Great start to the season

S

shane blanchard

New member
NOT... This year I decided to re-grass the boat, so my prep for the opening actually began with enough time not to rush things. After the boat was finished I had enough time to do some scouting and see how the boat hid in some of my normal spots. Not a whole bunch of birds around but I did find one my early season spots holding a good amount of goodies and a few real. So yesterday was the opener and I'm actually more prepared than normal. I know opening day can be crowded so i plan on a very early start..... Well not early enough... I get to the ramp at 330 only to find a lot full of empty trailers, which means I'm really late, and this particular spot is one long creek which means I would need to motor though everyone else's rigs to get to the spot I planned to hunt that might be already occupied. So I leave there and head to another spot only to find a similar situation. I could have gone to a spot just to get out, but I was pretty sure the birds over there would be pretty scarce and i would need to go back home to get a trolling motor. due to no outboard being allowed on that piece. So needless to say, a went home thourally disappointed. I sat on the porch with my opening day Padrone 1964 cigar and smoked it thinking as bad as the day had been that I couldn't wait till Monday when I could try again..
 
I've learned the hard way. All good plans can get ruined in an instant!.

The end of my early season ended with trouble. I went to my spot with the vent closed on my gas tank. I noticed it after I was set up. The tank was a bit sucked in. I drove to my spot slow since it was dark and didn't notice any problems. When I drove in after the hunt, the motor sputtered with full throttle, and would only run good at abut half throttle. I don't know if I did any damage to the diaphragms in the carb? Or if it unrelated???
 
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We're all duck hunters here, we know what "goodies" and "real" are. [smile] Sorry to hear about your busted hunt, been there a few times myself.

The reason I don't duck hunt public water here in SC is due to the extreme amount of disturbance from folks "scouting" weeks before the season and then spending the night in their boats to hold the hole.....many doing so in shifts 2 -3 days before opening day!
 
Over the course of a few years of duck hunting beginning in 1954, I have found out that I care not to hunt the opener. That is one reason I now love the way Game and Fish in New Mexico operates. Ever since I retired in 2003 our opening days have been either Wednesday (mostly) with a few Thursdays. This year is different. When they calculated how many days are season is open the start day is now the 28th which is Monday. For me that is music to my ears. I just do not hunt weekends and will hunt 5 days a week Monday through Friday. Of course saying that take me back a few years. Now if I hunt the opener I will need my rest on Tuesday so I can hunt on Wednesday. Well at least 3 days a week is not bad.

I wish you the best when you motor up that creek. Are you going to leave earlier now that you know you got there late on the opener?
Al
 
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