Stranded....and some Duck Jerky......

Carl

Carl

Well-known member
Staff member
Miscalculated the tide and set up 50 yard to far to the northwest on Saturday. It shouldnt have mattered, I should have had a mixed limit of divers and puddlers by time the tide dropped. BUT I was shooting like crap. After the tide went out, we still had loads of ducks flying around, but they would not come close to the decoy spread laying on its side in the mud 50 yards form the water.
So we sat in the boat from 9:30 am until 1:45 before we had enough water to float the boat.
Good thing Youri brought his DSi to play. He did shoot twice, once he sent a shower of pellets around a buffy in the decoys, dont know how he missed that one.
Here's my "new" boat sitting on the mud. I have some more pics I will post tomorrow.
[inline Stranded.jpg ]

Ended the day with 2 drake buffies and 1 young drake redhead.
Flying Saturday, drying on Sunday:

[inline DuckJerky.jpg ]

Used a mixture of soy, sake and a pile of garlic powder, black pepper and chilli powder. Marinated overnight and into the dehydrator for 8 hours. Good stuff, even the 4 year old likes it.

View attachment Stranded.jpg
View attachment DuckJerky.jpg
 
It wasnt too bad actually, got to watch a pile of ducks flying, which was nice to see after 4 seasons of almost empty skies. And I saw one other boat that was worse off than me!
 
Your jerkey got me going. I have been making venison jerkey for the past few years, but I didn't this year because it ends up being so much extra work when cutting. I'm slow cutting deer (maybe super slow), but it adds a couple hours to do 10 or so pounds of strips from a deer and that isn't a lot of jerky when dry. If I get another, I'll for sure be doing jerky now, though.

As far as high and dry. I don't hunt many places where the bottom is mud or sand. Bottoming out on rock with a heavy wood boat is not a good feeling. I was high and dry on a piece of ledge once when a large swell lifted the boat and pulled the anchors and set the boat on the ledge. Glad there were a couple more large swells that followed, otherwise it woudl have been a long wait for the tide. That left a mark.
 
Rocks are one thing we dont have to deal with, just sand, mud & oyster shells.
But we do have ship wakes, which are similar to swells. I have had a ship wake throw my boat around before and its scary!
 
Rocks are one thing we dont have to deal with, just sand, mud & oyster shells.
But we do have ship wakes, which are similar to swells. I have had a ship wake throw my boat around before and its scary!
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The mystery swell I'm talking about could have been a ship (large ferry) wake. Day way too foggy to know for sure.
 
About three years ago I had my Smokercraft sitting like that in the sand on Long Island. Even the brant didn't want to come into the decoys leaning on their sides. It was after 3PM by the time there was enough water for us to get the boat free.
 
that is one nice thing about small boats, if i need to leave just grab some sticks put them under the hull and even one person can drag it. its not fun with a 14 deep v but at least i know i can leave if there is an emergency

but that is half the reason i hunt with a buddy, two dragging is much easier
 
Carl, well at least the tide came back and you had something to make jerky from. Better than my stranding yesterday. Out on the big river (near where Todd T hunts), went to start the boat to chase a crippled canvasback and it wouldn't do anything. Fiddled around thinking it was stuck in gear, after awhile I got it started. Thought I'd test it when I had a buddy on the cellphone. Shut it off and sure enough it wouldn't start. Fiddled around again thinking it was in the wiring harness, it started again. Drove back, picked up decoys and didn't shut it off until I was safely tied up at the ramp. Sure enough, it wouldn't start again. Took it to the shop this morning, it turned out to be a loose connection on the ground. Turns out that yours truly didn't tighten the connections well 3 weeks ago when I installed a trickle charger. Cost me a day of hunting and all my pride, the mechanic felt bad enough for me that he didn't charge me. Doh! I think I am going to change the wing nuts to nylock nuts on my battery connections.
 
Bummer.
Been there, done that: Exact same thing happened to a buddy of mine on his brand new boat first time we took it on the water.
Luckily we figured it our & had a pair of pliers. They werent very loose, just enough to break connection enough screw it up.
 
Thanks, she hides pretty will with the camo net & phramites stuck around it.
The bow netting had blown back a little, normally the clamp-on bow light and numbers would be hidden.
 
Well i have never got stranded by the tide.I must admit,me and my buddies have used it as an excuse to the wives why we were out all day when it was supposed to be just a morning hunt.It doesn't work like it used to.
 
I have been stranded at times.

It isn't so bad, so long as you are prepared for the event.


It can give you some time to think, and talk to your dog about dogs, guns, boats and ducks.
 
I've been there, How's christmas eve and I'm stuck in the marsh till 11pm didn't get home till after midnight.
Worse part no cell phone back then and been married only a few months, the bride had cops, coast gaurd out looking for me.
15 years later she's still with me. Got her out of hunting stock she's a keeper.
 
I was high and dry on a piece of ledge once when a large swell lifted the boat and pulled the anchors and set the boat on the ledge. Glad there were a couple more large swells that followed, otherwise it woudl have been a long wait for the tide. That left a mark.
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Comforting ;)...
 
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