Recent content by Derek Bendell

Hang in there to Hootie in Stienhatchee! SW FL hasn't got much of anything. Storm surge and direct path missing Tampa is obviously a good thing. Praying for the people along the coast where it hits.

I would usually use 36-60 grit to sand before glassing over cured areas. To get a better mechanical bond I like the scratched-up surface to have some deeper cuts/scuffs...

What's up everyone, I've been lurking in recent years while kids are growing up and work/family stuff has bogged down the duck hunting & duck boat lifestyle. A little over a year ago I partnered with a friend who's taken over building Hellbender duck boats full time so we can get em out to...

That's great! I was talking to a buddy of mine about a new position he took doing wetland management full time along with some private work on separate properties. Duck-hole envy ensued. Good for you guys! Where I'm at we're pretty reliant on natural occurrences and powers that be not screwing...

Awhile back I had a decoy-maker send me a sweet Fulvous he carved. I made a mold with the intention of making dozens before we targeted them late-season. Too lofty a goal, but I finally built up a decent number enough to deploy in a spot that had nice visibility and wasn't too thick for decoys...

Very cool Jode!

Sounds like smartweed, what you found in the pintail. Polygonum. Were they round and flattened?

You're invested differently than most people for starters. If anti-hunters setup an ice-eater and corn-pile which affected all nearby hunters I would not approve. If duck-hunter has most favorable habitat in an area that produces nicely and he elects to hunt only twice a month holding birds...

This is an option but not one that I particularly like due to the potential for escalation. You'd have to be mentally prepared for a fight doing this and if anything went wrong it could be very regrettable. Not really a necessary risk in my opinion. It's the unintended consequences or sideways...

I would say yes...[cool]

That's great, I'm envious! I've been chipping away at the degree I need to gain a professional license. Having kids & family stuff besides a full-time job, it's not easy or quick. What's he planning to do with the degree? I.e. has he already got a job lined up?

Not poking fun because I've been on the receiving end of some bullarkey too. I just think it's impossible to expect smooth and courtesy-filled interactions with the goofball people out there. When it goes good or you meet solid characters it's nice but not the norm.

16 gauge, Browning A5. Nice for close range shooting spots.

Just say your prayers and eat your vitamins brother. Anything else pretty much puts you on a level with the kind of doofbags who do these sorts of things. On one hand it's extremely frustrating. At the same time we all know public hunting areas. I don't mean to say suck it up, but there's no...

Hootie - Great pics! The way whistling ducks come in with their feet down always reminds me of geese. They change their pattern near me right around the beginning of October. They seem to be less spread around in family groups. Where they're gathering in numbers is difficult to guess. Here's a...