Date: 12/29 Fri
Time: morning
Location: Mudhole
Cloud Cover: cloudy to partly
Wind Direction and Velocity: NE moderate
Temperature: upper 30s
Moon phase: waxing 78%
Special Notes: "Interesting," in the Chinese curse sense of the word, morning.
Waterfowl Activity: Next to no little ducks on our end, but enough high mallards around that we "woulda, coulda, shoulda..." (killed 16)
Waterfowl Responsiveness: Most birds were extremely high, but the more moderate than most recent winds let me break down bunch after bunch from "too high" altitudes, in large part with the Stanley Deceiver. Also ran the bored-out MVP on some of the same, but I've it set to a lower pitch that didn't seem as effective as the Deceiver, which is set much the same as my old faithful, standard MVP. Maybe just a confidence thing, but I've seen clean and crisp win the breaking battle time and again with several popular models. Anyway, I'm getting more and more comfortable finishing birds with the Deceiver - or nearly so...
Hunters: 3, long time regular John (79), son, Mike, who hadn't hunted in over 30 years and 16ish grandson, Shawn, on his first hunt and seriously wanting to know if they could "...shoot those ducks on the water, if no real ones come?" Those "ducks," of course, being my decoys.
Guns: A-5 "Sweet 16," Miroku SXS 20 and a Remington 1100 20
Malfunctions: First malfunction of the day was my running out of gas on the way to the blind. Had put gas in the tank Christmas morning, but apparently too little to make my customary week between gassing up. Next was that John had never shot his little double and couldn't work its locking lever or open its breech until I oiled and worked it in some, but that didn't help with hands that stayed cold, even with my hand warmers, and a stiff safety. (Since he was beside me we eventually went to his safety staying off and my eyes staying on the gun handling - and saying goodbye to the cover lost to breaking the action over the front of the blind, as has been the case with all doubles. Grrr...) Then we learned that the legendary A-5 was a single shot, which has long seemed their custom in my blinds. Oil and toil eventually loosened it up, as well. Next we learned that 3" shells won't eject from a 2 3/4" 1100. And so our morning went...
Dog(s): Marsh was the only one among us who didn't malfunction.
Special Equipment: SOS
Curses: We stayed caught and educated a heck of a mess of mallard ducks. Bunch, after bunch, after bunch. We've been hunting John standing crouched the past few years, but my hand on his shoulder isn't always, or often this morning, enough to keep him from trying to shoulder his gun when birds are on final approach but still too far out. And I simply could not get the new hunters to quit ducking fast or watch with their hat bills near the lip of the blind, instead of cocked back and mooning birds that were trying to work. We smiled through it, but "frustrating" doesn't begin to cover what should have been a 16 mallard hunt.
Kudos: Love John like family, and Mike and Shawn proved fine folks, and we managed to make a fun first hunt of our mess. That, and so many birds tried to work and so much craziness was going on that it was nearly curfew the first time I checked my watch since LST.
Birds By Species: 1 gw teal, 1 mallard, 2 pintails, 1 ringneck and 1 shoveller
Photo Ops: Our gang:
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