Pre-season Report.

Just what in Heston's name is going on here? I spent the morning on the golf course and the afternoon working in the yard in 80 degree heat! I thought the beginning of fall meant colder temperatures and guaranteed inclement weather. Duck weather. Instead I'm sweating while I mow the lawn for the 50th time this summer.....errrr, fall.

last week, while it was only in the 70's, I did a little scouting in the area where I hunted all last year. If you look on the map you will see Anderson Lake on the left hand side. When I pulled up Google Earth I found an area just to the northeast that looked promising. Grain fields of some kind and marshy or flooded areas just on the other side of the gravel road. A gate and sign greeted me just before. ATTN: WATERFOWLERS you are hosed. What the hell?

So here's the good news. My new style hunting partner Dallas says he has a couple spots that were reccomended to him closer and more full of ducks. Of course two of them require a boat, but I figure this just gives us a reason to get a boat. Maybe one with a nice camo paint job and a spot for a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. Who knows.

My biggest problem is that according to this here blog I will be the only member of the HOY7 Hunting Team that is hunting this year. Obviously due to the lack of posting from my team members I can assume that I am the only one who has any desire to slay ducks this year. I guess that's okay. My expert title will be safe from competition. Prove me wrong bitches.......

GBCH

Construction Zone

So yesterday I decided to make my own custom wader drying rack. How about them apples? Less than 3 weeks to go.....

Then I felt the need to go shoot something so I went to the range and after a little fine tuning on the ole .22 I produced this group at 50 yds. Sweet!










GBCH

Time to get my ducks in a row....

The most popular theory suggests that "ducks in a row" came from the world of sports, specifically bowling. Early bowling pins were often shorter and thicker than modern pins, which lead to the nickname ducks. Before the advent of automatic resetting machines, these "duck pins" would be manually put back into place between bowling rounds. Therefore, having one's ducks in a row would be a metaphor for having all of the bowling pins organized and properly placed before sending the next ball down the lane. Many bowling alleys still offer "duck pin" lanes with smaller bowling balls and shorter pins.

Another theory comes from the world of nature. Mother ducks often corral their young offspring into manageable straight lines before traveling over land or water. Any stragglers or escapees would be noticed as long as the integrity of this line is maintained. The idea of getting all of one's ideas or ingredients or team members in one organized line would be similar to a mother duck getting all of her literal ducks in a row. One concern with this theory is the use of the word ducks, since baby ducks are more correctly identified as ducklings or even chicks. The common expression suggests adult ducks, not necessarily younger ducklings.

There are also sources which argue the "ducks in a row" element refers to a carnival game or two. One popular carnival game involves the player using a small caliber rifle or air gun to knock down moving targets. Quite often these targets are in the shape of ducks, and a conveyor belt system makes sure the duck targets are aligned in a consistent row. It is possible that the expression came from the benefit of having all of the targets (ducks) arrive in a predictable and organized order.

Getting ready

Today I finally got Ole' Big Betty fixed and took us a shakedown run to Post Falls and the Cabellas store. She ran like a top so I figured I would reward us with some new hunting gear. On the list for today was some Greenwing Teal decoys, a new pair of hunting socks, a teal whistle, a calling CD to hone my skills, some Black Cloud 3" shells and this cool little motor to attach to the bottom of a decoy that makes it swim around in circles. Pretty good haul. They did not have decoy paint or a replacement wing for my spinning wing decoy. Guess that will have to wait.

While there I checked out "Conservation Mountain" pictured below. I'm a big fan of irony so I took this picture and figured I'd share it with you. Only 30 days left until opening day! The trigger finger is sure gettin' itchy.

A sad, sad day. I'm on the verge of tears.

http://portland.craigslist.org/clk/cto/1932768232.html

He is always right. ALWAYS!

Paste this into your browser......
Watch it all.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-august-19-2010/extremist-makeover---homeland-edition

GBCH

Things in my neighborhood

In this installment of the ongoing series, things in my neighborhood, I present to you the image of Coconut Joe. This was taken in my backyard as Coconut was pilfering water from my hose for his personal use. Seems that years ago Joe was a normal guy leading an average life. Then one day he happened to fall from the back of a pickup truck while traveling down the highway, in the process hitting his 'coconut' and giving him the 'Dain Brammage' he wears to this day. As backyard neighbors we have come to accept Coconut's .0004 MPH staggering around his backyard and his roommate, who we call 'Tamale Joe', wandering around wrangling his cats. This week however held a new development.

