Happy New Year Adventure with Moosie, Gunner, and Wylee....

[JoseCuervo]

How do you start of 2004? With a phone call from Moosie saying "Whaasssssssssssup" at 6am. For those who say Moosie is too dumb to learn, I will take exception, as he called me at 6am to make sure I would not be late, after what happened on the New Years Eve Duck hunt.

After another amazing set of wingshooting skills by the 'Gunner, and a great retrieve by the Gunner, and a not so good retrieve by Moosie, a GoldenEye came flying in. One shot by Wylee, and we had the makings of a photo. A great retrieve by Gunner (no ear scratches or "Good Boy" when I came out of the water with his duck

) to deposit the duck at Wylee's feet.

 

[Elkhunter]

Atta boy Gunner. Good boy!

 

[JoseCuervo]

Woof!

 

[JoseCuervo]

Hey MT....

Remember how I said Moosie is a lousy retriever, and he whines after a long retrieve? Well, his first retrieve was a long one, and he came back whining the rest of the morning....

 

[Elkhunter]

Gunner =

 

[JoseCuervo]

Elkhunter,

Do you have one of a "whiney" retriever, like Moosie??? You know, maybe a Pomeranian or a Poodle.....

 

[feclnogn]

One of the ducks that I really want for a mount is a Goldeneye but I just don't see them down here in NM. Nice bird.

 

[JoseCuervo]

Maybe one can get that far south..... In a FedEx envelope...

 

[mtmiller]

Glad you guys got out, sound like you made it out earlier today. Better results?
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>One of the ducks that I really want for a mount is a Goldeneye <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Gotta mount 'em since they taste like shit.

Not that it has kept me from shooting them from time to time when I can't find a mallard.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Well, his first retrieve was a long one, and he came back whining the rest of the morning....<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Sometimes the best way to discipline the pup is to smack the hell out of it once in awhile.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> don't see them down here in NM <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Now I know where next to the rock over by the tree on the other side of the hill is located.

Waiting on a Moosie rebuttal.

 

[Moosie]

So..... I don't have but a Min.. But I knew the Gunner would Be in Hear Spilling lies !!! Even Soak and Wetup to my chest in the 28 Deg weather I never COmplained one bit !!! I will Get Wylee Back in here to Confirm My Story !!!! Lemme Eat dinner and I'll be back with my (I.E. the real) story

Feclnogn, I can Almost asure ya a Golden Eye if you ever come up here for a hunt

 

[Elkhunter]

LOL

The poodle has returned and has spoken.

Do you mean to tell us that Gunner is not telling us the whole truth. I find that hard to believe.

 

[Moosie]

So the Mosning Stats off great. I go out to my truck 10 mins Early to start it and Wylee is sitting in my diveway already. Unlike Some people. Others are on time and Will be there even early !!

We get everything packed up and Head out. I call 'Gunner because He has a Habit to be late. And It's OK to be late for Anything except hunting. Thats like the Cardinal rule.

We meet 'gunner and Follow him out. After a Bit of Decoy setting up we're all sitting in front of the Decoys waiting for Light. There is some People set up on the Island Downstream and Someone on the other back Upstream behind the Island we can't see.

Single Golden Eye's are buzzing by. But they keep flaring. And heading upstream.

Legal shooting started at 7:48. By 7:55 a hen and Drake MAllard Come in. Gunner is quick at the Shot (Like he is in bed I hear

) and Tag the Greeny. The hen Had no chance with us unloading on her. SPLASH !!! Now we have 2 ducks in the River.

Now Gunner is Scheduled to leave at 8:10, He has a Charity Run he;s gonig on. I'm guessing that's why It took him so long to get up. Wylee wasn't wearing waders but Brought a net with a Pole Attached. Good Idea. We figured all the ducks would be withn arms Length.

So back to the birds floating down the river. I sprinted out the Bush like a Horse at the Race line. I run down the Shore through the Snow and Into the Water at the duck at an Angle. I get to were the Water is 4"s from the top of the Hip Waders. I back up and Try it again.. I passed up the Closer Duck (hen) becasue It was an Easy Retrieve and the Greeny was a bit further out and the important one. Now 'Gunner teases me about jumping on that dead goose but he did the Same with the Close hen. But I'm not one to make fun of anyone so I'll let it go

I take another Aproach at the Duck.. Doesn't work. I grabbed the Net from the Shore but it's to far out...... So.... I figure We shot it, IWe're getting it and The first step I took next I didn't look back.

