A Parker on Lac St. Pierre

[Don Kaas]

I joined Destry and Kevin McCormack in a blind on the St. Lawrence River this morning in Quebec. It was warm, still and clear. Destry had his 34" DHE #3 frame, Kmac his Pointer Grade Superposed and I shot my 32" Ithaca NID 10 ga. Magnum. Mallards, blacks, ringbills and a pintail drake. Tough shooting today- All were taken on the pass with some fine shooting by Kevin and Destry. We lost a few ducks to the current and dropping in a DU sanctuary nearby but brought home 15 in 2 hours. Destry took a comfort break and I managed a blackjack drake with his big Parker when he buzzed the blind with his compatriots. Here 'til Saturday. This afternoon we venture out into the big river for walleyes.:bigbye:

[charlie cleveland]

dont be letting detrey take to many cormfort breaks it ll spoil him...i hope the fishing went as well as the duck shooting...deep fried duck breast andfish for supper sounds good...looking at a ithaca magnum double rite now do they handle well...dont forget to tell us hoe many fish destrey caught... charlie

[Don Kaas]

Got 12 walleye (dore blanche et noir) this afternoon. Lost a few more at the boat. I cooked roasted canvasbacks, fried hominy and collards for the boys for dinner tonight washed down by some Dickel No.8. We are in "Southern" Quebec, afterall. Kevin and I shot the cans over the ice at my club in Maryland in January. Fried walleye fillets tomorrow...the wind has picked up this evening and we are hoping for a better day tomorrow. Kevin and I will be shooting the lodge's prime spot in the morning, "the Bay", a marsh pond in the middle of their 1200 acres just off the big river. We have done good work there before... Destry will shoot solo on one of the canal blinds bordering the DU sanctuary...:corn:

[Don Kaas]

In the blinds this morning at 0620, shooting commenced at 0630. Kevin and I limited out at 0702. Blacks, mallards and one ringneck. We saw hundreds of ducks. We then boated back to pick up Destry who had 4 down including a banded mallard drake. We set back into the reeds and watched him finish his limit with his big Parker on a black and a mallard in the next 10 minutes. We were back at the lodge by 0850. A trip into town and walleye fillets for dinner tonight:cool:

[Bill Murphy]

I haven't spent a lot of time in Quebec, but on one great hunting trip to Baie Comeau, when it was the "end of the paved road", the trip to town was very nice. I fell in love with a restaurant waitress who did more than her best to make me comfortable in post Rene Levesque Quebec. By the way, the love affair did not last much past breakfast.

[charlie cleveland]

don it sounds like yall are having a hunters dream come true... destrey got lucky killing one of those banded birds maybe he will give us the low down when he finds where that bird wasbanded at ...yep nothing like going over a good day in thefield by the fireside with a friend..these are the moments we live for....dont forget us old boys while your eating them old wall eyes....good shooting and fishing to yall.... charlie

[Don Kaas]

We are literally at the end of a gravel road hard on the north bank of the St.Lawrence River east of St Ignace de Loyola in the NW corner of the wide spot in the great river known as Lac St. Pierre. The large marshes on the north bank are ancient staging areas for waterfowl heading south as well as being local breeding areas for great numbers of mallards, blacks and teal. While only 100 miles from the Vermont border, it is nonetheless, rural Quebec with English heard very rarely and a fiercely independent culture all its own. The big river dominates the people and the landscape much like the Mississippi does throughout its long course. The locals, including our hosts, are and have been "watermen" for many generations much like those I have hunted with for decades along the Chesapeake. There is that guarded sense one has in these places where the landscape still has a strong but fading hold on its people that you are intruding into a way of life that is slowly passing into a mediocre modernity. When you live your autumns going to where the ducks still are, you find these people still fixed in these solemn landscapes. But, in the words of a Canadian, Joanie Mitchell, whether these folks have the urge for going or not, only the ducks "have the wings to go"...

[charlie cleveland]

don you have a gift for words.. the discription of LAC ST. PIEREE has made me feel as though ive been there...may you boys gun barrels stay warm and the fishing lines taunt... charlie

[Don Kaas]

Thank you for the kind words...it was raining heavily this morning when we pushed off in the heavy Stanley boat towards the Isle du Pas marshes. Another boat of local clients preceded us into the darkness... Things didn't look good. We dropped Destry off with Jacques, a client from Montreal at a blind along a canal facing the DU refuge. Kevin and I went another half mile down the canal and set up in a similar blind. The rain tapered off about 0645 as foolish black duck split from his mate and Kevin fired. It was the blackie's last mistake. After that it was pass shooting. By 1000 we had eeked out our limits. Mallards, the unfortunate black, a gadwall and a single bluebill hen. Destry and Jacques only managed seven by the time we pulled up stakes. Tonight, I'll cook up some ribs and "Pogo" our head guide is joining us for dinner. Two more days and weather is said to be improving...we'll see...

