Idaho: Day 17+5

It had been snowing for a couple days when Willy picked me up to head out to Anderson. Rocky the bartender and his Dad were supposed to meet us out at the blind making 4 guns working 'The Tip' that day, a lot to be sure. We arrived in time to put out a lean set up and reconstruct the blind which had been vandalized by Mother Nature. Peat was very excited.

As the shooting hour approached and knowing that Rocky was running late, we watched ducks do the morning dance. A heavy overcast with no moon and the bright white snow surrounding us made for a strangely beautiful sight. Impossible to pick ducks out in flight but hearing the whistling of wings made the anticipation even better. Geese were honking out on the still open water beyond the point and all the wishing in the world would not make that particular patch of water freeze over in the next 5 minutes. Shooting time. Things slowed down.

A couple ducks sat on a thin stretch of open puddle behind us and of course the geese were still out beyond our reach. (Willy hates geese and brought along some BB shells just for them.) Something catches my eye from the left where the thin ribbon of the channel passes us. It's a greenie walking along the shore who had snuck up behind us. I jump, he flys, well not really he takes 4 wingbeats then lands again, and I realize he is wounded and can't fly. I have no choice but to put him down. I don't feel good about taking him and only count him as a .5 in the race to "Expert" status, but it needed to be done. Willy is ready and on some ducks when Rocky and his Dad come down the hillside towards the blind. They have on super sweet snow camo sheets from Sportsman's that only cost $17 and I realize I need some of these. Maya, Rocky's Chessie is along for her first hunt ever, she is almost a year old and aside from the drooling, is ready to retrieve.

The criminal part for both Peat and Maya is there is nothing flying and therefore nothing to retrieve. I take a walk North along the path and drop down on the other side of the open water to scare up the geese and ducks sitting there and enjoying the calm weather. The geese fly the wrong direction but I was able to put some ducks up over the boys in the blind. A few shots ring out but nothing is folded. The waiting continues and Willy too takes a walk. First towards the other side of the lake where the sound of massive ice cracks send him back, then towards the geese again. Did I mention Willy hates geese?

After a bit more waiting with nothing flying we call it and begin to pack up. As if on cue a pair fly over, then another, then some geese. Willy is angry. Truly angry, that he missed an opportunity to take a shot at the geese. I think I have discovered his nemesis is not Greenie but the Canadian Goose, lets call him 'Honkey'. The dogs have a good play and I give Maya the greenies wings to play with and scent on and then it's back home but not without one important stop. The other day on the way home I stopped for a snack at the Harrison Trading Post. I say to the nice lady, "I'll have one of those corn-dogs please" She says, "They aren't corn-dogs they are breakfast saussage wrapped in pancake batter, would you like syrup with that?" Heck yea! A new after hunting ritual is born.