Jeff Jacobs
Active member
Based on the stories, I'm beginning to think my biggest blunder may have been hunting with two of the guys that replied to this thread! Ha Ha
Your Best (worst) Waterfowl Blunder
- Thread starter Andrew L.
- Start date
Steve Sutton
Well-known member
hahahah I was gonna tell the story about ... "I think I seen a Chinaman"....but we lived....so that makes it AN ADVENTURE and not a blunder....
Steve
Steve
Jeff Jacobs
Active member
You are correct about the adventure part. The two most ADVENTOURS boat rides I've ever taken have been with you! Saratoga Pass and Aransas Bay
Jeff,
That is not a blunder, rather it has been a wise choice on your part. You see, the tellers of those tales are also the survivors. You could do well to pay close attention. ;>) ;>)
Steve Sutton
Well-known member
Aransas was only a blunder in that a case of beer paid with their very lives for the tiniest bit of overloading......I will admit that when you looked down and saw that you were standing in ankle deep water as yet another wave splashed over the bow that your scared look kinda sorta scared me.....the problem remedied by kicking the beer cans that were blocking the scuppers so the water would drain and my, though not your, "I'm going to see Jesus" look, was gone.....
Green Water is Purdy when it rolls over the bow of a boat in the channels where the depth finder is reading 650 ft. deep isn't it?.....
You inland, NO COAST guys just don't know waves......
Steve
Green Water is Purdy when it rolls over the bow of a boat in the channels where the depth finder is reading 650 ft. deep isn't it?.....
You inland, NO COAST guys just don't know waves......
Steve
Not entirely sure where to start with this one... there are so many stories of lost boat plugs, ice, storms blowing in, water blowing out of the marsh, trigger locks without keys, etc. How about a little humor?
We set out early one morning with the best of intentions. Our gear was loaded and we launched long before dawn into the frosty December ice fog. Dave and I were pushing the limits of the little boat with the six hp motor but we knew we were not leaving the inner marsh. The ice that had formed overnight shouldn't be much of a challenge. We left the dog at the camp as the ice wouldn't support him and would prevent him from swimming. Did I mention it was cold? Bone chilling, finger numbing, teeth chattering cold!
What we hadn't counted on was that with all the ice you couldn't really see where the creek channel was and before long the motor stopped spitting water due to mud in the water intake. Not wanting to ruin the motor we shut it off and slowly paddled and poled our way to a friends nearby camp, all the while breaking ice. He loaned us a 4 hp motor and we set out breaking ice again. By 10 am we were on our little pond, breaking slabs of ice and sliding them under the thicker ice around the edge of the pond. We set out a few decoys in the little open water available and waited, thinking to ourselves that we had lost the opportunity for a great day.
In just a few minutes the ducks started piling in. It was one of those magical mornings... clear sky, gusty winds from the north and birds on the move. We marveled at how they would drop in from hundreds of feet up, spiraling down to our spread. We had set out saying we would only take greenheads and by noon we had 11. I had one to go to complete our limit but I also had a possible cripple on the other side of the pond. Taking my unloaded gun I started the slow walk across the pond.
It was one of those mucky marshes where walking is difficult. The mud would suck the boots right off your feet if you stopped moving even for moment. The water was just above my knees and as I approached the open water of the pond my buddy hollered at me that there was a drake mallard coming right at me. Crouching slightly I leaned forward and kept my face down. I was sure I would get busted as I fumbled and dropped a couple of shells into my old SXS double. With Dave behind me in the grass I kept as still as I could. Finally Dave yelled for me to shoot and I looked up straight into the eyes of the duck. The bird pulled up and turned and I swung to my right. What happened next is a bit of a blur. I realized my feet were stuck fast about the same time I pulled the trigger. I started to teeter and realizing falling backwards into the icy water wasn't really the way I wanted to go, I opted for dropping to my knees.
