This year's Duck hunt was what I would consider a real "wash out".
Due to an (unexplainable) lack of interest in hunting this year, an overall deficiency of and for motivation regarding all things hunting, and an already way to busy schedule, I was seriously debating on weather or not to hunt waterfowl this year. I decided I would get some “small game” hunting in (honestly, small game is some of my favorite hunting – Grouse and Squirrel top the list, and are some of my favorite delectable, delightful little delicacies! (Say that fast three times!)
My lack of interest caused me to spend nearly a week debating if I wanted to sit out the waterfowl portion of this weekend’s hunting activities. Also, because of Ed’s very busy schedule (and his “nesting project" for his new baby due in November) we had not planned for the trip like we usually do. I had no idea who was going up, what time we were arriving, and what the plans for food were going to be.
Because of a meeting at work, Ed was not going to be up at the cabin on Friday night (for the Saturday morning hunt) as planned. We were not going to be arriving until Saturday afternoon, which left Saturday evening, Sunday morning and Sunday evening. Three “hunts”. I had pretty much decided that I was going to pass on hunting waterfowl until Ed called me on Thursday night. We ironed out most of the details, and decided since Friday was a wash; we would stay up at the cabin for a Monday morning hunt. That made the deal a little more enticing.
It was not until the last possible moment (as I drove past our local post office) that I made the final decision to “go for it” and grab the Federal Stamp. I had not even spoken to Ed, and (as stated) did not have any formalized plans as of yet - but I felt I needed / deserved a weekend of waterfouling.
I got home, packed up my duck hunting gear (I have started a new "plan" where I keep most of my "duck hunting" stuff in one Rubbermaid bin, and my "deer hunting" gear in another. It makes packing up "significantly" easier.) After packing up my car, I headed up to the cabin. Since having only bought the Federal stamp, I knew I was going to have to still have to stop for the State stamp. As I left the house (around noon), I planned a quick stop at Wal-Mart to pick up a State stamp.
Once at Wal-Mart, I was behind two other guys who were in line to fulfill similar licensing requirements. The clerk behind the desk was relieving the "regular" sporting goods "team member", and due to his un-familiarity with selling Minnesota State Hunting Licenses (and other related items like Duck Stamps) along with his general struggle with speaking English, we will sum up this trip to Wal-Mart as a "hair pullingly frustrating" hour and fifteen minutes of my life. Thank goodness the guy ahead of me in line was a "like thinking" sort of fella, and so we passed the time with talk of hunting, guns, and our experiences with gunsmiths.
After (finally) getting my State stamp, I went to neatly tuck it in my wallet with my license, and my Federal stamp when I noticed something missing... My License and my Federal Stamp! I made a quick call home, confirming my nightmare that I did indeed leave them at home. I had to make the 15 minute trip BACK to my house from Wal-Mart to get the forgotten license and stamp, then turn back around and make the 15 minute trip back (passing Wal-Mart) as I finally made my way to meet Ed at his cabin. This little "oversight" added another two hours (total) to my trip. (Thank goodness for XM Radio and my radio buddays Ron & Fez.) I originally left my house at noon. I did not actually get "on the road" to the cabin until 2pm.
With a 2pm departure, I did not have an arrival time until almost 6pm. The trip did include a grocery stop in Aitkin, and much of the grocery shopping (that we normally do together) was done "together" on cellular telephones! Ed brought up the "meat", and I filled in the rest...
When I finally arrived at the cabin I discovered that it was going to be just myself and Ed this year! This was how the first few years of my introduction to duck hunting came about. Many years was spent with just Ed and I hunting together. After having a number of years with new friends join us, it was nice to have a “nostalgic” year of just Ed and I!
(Note: I realize that some of the newer friends I have made at “duck camp” read this blog. I want it known that I enjoy the new friends I have made over the years. This observation should not be construed in any way that I don’t like having others up there with us. It was just a nice sort of coincidence that it worked out this way! It “took me back” to days gone by.)
