The long hard road of a dedicated hunter

Well yesterday started with a duck hunt, not an average duck hunt but a sled in duck hunt. You see the reservoir I usually hunt has been froze over for a while so I got a spot down from the dam that I have permission to hunt. So I hauled all my gear down there set up and only saw 2 quackers. The weather didn't really want to work with me, it kept snowing all morning making my dekes snow piles. So I pulled 'em and headed in and of course then the sun pops out, but I already had it in my mind I was going Pheasant hunting when I got home. So I put all my duck hunting gear away and got ready to go Pheasant hunting. I got to the prop around 1:00 and with the fresh snow that morning my plan was simple cut a track and follow it. Apparently yesterday was skip work and go pheasant hunting day, I saw 6 trucks at the first spot I wanted to hit so I went down the road a little further and started walking. I cut a track and followed it for at least an hour and a half to no avail. So I got back in the car and took off for another section I've shot birds at. There were tracks everywhere so I just stared pushing small sections of cover, going real slow, changing directions often, and stopping alot. Nothing, not even a rabbit. It was starting to get late by now and just when I almost ran out of options I heard a rally call. A cock was getting ready to roost and looking for company, so I took off towards the sound and let me tell ya he just wouldn't shut up which was good for me. I had to cross a ravine and two small sections of cover but finally got close enough to almost see the bird (of so I thought). Then he just shut up so I did what I thought was my best option and rushed the bird. Nothing no bird, so I started running through this postage stamp of cover trying to flush him out. Sure am glad nobody saw the orange idiot running through the tall grass. Then just when I was ready to give up I saw him about 5 feet from me at the base of a small tree. Well after working this hard all day I was going to go for the ground pound and right now I wish I could've accomplished that. What happened instead was he saw me and took off I unleashed the fury of my mossberg. What fell to the ground was more hamburger than my prized pheasant.
Yes I took him home, yes I surgically removed all the bad stuff and saved what I could. I'll be making some pheasant soup today and now the meat is practically all cut up.
So I had a good day yesterday only to be screwed by today. Today was supposed to rain all day and as I write this looking outside on this bluebird day I just gotta wonder how many quackers I coulda had this morning?

so much hunting so little time

Well got out last week and shot this mallard flying right at me, going over my head. He fell on land behind me, when I got out of the boat to get him I turned to see a woodie dropping into my spread. So as stealthily as I could I snuck back to my boat, loaded my gun, jumped the woodie up and dropped him down. Did not see 1 goose all day.

Yesterday got out for some coon hunting. I stared at 2pm and hunted til 9:30. These are the lessons I learned #1. Always be ready. On my 5th or 6th set of seeing nothing I got set up, started the caller, and had 2 sets of eyes come screaming at me . Which brings us to #2. When calling at night and using long shooting sticks always have your aim low. I had set up and have never had coons respond the way they did last night. So I was set to shoot into the tree tops not at the 2 grizzlies coming right at me. The closest coon actually climbed the small tree I had put my call in lookin for a fight. I could not get my light and sights on them in sync and in time to shoot . Now with these two lessons fresh in my mind, on the 2nd set after this circus I set up on a coon trail, put the caller in front of me and let her rip. I heard this coon coming before I ever saw her eyes, she sounded like a truck crashing through the leaves coming at me. Had the light on her put her in the crosshairs and ....... coonzirra

Now this morning did some qwacker control on the river dropped a nice mallard. Had a ton of geese overhead, this one got too low I shot ... crap the goose didn't drop so I watched him and I could see he was goin down. So I did what any responsible hunter would do and went after him. To make a long story shorter I found him about 2 blocks from where I shot him at, on a pond that I had tried to get permission to hunt last year. So I went up to the guys house told his wife, I shot and wounded the goose on their pond, and could I go get it? She actually looked at me and said "well why did you shoot that goose?" I said the only thing that came to mind "cause it's goose season". Well she hymned and hawed around, finally got her husband and after letting him know the whole story he let me go get the goose.

By the way for those of you eagle eyed enough that's a mink I shot this morning on my duck hunt.

Just one more thought: If I could remember how crappy it is to pluck a Turkey before I shoot one, I would stay home and just buy one. But we all know that will never happen.

