Being my last day to slay before my operation I head out to the old new spot. What is today? Yes it is Wednesday, the middle of the week, hump day some people call it. Four trucks in the lot when I pull up!! Must win Power Ball tonight, for Heston sake it is 77 million, that's 77. Like I said Four trucks!!! and I'm just going to come right out and say this, two were Canadians!!!!! I'll tell ya this right now, it wasn't Consuela waiting for me with some hot coffee and a fresh hot egg and sausage breakfast sandwich. No!!, 3 Canadians getting out of their trucks, they were going hunting for pato. I scobby doo right past them in a quick flash I was gone. I get to the water and give it an ole looksie, find where the the other two hunters are and make my way in the opposite direction and also to an area where I know the Canadians wont find. I cross the water and head to the small little ponds behind the Old New Spot. I come to the first pond, up jump six mallards. Continue down and get to the next pond, still frozen over, continue over to the river I spied a few birds off in the distance, nothing to really get excited about. I stand and ponder a bit "where will I be best off" I think to myself. I say if I go back to the first pond and more duck jump that's where I will settle in. Sure enough I get there and two more mallards jump. The small pond is like the Retenare hunt area on Sauvies. It's a narrow long bit of water with brush and trees all along it. I decide to go minimal, I throw out just four blocks then find a comfortable place to stand in the brush. I'm there only minutes, light a choke and and nine mallards fly over my head and heading for my small spread. I don't jump the gun, I raise my gun take aim, pull the trigger and the Benelli goes click! By the time I get another shell in the chamber they are gone. I must have bumped the butt of the gun somewhere and it knocked the shell. For Heston sake!!! For sure it would have been a multiple slay, you can't imagine the following conversations I proceeded to have with myself. By now the rain is coming down pretty good, a set of Pintail fly through at mach 2 and a few more sightings off in the distance of more mallards. Sitting there, although really disappointed about the missed opportunity, really appreciating the fact that I am seeing a lot of ducks at the Old New Spot. It's now that I am really missing my buddy Bob, I'm soaked and cold, the company would have been nice. I knew that today he too was hunting out there in Idaho, but today he would have enjoyed the Old New Spot as much as I. I call it, I pack it up and head out As I am about 150 yards away I turn and look back two massive mallards fly and land right where I was, go figure. Disappointed but with a smile on my face I make it back to Lisa, thinking about the day my gun went click and not bang.
1 comment:
I miss you too buddy.
You may have had extra shells.
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