Calling an Audible

A healthy Rainbow trout I caught last Summer

That's right me,the guy who never changes,does things by the book and still gets them wrong is calling an audible.With the late resident Canada goose season winding down locally I was ready to go back to work.The good thing here is I don't make those decisions,office people do.They decided I could use some extra time off.This would be great if I had asked for it,but rolling with the punches is what I plan to do.Being unable to track down any geese on public land I will venture West!Not very far mind you but to the Western part of Virginia on the trail of trout.I have had some luck fishing for trout in the last few years,it's a bit new to me.This "luck" was in late Spring/early Summer and I'm guessing the feeding patterns are quite a bit different this time of year.No worries I plan on taking very little with me and planning absolutely nothing.It seriously hurts me thinking about it.I only hope the water isn't to high and the fish are hungry.This is a big change for me and either it will be an epic experience or a complete disaster.

The Closer

My first ever Canvasback

It was another great waterfowl season that had to end at some point.The last few days of the season had me traveling to Maryland to hunt with the one who started it all,Swamp Thing.He had an invite to hunt an offshore blind in southern Maryland for divers.I haven't been on a diver hunt in years and took him up on the offer.The day before the trip my truck decided it was a good time to break down.Twelve year old truck sometimes do this I suppose.No worries,I'm insane,rent a car and fix the truck when I get back.So off I went and I'm glad I did.The fellow who had the blind,John,knew what he was doing.He grew up on the South River,hunted and fished it when he was younger and still does today.He put on a heck of a hunt and I managed in a team effort to get my first ever Canvasback.My brother covers this hunt well so here is the link to his blog where you can read all about it. http://rivermud.blogspot.com/2011/02/last-duck-hunt-of-season.html

After we left the offshore blind we inhaled a ridiculous amount of food or what I like to call sleepy medicine.I had a three hour drive down the Eastern Shore to my next adventure and I wouldn't say i was exactly attentive during the entire drive.Waterfowling makes you go crazy,it's true.Arriving at the Hotel in Pocomoke,Maryland I phoned my friend who invited me for an old time Eastern Shore waterfowl hunt.He came and picked me up in an over sized mud truck that had no business being on the road.I had no idea that at the local Tractor Supply Store there would be dozens of these trucks and what looked like long last relatives of my friend.All joking aside,every one of those guys were great people that would do anything to help anyone out.They just have a different way of life than I'm used to.We went over the game plan for the next day and I went to the Hotel early to get some much needed rest.the wake up call came early but I was ready for the last day of the season and so were the shore boys.

Arriving at the designated field we "placed" a dozen decoys in no specific order and threw a half dozen more into the pond.Then we "hid" or a sand berm covered in briers.This is how they do it,minimal effort,no high priced decoys,no specific placement or concealment.The funny thing is,it worked like a charm.First light had a pair of mallards flying over head,with some great calling they committed and were quickly dispatched by my host and I.This was already better than I expected.A few minutes later a pair of geese made the death turn for the pond and were also dispatched.This routine went on for several hours with pairs and small groups of geese working over head while thousands of Canadian and snow geese traveled south sky high.We ended up with ten geese and three mallards between six guys.By far one of the best low effort hunts I have ever been on.We grabbed a quick bite to eat at a sketchy Chinese buffet and grabbed a boat and headed to the water for the last hunt of the season.

A productive morning of the Eastern Shore of Maryland

We arrived at E A Vaughn WMA with a total of four hunters in a small boat with choppy conditions.I personally checked the seaworthiness of the boat and went in it anyway.I say again,waterfowling makes you CRAZY!With no rhyme or reason to it we headed in a westerly direction,found a random creek and threw out a few decoys.The amount of effort these guys put into this is something to be admired.I have to try harder to see less birds where I hunt.We saw thousands of snow geese heading south.We were targeting black ducks and had a few give us a look just out of range.Later in the afternoon a small group of Canadian Geese came over head.All four of us let into them with calling and they turned around on a dime,heading right for us.The problem is,we had zero goose decoys out.The geese had no idea where to go and after circling out of range decided to move on.No shots were fired that afternoon but I spotted more waterfowl of different species than I have ever seen in one place.That night we spent a few hours cleaning the mornings birds talking about the days events and hoping we could all get together next season to do it again.So that's it,the season is over and I go back to work next week.I have made a pledge to keep up with the blog better this year.Thanks for tuning in everybody,time to get the fishing tackle ready now.

Almost Over

Another one bites the dust,that's all she wrote,the fat lady has sung.Many phrases come to mind now the duck season is officially over.The goose season goes for another few weeks locally and I may try and get out one more time.It was another year of learning with very little headache beyond the normal.I got the chance to go hunting with some great people I have been out with before and I made some clutch connections that should help me broaden my hunting area in the next few seasons.So I will simply review the last week of the season and more or less put up a bunch of pictures.