The other day Coconut came to my yard asking if I could fill his empty Sunny D jug with water. Not a big deal as they are working on the sewers on my street and have all the lines dug up. I figured every man needs water and gave him some high quality H2O from our tap. Next thing you know we come home to find him in the backyard decoupling my hose from the sprinkler. Turns out Coconut has not paid his water bill for months and they have shut it off, leaving me as the closest source of water. Now I'm not the type of guy to leave a man without water so I have agreed to leave my hose in the back yard so he can hydrate until he pays his bill and has water of his own. The unfortunate side effect is that I have this sight on a regular basis. As my girl plainly stated "I thought we moved out of the city to get away from crazy guys who smell like pee." Sweet!

GBCH

Lore

While perusing older post, which I often do cause our stuff is that good, I came across

this one which kinda has relevance to the past month or so. Enjoy, I did.

Day ten was a reminder why you need to keep pace with the HOY7 hunting team.

Today we were joined by founding member and resident 2nd place killing machine "Cliffy" V. We set out early on Thanksgiving day to secure our spot at the legendary twin falls location on the mighty Columbia river. We arrived to the parking lot alone and in sole possession of the best spot possible. After a harrowing 2 minute walk we made it to the water and started the decoy setting and blind building process. With those tasks complete we were able to enjoy some time to sit and reflect on the days folding potential as there was still 30 - 45 minutes before sunrise.

Not long into the days events the picture above was taken. It shows Cliffy in a sad display of what happens when you come ill prepared for a H7HT outing. Out of wikki and out of treats. Fortunately his teammates were able to keep the machine going with some smooth 12 year wikki and delicious smokes. The day was saved.

Although we saw few ducks today and were only able to take a shot at a rebel decoy trying to escape, Cliffy learned something. Hunting umbrellas are quite possibly the finest invention to come out of Fred Gs' massive head. I like to think he will also be better prepared for our next outing as well. There you have it, every day a new lesson.

GBCH

Name the Hunting Season Here!

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Name the Hunting Season

Last Day 0f Hunting Season 2010

No words could be spoken about this day, Cliffy with excess. There I said it, excess. The dictionary defines excess as: "having more than necessary, permitted or desirable". It also states that excess is "lack of moderation in an activity", such as drinking. It also states that excess is "the action of exceeding the permitted limit." Charlton bless you Cliffy you hit all three. May you always have an excess, and long may you slay.

August tenth, two thousand & ten

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FRED G !!! How about a nice Rossini's Pizza for your special day?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FRED G! How about a nice Fudgie the Whale for desert?

Heston, is that you?

So there I am the other night trying to deal with my 'fever' problem. I decided to take a quick look at the petfinder website and see what they may have available in the way of Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers when something catches my eye. Seems right here at the local kennel they have a young Flat Coated Retriever with the unfortunate name of Beauty. Good looking dog, nice temperament, right size and 1/2 mile away. So I decided to give a call and see if we could meet the dog and take her for a test drive.

Straight off this dog has some major hurdles to overcome. Not a Toller, not a puppy, trained by someone else and possessed of a stupid name. So we get to the shelter and the first thing the dog does is jump up on me, great. I try to take this as a sign that the dog likes me and not think about how long it takes to un-train a dog of bad habits. Off we go for a walk and things are going well. She pulls on the leash hard and she likes running the brush and seems to be searching for scent. Then we take her back to my place and introduce her to the neighbor dog Morgan, a 2 year old mastiff, and they get along swimmingly. Playing hard and drinking from the same bowl together, good stuff. Next it's up into the truck where she seems to understand 'in the back' and is very excited to be going on a trip, alright then. A short drive to the gun range and while we are walking around someone takes some big rifle shots that don't seem to phase her a bit, sweet. Down to the creek and right into the water she goes, things are looking good.

