Waterfowl Hunt on the Potomac

Although I really wanted to get another shot at puttin' one last deer in the freezer, when Wade invited me on a guided waterfowl hunt in Maryland on Saturday, I couldn't turn it down. I've been hangin' out in a goose blind since I could walk, and I've killed a buncha geese in my huntin' career. I've never hunted with a guide service though, and I figgered I might learn somethin'.

Wade's buddy and co-worker, Justin, is a guide with K & D Guide Service. These guys are a great outfit... they have the right equipment, excellent on the calls, access to plenty of promising properties and they know how to scout. Not only that, but Kevin, Doug and Justin are all great guys to hang out with.

Apparently it wasn't my day to shoot. I was usin' my backup gun, since I left my good goose gun upstate. Couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. We had several groups of ducks and a few groups of geese go by, and near as I can tell, I didn't cut a feather. Wade managed to drop a pair of geese though, so we didn't get skunked. We saw a ton of birds. Unfortunately, we got caught with our britches down a few times, and the large groups of birds didn't even give us a second look. Late season geese are prolly the hardest huntin' you can get into, cuz by now they've just about seen and heard every decoy, setup and call out there. Our hunt abruptly ended in the late mornin', when a few large chunks of ice came floatin' down and just about took out all our decoys... there was a lot of guys in waders jumpin' in the drink real quick on that one!

Justin managed to pull a fast one on us. He took the boat out to grab the first goose that Wade knocked down, and on the way back he slipped a pair of fake bands on the bird's legs. Now, for those of you that don't waterfowl hunt, gettin' a banded bird is comparable to double-lungin' a big ol' 12-point... it's a pretty rare trophy. So naturally, a banded bird got me and Wade all worked up 'till we figgered out he was pullin' a fast one on us.

All that aside though, it was a great day of huntin' with some good guys. We got into a few birds and managed to drop a few, and I got a few more stories for the archives. And hell, that's what it's all about right there.

Wade, his cousin Tyler and me with our day's take.
Photo courtesy of K & D Guide Service

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Illegal Download of the Post

Wade had this one playin' on the way to hunt on Saturday mornin'. Good huntin' music for us redneck fellers. Walt Gabbard is not only a good musician, but a pro-staffer for Zink Calls, who make awesome products, by the way. He's got it rough, let me tell ya. You can listen to other tracks off his album here or on YouTube.

Song: Dogs and Duck Calls

Artist: Walt Gabbard
Album: Hillbilly Man (2010)



Y'all take care, now.

It is I, misser of foxes...

I went out for a quick deer hunt before work this mornin'. Not surprisingly, I didn't see any deer.

I had a great show for the hour that I was there, though. There was a pair of foxes running circles around the farm all mornin'. I heard 'em yippin' and carryin' on as I was walking to the stand, and it wasn't long before they came out and started runnin' around the field. They'd run down the middle of the field together, then split up, run to either side of the field, then hunt their way back up the treeline. They did this two of three times, the one on my side runnin' right behind me. Finally I started squeakin' on the back of my hand, and they ran out in front of me, about 25 yards. And yup... missed. Third one I've missed this year, the last two with the muzzlebanger. Shot high on all of 'em. As I was walkin' out, I turned around and they were runnin' right at me. I thought about shootin' again, but I was gittin' kinda close to the landowner's house, and frankly, I'm sick of wastin' ammo.

As much as it sucks gettin' up early to hunt, then tryin' to sit in front of a computer all day, gettin' to see stuff like that is why I do it. Definitely had a great and memorable mornin'.


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Every now and then, I'll just scroll through the iTunes playlist with my eyes closed, and post whatever I stop on.... no matter how ridiculous. This is one of those mornings. Luckily enough, it was a good one this mornin', and not anything embarrassing.

Song: One Horse Town
Artist: Hank Williams III
Album: Lovesick, Broke & Driftin' (2002)



Y'all take care, now.

Turkey Hunter Snowman

This may be the coolest thing I've seen made outta snow...

Snow!

Is there anything purtier than a late season deer hunt in the snow?

I think not.

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Slow

Slow, as in the huntin' around here.

Went out Saturday to try to get another deer. Needless to say, the streak continues.... I ain't seen even a tail during shootin' light since the last day of regular gun season. The afternoon was really a bummer. The neighbors on the other side of the creek saw me sitting in the treestand, and promptly decided it would be a great time to make as much noise as possible. After firin' off several dozen pistol rounds and runnin' a straight-piped dirt bike up and down the road a few times, I was finally left with silence for the last half-hour of shootin' light. Didn't matter... predictably, I saw nothing.

Meanwhile, on the same farm, the ol' man, brother, and my buddy Wade were set up for waterfowl. Saw a shit-ton of birds, but only shot at two groups and killed two birds.

Rough weekend all around... but that's why they call it huntin' and not killin'.

There was a silver linin' though, as there usually is. I had the pleasure of watchin' a red fox go five yards away from my stand, doin' some huntin' of his own. He missed a bushytail that was fartin' around the tree next to me before moving along. And as always, the time with family and friends during my brief stay in the goose blind was great.

And also in shitty news, the Eagles are out of the playoffs. Disappointing for sure, but they did better than I expected them to. I'm a closet Packers fan, so at least I have someone to root for.


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Not sure why, but the rock ain't doin' it for me right now. I've been pretty much locked into Bluegrass Junction on the Sirius as of late. Here's another excellent instrumental... You can read more about this album here, and visit his website for some free downloads.

Song: Riding on the Clinchfield
Artist: James Alan Shelton
Album: Where I'm Bound (2010)



Y'all take care, now.

Split Pea Lighter

From the Robinson Archives...

Check out this nifty little device. Looks pretty cool to keep in a huntin' pack, glove box or saddlebag. Ya never know when you're gonna need some fire, and this is about as compact as it gets.

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Sometimes, good ol' folk music is just what the doctor ordered. It takes ya back to a simpler time in music. There's always a story to be heard if you listen closely. I'll turn on the bluegrass station on the Sirius when I'm headin' upstate... really helps me unwind. These guys are real close to my favorite modern-day bluegrass artists, which is sayin' something since there's a ton of them to choose from.

Song: Sticks That Made Thunder
Artist: The Steeldrivers
Album: The Steeldrivers (2008)

Helluva Christmas Gift

I'm not sure what these guys do for a living, but they have some money to play with and are able to do awesome things like this for their ol' man for Christmas. Makes the set of turkey calls I got mine look like coal. I have an ol' man with an older British bike, so this video kinda hit home. If you got 16 minutes and an affinity for ol' Brit bikes, this is an awesome video to watch.

Since my ol' man had his back chopped on last year, he may never be able to ride his ol' '79 Bonnie again. It ain't a comfortable bike to ride... It was hard on his body to begin with, so Lord only knows what it'd do to him now. I hope he doesn't decide to get rid of it, but he may trade it in on somethin' he can actually ride and enjoy. Besides, every time I touch the ol' Bonnie I wind up several miles from home with my thumb in the breeze. Aside from the fact that it's an ol' Meriden Triumph and acts accordingly, it's a sharp lookin' ride and sounds awesome (when it runs). It'd be weird not to have it layin' around.

Hope y'all had a safe and entertaining New Year's celebration.

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I'm not sure how I've gotten this far in life without owning this album, but I do have a few tracks from it. This is one of my favorites. One a side note, my ol' man wore this cassette out in his Ranger when I was growin' up.

Song: Travelin' Man/Beautiful Loser
Artist: Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
Album: Live Bullet (1976)


Y'all take care, now.