Now I was waist deep, on my knees, stuck in the mud and with absolutely no way to get back up. I had a dead bird on the ice to my right and a possible cripple across from me. The most difficult part of the whole scene was the gales of laughter coming from behind me. Dave eventually made his way out to help me back to my feet and pull me out of the mud but it wasn't until after he heckled me for a few minutes.
It turned out the cripple across the pond was DOA so we picked up our decoys and called it a day with 12 beautiful northern drake mallards. We still laugh about it and marvel at the shooting that day.
I did learn an important lesson that day. I won't hunt alone in the ice and I won't wade in muddy conditions if I am alone. The difference between a good laugh and drowning that day was nothing more than the company I was keeping.
We set out early one morning with the best of intentions. Our gear was loaded and we launched long before dawn into the frosty December ice fog. Dave and I were pushing the limits of the little boat with the six hp motor but we knew we were not leaving the inner marsh. The ice that had formed overnight shouldn't be much of a challenge. We left the dog at the camp as the ice wouldn't support him and would prevent him from swimming. Did I mention it was cold? Bone chilling, finger numbing, teeth chattering cold!
What we hadn't counted on was that with all the ice you couldn't really see where the creek channel was and before long the motor stopped spitting water due to mud in the water intake. Not wanting to ruin the motor we shut it off and slowly paddled and poled our way to a friends nearby camp, all the while breaking ice. He loaned us a 4 hp motor and we set out breaking ice again. By 10 am we were on our little pond, breaking slabs of ice and sliding them under the thicker ice around the edge of the pond. We set out a few decoys in the little open water available and waited, thinking to ourselves that we had lost the opportunity for a great day.
In just a few minutes the ducks started piling in. It was one of those magical mornings... clear sky, gusty winds from the north and birds on the move. We marveled at how they would drop in from hundreds of feet up, spiraling down to our spread. We had set out saying we would only take greenheads and by noon we had 11. I had one to go to complete our limit but I also had a possible cripple on the other side of the pond. Taking my unloaded gun I started the slow walk across the pond.
It was one of those mucky marshes where walking is difficult. The mud would suck the boots right off your feet if you stopped moving even for moment. The water was just above my knees and as I approached the open water of the pond my buddy hollered at me that there was a drake mallard coming right at me. Crouching slightly I leaned forward and kept my face down. I was sure I would get busted as I fumbled and dropped a couple of shells into my old SXS double. With Dave behind me in the grass I kept as still as I could. Finally Dave yelled for me to shoot and I looked up straight into the eyes of the duck. The bird pulled up and turned and I swung to my right. What happened next is a bit of a blur. I realized my feet were stuck fast about the same time I pulled the trigger. I started to teeter and realizing falling backwards into the icy water wasn't really the way I wanted to go, I opted for dropping to my knees.
Now I was waist deep, on my knees, stuck in the mud and with absolutely no way to get back up. I had a dead bird on the ice to my right and a possible cripple across from me. The most difficult part of the whole scene was the gales of laughter coming from behind me. Dave eventually made his way out to help me back to my feet and pull me out of the mud but it wasn't until after he heckled me for a few minutes.
It turned out the cripple across the pond was DOA so we picked up our decoys and called it a day with 12 beautiful northern drake mallards. We still laugh about it and marvel at the shooting that day.
I did learn an important lesson that day. I won't hunt alone in the ice and I won't wade in muddy conditions if I am alone. The difference between a good laugh and drowning that day was nothing more than the company I was keeping.
Jeff Jacobs
Active member
Jeff,
That is not a blunder, rather it has been a wise choice on your part. You see, the tellers of those tales are also the survivors. You could do well to pay close attention. ;>) ;>)Dave,
The only thing I need pay closer attention to, is who I hunt with....
Jeff Jacobs
Active member
Steve, don't forget to mention the SALT WATER SNOT CICLE'S and the bag of Glenn's hand carved decoys that FLOATED off the back of the boat. The beer was cheap, crap Miller Lite anyways....
