A great story that will age well as you do--provided you always make the careful,correct choice out there! Hemingway said that those who go to sea in small boats do not seek danger, because in any period of time danger will find you on its own, but "we avoid it all we can." I've often thought: insert go duck hunting in small boats" and everything else applies.
Only those of us who have been there, in one way or another, can understand your comment that it was kind of peaceful during your long wade home. There is peace as well as alarm in such situations when you measure yourself against such a daunting task.
I'm not sure I concur with the idea of taking people with you. The worst time of my checkered career came with two other grown men and two boys...one my only son. All I could think of was my guilt for not commanding the hunt and aceding to the wishes of our host to anchor my boat too far away to get to when the tide rose beyond the tide table book's prediction.
Alone I wouldn't have made that mistake--I've killed adult snow geese and late season pintails out of that boat and no way would it have flared the birds that day. Dying alone by my own miscalcuation--that's one thing. But subjecting those less seasoned to a mistake I knew better than to make almost made me quit duck hunting entirely. I ruminated for weeks before I put out alone in my kayak on a known pond for the afternoon--and punched a hole in the kayak and had to stuff my knapsack in the whole to paddle home. But that didn't faze me, with a pair of mallards in the boat, a right and left with my old LeFever.
I'm not much for social duck hunting--never was, never will be. My son is the grand exception; 40 years old now and sturdier than I was and with more common sense. When I can pry him out of the elk woods! When I finally knew I was past the kind of solo hunting you describe, I caved in and purchased a membership with aduck club run by the son and widow of an old friend. They would have someone take me out to the blind, even put out my decoys if I was too stiff tobend over, and come back and walk me in. For which I am grateful, learning the names of third generation young men out there hunting now,as well as some savvy old dogs in better shape than me. But given the choice Ialways choose thesolo blind even if the birds are working other areas--they're all good guys but volley shooting--fifteen rounds per decoying bunch--is just not for me.
As for a backup electric--remember that temps that cold play havoc with electrical systems and be sure you have the mother of all batteries and perfect connections. With water that shallow a backup outboard might not get you back upstream, unless you plump for a jet pump--which have their own issues. So I second the oars-matched-to-boat notion.
Other than that you did everything right. When you're exercising that constantly, one dousing is miserable not dangerous--last time I had that experience after measuring my length in the shallow mud chasing a snow goose that was floating away, I liteally steamed on my way back to the parking lot maybe a mile away along a dike. Wool of course kept me warm despite the dousing. Just damp and uncomfortable. (My dog finally spotted the goose, hard to see from dogs eye view,a white bulk under glarey snowy conditions. He wouldn't take the blind cast until I went with him--guess he thought I was just out for a marsh jog.)
Cell phones are a miracle when they work on a duck venue. Next time I would follow theadvice o f the others--particularly theCoast Guardsman--in terms of having someone know exactly where you'll be.You could even set a way point in a GPS and leave it with your wife. And have them meet you! Having made the trek, the last part can be hardest of all--loading the boat, etc. A warm cab waiting would be a godsend, though of course you probably cranked upand sat in the truck to rest and get warm before tackling the next phase.Iwould have and have done. Still, once I had my then wife agree to rendezvous with me (before cell phones) at the launch on a very bad cold day. And still, after warming up in her car, and getting the boat loaded and trying to drain it only to find the bilges solid ice, I was so tired and beaten up from the day that my mind was fogged--though of course as people familiar with this know, you don't realize this and think you are just fine--and I let down my guard as I drove out...and turned the wrong way! Only flashing lights and horn honking behindme penetrated the fog before I drove into a dead-end railing. Backing around on that narrow road was a trick under those conditions and I bent the hell out of the tongue of my trailer. And that was AFTER a warm car and fresh coffee and thinking I was good to go...
As for wives and reluctance to ask for help in the middle of pursuing a passion they may object to in terms of your safety--and expected recriminations and I told you so's--the one time I was gone all night and the coast guard couldn't find me and the army launched helicopters at dawn(again pre cell phone) by the time I got home after the police dispatch called and told her I was found and coming out under my own power, she was past the recrimination phase and into the making pallbearer list phase and trying to write out a script to tell my young children...I still have the pallbearers list in my hunting log.
Be careful out there but don't give up your passion--just make sure you have redundant backup systems.
