fucking crazy" way. Anyway, Jiggity-3 Neighbors-0.

Keep up the good work Jiggitty. We of the HOY7 Hunting Team are proud to have you as one of the Charter Members.
GBCH

Info.

http://www.ducks.org/migrationmap/

Day One ?

So here it is 7:08am on Thursday morning. I just got home from what was supposed to be my first day of the season. I had spoken to Dallas yesterday and we set a time to go to the new spot he had scouted out with my old boss from Dave Smith Motors, Tom. This new spot is much closer than Anderson Lake and had some ducks in it the other day when Dallas went fishing there. We agreed to meet up at 5:45 this morning and would rally out and see what we could find in this early season heat wave. It's been in the 70s and sunny so I don't expect much except maybe a morning fly, but still a possible slaying opportunity.

I waited at the designated spot. And waited. And called. No answer. And drove by Dallas' house, no lights and his truck in the driveway. Then I drove home to lament the fact that I have been blown off. Bummer.

So here I sit at the computer to share my first day of hunting, if you can call it that. Does this leave a bad taste in my mouth you ask? Nope. I know in an hour or two my phone will ring and Dallas will apologize for not knowing or showing or being abducted by aliens last night. Whatever the reason, I'm sure the hunt will go on. I'll keep you posted....

GBCH

Jiggitty Jeff Update:

Recently received an update from H7HT member and all around killing machine Jiggitty Jeff. It goes something like this....

OK. I failed on my bear hunt, but am going to crush a deer in rifle season! I will shoot out to 800 yards with the .300 Win Mag in the duffel bag! I will keep you posted!

The e-mail went on to say that he misses slaying with the HOY7 Hunting Team and wishes Fred G success in his shooting skills for this season. Thanks Jiggitty for keeping us in the loop!