Now, If you've ever been out in the Wind and Snow/rain at 28 Deg weather "DRY" you know how Cold it could be. The water Cascaded over the Top of the Left wader and it felt like one of those Siera Mist Comercials (YAH, It's that Refreshing

) The next step brought the Same with the Right foot as I dashed out to the duck and Scooped it up with the net.

I waded back chest wet in Water and get to land. As I'm running back to the Blind (there are more ducks coming in) Water Is Splashing out over the tops of the boots. I get BAck, Reload and Laugh about it !!!!

We Shot 3 more birds throughout the day. Gunner had the Charity Run so He left at 8:12, only 22 Mins after Legal Shooting. Wylee and me stayed untill 10AM.

With Wylle being dry, I picked up all the Decoys, The ones he couldn't reach with the Net that is. And We went back to the truck. By about 9:45 I drained about all I could Out of my boots. The rest had Frozen up and Was Ice I think.

We got backto the Truck and I turned the Blasted Heater on.. Thats When I realized that 2 hours of Being wet had taken it's toll!!! I had the Sharpest of PAins and after about 2 miles Down the road I had to pull over to get the Dang boots off. I had nothing dry but Wylee had some Slippers (Uhhhh they were cute too, Little fuzzy bunny ones

) and I had to sit there as the skin burned like Fire.

I got home and Had to soak in the Tub and then took a Nap until Gunner called me to ask aobut the rest of the hunt. I think I was in a Daze because I don't remember much about the call. All I know Is I wass Finally warm

PS, I never Complained one bit while I was Wet in the cold. I was jsut happy to be out Hunting and It wass a Small price to pay to be with Friends. I ran After the Rest of the Ducks too. If Anyone should HAve his Belly scratched it's me

With the Split shift hunting and some birds leaving with Gunner and Wylee Taking the Other ones.. I don't have a ONE picture

I think it's the First day this year I hadn't taken a Picture while Hunting.. OHHH wait, It's the Only day I've been this year

 

[Elkhunter]

Roll over big guy and let me rub your tummy.

That was a good story and I could almost feel the pain of the cold you descibed.

 

[mtmiller]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> Thats When I realized that 2 hours of Being wet had taken it's toll!!! I had the Sharpest of PAins and after about 2 miles Down the road I had to pull over to get the Dang boots off. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Wheh, I thought this was going to be a teenie weenie story.

The net sounds like a good idea if you don't have a dog, but what's the story with the slippers Wylee.

You guys sure hunt ducks funny over there.

How did the run go Gunner?

 

[Moosie]

Elkhunter.. THANX for the RUB man !!!

MtMiller :

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> You guys sure hunt ducks funny over there. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I don't get it... Doesn't everybodys duck/goose hunts HAppen like Gunners and mine ?

Option 2 would have been a Fishing pole with a Weight at the End. I figured it would have been OK as well.. I might have been a Bit drier today

Although.. We did See a Dead Duck floating down the River.... I think Someone didn't want to get wet and Was just shooting them and Letting them float

Bythe Way.. Today of All days I wish a Picture was Taken. We got 5 birds All together.

1-Hen MAllard
1-Drake Mallard
1-Golden Eye male
1-Widgen (Guess who's getting a new Mount in their house

1-Female Gadwall (I think

)

So... It was quiet the Mixed bag with NON being the exact same

 

[mtmiller]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> 1-Female Gadwall (I think ) <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Were the coverts brown?
Wing sexing gadwall
Was the widgeon a drake? Gotta be pretty good looking this time of year.

 

[Moosie]

MtMiller, The Wind Almost looks like the MAle but it wasn't a Male. HAd a tint of Brown in it I think.. It's in the Freezer but Wylee got a Picture and Will be back on the 'Puter in a Few days I think ?

Thanx for the Link man !!

