The Trip out to North Dakota to partake in our annual Cando Waterfowl Hunt went off without a hitch. After last years virgin effort at field hunting Mallards, we returned with a vengeance and more equipment. Armed with 6 dozen new shiny field Mallard decoys and a bunch of Layout blinds we prepared for the hunt Friday with the prehunt scouting and prep of equipment.
Saturday Morning up at 4:45am and in the field at 5:25 unloading gear and setting up blinds. The morning was cool and dark with barely a whisper of wind. As the blinds were set and the decoy spread was laid out, a quiet sense of anticipation set in as Bill and Smitty drove the trucks off of the field and we entered the blinds and waited to see if the birds would cooperate. I for one was not sure of our approach as we had put our eggs in one basket as all seven of our group were set out in a shooting line. The minutes quickly ticked by as we waited for the magic shooting time to arrive. With just minutes to go we had Mallards everywhere! We had more than 40 birds working the decoys when word travelled down the line that it was time to shoot and to wait for the call, which would come from Bill or I. We had a group of birds drop so low to the ground straight out that they were below the sightlines of my feet! they were cupped and locked into the spinners. "Let 'er Buck" came the shout and a murderous volley of steel filled the air. A couple of hours later we were done. Our limit filled. Young Greenheads primarily filled the bag, with a sprinkling of Hen Mallards and a couple of Pintails to round out the bag. Out first real foray into field hunting Mallards was a success. For 3 straight days we hunted the same field. With similar results! I just wish that Roger could have been along to see it. On the day before the trip Roger went in to the Dr. for a routine medicine checkup, and they found him very pale and a very low blood pressure. They immediately sent him to the St. Cloud Hospital and he was in the hospital until Wednesday afternoon. Missed the whole hunt. But he had nurses to harass rather than us! So, it was not all bad!
More Pictures to come! Check them out!
Spike
Plucking Birds!.......