I got off the boat with a little over a week to go in the duck season in Virginia and Maryland.Naturally I wanted to get out everyday however the lack of birds in my normal honey holes had me change up game plans,meaning I slept in a few days.The first day I was home my brother the nutty professor,my friend Kevin and I went out to what is normally one of our afternoon spots.Kevin and I had some luck with pass shooting ducks a month before and we were literally covered in geese.The season was closed on geese a month ago so they received a free pass.This time however the season was open.Heading into the creek we spooked a few dozen roosting geese hoping we didn't just blow our chance.The geese flew well that morning,well above our heads that is.We ended up calling a single in and with a team effort that can only be described as three seconds of hell,the goose didn't make it past the wall of steel we threw into the air.Heading back to the dock is when the day took a serious turn south.

Coming into the creek by the park to the boat ramp we heard yelling on the shoreline.It was impossible to understand the man yelling as he was visibly upset.I eased the duck boat toward the shoreline and two more men joined in yelling in our direction.It became clear they were pointing to something in the water.It wasn't until it was alongside the boat we all noticed it was a person.I couldn't tell you what was going through my head,I don't remember.All we knew was this was real and it was happening now.My friend Kevin,seated in the bow,grabbed the mans jacket.My brother,seated in the middle,grabbed the decoy retrieval pole and hooked his waist.I eased the boat over to the shore.Unfortunately the brush was heavy on the shoreline and we couldn't quite get close enough.I opened the motor up and rammed through some heavy brush to get us as close as possible.The police were now showing up but nobody was prepared to get in the water.My brother jumped out of the boat and between him and Kevin got him to shore.We were all worked up with adrenaline and I took the boat to the ramp.Waiting on the ramp while the armada of police and EMT personel worked on the man.He was loaded into an ambulance and carried to the hospital.We were told he had a slight pulse.This is where the story takes an even stranger turn.

The details came out soon after the man was hauled away.The original man on the shoreline stated the following.The victim pulled up in his truck,parked,got out,walked down the dock and jumped into the creek.We couldn't believe it and I still can't to this day.He turned out to be a 79 year old man.The worst part about this entire situation,the man was declared deceased upon arriving at the hospital.I guess nobody will ever know the reason why he jumped in.I contemplated for quite some time whether or not to tell this story here.I have told my close family and a few friends but it's one of those times you just keep thinking if you could of done anything else to help.Maybe if he did survive he would be pissed off we saved him.I will carry on with the story of my last few days of the season in a few days.

24 Hours in a Day

Not joking,worlds largest Marine Travelift

I swear I just need a little more time!It's been a very hectic month or so and I just can't seem to find the time to write,relax or even think.I'm sure everyone else has this problem on a daily basis but it's a new thing for me and I hate it.I can always find/make some time for myself.As an example,I usually bring three books of around 300 pages a piece to the boat for a thirty day hitch.I usually run out of reading material with a week left.This hitch with a week left to go,I have read a little over 100 pages.So now that I have explained myself,let me try and summarize what I have been doing and what I hope to be doing this time next week.Here we go,keep your hats on and hold on.

I asked for a boat transfer it was granted

I worked on a new boat for 4 days and got transferred to a cement barge for training

I was extremely upset over this transfer but dealt with it because I have financial responsibilities

I worked on the cement barge for a few weeks

I got transferred to another boat

I was excited as anyone at work could be

The boat went to the shipyard for routine maintenance

By this time next week the ducks and geese in Southeast Virginia have reason to be scared

So there it is and I'm out of time.I got to take a trip up the Hudson to the Catskills,unfortunately it was to a cement dock.The view was awesome but I didn't have time to enjoy it.I will try and do everything possible except force myself to write more often this year.Not because I think people want to read it,because I need to get it off of my mind and out on paper or laptop.Take care and I hope everyone had a great Holiday Season!

Tis the Season

The Gutrunner hooked up to the duck truck,ready to go

I have had some of the best times I can remember over the last few weeks.I'm almost scared to tell the world about it because my luck is sure to change.I was granted all of two weeks home,I got the boat transfer I asked for and the hunting has been some of the best I think I have ever seen.I'm sure I just jinxed myself but that's alright,I have the memories of the last few weeks to carry me through the hard times to follow.I'm going to jump right into the hunting adventures and leave the thought of work alone for a few more days until i have to return to the boat.

Blacwater River,December 2010

It started with me finding my way onto the Blackwater river on the last day of the second split.I went duck hunting by myself and bagged exactly zero birds.The great thing was I really don't care because I saw birds they just wanted nothing to do with me.The following week with the season closed I finally made it around to getting a new trailer for the duck boat.This has been a long time coming and I feel much better about my investment being towed behind me.For one the lights work on this trailer.The next day I had an all day hunt planned with my brother,Nutty Professor in the morning,and my friend and his son in the afternoon.