After that we drive back to my house and go into the neighbors fenced back yard. All this time I have had the dog on the leash and I completely understand that neither she or I know her name. Time for the most important test. I throw a ball, she chases, picks it up.... drops it. Dog does not seem to care about the ball. After several tries I realize that this retriever is not a retriever. What the hell? Also the whole time we are trying this she seems to be looking for a way to get out of the yard and pays no attention to me trying to engage her. I get the feeling if I ever let her off leash she would bolt and never return. I sit quietly and the dog never even looks at me, the whole time seeming to be searching for something else, what I don't know. Sorry, not my dog.

So there is the sad story of Beauty the Flat Coated Retriever who does not retrieve. If anyone is looking for a running partner I know a great dog.

"The Fever"

Well here it is still 2 1/2 months away from hunting season and the fever started in earnest this morning. After weeks of 80 & 90 degree temperatures and blazing sun I woke this morning to temps in the 50's and steady rain with overcast skies, kind of like a good hunting day without the cold. Now I know full well that I shouldn't be ready just yet but circumstances have been conspiring against me.

My first issue of Wildfowl, after months of haggling with the subscription people and changing my address, has finally showed up. I put it out of sight in the library under some other magazines and told myself not to read it until later in the summer. Then the Macks Prairie Wings catalog shows up. Certainly it's only a matter of time before the Cabellas Fall catalog arrives too. How am I supposed to resist them? Then yesterday Big Betty, my not so trusty Ford, went in for some service. It had been running poorly and all my attempts at fixing the problems myself had failed. Time to leave it to the experts. (The experts at fixing cars that is, we all know who the expert at folding Greenies is.) I only drive a couple miles to work each day and it runs well enough to get me around town but in the back of my mind I'm thinking about needing a truck to drive to Anderson Lake, maybe even towing a boat. What about a trip to Umatilla? How about even a trip to Portland? Montana? Got to have a good truck for that.

Then there is the people factor. Zach, who worked for me all last winter, called to tell me about his summer. He is a Hot Shot firefighter in Montana and has been without much work because of the wet spring and low fire danger. Talk naturally turned to our plans to do some upland hunting this fall in his home area in Montana. Turns out he bought a English Springer pup and is having it trained this summer to be somewhat ready this fall. Game on. Also, I have met a man named Grant Miller. He owns a property on the golf course where I work and we have been been forming a rapport. In talking with him the other day I found out he is a wheat farmer and owns thousands of acres of fields in eastern Oregon. He headed home last week for the harvest and will be back again to enjoy the late summer here in Idaho. I think I'll be in a position to ask him if he has any unruly ducks, geese or upland birds terrorizing his cropland, and if so I know just the guys to help him with his problem. I'll keep you updated.

Then the capper. On Wednesday my hunting buddy Dallas called. I thought he was gone for good after some kind of altercation at my old place of employment, Dave Smith Motors. Rumor had it the Dallas and another salesperson got in a fistfight in the back parking lot and both had been fired. I hadn't heard from him since. So I get a call and it turns out he is coming back to town next month to go back to work at DSM and wants to be sure that we are still hunting. Of course we are. Add all this to the fact that I keep meeting people that can't wait to slay ducks. Rocky, a bartender at the resort and recent transplant from California, is a duck hunter and is ready to go. Even my old boss at DSM, Tom, said he may be inclined to show me a secret spot or two.

Add all this together and how could I not be getting lost in the thought of the upcoming season. Only one thing about this season gives me pause. I won't be sharing every day in the blind with my H7HT co-founder Fred G. I would have to suspect that he too is starting to get the fever, a fever that only gets worse as the fall approaches. How could he not? For Heston's sake, the man was 'The Expert' for 8 years running. Fortunately for us Cliffy has started to contribute to the Blog and even though his main mission in life continues to be ridding the world of hatchery fish and keeping the rivers and streams safe from dangerous and unpredictable swimming varmints, I know he suffers the same affliction. Perhaps even Jenny X. is laying awake at night, trying to figure out what gun in his arsenal is best suited to bring down the East Coast plague of ducks. And how about Jiggitty? I'd bet money that he is just waiting for a chance to take out "One of God's green creatures" as he calls them.

All told this morning was the right time to break out the Wildfowl magazine from behind other reading material. I flipped through to an article entitled 'Three Colors: a Teal Trifecta' and was immediately transported back in time to sitting in the blind listening to Fred G's rousing rendition of the bastardized Neil Young tune, 'I want to live with a Cinnamon Teal'. How could I not have the fever now?

