It is no secret that this previous 2009 Fall waterfowl season has been the worst that I have
experienced to date. Worst in the way of very few birds in the Klamath Basin where I hunt. I shot one lonely ol' hen Shoveler the entire month of Dec. and that has not happened since my sabbatical some 20 plus years ago. We recently have had snow storms followed by a warm thaw and rain. I am itching to get down to Klamath and hunt the river, but not by myself and it's tough to find friends with as flexible a work schedule as mine to go with. I imagine there is not much shelf ice left and that the birds are cruising looking for food. Me, I'm looking for passing shots at diving ducks and make mine Goldeneyes if you please! Ah yes, that will be a dream come true and perhaps in a week or two I'll have some photos to share of just an expedition.
When I was down there last I did come across a certain fellow who was swimming under the ice
in the ditches and coming up in the round holes in the ice. Mmmm any guesses? Right you are, non other than Mr. River Otter. I had the opportunity to watch him play on the ice and also eat fresh water mussels. Such characters they are. Needless to say there wasn't a duck with a 1/2 mile of him. So, Jet and I went about our way looking for open water with a duck or two in it.In other news the costs of hunting fees and tags has gone up considerably this year. So select your hunts wisely and look for bargains on ammo and hunting gear. One place I have subscribed to and made several purchases from is CamoFire. Amazing deals and great products, not a dog in the bunch. They're easy to subscribe to and products up to 70% off retail prices. Heck they even had shirts on there for $2.00 each a week ago. There is also a forum for gear discussions and hunting photos. Check them out, you won't believe the deals.
As for shop news of the woodworking type I am finally getting a wide belt sander for my dovetail drawer business. It has been on my list for some time and I just got it ordered before the new year. Figured the sander will serve me better than me paying the tax man. Seemed liked a no brainer and I am looking forward to it. It will certainly streamline my production and reduce the
wear and tear on me from random orbit sanding. Here's a link to check it out if you're into equipment, Grizzly 15" Wide Belt Sander. It will be arriving next week and I am so excited to get it up and running.Otherwise there is not much else to report at this time. Jet and I had a quiet Christmas and we tried finding some waterfowl here locally to hunt, but just no luck. Did manage to see a beautiful rainbow over the Deschutes River on a drizzly morning.
Cheers to all and lets make this a better year! Be safe out there everyone.
Women's Hunting Journal Integrity For The Hunt
8 comments:
Keep that optimism up! Here's to a great 2010 for you and Jett - and maybe that little pup you had thought about in an earlier post.
Happy New Year and I can't wait to read about it!
Buying a sander instead of paying the tax man, good for you.
Your right when you said 2010 has a better ring to it and I'm sure going to be thinking on the positive side for sure.
You take care of yourself and I look forward to you next post.
WO and Rick,
thanks for stopping by. Will you let you know about Jetts little buddy when the times comes.
It's taking me a few days to get settled into 2010 - but I have a feeling it's going to be a good year. Hubby started out with a three day goose hunt - limiting out every day. Now, if only I could get my laundry done! :)
Ah, finally the goose gods are smiling down on us. I had some good luck goose hunting recently too. Hope you can get out to join him soon.
Terry, I had an otter come up in my fish hole once in Northern Minnesota when I was a kid. Scared me to high heaven. Man are they quick.
You're not a kidding that Oregon has raised the rates. For us out of staters the license is just about double what it was. Maybe that is what they are trying to do - cut some of the out of state traffic out. Just to apply for a point now costs around $150.
Later, gary
Terry...happy twenty ten and I am sure things will pick up; they always do after I buy new equipment...the ole work and play thing..Phil
Terry...happy twenty ten! it has a much better ring. Good luck to you this next year. I love the blog.
Phil
Post a Comment