A Waste of Time?

Ever see this from your couch?Didn't think so!

That seems to be the general consensus among my friends and coworkers relating to my outdoor activities.Everything from hunting and fishing,to hiking and just plain old sitting in the backyard listening to the wind.Over the last few years my financial situation has improved which has given me the opportunity to travel to outdoor destinations previously only seen in my mind.My coworkers and a good chunk of my friends see my outdoor obsession as ridiculous,a waste of time,money and spare time.I will grant them that I should take sometime to do other things,watching movies,throwing my money away at the bar,etc,etc.The problem is I see what they view as fun the exact same way they view my outdoor obsession.So how can I come to enjoy sitting in a dank theater paying 7 bucks for a soda and 12 bucks for a ticket?How do I enjoy a 9 dollar crown and coke at the bar getting lung cancer with every breath?My answer is simple,I don't care to find out and you can have it.Now stop reading useless information on the internet and get outside!

Who's an underwater basket weaver?Not this guy!

I'm 32 and the physical labor at my job makes me feel like I'm 50 most days.Inside me a little child is fueled by the energy to get outside and not waste any minute sitting on the couch.Seriously how hard is it to step outside with your morning coffee to watch the sunrise?Why would someone rather watch the morning news?I forgot,normal people don't get up at 4 am for no reason.I have been inundated with a barrage of,why the heck you wanna go sit in a boat and try to catch a fish at 6 am?You aren't starving so what's the point?Why don't you just go hunting at 11 am,why you gotta be out there at 5am?....Yes the people I work with either have a serious southern drawl or are crazy Yankees.I don't have an answer for these seeming simple questions.I usually say something like,you can't catch 'em from the couch!Or I go another route and ask them,why do you like sailing,it seems awfully gay.Why don't you just start doing flower arrangements.It doesn't really matter whether they think it's a waste of time,the question is do you?It's your spare time,you worked hard all week,month,year,life,so do what makes you happy.If you want to go bungee jumping,do it,want to climb that mountain,do it,sit on your ass and be a lazy American,don't do that please.I'm going to try and find some other things to do that aren't outdoor based.I promise there will be no wine tasting or underwater basket weaving.

So Close to Lost

Swamp Thing from River Mud Blog waiting on a second flight that never came

Honest question,when was the last time you were lost?For me it has been quite some time,although I did have a near miss about a week ago.It all started innocently enough as just another duck hunt in the swamp.My oldest brother Swamp Thing from the River Mud Blog was in town for a few days of hunting and we were down to our last hunt on his last day in town.I was fortunate enough to secure permission to hunt a beaver pond on private property as our last hunt.This was only my fourth time to the site and my first time navigating to it alone.My worries initially laid with the 2 mile boat ride in the pitch black down river to get to the swamp that leads to the beaver pond.We dumped the boat in the water and with the engine cranked I headed down river at an easy pace.I successfully dodged all stumps,logs,cypress knees and floating debris.It was then that it started raining,fortunately the temperature was a balmy 53 degrees.I beached the boat in the correct spot and we loaded up with shotguns,blind bags and a few decoys.Now my focus laid on getting us through the flooded swamp on foot and onto the berm of the beaver pond,aka duck heaven.This was the task I failed miserably at.

Sunrise,December 31st,54 degrees in Southern Virginia

If you were to look at a map your eye would be drawn to the simple fact that to access the beaver pond you would need to travel in a straight line.You could even veer left or right and still find the pond.So how did I get lost?So it's 530 am,in the pouring rain and we leave the beached boat on the river.We enter the hardwoods and have relatively easy travel for about 75 yards minus the occasional dodging of a tree limb or thorn bush.We enter the flooded swamp and the excitement of the duck hunt to come is building inside me.We continue to go "straight" through the swamp.I see an opening up ahead,it's water,I'm stoked I have found the pond with such ease.Unfortunately it wasn't the pond,or even the swamp,it was the river.Yes that's correct i managed to go in a half circle and ended up downriver from the boat,major fail my friends.Now it's at this time that I can't contemplate how exactly this happened and this is my first big mistake,besides getting us lost of course.Cooler heads prevail,right?Well not when I can't let go of how it happened and try to figure out how to fix it.Luckily my big brother was there to bring me back from my Vietnam lost in the jungle rage.I will admit that no tears were shed but many curse words were thrown around.So after some simple deductive reasoning Old Swampy had us back on our way.

