Don Shearer
Active member
Hi,
I really don't post here very often and I am ashamed to say that I haven't been hunting very often this year. There is a chance I will get out with Sutton and Kurz this weekend for one last hurrah before he moves to the official old people state.
I am stuck in the office on an "official holiday" to finish an important proposal and for a conference call. I am not sure about the choices that have led me to this point. I was thinking about previous Veterans Day hunts. Today is also one of my hunting buddies birthdays and on better years we are usually found somewhere hunting something. Which made me think of this post from 5 years ago today. A lot has transpired in 5 years. Many good hunts...many good hunts canceled because life got in the way. Aspen has gotten old not older just plain ol' old! She still is a sweetie but if the upland hunt is more than 1/2 an hour the arthritis is to much. She is now left home more than she is put in the truck. My little girl is now a freshman in high school. Sutton is moving. Things change. Not always for the worse...the boy has passed his hunt test and his pup is now two and showing lots of promise.
I got a kick out of reading this again and thought some of you might also.
29 things I thought while duck hunting where there are no ducks (from 11/11/09)
1. Got scared by a beaver who slapped the water right next to me while I was setting out dekes in the dark. 2. Watched the sun come up. 3. Shared my lunch in the first hour with Aspen. 4. Dropped my coffee cup in the marsh. 5. Found my coffee cup. 6. Told Aspen about my plan to join PETA and after 6 months offer to organize the end of hunting season game feed. 7. Told Aspen that was really funny and it wasn't nice of her not to laugh and that if she didn't change her attitude she would not be invited to the PETA game dinner. 8. Let Aspen make it up to me by eating the last half of my chocolate muffin. 9. Watched steelhead jump every few minutes in the decoys. 10. Thought to myself that is strange steelhead do not usually jump like silvers or pinks. 11. Was real surprised by the number of steelhead at the head of the creek I was hunting since the creek did not look like good spawning habitat. 12. Thought to myself the cab of a '79 Chevy Luv was not ideal spawning habitat but it didn't stop me when I was 18. 13. Realized if I wrote the above sentence it would generate at least 25 posts reminding me this site is frequented by kids. 14. Thought at least I wouldn't mention poop. 15. Uh-Oh, I realized that if did say I didn't mention poop I would actually be mentioning poop. Oh poop! another Catch-22. 16. Saw a group of buffies land about 60 yards away. 17. Got a kick out of watching a group of buffies and decided they are one of my favorite ducks and that they must be the duck breed that has the most fun and if in some strange sense of cosmic humor I am reincarnated as a duck I want to be a buffie. Buffies always at least to me look like they are busy playing and other duck breeds often seem like they are comparing insurance rates. 18. Thought about all the folks I know who are veterans and sent them a mental thank you. 19. Got distracted by the calling of the quail and pheasants on the hillside behind me. Tried to ignore the calling and got the cold shoulder from Aspen for ignoring the calling. 20. Noticed one of the dekes making a silent escape as it floated out into the main river channel. 21. Wondered how far I would let it float before getting in the boat to go get it. 22. Asked Aspen if I should shoot the decoy as an escapee. She continued to ignore me as she scanned the hillside for quail and/or pheasants. 23. Silently hoped the decoy made it to freedom and lived the life it always dreamed of. 24. Decided I might be spending to much time hunting alone this season. 25. Saw a mule deer doe crest the hill being pursued by a small 4 point buck. He must of thought the creek looked just fine as spawning habit as he chased her out of site across the creek. 26. Picked up the decoys...including the escape. 27. Never took the safety off. 28. Drove home. 29. Thought it was a perfect day.
I think I will take the ol' girl out for a duck hunt in the morning.
My best,
Don
I really don't post here very often and I am ashamed to say that I haven't been hunting very often this year. There is a chance I will get out with Sutton and Kurz this weekend for one last hurrah before he moves to the official old people state.
I am stuck in the office on an "official holiday" to finish an important proposal and for a conference call. I am not sure about the choices that have led me to this point. I was thinking about previous Veterans Day hunts. Today is also one of my hunting buddies birthdays and on better years we are usually found somewhere hunting something. Which made me think of this post from 5 years ago today. A lot has transpired in 5 years. Many good hunts...many good hunts canceled because life got in the way. Aspen has gotten old not older just plain ol' old! She still is a sweetie but if the upland hunt is more than 1/2 an hour the arthritis is to much. She is now left home more than she is put in the truck. My little girl is now a freshman in high school. Sutton is moving. Things change. Not always for the worse...the boy has passed his hunt test and his pup is now two and showing lots of promise.
I got a kick out of reading this again and thought some of you might also.
29 things I thought while duck hunting where there are no ducks (from 11/11/09)
1. Got scared by a beaver who slapped the water right next to me while I was setting out dekes in the dark. 2. Watched the sun come up. 3. Shared my lunch in the first hour with Aspen. 4. Dropped my coffee cup in the marsh. 5. Found my coffee cup. 6. Told Aspen about my plan to join PETA and after 6 months offer to organize the end of hunting season game feed. 7. Told Aspen that was really funny and it wasn't nice of her not to laugh and that if she didn't change her attitude she would not be invited to the PETA game dinner. 8. Let Aspen make it up to me by eating the last half of my chocolate muffin. 9. Watched steelhead jump every few minutes in the decoys. 10. Thought to myself that is strange steelhead do not usually jump like silvers or pinks. 11. Was real surprised by the number of steelhead at the head of the creek I was hunting since the creek did not look like good spawning habitat. 12. Thought to myself the cab of a '79 Chevy Luv was not ideal spawning habitat but it didn't stop me when I was 18. 13. Realized if I wrote the above sentence it would generate at least 25 posts reminding me this site is frequented by kids. 14. Thought at least I wouldn't mention poop. 15. Uh-Oh, I realized that if did say I didn't mention poop I would actually be mentioning poop. Oh poop! another Catch-22. 16. Saw a group of buffies land about 60 yards away. 17. Got a kick out of watching a group of buffies and decided they are one of my favorite ducks and that they must be the duck breed that has the most fun and if in some strange sense of cosmic humor I am reincarnated as a duck I want to be a buffie. Buffies always at least to me look like they are busy playing and other duck breeds often seem like they are comparing insurance rates. 18. Thought about all the folks I know who are veterans and sent them a mental thank you. 19. Got distracted by the calling of the quail and pheasants on the hillside behind me. Tried to ignore the calling and got the cold shoulder from Aspen for ignoring the calling. 20. Noticed one of the dekes making a silent escape as it floated out into the main river channel. 21. Wondered how far I would let it float before getting in the boat to go get it. 22. Asked Aspen if I should shoot the decoy as an escapee. She continued to ignore me as she scanned the hillside for quail and/or pheasants. 23. Silently hoped the decoy made it to freedom and lived the life it always dreamed of. 24. Decided I might be spending to much time hunting alone this season. 25. Saw a mule deer doe crest the hill being pursued by a small 4 point buck. He must of thought the creek looked just fine as spawning habit as he chased her out of site across the creek. 26. Picked up the decoys...including the escape. 27. Never took the safety off. 28. Drove home. 29. Thought it was a perfect day.
I think I will take the ol' girl out for a duck hunt in the morning.
My best,
Don