Since we were both famished, we started in on getting dinner done right away. Dinner consisted of two "gigantic" Porterhouse steaks (BBQ'ed to perfection - thanks to Ed), Bushes onion baked beans, bakery fresh olive oil / rosemary bread sticks, a six pack of Leinenkugel's "Oktoberfest" beers and some Dr. McGillicuddy's Vanilla Schnapps liquor for a bit of dessert . The hectic pace of the day (the stress of forgetting my license / stamp, running back and forth, trying to get to the cabin on time, stopping for groceries, etc...) was all washed away as we gluttonously savored this bountiful feast.
The remainder of the evening was spent cleaning up dinner, unpacking, some catching up, and finally a hard crash to the land of the sleeping.We got an early start in the morning. We set up in the slew on the north shore of the lake before sunrise. It was warm... Unusually warm... The morning was around 70 degrees. The skies were overcast. There was very little activity in the air. We noticed a few small flocks of high flying ducks as the darkness of the early morning turned to the first light of dawn. I sat in the boat with Ed to my left, watching a slightly larger flock of ducks that were noticeably out of range on my right when I heard Ed whisper "Mark" (our term for "birds coming in, and I've got a visual on them"). I started wondering why Ed was going to even try taking shots at these birds, when I was startled out my curiosity by three loud blasts from Ed's gun.
Quickly looking back and forth trying to get my own "mark" on what Ed was shooting at, I saw flock of nearly a half dozen birds buzz our decoys. They came in from Ed’s left and originally out of my line of sight (blocked by Ed). By the time I shouldered my "cannon" and got a bead on the now distant birds - I decided they were too far for an effective and responsible kill shot, so I watched them fly away down the barrel of my gun. As the ringing subsided in my ears, I could hear the sarcastic banter of “Mr. Smart Ass” (oops... I mean Ed) as he stammered "I could have used a little bit of help there"...
(Reminder to self: Ed’s sarcastic remark was seemingly more a result of his frustration with himself over his bad shooting than it was with my complete oblivion to what had just happened)Well, with the first bit of excitement of the day past us, we settled back down into the boat, and resumed our vigilant observation of the fall skies. As morning progressed (with nothing more in sight) we kicked back a bit, and started to relax a little. We lit up a couple of morning Backwoods cigars, and just started enjoying the day. Unexpectedly and out of NOWHERE a single teal flew in. It flew perpendicular to us (straight in at our 12 o'clock), and landed in the middle of our decoy spread. Simultaneously, we both looked at each other in complete disbelief. Ed whispered "Take it, it's yours", so I very gingerly set the cigar down on the boat seat, shouldered my behemoth of a gun, put a bead on the duck, and slowly stood up from the seated position. I had a bead on the teal before it even noticed me. I took my shot (completely strafing the decoys) as soon as it saw me it started to take off, dropping the duck. After a short time of watching it struggle in the water I placed my second "kill shot".
We hunkered down for a few more minutes (in case the sound of the shots rousted any other birds), and after not seeing anything, and because some morning "sprinkles" started to fall, we pulled out of our hidey-hole, gathered the decoys, the downed teal and headed back to the cabin for the morning.
When we arrived at the cabin and brought up our gear, we decided that our Backwoods cigars would not be enough for breakfast, so we dug into the groceries and got to the business of whipping up a quick little late breakfast / early lunch that consisted of thick sliced bacon (and I mean THICK), eggs, hash browns, toast, milk and orange juice.
After gorging ourselves on breakfast, we decided the best way to work it off was a "grouse / squirrel hunting" walk up the ridge along the lakeshore. It was still overcast and damp out, but the morning "sprinkles" had subsided. It was a nice walk. By the time we reached the end of the trail, and had walked back to the cabin, we had flushed up two grouse.
(Note: "Flushed up" does not mean we got a shot off at them, or even "saw" them for that matter...)
