Post-Season '14-'15
Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2015 8:35 am
Finally got to get out to the blind this weekend to wrestle the floor boards out so they wouldn't weather in the offseason, or drift off in something tropical later this summer (hope not!). Water was a bit low in the marsh but was enough to get the boat back to the blind on plane and put-put/push it out of the pond. Of note, the grass is back with a vengeance, thicker than same time last year so glad I got the boards out because there's no going back out there any time soon. Young Harry was along for the ride and it was an eventful one that had me scared to death at times and laughing at others, part of it I guess.
The birds.....thick! Grays and blue wings galore, the BWs in their fanciest of feathers. Also saw a few dosgris and plenty of coots still around along with the local mottled ducks.
These I didn't disturb
And of note, the water has warmed and has the gators out and about, here's a little one but there was a monster in the canal where we leave the boat to hunt.
When heading out toward the blind I also jumped wads of blue wings from about each small pond along with an absolute train load of grays off our "big bay" area that's central to our stompin' grounds, right in the same place they piled in all season. Water was shallow so couldn't slow down to catch photos.
the blind's pond was already plagued with grass during season and now plainly choked up with various SAV's, many of which seem to not attract birds because the pond was devoid of them even with so many in the general area. Don't see that as promising at all
But the blind still looks pretty good and hardly out of place
And Harry's first footprints in a blind
Which brings me to the antics that ensued before we made it to the blind. His first boat ride was in the larger bay boat, not the small flat boat I run for my duck outings. We were clipping along down the river and in a blink he was up from off the floor, up on to the front deck, and in a flash jumping right off the bow.....scared....to.......death. Didn't even know he could swim yet. Thankfully he popped right up and had head above water just fine as I swung the boat back and was feverishly emptying my pockets to jump in. Turned out he was able to make it back to the boat without issue and we had a laugh but it was terrifying for a good few seconds there.
This after coming back aboard
He never ventured back up on to the front deck and even had a brief swim by the blind as I wrestled the deck boards out
The birds.....thick! Grays and blue wings galore, the BWs in their fanciest of feathers. Also saw a few dosgris and plenty of coots still around along with the local mottled ducks.
These I didn't disturb
And of note, the water has warmed and has the gators out and about, here's a little one but there was a monster in the canal where we leave the boat to hunt.
When heading out toward the blind I also jumped wads of blue wings from about each small pond along with an absolute train load of grays off our "big bay" area that's central to our stompin' grounds, right in the same place they piled in all season. Water was shallow so couldn't slow down to catch photos.
the blind's pond was already plagued with grass during season and now plainly choked up with various SAV's, many of which seem to not attract birds because the pond was devoid of them even with so many in the general area. Don't see that as promising at all
But the blind still looks pretty good and hardly out of place
And Harry's first footprints in a blind
Which brings me to the antics that ensued before we made it to the blind. His first boat ride was in the larger bay boat, not the small flat boat I run for my duck outings. We were clipping along down the river and in a blink he was up from off the floor, up on to the front deck, and in a flash jumping right off the bow.....scared....to.......death. Didn't even know he could swim yet. Thankfully he popped right up and had head above water just fine as I swung the boat back and was feverishly emptying my pockets to jump in. Turned out he was able to make it back to the boat without issue and we had a laugh but it was terrifying for a good few seconds there.
This after coming back aboard
He never ventured back up on to the front deck and even had a brief swim by the blind as I wrestled the deck boards out