My Vendor took me hunting

[72camaro]

This is the third year in a row I've been given a trip by Pape'. We rent scissor lifts from them and we are not even one of the real big accounts, about 1/12th of the other guys that he took. He's a good guy and I appreciate him taking me. This is from Othello Washington.

First day just me and the vendor and we got our limit, all Mallards as they split us up and the other group got close to their limit but was 3 short by noon when they folded up for the day. We had 3 of 4 hens we could have in the first 4 birds so we had to focus on the Drakes, we then shot 10 straight drakes but big waiting in between as there was a mess of hens that kept showing up with hardly any drakes.

Funniest thing though was when the vendor went after a winged bird that was swimming the opposite direction of us and finally got to land and was running like a crazed chicken. 200 yards later after slogging through the water and some ice and finally getting to land only one made it back alive and it wasn't going to be the Mallard. The vendor was so pissed that thing kept going a far as possible away from the blind he shot it at near point blank range from the hip and took a while for him to recover before he could shoot again, he was tuckered out and heaving big air trying to run the duck down in waders when he finally did get to land on the other side and then slogging back trying to keep from going into the ditches that were not real visible.




Then on the second day we all got together for a big shoot but the birds were not moving but we got a large variety and hardly any Mallards showed, but if they did our 18 year old guide brought them in. He was pretty good. We seen a bunch of Wigeons and Pin Tails though he could not get them to hardly land close enough, Green Teal, Spoon Bill and a couple Mallards. One guy had his boys, which they are a bunch of fun and the youngest turns and makes his own duck calls out of acrylic and was still tuning one when he got there. Really had a good sound.

[broper]

Good deal, sounds like fun.

[72camaro]

We went again this year, January of 2017 and it was cold. The rest of the year has been pretty much a bust for elk, deer, goose and duck but this was a real fun time.

The story that I sent out to friends and family on a daily screen saver picture/story I write during the weekdays:

First, I’d like to thank Kelly with Pape’ for making this trip possible for me and the iron workers Chad and Jason and a couple of Chad’s high school sons, Tanner and Ty. This is our third year together and I feel very blessed to be able to go. 1st picture from back left then front left: Jason, Chad, Shawn, Tanner, Ty and Kelly. Second: Jason the guide, Kelly, Chad and Jason. The ducks were about 3 layers high and about 15 wide.

The first day hunting ducks and geese was cold. How cold was it, one degree. Everyone was cold, us, the guides the equipment, the ground, everything was cold and you really could not get warm. We got up at 4am to do this, to lay in layout blinds on the ground and shoot ducks and only one showed up by 10am too high shoot but low enough to mock us. I hate that duck. We were thinking the guide service over booked and we got the short straw.

Later after going to lunch and warming up we got back and in the coffin blinds, essentially a box with flip open doors that you lay on the ground and flip the doors open to shoot ducks from a tough position and in one degree weather Kelly seemed to figure out how to move quickly as he flung his door open fast when a mouse ran across his chest with the doors closed and Kelly didn’t really want to share the space. The thing had been making a nest in the coffin blind and the mouse was not thrilled, but neither was Kelly. Good times there for sure.

The birds finally showed and we shot a little less than a dozen and a couple of geese in the snow but eventually the snow on the decoys seemed to make the ducks and geese not even give us a second look and they too were mocking us, again. The guide closest to me was actually pretty funny and trying to make the best out of a bad situation but it was a tough day hunting no matter how you looked at it.

The next day though, oh man, we got the guide Kelly and I limited with last year, this guy is good and as we pulled up to the blind in the dark about 20,000, yes that is 20,000 ducks were flying out of the pond we were going to shoot from. Oh yah, this looks good.

We got to see good shooting, bad shooting and some interesting shots like the time Kelly shot all the tail feathers off a bird. I’ve never seen that, just shot his fanny off with the rest of the bird intact, just like the cartoons. The hawks evidently like the area too as large hawks flew all around and waited for an injured duck to think he was getting away by climbing on the bank of the pond, his named changed from duck to dinner. Stupid ducks. The hawk would fly over to them and land on them and start plucking feathers and having a meal. If they stayed in the water injured they were temporarily safe until the big stick went boom, if you know what I mean. After about an hour we had to stop and start picking the ducks out of the water as the pond, for whatever reason, would push them to the banks. We had a dog but it wasn’t working out so he went into the kennel. We were around 22 ducks. Kelly had a cripple and thought he would just give it a head shot and be done with it, well, maybe a bit low as it looked like the top of an ice cream carton where you took the scooper and started at one side and went to the other and took a big scoop out of the middle. The only thing left was the head, outside back feathers and feet, the inside was gone, only skin left and ready to be stuffed and mounted without any work. A real time saver for the taxidermist.

Also during this time the guide and most of the other guys were out of the blind and I thought I’d break my duck caller out and give it a quack. One of the boys looks at me and mentions something about that we better let the guide do all the calls. Doh! That’s going to leave a mark. Actually, it was pretty bad. Sounded a lot better with nothing to compare to, that’s for sure.

Three of us were a bit stuffed in the underground steel duck blind as we sat in one of the bays that really fits two as there were single and double spots. For some reason we would sometimes all get up at the same time and that would usually create a lucky duck that got away but we finally got that figured out and alternated most of the time. More guns meant more noise but not necessarily more ducks in the pond shooting like that, and when less guys were shooting the pressure was on and we would normally do a bit better. Everyone seemed to have a shining moment shooting and it was great and a pat on the back for a job well done. Now the guide is mentioning that the ducks stop flying around 10am so we better get with the program as everyone also had some shots we should have got and I think he was getting nervous. We had a good second half. You kind of get into the rhythm so after someone shot one that I had a bead on I shot it again as it was just starting to drop from the sky, oops now it is really dead not just kind of dead, and later on another duck, when we were only trying to shoot drakes, I went from shooting at a drake on a double shoot and drilled a hen with the second shot near the edge of our shooting area with a pretty good shot. What was I to do, she was in my air space and the missile was locked? With a two per person limit on hens, still good.

When we were picking up the last of the ducks out of the water and trying to get the ducks before the hawks there was a cripple in the water and the guide that was working the water near me told me the duck dove and was heading toward me. I looked down and there was the hen under the water about six inches and swimming like a crazed escapee and I stuck my hand down and grabbed it live. Now that was cool. I’m from the government and I’m here to help you. (Actually to eat you.)

While we were picking up I had to take my coat off as this day had warmed up considerably compared to the day before. We were all talking about how warm it was, 21 degrees. Almost speedo weather (and you wonder how I picked up Robin) but not quite speedo weather so I decided to keep my waders on as it may have gotten awkward. Just kidding. Really.

So with the guide also shooting once in a while too we were at 46 ducks in 2 hours and 5 minutes of shooting, done at 9:15am. Yah baby, rock’n the shots. Yah, who’s your Daddy. The Mighty Duck Killers, that’s who! Great time.


Looking out of the coffin.


Stacking the ducks at least 3 deep:


And the final tally with the crew:

[broper]

Sounds fun.