GBCH

The best cart in the fleet.

Good News.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – July 2, 2010 – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released its preliminary report today on mid-continent breeding ducks and habitats, based on surveys conducted in May. The total duck population is nearly 41 million, which is similar to last year's estimate and 21 percent above the long-term average.

"These are encouraging numbers as we see most species are at or above their long-term averages," said Dale Humburg, Ducks Unlimited chief biologist. "The habitat conditions in many regions should support a good breeding effort."

Watch DU Chief Biologist Dale Humburg's video summary of the survey results.

Habitat conditions across the U.S. and Canadian prairies and parklands were generally good. However, further north, wetland conditions in boreal regions of Alaska and northern Canada were only fair at the time of the survey. During the survey and into early summer, many regions important to breeding ducks received significant precipitation, which could increase later breeding efforts and ensure brood survival. If these wet conditions continue, prospects going into the winter and possibly into spring 2011 could be favorable as well.

Mallards, gadwalls, green-winged teal, northern shovelers and redheads mirrored last year's numbers, and all remained above their long-term averages. Canvasback and American wigeon numbers were similar to last year's, as were pintail and scaup numbers, although populations of these two species remain below their long-term averages.

"It's great to hear the report of steady duck populations, but habitat loss continues to be a significant threat to North America's waterfowl," said Dale Hall, DU CEO. "For most species, this year's numbers are encouraging, but DU must remain dedicated to its mission of long-term, landscape-level habitat conservation if we are to meet the life-cycle needs of the continent's waterfowl."

"I would expect to see a fall flight similar to last year's," Humburg says. "But everyone must keep in mind that weather and habitat strongly influence the timing and distribution of ducks in the fall flight, and these factors are very dynamic. Although I'm optimistic about the 2010 fall flight, it's several months before the season opens, and a lot could happen to migration and wintering habitat before then."

WHO SAID SMOKIN' WAS BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH

Stupid hatchery fish.

Happy Birthday

So....
Last night just as I'm getting off work, it's about 5:30 pm on America's birthday and I'm looking out over the mountains. Green golf course behind me and the Silver Valley dropping away into the distance, sun setting and creating an early summer alpenglow. 3 ducks flying in perfect silence and formation fly over my head and off into the evening. Heston bless America!

Big Steel!

Hello all you glamorise followers of the H7HT blog. With hunting season only 4 months away and a day off, I woke up and felt the need to slay. With the 'accident' behind me and a new spey rod, I woke up at 0' dark thirty and headed out to my stomping grounds....the Clack. I love the Clack, I really love the Clack. Today was epic for me. While floating down in 'Old Cracka' (I can call her Old now), I saw two things I've never seen before on the river. First was a river otter, ya, a river otter. I've seen them before on other rivers, but I float the Clack more than anything else and I've never seen one there before. Second, a turkey vulture, ya, a turkey vulture. Bright red head, looks like a turkey vulture. Must have been one, right? Anyways, on to the good stuff. Brand new Echo DH 13 ft. spey rod, ross reel and scandi shooting head. It's cloudy and drizzly, perfect day for summer steelheading. I'm on my usual float, feeling out the new rod, and it's great. I mean it was turning the fly over with the ease of my old Anderson rod (tears, I miss you). Swinging flies all morning and picking up little native rainbows that are feisty and well fit. Already having a great day, I decide to switch to a bigger fly. A big ole nasty Freight Train, a Deschutes classic. As I'm starting my retrieve on my fifth cast, to start the sixth, the tug happened. It was like a hammer out of nowhere. At first, I was worried. I left my steelhead leaders at home and had to make one on the fly with 4x tippet (trout line). Ya man, here I got this 13-14 lb. fish on with 5 lb. test. After the fish made its first run and I got her in close enough to see if it was adipose clipped, I noticed it was a hatchery. SWEET, I decided to tire this fish out and net her to increase the odds of a native fish surviving. After a 25 min. battle, she was in the boat and had a rock taken to her head. Can you say Almondine!!!

Golf course pics by Fred G.

Free golf for all H7HT members!

Bob DaFolder, Proud owner of the Blue Jacket. Ask Fred G how this happened, he'll be more than happy to tell you all about it.