Steve Sanford
Well-known member
Craig~
Congratulations on a spectacular hunt!
Wigeon have always been a special bird on Long Island (and upstate NY as well). Your pictures brought back some vivid memories of spectacular fowl-ups. In one screaming nor'wester, I had a pair stooling right in to my side-by-side in the brilliant afternoon sun on a falling tide - a sure double until a drake Pintail dropped in from on high, scheduled to arrive in the rig at exactly the same moment. Of course, I went to pieces with excitement and all three escaped unscathed. Another time, on one of my most memorable hunts in a nor'easter, I emptied the gun at 7 Wigeon over the stool. It was hours later when I finally discovered that I had switched my contacts left and right that morning. I thus had no "master" eye. Since I was new to contacts and could not yet remove and re-install them whilst afield, I closed my left eye like a rifle-shooter and doubled on an overhead pair of Gadwalls. Funny how I can still see all of these birds today - 20-25 years on.
All the best,
SJS
Congratulations on a spectacular hunt!
Wigeon have always been a special bird on Long Island (and upstate NY as well). Your pictures brought back some vivid memories of spectacular fowl-ups. In one screaming nor'wester, I had a pair stooling right in to my side-by-side in the brilliant afternoon sun on a falling tide - a sure double until a drake Pintail dropped in from on high, scheduled to arrive in the rig at exactly the same moment. Of course, I went to pieces with excitement and all three escaped unscathed. Another time, on one of my most memorable hunts in a nor'easter, I emptied the gun at 7 Wigeon over the stool. It was hours later when I finally discovered that I had switched my contacts left and right that morning. I thus had no "master" eye. Since I was new to contacts and could not yet remove and re-install them whilst afield, I closed my left eye like a rifle-shooter and doubled on an overhead pair of Gadwalls. Funny how I can still see all of these birds today - 20-25 years on.
All the best,
SJS