You have to show the ducks you aren't scared sometimes

We did manage to make it to the pond right at legal shooting time and even managed to down a few birds that morning.The trip out was quite a bit easier with daylight.This is mainly an outdoor blog,why would I write about how poor of an outdoorsman I can be?I honestly think it's a level of comfortability.I got to comfortable and didn't focus on the important task which was navigating an unfamiliar piece of woods in the pitch black.So comfortable that for the second time this year I didn't have my fancy GPS on me when I actually needed it.Seriously,I spent 300 dollars on a GPS and the two times I have needed it I didn't have it.But wait,I completely forgot that the knife in my pocket had a compass on it.Do you have any idea how helpful that would have been?Sorry for not mentioning that at any time during the day Swamp Thing but you had a shotgun.Apparently in high pressure situations I may not be the guy to go to.I'm man enough to admit that.My answer is to bull rush and throw anger at the problem and that's not the way to go.I'm taking this as a learning experience and I hope a wake up call.

The End of Duck Season

I hit it hard and fast and didn't reap many rewards in the way of birds downed.Over the last two weeks I hunted every possible day except for two.As you all know the weather this Winter has been mild,even with the current cold snap we are going through.The temperatures by the end of the week will be back above normal with rain up and down the east Coast.The birds simply haven't moved from New York and Pennsylvania.Lack of snow cover and above normal temperatures will do that.I will get more in depth over the next few weeks on some amazing hunts I had this season.Not for the amount of ducks downed or even seen but for the time spent with my brothers and new found friends.It's back to work for this guy tomorrow.I hope everyone has had a great Holiday season and stay tuned for pictures and more in depth stories in the next few weeks.Thanks for tuning in!

The Dismal Duck Season of 2011

The duck season is more than half over in Virginia and things aren't looking up.Compared to last year I haven't even harvested half as many birds.The funny thing here,I'm not complaining one bit.Last year I was hunting in semi-urban areas surrounded by mcmansions and highways and we did great on hunting.The feeling that came from harvesting those birds was nothing more than meat in the freezer.This year I have kept it local,determined to figure out my local rivers and where the actual migratory birds are.Unfortunately the weather has no cooperated at all with highs in the 60's and lows well above freezing.For the last week I have burned a lot of gas,bumped into way to many stumps in my effort to locate birds.Bottom line is they simply are not here yet.Given my schedule at work I have one more week to hunt and that will be the end of my duck season.I have managed to scratch out a few birds and I still hold out faith I will have a few more memorable hunts.

Bright sunshine,no wind,50 degrees,no birds

Last week I set up in my boat blind by myself and watched the sun come up while I enjoyed a hot cup of coffee.I listened to the geese fly over at nose bleed level and wasn't bothered by it at all.Over the last few years I forgot what it was like to creep into a swamp before sunrise and just listen.Not to the traffic and sirens of the city but to the wind and the birds waking up.I scratched out a few geese that day and had an awesome feeling of accomplishment.The next day I went even farther back into the swamp with one of my brothers and we fired zero shots.Upset?Not at all!We hid the boat back in a creek and rested on the shoreline and simply talked about everything that life has seemed to throw at us in the last few years.It's easy too forget what this time of the year is supposed to be all about.I would hope that whatever your outdoor addiction is you take a moment and try to remember why it was you fell in love with it.For me it isn't about shooting animals and reaching limits.It's all about the camaraderie of the duck blind at 530 am.Seriously where else will grown men feel comfortable telling off color jokes at that time of day.Christmas has come and gone and New Years is only a few days away.My only hope is Winter will show up very soon but I won't hold my breath.

Is It All Worth It

If you consider yourself an outdoorsman or woman then you more than likely spend quite a bit of money on your outdoors activities.Whether it's hiking and camping or hunting and fishing it all costs money.Even if you are a Dupont on the Eastern Shore of Maryland with 1000 acres of everything outdoors,property taxes must still be paid.Is there a way to get around spending so much money just to find that bit of happiness that the outdoors brings us?The answer to that question after many hours of contemplating is no.However I believe there is a way to bring it down a notch.I will my life in the outdoors over the last ten years as an extreme example.



As a small child my father and I shared many sunrises on the local reservoir fishing for something.That's right,we fished for anything that would bite and we had fun.So much fun that 25 years later I still look back and want those simple times back.Hunting was seldom talked about in our household and never actually done.Many road trips were taken to beaches,mountains and lakes up and down the East Coast.By no means was I a sheltered child when it came to the outdoors.Fishing consisted of a cheap zebco rod and reel,yes that is what my dad fished with,a hook,bobber and a worm found in the yard.If it was an "expensive" day we may have payed the three dollars to rent a boat.Whenever at the beach or the mountains on vacation we were allowed free roam within ear shot.If your mother was like mine that was about 2.7 miles,love you mom.We could climb,run,roll around in the mud,ride our bikes,dig a hole as long as we heard the cry that dinner was ready.Through my teenage years I turned my head to the outdoors as I had other ideas of what fun was supposed to be.In my early twenties I found myself in a strange urban environment that had very few outdoors activities.I did find myself picking up a fishing rod and went right back to the only way I knew how to fish,bobber and worm.As a child it seemed natural,laid back,easy even.As an adult,standing on a crowded pier at the local city park it seemed odd that only I had a bobber.Everyone else was using.....ARTIFICIAL!This was the start of what has become my personal outdoors obsession.