Nutty Professor with a few mallards

The morning went like no other hunt I have ever had in my boat.My brother and I were literally covered in mallards on the minute of legal shooting time.We shot poorly but still managed to scratch out a few birds throughout the morning.The birds were still flying when we left however we had birds to clean and I needed a break before I spent the afternoon back in the marsh.That afternoon the local meteorologists had the weather wrong to say the least.The rain started ten hours early and the predicted wind was non existent.My friends son was out on his first boat hunt and he was miserable just like us.The rain didn't let up and we saw one bird all afternoon that was making his way to Florida.Great memories but I feel that my friends son may now be against anything that has to do with a boat.After a day off,we can't hunt on Sunday in Virginia,My friend and I decided to give it another go.

My buddy,drenched and not happy

Same buddy,different attitude.Our two drake black ducks

We had to deal with traffic issues trying to get to the boat ramp and almost missed first light.With only minutes to spare the boat blind was erected and the birds came in to the feeding hole.We scratched out a few mallards and decided to make a run for our original spot we didn't have time to make it to that morning.The meteorologists again got the weather wrong.The day before this epic hunt we had torrential rain and temperatures around sixty.The forecast for the next day was 38 with a stiff north wind.The actual temps were 30-32 with snow and zero wind.The snow had the local birds confused and hungry.They flew all morning and put on quite a show.Even though after we moved to the new spot we had very few birds give us a look,it was the most birds I have ever seen flying continually in all directions.A great show by mother nature,this was the best hunt I have ever put on.Not because we took a few birds but because I was in a boat with awesome ducky weather with a good friend and his duck dog,Benny.The following day my friend gave me a ring and let me know he had a half day at work the next day.It was time to hook the boat up one more time.

Upon returning to the same boat dock we quickly found out the ramp was closed for repairs.Thanks again to my friends GPS we made our way to a new area only recently scouted .We found ourselves in a river that was frozen over from shore to shore from the minus 15 degree temperature of the past few nights.Let it be known,I have never driven a boat through ice and I would rather not do it again.It took forever and thankfully I have an aluminum boat.Although not indestructible,it definitely broke the ice.When we showed up in the creek we found the only area with open water and threw out some decoys and the mighty mojo.Getting ready we heard geese in the area,which are out of season,and crossed our finger that some birds would come check us out.We got lucky,two drake black ducks came to check out our decoys a few minutes after first light and they were subsequently bagged by one shot from me and one from my friend.We got buzzed by a Bufflehead and a drake Mallard and around 830 decided we were frozen enough and picked up to head back to the dock.The tide now being low it was an experience trying to get the boat back on the trailer at the ramp.We used oars to bust the ice and wheel chocks to keep my truck from sliding into the river.As of now it's snowing again outside and although my urge to go back out and hunt again is relentless,I know it's a better idea to take a day off and enjoy nature from the couch in my heated house.

Back in the Big Apple for the third Winter in a row and excited about it,what's wrong with me.This is the third Winter in a row I have been "stationed" in and around the New York Harbor.Many other Seamen hate the Winters up here,I happen to love them.The strong North winds,the ice,the snow and the work is never ending.Unfortunately we will be going back South in a few days for a short lived job on the Potomac River in Maryland.I guess they need some coal,something about it's getting cold,i didn't notice.So as we headed through Hells Gate the other day and I grabbed my camera I thought for the millionth time what it was like way back when.I can only wonder and read sea journals because I will never know.There are some huge changes that will be taking place in my career over the next few months.Step one transfer boat,step two finish out sea time for merchant mariner document upgrade,step three go back to school,step four and most importantly we will discuss at a later date after it happens.Everyone have a great Thanksgiving and if you have a chance to get outside then do it.There is nothing stopping you from enjoying a day in the woods or on the water.Yes it's cold but you can always put more clothes on!

It's Over

That's right the dredge job of doom is over.Not knowing if the dredge site would be shut down the next day or would be active for another five years was getting really depressing.However upon my return to the boat from my off time I learned we would soon be leaving the Gulf Coast region and was ecstatic.More on where we are going next in a later post because at the moment I have only an idea.Ideas in this business are worth about as much as a weak cup of coffee.So let's talk about what I did in my time off besides catch an awesome cold that lasted entirely to long.I slept entirely to much end of story.

That is quite the opposite actually.After catching up on bills,a month worth of landscaping and other assorted home owner things I found some time to hang out with my brother swamp thing.Had a great time inflicting pain on my shoulder by shooting a cheap shotgun at clays for a few hours.The silly things I call fun right.I really did have a nice relaxing time hanging with swampy,his wife and the little kid.Upon returning home the cold of death took over my life for a few days.Now please understand I am a huge baby when it comes to pain but this cold was horrible.I'm an idiot so no I did not go to the doctor.i just toughed it out and ate entirely to many products with vitamin c.My last few days home found me drained of all energy so I did what every man would do when the fish are biting.I went fishing!

The blackwater River is a different kind of river.I could and probably will do an entire write up on the small stretch of river that I had a chance to see over the two days of boating.Coughing up a lung,stuffed up nose,chills,strong north winds,yes go fishing.What an awesome time I had and only a few minutes down the road from my new house.I located a few ducks and geese,plenty of deer,beyond beautiful scenery and some fish.So back at work now and exhausted.Hopefully heading back north and I hope to find some time to do some in depth write ups.