My vacation so far

Well went out Tuesday and Wednesday trying to get a couple coon. Wednesday was the day, set up on a tree started the player and out popped a head. Shot that one, walked around the tree to see the hole better and had another in the tree. He poked his head up and took him. Fortunately they both popped out of the tree. Made a deal with myself after the 2nd coon, I'm not going to shoot unless the coon is at least half way out of the tree. On the next stand this practice was put to the test had a coon pop his head out but would not commit to leaving the den. All in all called 4 coon today and got 2.




as soon as the weather gets better (no rain) I'll try to get some video, it's a pretty cool way to coon hunt.

Official recap of last week

It all started last Sunday I worked from 6 am til 2:30 pm rushed home so I could still hunt that afternoon. Well I went out and had a 8 point buck walk under the stand that I was not in. I also saw 2 yotes. I decided to hunt the next morning and assumed my wife had set the alarm. She did not , I know what your thinkin' ( why can't he set his own alarm???) well you see this is the way it is at my house. I am not allowed to set my alarm because I have it set to the radio and it's VERY loud and since when I get up I wake her anyway she thought it would just be better if she used her alarm. Enough said back to the problem she forgot to set the alarm so I missed going out Mon. morning. I worked from 2:30 pm til 11:00 pm Mon. night got home got some sleep got up Tues. morning in time to get out for some duck hunting. Got my first Wigeon and a nice mallard drake.

Now it had started raining and getting really

windy so I didn't go out deer hunting Tues. night.

However come Wed. morning I was back out on

the water after the qwackers. That's when I picked up this little girl.

Now were getting to the fun stuff- Wed. night I went out for a nice deer hunt.

I was in my second deer stand and was unsure as to whether or not to stay, because they were actually harvesting the corn while I was trying to hunt. I ended up staying and glad I did, after only 2 hours in my stand I noticed a corn stalk not moving the same way as the wind. I got my binoculars out and saw I had a buck eating some corn. I kept a close eye on him cause it was pretty hard to see him through the corn. He started moving away from me and stopped and started eating again. After 10 min. he was finally turned around and coming my way. I waited for the perfect moment and drew back...... he stopped and started eating again with only 3 feet to go to clear the corn thus giving me a clear shot. I let down and waited, finally he started towards the edge of the corn I drew back touched off the release he bucked and bolted. He only ran 20 yrds. and dropped in the first row of the corn

Well I didn't get any film of the hunt but this is after the hunt.

So with the first phase of my plan complete we drug the deer up towards my first stand so I could gut him and thus leave some bait for the yotes. Well this plan almost worked too good and I'll let the video show why.
I got this guy right over where the gut pile had been this was the second yote I shot at this morning, but he didn't get away

The past week and the last two days

Gloom, Despair and agony poor me. Yep sure seems like the deer know my game plan, last week my schedule looked like this-Sat. and Sun. work mornings, deer hunt from 3:30 pm to 1/2 hour after sunset. Deer hunt Mon. morning work Mon. at 2:30pm til 11:00. Tues. and Wed. off hunt both days mornings and evenings for deer. Thurs. hunt morning for deer work 1pm til 9:30. Fri. work 6am til 2:30 deer hunt 3:30 til sunset. Whew I'm whooped. Now I've seen a number of deer and yotes and nothing has given me a shot opportunity.

Yeah I know I said I was going to stop when Duck season came in, just couldn't do it really need to stick a deer. So no yote huntin' til I get a deer.

This was MY opening morning Duck hunt (yesterday)

Goose isn't in right now.

Which leads me to the reason behind the intro- I've got 2 stands 75-100 yrds apart. Well for the most part I always hunt out of stand #1, waiting for a NW wind to hunt stand #2. Well I've hunted that stand only twice this year. I watch deer come and go at that location on a daily basis. The second time this year I've hunted that stand was last nite. I was sooo happy to finally get to hunt this stand that I was practically giddy....... until I watched a 10 point walk practically underneath stand #1. Yep if I would've been in my #1 stand I would've been done deer hunting and had a great deer.

If it weren't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all. Gloom, despair, and agony poor me.

This is my second day of Duck hunting

Goose is still not open

Isn't this the way it always goes?

Well I was able to scratch out a couple ducks today. 1 woody, 1 ringneck, and 1 drakemallardpintailhen.