Damn, that wasn't what I was hoping for....

tod osier

tod osier

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Big front moving in, very windy and temps dropping. No ducks for our second opener this morning, however. Booo. But, it gets better! On the way home, one of the U bolts that locks the trailer axle to the springs gave out, which allowed the axle to drop and swing back to let the tire jam into the fender mounting hardware - boom, screech. Anyway, I'm feeling pretty smug that I had everything on hand to get home. Hi-lift jack, had enough soft fence wire to get everything wrapped together, spare needed air but I had a pump, I even had a breaker bar with a 13/16" socket. Can't get much luckier than that. Climbing a tree tomorrow...
 
tod osier said:
Big front moving in, very windy and temps dropping. No ducks for our second opener this morning, however. Booo. But, it gets better! On the way home, one of the U bolts that locks the trailer axle to the springs gave out, which allowed the axle to drop and swing back to let the tire jam into the fender mounting hardware - boom, screech. Anyway, I'm feeling pretty smug that I had everything on hand to get home. Hi-lift jack, had enough soft fence wire to get everything wrapped together, spare needed air but I had a pump, I even had a breaker bar with a 13/16" socket. Can't get much luckier than that. Climbing a tree tomorrow...
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Kinda makes me glad, us getting together to hunt did not happen. You probably would have expected me to use all those tools. [huh]
Glad it was not worse. BTW check the straps on your tree stand. No, seriously, check the straps on your tree stand. We've had three (at least three) hunters fall from their stands this season, not good. I myself have made two unexpected quick descents from the tree. Hurts on the way down and the landings are not much better.
 
Dave, Were the straps meddled with or just bad luck? In Minn. there was at least one case of interfering with a hunter and I can't help but wonder if there is something evil going on. Falling hurts more deer hunters than gunshot wounds.
 
Similar morning here. The front hit about 7:30 am. Launched the boat under bright stars, motored to the blind in pouring rain, and it was clearing by the time we were sitting over decoys. Twenty minutes later is was blowing 20-30 out of the NW.

We had a few woodies and big ducks around at first light, and were unable to fire at them because my buddy picked the wrong gun out of a pair of matching gun cases and loaded 3.5" shells into my Beretta instead of his Benelli. The woodies were decoying hard while I was pulling my barrel to get the shell out of the chamber, and stopped by the time I had everything back together.

We finally got a single black duck who wanted friends and liked our decoys. The third member of our party skipped ducks to hunt deer and sent us a photo of a 7 or 8 point buck he had down. He's claiming it's 185 pounds, but we're waiting on a certified scale.

Back at the launch, my trailer had a flat tire and we fumbled with wet lug nuts in a howling west wind as the temp dropped from 45 at 4 am to 26 (and falling) as I type at noon.

Forecast is low teens tonight, and I'm taking two Benadryl this afternoon to prep for an MRI with contrast dye that made me itch last time I had it. Hope they find what's wrong with my knee.

I'm chasing Bambi tomorrow if the Benadryl wears off before bed time.
 
Boat trailers just suck. They are a necessary evil but despite my regular attention to tires, hubs, bearings, lights, winch and boat straps, etc. something is going to go wrong eventually. And then we all know those guys that haul around a rusted up POS with bald tires, kinked wiring, and old, calcified grease around the bearings who never have a problem.
 
Tom Scholberg said:
Dave, Were the straps meddled with or just bad luck? In Minn. there was at least one case of interfering with a hunter and I can't help but wonder if there is something evil going on. Falling hurts more deer hunters than gunshot wounds.
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My problem, both times, were limbs not holding the load as I made my ascent up the tree. In one instance, I had been in and out of that portable stand numerous times before. This time I was in a bit of a hurry and must have jerked on one of the limbs I was using to get up to my stand. The limb broke clean. Stupid dead limb anyway. I bounced off several more limbs on my way down. Finally stopped my descent by bear hugging the tree. My arms and rib cage were not a pretty sight. Did not have anything but superficial injuries so I came out relatively lucky.

The other time, it was the first time going up to hang my portable. I grabbed a limb, transferred my weight and the next thing I know I am free falling all the way to the ground. Landed with a pretty solid thud and it took several minutes before I could even sit up.

Young, dumb, and able to recover. What more can I say.
 
The way I was reading this- I think we should be calling you- "MacGyver" LOL!

Glad it was all salvageable and not destroyed. As you well know, these kinds of things can go "south" real quick...

Jon
 
Jon Yenulonis said:
The way I was reading this- I think we should be calling you- "MacGyver" LOL!

Glad it was all salvageable and not destroyed. As you well know, these kinds of things can go "south" real quick...

Jon
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Everything seems OK. The main frame support (leg of the "A" has a small dent/kink in the bottom where the fender/step was twisted up when it grabbed the tire, but I think it is OK. I had all the spring pieces to repair the axle mounts, I ordered everything else including new wheels and tires (time for new, I'd been thinking anyway). Just have to get it all back together.
 
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