Magic Pee

Each hunt we've noticed fewer
and fewer boats at the launching
ramp in the morning and heard fewer
and fewer shots on the marsh.  The
December lull has been on.

Also, the water has been dropping.
ChickenFoot is no longer huntable.
So, we switched to Teal Whackin'
and Poo Water (nee North Snipe
City). In both of these, the water
is still waist deep.  [Poo Water got
renamed due to the unique aroma
of rotting vegetation in that area.]

In neither spot, did we see the
numbers of ducks, attract the
numbers of ducks, or kill the
numbers of ducks that we had
earlier at ChickenFoot. We didn't
even have that awesome of a
day at TMG WMA when Tommy
had a top draw.

Still we never got skunked.

We've had other problems with
the hunting - equipment failures.
My Baikal has had numerous fail
to fires and has lost the pin sleeve
for the rear trigger housing pin.  Not
a single gunsmith will touch it.  I
ordered some parts on-line.  Who
knows if they'll show.  The Browning
Gold is also failing to cycle.  We're
hoping a thoroughly deep clean will
solve that issue.  There is nothing
more frustrating than having a
big wad of ducks over the dekes,
pulling the trigger, and hearing
nothing.

Yesterday, Craig, Jim, and I went
back out on the St. Johns and
ended up at Teal Whackin' again.
This is a four acre pond with
lots of smartweed and duckweed
starting to emerge as the water
drops.  I got the decoys out while
the big boys camoed up the boat.
We got everything in place with
about two minutes before shooting
time.

Jim heard black bellies in the
distance, but whistle as hard as
we could they never neared us.
In the pre-dawn light we saw
a few ducks buzz through the
decoys, but could never pick them
up until they were on the way out.

Then we sat for a very long time with
nothing.  It wasn't until Jim had to
pee that things turned around.  Nothing
attracts ducks like a hunter not hunting.
Skirting our left side and along the edge
of the pond came a pair of the first mottled
ducks of the season.  I'm glad I didn't
have time to think about that and was
able to drop the drake.  Later, it was
Craig's turn and we got a blue wing
while he was "busy."

Late in the day, it was my turn.

As I stood there looking out the back
of the boat, I saw another pair of modus
bouncing along over the marsh.  I grabbed
my Duck Commander Drake call and
hit a couple notes.  They swung towards
us, went behind some reeds, and I thought
the were going to swing around and
come through.  Instead they reversed
course and headed away.  I grabbed
my Duck Commander DC-150 and
commanded those ducks to come
back.  They did and Jim dropped the
drake.

Craig topped off the day by making
an awesome retrieve on a bwt that
got deep into the reeds.

We felt pretty good to come away
with six ducks total given the
circumstances.

ofs