You had the quote of the day at The Pass. As you hand me a life jacket, "Here, put this on. If you go in the water, your still gunna die. It'll just make it easier for them to recover your body and for your wife to get the life insurance money." Ha ha.
Signed,
No Coast
You had the quote of the day at The Pass. As you hand me a life jacket, "Here, put this on. If you go in the water, your still gunna die. It'll just make it easier for them to recover your body and for your wife to get the life insurance money." Ha ha.
Signed,
No Coast
Cody Williams
Well-known member
Short versions of 3 long stories, the first of many blunders (and lessons well learned) that come to mind-
Pushed/walked a boat almost a mile down a narrow, muddy channel due to running out of gas with no extra on board. My hunting partner that day was a good friend, an awesome mentor, but also an old-school, hard-ass rancher who is known to have a bit of a temper. I'll never forget the look on his face when he realized that I was serious when I said we were out of gas.
Got stuck in bottomless, evil, black, quicksand-like mud so badly that I had to crawl out of my waders and slide over the surface of the mud in my long underwear, barefoot, to get back to shore. Fortunately I had a shovel in the truck and after I had walked back to the truck and back, barefoot and in my mud-streaked long underwear, I was able to break up an old pallet and make a lumber road out to my waders. It took me about 20 minutes of hard digging to get my waders out of the muck. Right as I got them out my buddy who I was supposed to be meeting showed up, and to his everlasting credit didn't even laugh at me. Later that year he accidently blew a hole through the seat and out the back of his layout blind, fortunately he had his muzzle pointed in a (mostly) safe direction and the only thing harmed besides the blind was his pride. I didn't laugh at him.
Had to push my boat back over a mile of ice and water last winter, alone, when the motor wouldn't start. It was pitch dark and close to zero, and by the time I got back to the ramp the portion of my wader that was above water had frozen stiff as a board and the ducks I had shot were frozen solid. Ended up learning a lot from that experience!
Pushed/walked a boat almost a mile down a narrow, muddy channel due to running out of gas with no extra on board. My hunting partner that day was a good friend, an awesome mentor, but also an old-school, hard-ass rancher who is known to have a bit of a temper. I'll never forget the look on his face when he realized that I was serious when I said we were out of gas.
Got stuck in bottomless, evil, black, quicksand-like mud so badly that I had to crawl out of my waders and slide over the surface of the mud in my long underwear, barefoot, to get back to shore. Fortunately I had a shovel in the truck and after I had walked back to the truck and back, barefoot and in my mud-streaked long underwear, I was able to break up an old pallet and make a lumber road out to my waders. It took me about 20 minutes of hard digging to get my waders out of the muck. Right as I got them out my buddy who I was supposed to be meeting showed up, and to his everlasting credit didn't even laugh at me. Later that year he accidently blew a hole through the seat and out the back of his layout blind, fortunately he had his muzzle pointed in a (mostly) safe direction and the only thing harmed besides the blind was his pride. I didn't laugh at him.
Had to push my boat back over a mile of ice and water last winter, alone, when the motor wouldn't start. It was pitch dark and close to zero, and by the time I got back to the ramp the portion of my wader that was above water had frozen stiff as a board and the ducks I had shot were frozen solid. Ended up learning a lot from that experience!
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Brad Wainscott
Active member
This thread is great!
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Andrew L.
Well-known member
Great stories everyone. Thanks for sharing!
