Breaking Weather Alert! That has been the news for the past three days now, just what Heston ordered. Sunday morning hunt is going to be awesome. Rain and snow with freezing temperatures, bring it. I wake up with much anticipation today is going to be the best hunting day ever, for Heston sake we have not hunted in any weather all year. Old spot is where we are heading the weather will bring many ducks. I'm in the basement packing for the freezing cold weather, electric gloves, extra hand and toe warmers, big boy jacket and warmer hat. Are you picking up what I am putting down? The weather is suppose to be really bad.
Cliffy picks me up and it is unseasonably warm and dry. We make it to the parking lot with one other truck in the lot. Out at the water four guys are setting up a mass of duck and geese blocks and building a massive blind at the Old Spot, so we head for the island. A little side note on the wade out to the island in thigh high water, I spotted a 3 foot sturgeon swimming in front of me, it didn't even care. Were set and even looking pretty good with what little cover is around. It is starting to get cold you can feel the front moving in. 45 minutes into the hunt snow and rain start, finally. A few passes of ducks and some shots taken and misses had. Breaking Weather Alert! As I sit here writing the news is on, they are talking about closures, it's not even snowing. It feels good to be seeing ducks, actually taking shots. A Bufflehead is swimming through our spread, Cliffy asks if he should jump it. Knowing he is just one behind me I say "hey if you want to shoot a bufflehead go ahead." He jumps and so does it, he jumps and wings it and its swimming away fast. Cliffy jumps in the water he's after it. After another two shots he retrieves it, he's a good 100 yards out there now, good retrieve Cliffy. 100 yards out remember that. He's back I look at it and note the golden eye's, I tell him it's a type of bufflehead called goldeneye. It's a nice size duck. Conditions are going to get worse as the night goes on! Needless to say I'm not that happy, I'm happy for him but not happy for me, were tied for the expert status. Geese flying right over our heads, I shoot and did nothing but made it flare. I'm trying. If I had some double W I may have folded it.  |
| Pintail just before I folded him. |
A pintail fly's through the spread and heads away from us. As he is flying away he has a second thought, he decides to come back and join the party. I start singing under my breath "I told you once you son of bitch I'm the best there has ever been," as soon as I said "been" I pulled the trigger and splash is the next sound we heard. Expert I am. Believe it or not the sun comes out, sky turns blue, blocks are floating away due to rising tides. A bush that Cliffy was using as a water marker was now submerged. It's 10:30 and high tide is expected at 2. Time to call it, that 100 yard retrieve would have been impossible. 36 degrees current conditions. The water is up, "what's the water level Fred G." you all ask. "3 feet high and rising" I say. I'm towing my bag behind me Cliffy decides to wear his. He's in front of me and all of the sudden I hear "I'm taking water on!" Damn I think I'm next, but due to my massiveness I averted the soaking. On our way out we pass the guys at the Old Spot, no shots had by them, finally we are the ones making all the noise.
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