Bob Houk's and his "Mud Buddy" 2003 Opener

Dave Parks

Dave Parks

Well-known member
They say a picture is worth a 1000 words and it's funny how things come back to haunt you years later, right Bob?

This was the infamous 2003 opener on Agency Lake. Somehow Bob (sitting) and Joe Hironaka (pretty well covered in mud) hit a mudflat at about 20 MPH in the dark that opening morning and spent the next 3-1/2 hours trying to get unstuck. Poor Joe tried to give Bob directions (Joe's story), but Bob knew Joe was steering him wrong (Bob's story).

Joe was lucky to just get muddy, but if you look closely at Bare Skin Bob, you can see where the mud pulled Bob's waders right off him (underwear and all) and he had to wear a decoy bag for pants all the way home! These two have been hunting togther sice they were 5 years old and they always find fun things to do, even if it's making Sutton style "mud angels". Too Funny, at least from my perspective.

zmudbuddy.jpg
 
Morton - take note, that's our future.

My brother in law and I went hunting on the Delaware River in NJ once. We stupidly left the boat and decided to hunt the marsh. Bro in law sunk right up to his armpits. I literally saved his life by pulling him out. It took 20 minutes and the waders were ruined but wevdid it. He looked just like that fellow in your picture.

Duck hunting is 50% humility because everything involved in the activity seems to always be against us ;)
 
That's right Andrew, if it had not been for Joe's cool head and years of experience as a submarine commander, he would have never benn able to save his buddy Bob from a muddy death. Joe is also the better trap shooter and shoots much faster than Bob does. But to Bob's credit, he can run the measured mile 1 hour and 37 minutes faster than Joe.

Dave
 
I rember that day. They were quite funny looking all covered in mud!

Tight Lines ... Fred
 
You were in the tules on my left in your "steath craft".zfred2.jpg

Your "stealth craft".
zFred-1.jpg

And here's Gary's lab going after a drake bufflehead out in my long line rig that either you or I shot.

zfred3.jpg

Everyone had a good time, except for Bob and Joe. They loaded the boat on the trailer and went staright to the car wash. It's great what a power washer can do to remove mud from cheat high waders, not to mention the 300 pounds of mud inside the boat....right Bob? :^)
 
I didn't lose any of my decoys because I was set-up on the bay and my long-lines held fine. It was my puddle duck decoys that got pushed into the tules next to me and I recovered them all.

Matt was that the same year that the guy who was staying at ALR died of a heart attack while hunting out by the mouth of Wood River? And that K-Falls guide found him face down in the water by his duck boat. I know the Sheriff's boat was too small and the had to haul the guy aboard the guides boat to bring him back to the ALR ramp.

I was just coming in at that time and the guide saw my DHBP decal and came over to talk to me. Nice guy, but I can't recall his name. That was a crazy opener that year.

Hope you have been doing well.

Dave
 
Thanks Parks, For having good time with my mis fortune. If Hironaka could have been a better guide none of this would happened. That was the same year that that guy did die. Sure glad to get this computer back up.
 
Yup, just another bum steer from Joe huh? Boy, that Joe sure tells a different story haha. Glad you are up and running. First thing you want to do whne you get everything back in order is to make a copy of everything on disk again, it's a life saver. Now all you have to do is learn a new system and that sucks.

Since that opener, Joe has been known as your best "Mud Buddy" :^)

Do some checking with your contacts so we'll know when we need to head for Gerber, I don't want to miss that again this year. I'd like to see enough for a good fish fry. Also, let me know what sunday you plan to shoot, I still have 11 rounds of trap left on my card.


Dave
 
Dave

yes that was the year the guy had the heart attack. the guides name was shawn howe i believe i seem him around now and then he is a nice guy but a little green. he3 runs a 20 ft godevil boagt with a 40 hp mud buddy.

we shot wuite a few specks the last weekend when the weather got better. but we set a lot of decoys i will try and post soem pics when i get them back.
 
Dave great story ! Andrew you are right that will be us someday . Another reason to buy more decoy bags .


Dave
 
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