I quickly versed myself and spent every last penny on new gear.I became good enough over the next few years that I bought a boat and almost became bored with bass fishing.Yes I actually went and targeted one species of fish.I was then introduced to the joys and frustrations of waterfowling.Over the last few years I have erected blinds and spent literally thousands of dollars to help tip the scales in my favor.I have an ever growing outdoors bucket list trip that includes salmon fishing in Alaska and dove hunting in Argentina,hey everybody has to have dreams.So where did it all go wrong,is it all wrong and is it all worth it?





The simple answer is yes,the more complicated answer follows in the next few sentences.Where did it all go wrong?I blame the Bass Pro Shops and the Cabela's for making me buy all the crap I love and hold so dear to my heart.Watch a hunting show and you have fallen into the trap.The merchandising is so clever I almost always end up saying,I need that!Is it all Wrong?No I don't think so.What's wrong with continually challenging yourself to get better at something you love?Seriously how could that be wrong?Is it all worth it?Sit back and ask yourself what else in your little world brings you piece of mind other than the outdoors?I don't have anything else that keeps me so grounded.It helps me enjoy the natural world for what it is and what it once was.So if that means I spend an extra few dollars on a licence to fish in another state or a few extra dollars on some braided fishing line to help me land that lunker than so be it.Just remember that at one time you either didn't have the money or weren't spending it on outdoors activities and you were just as,if not more,happy than you are now.It could be the added responsibilities of being an adult that make it more difficult to capture that feeling of serenity.Whatever it is,I will continue to drive towards it and spend my hard earned money on it.If I should find myself without money to spend then I will simply pick up that old Zebco and think about those sunrises on the reservoir with my father.




this post has no pictures because I'm trying to invoke thought so please don't hurt yourself

Almost Home

I have been slacking on my pimp posting fo sho!My excuse,work all day every day at all times of the day.I have made it through three weeks with one to go.I'm looking forward to kicking my waterfowl season into high gear when I return with a two stretch of non stop hunting.This will be the first year in almost 10 I haven't traveled to someplace in Maryland to hunt with my brother Swamp Thing.This year,as a special treat,he will be coming to Virginia to hunt with me out of the mighty Gut Runner 2.This will also be the first time in six years I will be home for Christmas and the first time I have ever hosted Christmas in my own house.The plans for the two weeks around the Holidays are still a bit in the air but they seem to be coming together nicely.Stay tuned for some hopefully exciting hunting and Holiday posts.I just ask you do me one favor and try and remember what the Holidays are about no matter what religion you may choose to celebrate.Enjoy the weather before Winter takes over!

Bring on the Waterfowl

The boat blind on opening day,Blackwater Swamp, Va

The Virginia Waterfowl season opened a little over two weeks ago without a bang,pun intended.Very few local birds were moving and the resident geese didn't want to play.So what's a waterfowler to do?Enjoy the sunrise and catch up with a hunting buddy I haven't seen since last year.We set out early,minus a certain brother that didn't show up,and went through the motions.Then the crickets started talking,yes crickets I know it's wrong to hear crickets while duck hunting but we did.We told stories,watched the deer follow each others scents through the swamp and enjoyed the calm weather and sea smoke.It was a good drill,end of story.

Goose down!

That was the opening day and no hunting on Sunday brings us to Monday.My new found hunting buddy down the road is addicted to goose hunting.He is a big time deer hunter and just recently retired,so he took up goose hunting.He had only killed one goose and wanted a chance to go out in the duck boat.Easy choice because he owns fields and swamps in some key areas I would love a chance to hunt.I informed him that 48 hours earlier the geese didn't cooperate but we could try again.The geese for the most part didn't cooperate but I did manage to turn a group of six.They got close enough to take a shot and a nice dose of Hevi-Shot brought the goose down through the trees into the swamp.That was the end of the trip,yay Virginia duck hunting.My job was done,he killed a goose and invited me to hunt his property around Christmas.The weather is starting to turn now and the birds are slowly moving South.I have another two weeks of work and then I'm off for the Holidays.I can't wait to get out there again.