Wednesday

Shoulda stayed in bed today it was really cloudy and fairly warm. The wind was not coming from the direction the weather channel said. To top it all off I got out to my spot got my dekes set out and realized I left my jerk cord dekes at the landing. So back to the landing I go, grab my dekes and head back out to my spread. I had a couple shots if I wasn't sleeping but I was so nothing to clean today. So when I got home today a spray painted my grass again. I usually end up painting the boat at least once a season. So now I'll have to get it back out and check my work with the boat on the water. Here's the pic.

Had a grebe swim through my set he got within 5 feet of me. Wish these were good to eat.

Duckers

Went out today close to home had some good chances to fill a limit. However there was 1 problem, yep you guessed it my shooting was the problem. I did however manage 2 lessers and a susie. Coulda had another hen but I was asleep at the wheel. I also coulda shot my weight in geese (thats alot) they were everywhere and willing to work. Can't wait for goose season to kick off. Anyway gotta git ready for tomorrow so here's the pic.

Today at the range

Went down to the range today to sight in my new savage 22 mag and my triple deuce. Just put a Leopold on my 222 this fall so I had to sight it in. Finally sent back my Rem. 597 never to be seen again, it never worked right from the first time I shot it.

Anyway here are the results of 45 mins at the range.

Shot the .222 @ 100 yrds and ended up with a decent group.

22mag after 5 rounds @ 25 yrds I was on dots and after 10 more fully sighted in with a bonus @ 50 yrds.

This is a blow up of the ladybug I demolished at 50 yrds

Yep kilt it dead

Public Property

As you well know I do most of my hunting on Public Properties. Now let me pose this question: Do people have a right to Public Property?
Let me explain, I got up this morning at 6 am and hit the ramp by 6:15. When I arrived at the boat launch I noticed another truck there with a trailer. I thought my day was over, so I looked down the shoreline and listened. Nothing, so I hoped he had motored up the lake. I dropped in and made my way down to "my" spot.
I've been hunting this body of water for 11 years and with my setup there's only 3 spots for me to hunt. Each differ spot has a differ wind direction for it, the SW spot was where I was heading. This is the same spot I had hunted the last 2 days. The closer I get I start straining to see if someone is down there. I get within 50 yrds and I see a red light. Instant sadness came like a wave over me, I continued down to say hi.
I asked if that was his blind (I knew it wasn't) he said no, but it's been down there forever and the wind was right and the place was close. I agreed then I asked him if he had hunted down here before, and how long he might stay. He answered a handful of times, (I've never seen this rig before and I hunt there all the time), and that he was only hunting for a couple hours. After talking to him I wished him good luck, and headed back to the ramp to pack up my boat and head home.
OK so here's my issues: do I have the right to be upset that he was in "my" spot.
He's only going to hunting for a couple hours, I would've spent 7 or 8.
From his setup he's not very serious, he only had a spread of about 16 dekes. Shoot, just for duck season I put out 6 doz. On top of that this was my last day off, and probably the better of the three days.
Now I know what your going to say- why didn't you hunt with him?

There's 2 reasons:
1. I didn't know him, I hunt with friends and I don't like being forced into meeting someone just for a hunting spot.
2. If I had hunted with him and he had a good time, whether I did or didn't, he might be at "my" spot more often.

I know I shouldn't feel this way but I feel wronged by someone I've never met. He was there first and I respect that. So now to ensure I get my SW spot I'm going to have to be there just a little earlier.
I realize I had other lakes to go to with a SW wind but they were all an hour drive away and I only had 30 min to shooting light. So instead of hauling butt and busting out a huge spread. I opted to head for home and go sight in my 22 mag and 222.

Just about any other type of hunting when you bump into someone else you can just move down the road aways and try again. Duck hunting is kinda like that, but there's only so much shoreline and most of it can't be set up on.

It still bothers me that I didn't get to hunt today am I in the wrong?

Day 2 of 3

Got out this morning hoping for a good flight. They didn't really fly that good this morning, I'm guessing it was too warm. Anyway after I had a couple flights go by, nothing really close enough for a shot. I was going to town on a single that had gotten past me with some greetings and single feed when.... Well ya know when your dove hunting or duck hunting and your paying attention to the one that just got by you, only to have 4 or 5 blow by you. Yep that was my luck today, so after the 4 pass me and I'm mentally yelling at myself. I turn back to my decoys and notice I have 2 extra and not only that they're wood ducks. Hey I don't have any wood duck decoys. Alright jump 'em up and shoot. 1 and 2 ducks down, another one for the books outside of it being too hot it was a great day.
I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

First day out

Got out to my SW duck spot this morning @ 5:40 am. Yes I was a little excited and a tad early. I was set up and waiting on shooting light by 6:30 am. When it was finally light enough to shoot the show had already begun. Seems like it started with a fly bye from a hen wood duck.

Ok now I'm ready, the next one's mine. After watching most of the morning flight fly by just out of reach I had a couple drake mallards bow up and drop in. My calling was ok but my shooting, not so much. I dropped one (not the one I was trying for) I'm alright with that, first day jitters and all. Very happy with putting one in the boat, a gorgeous drake.

Now it kinda slows outside of some geese, which I'm more than happy to play with seein's how they're not in season. Brought in a pair with just 2 dekes and some truly awesome calling, yes it was me. They set up just outside of my spread by my goose dekes. While I let them know how dead they would be if it was goose season I saw 2 mallards swim the corner of the point. So as to make them feel at ease I give 'em some quacks and single feed chuckle. They do an about face and go back the same way they swam in. As I'm kickin' myself for scaring them away, I spot 7 mallards swimming around the point.

They brought friends.

I get ready by switching chokes, keeping an eye on them the whole time. A pair peel off and start to get closer, just when I think they won't come any closer I stand up and yell. The 2 geese and 5 ducks take to the air, the 2 I'm watching are just watching me. So I flip the top on the boat and they take off. I dropped the drake first then swing on the hen, she drops too. She's not done though so I pump two more rounds her way.

A day's work.

What's that? You can't see the hen?.... yeah I couldn't either, so I counted 3 on the limit even though I only retrieved 2.

Oh well there's alway's tomorrow I'll be waiting for them.....just not quite so early.

Long hard road

Well finally got out deer hunting for the first time after 4 days of wind and rain. Got off work yesterday at 2:30 p.m., after getting my stuff ready I got to my deer stand at 4:05. I was on stand for what seemed like days (3 hrs to be exact) when what do I see but a corn stalk moving.....there's very little wind. After what seemed like hours (15 min to be exact) I caught a glimpse of my buck. He was walking slowly along the fence row, when he got to the corner of the corn he looked down the edge. He neglected to look up, I had my bow drawn and waited for him to clear the corn stalks. As soon as he cleared I loosed my arrow, he gave the tell tale good shot kick, ran 30 yds and went down. I wish I had my camera going, the video would've been awesome. Regretfully, I didn't even think I would see a deer let alone take my biggest buck off this property to date. The bestest part is the pressure is off, I might go out for muzzleloader or maybe even another bow hunt (the video will be recording) but as of right now the only thing on my schedule is waterfowl.

Sarah loved the crime scene at the top of the driveway.

Is it possible that after a lifetime of hunting I have no more dues to pay?????