One that quickly comes to mind is opening day 2 years ago in Wisconsin. The morning flight was over so it was time to take the canoe and paddle the creek to scout and also try and sneak on birds, if possible. After losing a wood duck the previous year to crippling I insisted that we bring my lab along for the ride this year. He is one of those nice canoe sized labs. You know the ones that really need their own canoe or otherwise have no business in one. With my cousin in the rear paddling I was positioned up front ready to ambush. As we came around a bend a flock of wood ducks rose from the water. I knocked down two with my first shot. From that point on I started leaning left at a rate I knew I should not be. However, my mind was set on the 2nd and 3rd shots, which missed. The other mistake was made by the paddler in the rear who thought he needed to shoot as well. About the time of the 2nd shot Mr. Canoe lab decided it was time to exit after the flailing wood ducks. We ended up flipping quite easily with all of this commotion. I had turned back to try and catch myself meanwhile dropping my gun. With the front of the boat pointing to shore I was able to stand, however, looking to the rear of the boat all I could see was one hand holding a shotgun above the water. The rest of my cousin was under, a sight I will never forget. After gathering our composure and the dog returning with both ducks with the look of "what the hell are you guys doing" we managed to flip the canoe back over and bail it out. Then began quite a laugh that I am sure could be heard for quite some ways. A short time later one of our foots hit my floating gun strap and we were able to retrieve it as well.
Lessons: Don't take large dogs jump shooting in a canoe, floating gun straps are good for those who like to drop things.
One that quickly comes to mind is opening day 2 years ago in Wisconsin. The morning flight was over so it was time to take the canoe and paddle the creek to scout and also try and sneak on birds, if possible. After losing a wood duck the previous year to crippling I insisted that we bring my lab along for the ride this year. He is one of those nice canoe sized labs. You know the ones that really need their own canoe or otherwise have no business in one
. With my cousin in the rear paddling I was positioned up front ready to ambush. As we came around a bend a flock of wood ducks rose from the water. I knocked down two with my first shot. From that point on I started leaning left at a rate I knew I should not be. However, my mind was set on the 2nd and 3rd shots, which missed. The other mistake was made by the paddler in the rear who thought he needed to shoot as well. About the time of the 2nd shot Mr. Canoe lab decided it was time to exit after the flailing wood ducks. We ended up flipping quite easily with all of this commotion. I had turned back to try and catch myself meanwhile dropping my gun. With the front of the boat pointing to shore I was able to stand, however, looking to the rear of the boat all I could see was one hand holding a shotgun above the water. The rest of my cousin was under, a sight I will never forget. After gathering our composure and the dog returning with both ducks with the look of "what the hell are you guys doing" we managed to flip the canoe back over and bail it out. Then began quite a laugh that I am sure could be heard for quite some ways. A short time later one of our foots hit my floating gun strap and we were able to retrieve it as well. Lessons: Don't take large dogs jump shooting in a canoe, floating gun straps are good for those who like to drop things.
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There are some great stories here. I guess my biggest blunder ever was about 20 years ago, and I was hunting by myself on great Bay bulevard, which is a peninsula in Tuckerton NJ that sticks out into Little Egg Harbor. There are lots of creek through it and it had been cold and there was some ice around on the bay, but it was pretty far away, like at least a mile. So I went out where a creek opened up to the bay and set up. At some point I noticed that the wind hat shifted, and it had been pretty slow so I was thinking that maybe some ducks might start flying. Well, they really didn't, but I started hearing this odd noise, like glass tinkling. And I say, hmmm, I wonder what that is. Then I kind of notice that the ice seems closer then it was earlier. But I don't really pay attention. 5 or 10 minutes later, the glass tinkling sound persistent, I look up again and notice that the ice is only maybe 100 yards off of the edge of the marsh, and that kind of gets my attention. Then I realize that the ice is moving toward me at the speed of a boat in idle, which is pretty fast for a raft of ice that is at least 1/2 mile wide. I push my little AA Wigeon in the water and the ice is already all around me. I pick up some of my decoys, but the rest forget it, I am now surrounded by ice chunks a couple of feet across, and the big flow is now about 100 yards ahead of me, I am in a relatively thin skinned glass boat, can't use the motor because I can't push though the ice. I was pretty scared for a few minutes, but then realized that I could probably float back in with the ice and a little help from my pushpole, which I did. I came to a spot where the creek hit a T, and the ice just piled up there, and the water was clear where I needed to go, and was able to start my motor and hustle back. The thing that really struck me that day was I really understood the raw power of a moving ice sheet. I also wondered about the people I had seen earlier in the day that had run across the big water to some outer islands near the inlet and figured they had a pretty rough ride back in to. That was pretty much it for hunting around ice on tidal waters for me.
