What's in a Number?? Miles

803.3    That's a big number any way you look at it I guess.  Today that number represented the miles I drove in search of Snow Geese in North Dakota.  (I don't want to know how that corresponds with miles per gallon and doll$rs per gallon, ouch) Why the heck would I put myself through this back-wrenching ordeal, all for the possibility of shooting some tundra killers?

The first answer is I'm obsessed.  There's really no other way to describe these actions beyond that - obsession.  I'm addicted to hunting.  It's not the killing part (take a hike P.E.T.A. freaks), but rather the whole experience; finding birds, setting up what I hope to be a good decoy spread, dealing with mud, snow, rain and mud, being outside in the thick of things.  I thank my dad for instilling this desire in me since before I can remember.

The other reason would be two weeks ago.  I was out here in NoDak exactly two weeks ago and had an awesome time.  There is nothing quite like witnessing the spring Snow Goose migration.  Seeing tens of thousands of birds in the area gets my blood pumping like nothing else. 

And then they're gone.

Gone in the most gone of ways.  Gone to the fields and waters of Canada on their way to the Artic and Sub-Artic.  These little tundra munchers work their way up from Texas to places I've never seen, every single year.  You've got to give them credit, for surviving the onslaught of bird shot across North America to their breeding grounds is an awesome feat.

But getting back to today.  What a day.  I saw pretty much every place in North Dakota that is accessible by road.  Accessible roads this time of year are hard to come by in the Dakotas I might add.   
1260.  That's the mileage I put on two weeks ago out here in the plains.    
257.  The number of snow geese we brought home with us from that trip.    
1. One banded bird shot on that trip.  A prize that will hang on my call lanyard and always remind me of that specific hunt.

0.   The number of birds shot today, the number of decoys I set up today, the number of shells I loaded into my repeater today, the number of pictures I took of a successful hunt today, the number of square footage of tundra I saved today, and most importantly, the number of regrets I have for trying to find whitey today.


1.  One great photo from two weeks ago that drove me to come out to NoDak by myself with a loaded truck and trailer today,  to try and get one last crack at them before the long days of summer.

That's a Wrap

It's been a busy two months since my last entry; interestingly enough it comes on the last day of the duck season (my previous entry was on opening day!)  I had big expectations this season as I finally became a shooting member of the River Valley Hunt Club this year.  Growing up hunting the river bottoms with my dad, I got the chance this year to have full rein over when and where I hunted, no need to accompany my dad as had been the case any time I wanted to hunt down at the club.

Our season was unlike any I've experienced in my lifetime with a fall flood that took second to the flood of '65.  This made things a bit tough going, and my dad and I were about the only two guys hardcore enough to deal with the fast moving, muddy, high-water for about the first month of the duck season.  We were literally hunting amongst tree tops the start of the year, but we stayed determined and through some hard work were getting our ducks.  

Autumn, our black lab, was also a new addition to our group.  She did a great job in her first hunting season and probably retrieved more birds in her first year than most dogs do in a lifetime of hunting!  Two trips to Canada for ducks and geese allowed well over 500 retrieves alone!  She progressed nicely and really started to figure out what her job in the hunt entailed. 

Sadly, another season is wrapped up, however it was a successful one considering the tough conditions we faced.  The duck calls will be put on the shelf, waders hung up and duck boats put away, and I'm now looking forward to a couple weeks of muzzleload hunting to try to get my buck for the year, and sooner than later some ice fishing.  After months of anticipation, my favorite time of year always seems to go by too fast, but I guess that's what makes the days on the water and in the field special.  The time with my family and friends doing the stuff I love makes it all worth while.

Five Canadian Sunrises

I always seem to forget about how great sunrises are until around this time of year (hunting season).  This is mainly because I'm usually never up for them unless I'm out fishing or in a hunting blind somewhere.  Sunsets seem to get all the attention, but the real deal is watching the world wake up around you.

I experienced five great Canadian sunrises this past week during my annual trip to Manitoba for duck and goose hunting with my Dad.  We had some good hunting despite the warm, blue-bird sky days.  The hunt is only part of the whole experience I guess.  Just being outside with good company would be enough, the birds are just a bonus.  The other big part of this trip was introducing our 10 1/2 month old black lab Autumn to her first "real" hunting situation.  I was a bit nervous about how she'd perform, but she actually exceeded my expectations the entire trip!

Months of getting new gear, HOURS and HOURS of getting it put together, and HOURS, SWEAT and MORE HOURS of designing and toiling over my new hunting trailer all came to a head the end of this September.  Five sunrises, one stuck in the mud truck and trailer, little sleep, too many tanks of gas, boxes upon boxes of shotshells, and 1,668 miles crammed inside my Suburban later, it was all worth watching the excitement and anticipation of that first retrieve on the face of my new hunting partner.  A great start to a dog's lifetime worth of countless retrieves and hunting trips to come - - - -

The Begining of the End??

I now find myself setting up a blog.  Cool right?  I always think this sort of stuff is great for a while, and then end up separating myself from the initial coolness of it.  Is this the beginning of the end?  Only time will tell.  Commence blogging.......