Post by Shorthair on Jan 14, 2004 21:24:56 GMT -5
If I could shoot I would be awesome. I opted to go to the lake today and try some geese, over my new dekes that came yesterday. I loaded everything last night made sure to put the plug back in my gun from deer season. I made sure to get all the buckshot out of my dove stool and everything was set.
I got up at 4:30 and got ready. I fed the dog and gave him time to digest. I loaded the dog and took off. I got to the lake and awe hell, my season pass for the Corps of Engineers ramps is expired. So I scrounge up three dollars in change to ge a one day(have you ever tried to shove an envelope through a slot with $3 in change in it?) pass.
I launch the boat and it don't want to crank and I flood it. I push the boat off the trailer and get my feet soaked(I knew I shoulda put on my rubber boots). I park the truck and let out the dog and he breaks out after a rabbit he sees in the parking lot. I manage to get him back and loaded in the boat(he's wearing his new neoprene vest).
I manage to get the boat cranked and going(yes it's still dark but the sky is starting to redden a little). We take off across the lake and get to my island I like to set up on. I start tossing out the decoys and of course half off them don't tip up right and I have to go back to them and set 'em up. I cut the string on one with the outboard. I finally get the dekes set up and zip around to the other side of the island and.........did you notice me saying anything about loading the shotgun in the boat so far in this story? That's right, I forgot the darn shotgun in the truck.
I say the hell with it and set up my blind and dove stool. I loads the dog back in the boat and head back to the landing. I get the Beretta haul it back to my set up. Of course it's daylight now. I'm not feeling too bad though we haven't seen any geese or ducks yet. We have scared up several groups of coots but no geese.
We get back to the island and get in the blind and start calling.(You can bring in the resident birds by calling out from time to time. They may be swimming along a cove or two over.) Well about 9:00 I here that beloved honking. I call the dog in the blind and make him sit. Here they come, about 12-15, and I start calling. Well they didn't like my calling. In fact they never even turned a little bit. But I hear more coming from where the first group came from and I start honking again. Well these geese like what I'm saying and here they come. I'm calming the dog who gets exciting when I start calling. I'm calling and their coming and I'm whispering stay Max, stay.
Oh my lord look they got the landing gear out they've commited. I stop calling and draw a bead on the lead honker. Blam and down he goes. I draw a bead on one of the flaring away birds and blam and the feathers fly but the bird keeps on going. Well the rest circle around and I start calling to them again. Hear they come again At this point I've got a cripple down and one that flew away like nothing ever happened. So I fumble for that $2 a shot Hevi-Shot. I manage to get one shell in while I'm calling these fools back to me. I take a bead on the first bird and swing out my lead and blam, $2 gone and not a feather cut!
I look back out at the cripple and he is swimming off towards the first group that landed across the lake about half a mile away. The goose is already about 80yds. out. I hammer him with some of that sorry ass steel and he just keeps on going.
So after all that I came home empty handed. But woulld you believe me if I said I had a darn good time? Because I darn sure did.
Tomorrow woodies at my club and quail after that. Maybe I'll have my shooting hat on tomorrow.
I got up at 4:30 and got ready. I fed the dog and gave him time to digest. I loaded the dog and took off. I got to the lake and awe hell, my season pass for the Corps of Engineers ramps is expired. So I scrounge up three dollars in change to ge a one day(have you ever tried to shove an envelope through a slot with $3 in change in it?) pass.
I launch the boat and it don't want to crank and I flood it. I push the boat off the trailer and get my feet soaked(I knew I shoulda put on my rubber boots). I park the truck and let out the dog and he breaks out after a rabbit he sees in the parking lot. I manage to get him back and loaded in the boat(he's wearing his new neoprene vest).
I manage to get the boat cranked and going(yes it's still dark but the sky is starting to redden a little). We take off across the lake and get to my island I like to set up on. I start tossing out the decoys and of course half off them don't tip up right and I have to go back to them and set 'em up. I cut the string on one with the outboard. I finally get the dekes set up and zip around to the other side of the island and.........did you notice me saying anything about loading the shotgun in the boat so far in this story? That's right, I forgot the darn shotgun in the truck.
I say the hell with it and set up my blind and dove stool. I loads the dog back in the boat and head back to the landing. I get the Beretta haul it back to my set up. Of course it's daylight now. I'm not feeling too bad though we haven't seen any geese or ducks yet. We have scared up several groups of coots but no geese.
We get back to the island and get in the blind and start calling.(You can bring in the resident birds by calling out from time to time. They may be swimming along a cove or two over.) Well about 9:00 I here that beloved honking. I call the dog in the blind and make him sit. Here they come, about 12-15, and I start calling. Well they didn't like my calling. In fact they never even turned a little bit. But I hear more coming from where the first group came from and I start honking again. Well these geese like what I'm saying and here they come. I'm calming the dog who gets exciting when I start calling. I'm calling and their coming and I'm whispering stay Max, stay.
Oh my lord look they got the landing gear out they've commited. I stop calling and draw a bead on the lead honker. Blam and down he goes. I draw a bead on one of the flaring away birds and blam and the feathers fly but the bird keeps on going. Well the rest circle around and I start calling to them again. Hear they come again At this point I've got a cripple down and one that flew away like nothing ever happened. So I fumble for that $2 a shot Hevi-Shot. I manage to get one shell in while I'm calling these fools back to me. I take a bead on the first bird and swing out my lead and blam, $2 gone and not a feather cut!
I look back out at the cripple and he is swimming off towards the first group that landed across the lake about half a mile away. The goose is already about 80yds. out. I hammer him with some of that sorry ass steel and he just keeps on going.
So after all that I came home empty handed. But woulld you believe me if I said I had a darn good time? Because I darn sure did.
Tomorrow woodies at my club and quail after that. Maybe I'll have my shooting hat on tomorrow.