R. Greco
Active member
had a few of the above mentioned blunders in my time..
worst launch ramp blunder was letting my lab out first and letting him run around in the grass while launching.Mind you its pitch black out and of course the dog is black...
Well after launching the boat I'm pulling up the ramp and driving over to the parking spot when I hear another duck hunter yell "STOP"..I'm like "what?"..DUDE you just ran over your dog!!I put it in park and jump out and sure enough there he is trapped under the front axle of my Explorer!He must of thought I was going somewhere without him you know how attached they are and tried to follow me or something..I never saw him in the dark. we didnt see any blood but he was crying his head off..So me and the guy litterally pick up the front of my truck with one big heave and the dog runs out.After checking him out he seemed fine except for getting the s**t scared out of him.I couldnt thank him enough and off we went hunting.Now he stays in the crate till everything is launched and parked and ready to go
worst launch ramp blunder was letting my lab out first and letting him run around in the grass while launching.Mind you its pitch black out and of course the dog is black...
Well after launching the boat I'm pulling up the ramp and driving over to the parking spot when I hear another duck hunter yell "STOP"..I'm like "what?"..DUDE you just ran over your dog!!I put it in park and jump out and sure enough there he is trapped under the front axle of my Explorer!He must of thought I was going somewhere without him you know how attached they are and tried to follow me or something..I never saw him in the dark. we didnt see any blood but he was crying his head off..So me and the guy litterally pick up the front of my truck with one big heave and the dog runs out.After checking him out he seemed fine except for getting the s**t scared out of him.I couldnt thank him enough and off we went hunting.Now he stays in the crate till everything is launched and parked and ready to go
Steve Steffy
Well-known member
Great stories guys...keep 'em coming!
Steve
Steve
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17 yrs old, 10 ft john boat, motor hit a submerged sandbar and thru me out of the boat, jan. 7th, 7 degrees out. now swamped in the middle of a creek, holding onto the back of the boat as it ran in tight circles. finally shut it off swam it all to the side of the creek, and had to punch holes thru the ice to make a ladder to get up the bank at low tide. stripped down, rang out my clothes and put them back on as they were freezing, was able to empty the boat and head back to the truck. didn't warm up for days after that .
after putting out 50 decoys on another day I decided to pull the boat in behind a cove full of ice. as I did this the ice in the cove became dislodged and floated away with all of my decoys LOL
swamped a two man duck boat in a river once in january. water up to our necks, after pulling the boat over to the side of the creek we realized that my pack with the truck keys were in the water. so we went back into the neck deep water and actually found the pack , which my bud hooked with his foot and I dunked in to pick it off his foot in the current.
made it back to shore and the two dimwits we were hunted the rest of the day. froze solid lol
sometimes I think it is a miracle that I am still alive
after putting out 50 decoys on another day I decided to pull the boat in behind a cove full of ice. as I did this the ice in the cove became dislodged and floated away with all of my decoys LOL
swamped a two man duck boat in a river once in january. water up to our necks, after pulling the boat over to the side of the creek we realized that my pack with the truck keys were in the water. so we went back into the neck deep water and actually found the pack , which my bud hooked with his foot and I dunked in to pick it off his foot in the current.
made it back to shore and the two dimwits we were hunted the rest of the day. froze solid lol
sometimes I think it is a miracle that I am still alive
Tom Scholberg
Well-known member
I don't recall any blunders that I have made unless you count losing a 35 Johnson off the back of my Broadbill. Truth be told, I have made a bunch but as the oldtimers here remember that was probably my topper. Not a real blunder but being run off the road to avoid a head on collision was a memorable day. BTW my motor is now bolted on.