Since it was still not raining, and we had walked a large portion of the property, we decided it was time to walk some of the other nearby logging trails, and miscellaneous roads. We got into Ed's truck and drove to a local "Minimum Maintenance Road". Before we even arrived the morning "sprinkles" had returned, and developed into full blown afternoon "showers". Not really inclined to get soaked, we parked the truck and fell asleep while waiting out the rain.
We later woke to find the afternoon showers had subsided, and so we got out of the truck and started up the first of two long trails. After walking both the "Minimum Maintenance Roads" flushing 3 more grouse, we took a walk down the "Thompson Trail" (an old logging road), and saw nothing.
(I later realized this would end this fall's "grouse / squirrel hunting" season with a total of five flushed birds, and zero in the "game bag".)
By this time we were both getting tired, and hungry. We headed back to the cabin, starting in on preparing the evening feast. When the dust settled, we sat down and enjoyed an evening of Bratwurst (with onions), left over Bushes onion baked beans, more (now day-old) bakery fresh olive oil / rosemary bread sticks, and a few more Leinenkugel's "Oktoberfest" beers.
Planning on an "early" bedtime, it was around 8:30 when we started bunking down... that was until we discovered a possible mouse hideout. As we started investigating the possibility of a mouse infestation, our first discovery was of two live mice under the Ed’s bunk. The first of the two mice got away, while the second met an untimely disembowelment by the heel of Ed's boot. The box spring area of Ed's bunk had indeed become their home. After cleaning the box spring of any/all foreign nesting material, a pile of D-Con they had dragged into the bunk, and one previously deceased mouse, we moved our focus to the "built in" storage bins that line the wall (between the two bunks). We found evidence of mouse activity in these as well. And as we reached the end of the row of built in storage boxes, we hit my bunk. There was some (but very little) evidence that a mouse (or mice) had been in this bunk, but it was to a pretty limited extent. After a lot of cleaning and repairing (covering and plugging the holes where we felt the mice were moving through) we finally made it to bed.
When we did finally get to bed and achieved "lights out", we fell asleep to a full fledged thunderstorm. This was significant (to me) because of all the years I have been a guest at Ed's cabin, this was the first thunderstorm I experienced there. I am a big fan of thunderstorms, and this one was memorable as the "first" at Ed's cabin, but also because of the sheer darkness and utter and complete silence normally experienced at the cabin.
I awoke 30 minutes prior to the alarm sounding. It was pouring rain, and there was a "heavy fog" that significantly limited visibility. A quick "conference" with Ed resulted in the unanimous decision to forgo hunting, and "sleep in".
Our leisure morning culminated after sleeping in, and enjoying another hearty breakfast of thick sliced bacon (and I mean THICK), eggs, hash browns, toast, milk and orange juice over some relaxing and delightful conversation.
(That is the one thing that I miss most about Ed living in Duluth. We do keep up on the phone and the email, but nothing beats just sittin' down and shooting the breeze with an old friend over a meal, some drinks, or a cigar. This was one of the best mornings I have had in a very long time!)
After breakfast, with it still slightly foggy outside and the weather alternating between "damp" and "raining" we decided to call it a weekend. Ed was going to be staying longer than I was, so (because it is so much easier to get the boat in with two people (one on the ATV/Trailer - other in the boat)) we got the boat brought back to the cabin, cleaned, and stored away for the season. We cleaned up the cabin a bit. I packed my gear in the car, and we said our goodbyes.
I was on the road by 10:30 am, arriving home by 1:30. Because I was unable to make it out to the field anymore this year, this trip was the conclusion to my 2007 Duck / Squirrel / Grouse Hunting season.
(One last note I'd like to make. This trip was also the last of many trips to the cabin in my 1994 Teal Green Ford Escort. Just a week or so after this hunting trip, I made a “Road trip” to pick up my new (or new to me) 2000 Saturn SL1. Thanks to my Escort for many safe trips to and from Ed’s cabin over the years. I’m looking forward to a number of similar trips with the Saturn!)