[Don Kaas]

Day Four- We hunted the "the Bay" again this morning. Overcast skies, 55 degrees, a nice breeze from the west. Not as many duck in the honey hole today. The 3 of us hunted together and in 3 1/2 hours we took our limits of blacks, mallards, woodies and ringnecks...tomorrow we hunt and return home. As I write this, 2 newly renovated sinkboxes sit tied to the river bank. Banned in the US, these low slung batteries harken back to the heyday of the Parker gun and are still used in Lac St Pierre for divers in the big water offshore when the freeze drives them down from Upper Quebec. Perhaps in early November we'll be back...

[King Brown]

Thanks for the good reporting.

[Jack Cronkhite]

...There is that guarded sense one has in these places where the landscape still has a strong but fading hold on its people that you are intruding into a way of life that is slowly passing into a mediocre modernity. ...

I like this description. I have been an "intruder" at such places. I think we who shoot Parkers and other fine century plus doubles have an abiding longing for an era that will never be again. Part of the reason it is lost is an acceptance of mediocrity. There is little pride left in creating lasting products of any ilk. If it lasts, that's not going to generate future sales. Why do we accept that an appliance is lucky to have a ten year useful life, when there are "ancient" appliances that still function perfectly? Why do we accept that some electronic item is to be routinely considered a piece of crap after a year or two? I think the list can go on and on. Then there is that other list. Parker, Lefever, Fox, Smith, and some from across the pond. Pride of manufacture remains evident in a "product" that will continue to provide pleasure and good (even tough) service for another century and beyond with a minimum of TLC. From the forgers and fitters, the machinists and wood workers, the engravers and those charged with quality control throughout the process, the by-word was "excellence". Mediocrity was only to be found in a dictionary and was not an understood concept at any of the fine gunworks. Time to stop and re-fill the cup from one of them new fangled coffee makers destined to be in a nearby land fill in the not too distant future. Sighhhhhhh..............

Jack

[Don Kaas]

We finished up on Saturday morning with a Canada and 18 ducks- mallards, blacks, ringnecks, woody drake and a greenwing teal. the weather had changed overnight from summer to fall. It was about 40F, overcast, drizzle and swirling, gusty wind of about 20 mph. After Destry and I combined on a single goose at dawn, the next hour was slow and "duckhunter's despair" began to creep into the blind but we began to pick away at them. Both Destry and I shot banded mallard drakes for a total of 3 bands for the trip. We were finished at 10 a.m. Kevin and I left the lodge at 1:00 p.m. and arrived at my home in PA at 9:00...a 498 miles trip door to door.

[John Truitt]

Not trying to high jack this thread.
But very well said Mr. Cronkhite.

[John Truitt]

Thanks for keeping us posted Mr. Kaas.
I always enjoy hearing about your and Destry's trips and shooting adventures.
Please keep em coming.

John

[Jack Cronkhite]

Don: I very much enjoyed your hunter's diary. Thanks for sharing the adventure.
Cheers,
Jack

[Don Kaas]

We should have some more to tell this season. Brant hunting on Barnegat Bay, the annual pilgrimage to Beaver Dam in Tunica, MS, tales from the old duck club on Church Creek off the Chester River in MD...I'll make sure there is a Parker along on each trip so I don't get "the black spot"...we might even pretend to shoot a goose on my farm with my 8 bore DH in a loud act of civil disobediance!:corn:

[charlie cleveland]

sounds like the hunting trip was enjoyed by all espically me... maybe destrey can buzz me when yall get down tunica way..im not to far from there 1 1/2 hour away...looking for them next reports... charlie

[Destry L. Hoffard]

Charlie,

I'm not going to make it down to Beaver Dam with them this year unfortunately. If I'm passing through on one of my crop protection shoots down in the southern part of your state I'll try to give you a ring.


Destry

[Destry L. Hoffard]

I shot the big 34 inch gun every day but one, wish I'd have taken it along that time as well. The Swamp Angel and I get along pretty well, though the ducks don't seem to like the old girl much.....

Destry

P.S. Just entered my band numbers on the government website and both came up with no information available so it looks like both were probably banded this year. Info will come through later in the winter when the banders get all their dated complied.

[Bruce Day]

Very interesting report, and great writing. Sure would like to see pictures.

[charlie cleveland]

hope yall have many new stories to tell as the season goes by...gonna try a little duck hunting my self if any them northern ducks get by the swamp angel and that big ithaca magnum... charlie