I think the Drake Looked Fechin AWOSME ... But it looked so Good it almost looked like it was in Plumage (Or lack of depending which is the molting color ?) Hopefully a Picture was Taken. Regardless.. It'll go in in a Few days, As the Duck that I got while WET in the freezing snow

 

[JoseCuervo]

MT,

See why you need to send Axl over until the 23rd of January? We can keep him busy. And my guess is, he won't try and contradict my stories, and if he does, my guess is he would spell better than Moosie.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Sometimes the best way to discipline the pup is to smack the hell out of it once in awhile. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Thanks for the advice... I think I may try that next time...

Here is the silly part of today's hunt. We have no dog, so one of us shows up in Danner-type boots, the second one shows up in hip waders, and the smart one shows up in Neoprene chest waders

. Lots of wading going to happen.... And guess which one of us has to leave early??? I almost felt guilty about taking my waders, but I wasn't too excited about having to walk 1/4 mile in the snow without shoes.

Elkhunter,
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Do you mean to tell us that Gunner is not telling us the whole truth. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I am pretty sure everything is based on the truth...

Sometimes I leave a few of Moosie's facts out, as my posts are long enough.... And who would you really believe, me or someone who posts like this? "So the Mosning Stats off great" I think a Mosning Stat is how many birds you kill with a Mossberg.....

The drive out was pretty entertaining, as we were about the first rigs on the road, in about 5" of new snow, and we needed to do 55 mph...

It is kind of funny how Moosie makes it sound like I had the easier retrieve. As a good retriever, I know which bird I am expected to get, and I don't mess up the other guy's retrieve by trying to get that bird. I very easily could have done the "Double Retrieve", but I thought Moosie needed the work to improve his retrieving skills. I still think Wylee should have had a "Scooby Snack" for us when we got out of the water...

The next retrieve was the one I was worried about, as it was Wylee's GoldenEye, and I think they are diving ducks, and I did not want the damn thing diving on me. But, for a semi-live duck, it just played dead.

Now keep in mind, just 4 days earlier, when we had no waders (See adventures with Bob), it was the Gunner who was wading in the River, and never a complaint or whimper.

I can sympathize with Moosie's pain in his feet. I have been in the water on those cold days, when by the time you struggle back to the house, you have lost control of your feet, they turn white, and the pain is unbearable.


<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>You guys sure hunt ducks funny over there.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> MT, if you can spot anything we are doing wrong, please feel free to point out some suggestions.

And the run went fine. The Dr. has only released me to run again for about 3 weeks, from the torn Achilles Tendon. Taking 6 weeks off is painful, but the good news is the leg seems to hold up fairly well, maybe a bit tight/tired. It was 3 miles in snow/ice/rain/puddles, and I did 9:07's. I am about back to the point where I "need" to run every day for the endorphins, and once I get there, I should be able to increase the distance/decrease the times fairly well. Hopefully I'll be back to 10k's pretty soon, before it is time to start packing Bear Bait up the Mtns. Just a bit of recovery period from the Achilles...

 

[Moosie]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>And who would you really believe, me or someone who posts like this? "So the Mosning Stats off great" I think a Mosning Stat is how many birds you kill with a Mossberg.....
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

--- >>> HEHE

Someday I'll learn to type.. the Fast I type wit hthese 2 fingers.. the Worse it gets... But I'm alright with that. Some People Spell good, And Some of us Look good. Unfortunately I don't have either

..

Truth Be told, I brough a pair of Chest Waders. I jsut like the Shorter ones better... I jsut didn't think the Whole day through though...

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>I know which bird I am expected to get, <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

So.. you shot the HEN ?

Or did I get Wet for a Stupid HEN ? Who shot that one ? Probably not me, I was Busy eating donuts

So I wass Sitting there wet And Freezing and the Golden Eye plots dead Right in front of us. Gunner Offers to get it and Doesn't let me. It would have been nice to warm up with the Movement ....

Regardless on What we Type, It doesn't get any Better.

 

[1_pointer]

WOW! That sounds like fun.

Just joshin', but I do like the contradicting stories. It's kinda like watching a hunting version of Pulp Fiction!

9:07?? Heck, I can almost do that!

Actually, I was just happy to break 30min the last one I did, but it was 17ºF that day.