Welcome to The Journal on Hunter's Cabin, for the first day of Winter.
The wind buffering the larch against the side of the house, the heavy rain splattering against the bedroom wind was sweet music to my ears in the wee hours of this morning. There was bad and good news to this sound, first the bad. I knew what I was hearing through my radio ear piece as I awoke from my slumber from the early morning news reader on radio 1130 that the mild temperatures they were reporting would make the Vedder unfishable. The good news, with the wind blowing from the West the heavy rain showers should make for some good duck hunting.
I was looking forward to another good shoot as things had slowed down in the fields I had been hunting lately except for the wood ducks which although in good numbers I seldom shoot.
Also the ducks I ate last night were so good, they were fit for a King. Hearty eating they were, a few slices of breast, smothered with rich gravy that had been seasoned with several home grown herbs. As well getting an early start into the festive eating I had poured some lemon butter over it all.
Doesn't that get your taste buds going, that is if you enjoy eating what Nature has provided.
I try to do too many things so arrive at the corn field 10 minutes late as I walk out to the middle of the field to setup I see a few ducks circling, I try not to look as I am annoyed at myself for not getting there on time.
I quickly set up the decoy and slip behind some corn stocks. It does not take long, a thin line of mallards appears and quickly grow bigger as they have spotted the robo duck, my heart rate quickens as the 10 or so birds have now cupped there wings and are inbound. Just as I am ready to throw the shotgun to my shoulder a small hawk slips into the middle of the flock, they scatter with the sharpshinned hawk in pursuit of one bird, a hen mallard.
In one way the ducks may be lucky ducks as I have not fired a shot as I gaze at the hunt of another nature.That is if the one being chased does not fall victim to this bird of prey.
The mallard has probably never flown so fast as it dives and weaves like a boxer trying to dodge the knockout punch. It is aided in its flight of fear by the still strong Westerly. For a brief second I see the sharpshinned make contact with the duck, she utters some sounds of fright as the hawk's tallons search for the vitals to try to bring the duck earthward. Somehow the duck frees itself from the clutch of death, going one way the hawk the opposite direction. I am not sure why the hawk gave up, did it figure the prey was too large or not, all I know this was a scene I had not seen for a while, especially right over my hunting set.
With this action over I resume looking for more birds, some go over but to high to see the robo.
It is nearly 8, I decide to move, to another field, another corn field but one with some water.
I move quickly and in less than 30 minutes I arrive at field #2. On my arrival I am pleased to see about 30 or so birds paddling around in a small pond of water, right near my blind area.
I gather my gear and just walk towards them. I just will just scare them away and hope some may return once I set up. I get within a hundred yards and they leave scolding me with a few quacks, upset with being disturbed from their morning breakfast.
I quickly set up the robo, throw out 4 stationary decoys into the small body of water, slip 3 #3 shells into the scattergun and lay down in the natural blind of grass that is still bending from the wind that is decreasing but at a velocity that is just perfect.
It only takes about 5 minutes and a good size flock spots the set, they do not even circle, their coming in I almost say outloud. The Remington 870 Express barks 3 times, one duck dumps into the set the other flys East a hundred yards before it too finds the earth. I gather up two plump mallard drakes, both local by the colour of their feet.
I am just getting settled in again, and a pair appears over the horizon that is now brightening up some, with a few rays of sunlight bouncing off the mountains. These birds to cup their wings quickly, they are in good range and the first shot finds it mark on the hen, I swing onto the drake as he quickly climbs, his ascent is short lived as he too tumbles into the grass. I am feeling pretty good now even though a late start I have 4 mallards in 5 shots.
I gather up the downed birds and they join the other two beside me. Once again it seems to be not long until another flock of about 5 birds seem interested but they are cautious and circle the spread 3 or 4 times before they are in range, take them now I think as they are wary birds.
I struggle to the upright position from my prone position, the birds are flaring to my left, I take the closest bird, its on the way down on the first shot, I pick another, it too joins the other on the ground. Well talk about better shooting I think to myself, 6 for 7 shots isn't it, making up for the 1 for 20 shots a couple of weeks ago.
As I pick them up I see one is a wigeon, a drake, the other another mallard drake.
I decide to give it another few minutes will quite at 9:30, enough birds for one day. I admire the other bird life flying overhead including many swans coming from the Fraser their night roosting area.
Once again another flock appears, as they come in, I say to myself remember only 2 to fill out the limit, I am very confident as I get into the shooting position but even though I have everything just right 3 shots does nothing but scare the birds away, back to reality.
Its 9:30, time to call it a day on a sour note I guess but I am very pleased with my 6 birds after my late start.
I go to get the leaf Mobile and bring it close to load up the ducks and the decoys. Just as I get to the truck a pair slips into the spread, if I had waited a couple more minutes maybe they would have become a limit. That was not really important, save them for another day when the call of a web foot hunt once again is too hard to resist.
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Topic: The Vedder's Out, Time For Web Foot Hunting, The Journal For Dec.21 (Read 8941 times)