Opening Day Nightmare

[Todd Duncan Tennyson]

It's August 31.

I just picked up two cords of Madrone and fir logs,
14 footers no bark and dry... dropped off right in the driveway.
Felt good about it.
It was only 300 bucks. The guy came out 2 1/2 hours after I called him. In my mind, it was a square deal.
Sometimes people on Craigslist aren't flakes.

Gearing up to take the red dog on his first bird expedition.
I tore the seats out of the back of the small truck that we have. It is a 22 year old CRV but only has 50k miles on it.
That way I don't have to camp in a camp ground or a tent when it gets down to 30° at night or less early in the season.

Packed most of my stuff in a tote I can remove from the truck when we get to where we want to camp.
Got a cooler in there with a bunch of 2 liter water bottles frozen up solid.

and put four ply tires on.They were expensive, but, I guess there are three things in life to spend a lot of money on:
A mattress, boots, and tires, because you're always gonna be on one of them. In my case two or possibly three at the same time.

It took some leftover cushions from the outdoor seating we have and threw them down in the space where everything used to be in the back of the truck in the space I used to save for all of my invisible friends that I drive around.

It's just gonna be me and my bird dog.
I laid down in the back and I've got 6'5" if I scoop the front seats forward so I can flop out in the back with the dog at night. That should be enough.
I'm only 6 feet tall.
I'd really be thrilled if we could scratch down a couple of birds and the red dog could get a nose full. I think we'll do OK.

We'll never find out unless we gear up and go.

The other night I had a terrible dream.

I driven the route to the chosen location (which isn't close by.)
It's an easy 8 1/2 hours each direction.
In the dream, upon my arrival, I unpacked the gear and let the dog punt around while I was busy and realized that I left my shotgun at home.
I think that if that really happened after driving that far, I'd go ahead and run the dog after the birds and just take video clips of the whole thing. It'd be a good chance for me to work him anyway, and he'd still get to experience the flush and the find just not the pick up at the end.
.
I still have time to make it right though, because it was only a dream, and opening day doesn't come for 12 hours.


Have fun be safe and take a dog with you, doesn't have to be a purebred.
Just a dog that wants to go.


Sent from Proton Mail for iOS

 

[William Reinicke]

Ive lived the nightmare before. Its not fun. Didnt realize it until I set decoys and went to unload the boat.... no guns. And yes I say guns because I usually carry 2 in my gun box. Drove home in a helacious rain storm the day prior, took them out to dry real good and get a little oil therapy. Left them on the shop table. I have a REAL bad habit that if im hunting 2 days in a row, I just leave the guns in the gun box in the boat, so hook up next morning and roll. Bad habit, I know! So hook up to boat next morning, 2 am of course (not awake at all), take the long boat run in the dark, set decoys, go to get my blind bag and gun...... empty gun box. We decoyed birds for an hour or so in the morning and I taught steadiness while birds swam around in decoys. Then picked it all up and went home. Nothing more I could do unfortunately.

 

[Huntindave McCann]

I've had to make a quick run in my boat, back to the truck to retrieve my gun. Luckily, it's never been more than that.