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09-26-2012, 10:39 PM
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Wow, sounds like a great hunt and trip. Maybe you guys can post some pics of the hunt and the surrounding landscape.
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09-29-2012, 07:56 PM
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Brian,
Don was having internet connection problems so wasn't able to post further reports while we were there. We had a tremendous week, pretty well limits all around every day for all involved. I think the best morning for me was the last one. Don and I were on "The Pass" which is nothing but a lane in the trees on a literal duck pass between two marshes. He was shooting his Fox HE that formerly belonged to Marse Henry himself and I was shooting the big Parker as usual. The birds were high and sporty but we were both dialed in with deadly precision after a full week of gunning. It didn't take too much time or too many cartridges till we had 11 mallards and one black on the ground to fill out our final days limit. Just the sort of situation for the big guns and heavy loads to really shine. To ice the cake, when we got everything picked up, Don had a banded bird and I had two. I've seen multiple goose bands shot on the same outing but that was a first for me on ducks. Don already had another band from earlier in the week so the jewelry was certainly thick on that stretch of river this year. We didn't take too many pictures this time, I think I've got a couple I'll try to post eventually. It was my fifth trip and Don's sixth so there wasn't much to take new photos of I guess. We stay in a little 2nd story camp right on the channel, we sit on the porch and smoke cigars, the booze flows free of an evening, and we eat like kings. Don does all the cooking, I cleaned the ducks, and the Brothers McCormack took turns on cleanup duty. The camp runs like a well oiled machine. Always a pleasure to spend a week with gentlemen such as those. We had an empty chair this year though, and I think we all found our eyes wandering to it often. It just wasn't the same without Russ Bickel....... Regards, Destry
__________________
I was as virtuously given as a gentleman need to be; virtuous enough; swore little; diced not above seven times a week; went to a bawdy-house once in a quarter--of an hour; paid money that I borrowed, three of four times; lived well and in good compass: and now I live out of all order, out of all compass. Falstaff - Henry IV |
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| The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Destry L. Hoffard For Your Post: |
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09-29-2012, 08:50 PM
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Hey Destry,
I am literally picturing your entire story while broiling here in Calif. with the longest stretch of 90º in...well, too long. Grabbed the wife, went outside the shack, and smoked a cigar on the front porch, but alas, not a duck in sight this afternoon. That really does sound neat finding a good pass too shoot fly by's with a buddy. Yeah, three banded ducks is pretty amazing for certain. I'm 60 and have been duck hunting since 16 years old and haven't gotten one yet. My partner has three or four duck bands and tripled on teal last season. One was a blue winged teal which is very rare for us in the central valley. We've been hunting for 20 years and he's 66; can't even imagine hunting without him one of these days. Sorry about your buddy, Russ. Went to the taxi to have it mounted for him thinking the duck karma gods might bestow some good JuJu on me this year. Hope and optimism is a duck hunters stock and trade. You guys have the more traditional style hunting adventures, as we are only 15 minutes from town and can see cars on the interstate in the distance. Just not the same for us. BUT, we are still duck hunting in California and not breaking the law(s) which is pretty amazing. Pretty sure it's still legal. Best, Brian |
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09-30-2012, 10:54 AM
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Quote:
As I said previously, my ex's Uncle had the dream setup...had a shack on the shore (booze and fish chowder with fresh caught St. Lawrence "Dory" which is a Walleye) had a flat bottom wooden boat that was pushed/pulled to the water's edge on wooden skids laid out on the ground...a little 1940's Evinrude 3 hp egg beater moved you through the marsh's myriad, canals and passageways until you reached your own "opening" in the marsh where you glided the small craft into a permanent (for the season) hide, lined with cedar boughs...perfect setup and a joy to partake in...we had Bluebird days that time and the ducks were spaced out but frequent enough to keep the time passing...in between ducks, there was a bottle of Tanqueray in the old man's sack which he happily shared in tin cups...I'll tell you, it was as if you were back 50 years in time sitting on that marsh...what a treat for me to have been able to experience it as a young man...I had said it was in the 1980's but after thinking a bit, it was definitely in 1976, 77,78, before my kids came along. I had an old Remington 11-48 semi auto 30" full choke which served my purposes well in those days...for everything from duck to pheasant to partridge and doodles... How I wish I could go there again and relive the memories...! Perhaps a Quebec trip will be in order sometime soon! Sounds like you guys have it pretty good up there yourselves...thanks for sharing the experience! |
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10-01-2012, 09:53 AM
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We hunt in the "marais"...a swampy private island separated by canals from a 1200 acre DU impoundment. Most of the blinds are on the canals themselves but there are a few blinds on small ponds on the island's interior. The "pass shooting" on the final morning Destry alluded to was done on the edge of the canal between two of the the canal blinds at a certain spot favored by the mal'lats for crossing the canal due to the lower height of the trees there...nothing less than 45 yard shots using 1 3/8 oz of Bis Maxx 4s and tight chokes. Were were done by 7:15 that morning. The outfitter also does snow geese hunts near Rimouski on the Gaspe' and specializes in divers out on the main channel of the big river in sinkboxs and 1 1/2 hour boat ride from the lodge. We have done this but only later in the season when the divers begin to migrate. Only a 7 1/2 hour drive from home and some of the consistently best duck hunting in North America.
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10-01-2012, 07:52 PM
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You reminded me of another time when I also hunted the main channel for whistlers/divers with an old girlfriend of my ex wife. When I say she was the most masculine, woman I had ever met, I mean she could do whatever a man could do...big woman who was single...picked me up with her truck and boat and all but launched the 20 ft boat herself with no trouble whatsoever...she could speak NO English and I, no French, so it was an interesting day to say the least! As we cruised some shallows looking for a spot to anchor we came across an un-exploded military shell (big one about 3 ft long!) She was trying to move it with an oar (I think she wanted it as a souvenir) but I somehow persuaded her (with sign language or something!) to leave it be and move along! Back then the Canadian Army used to use that part of Lac St Pierre as a firing range and at certain times you would hear a BOOM from the South shore and the round whistling overhead...then the resulting BOOM at the terminal end some miles away! Do they still use that as a firing range??? |
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10-02-2012, 08:15 AM
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I have never heard any explosions while on Lac St. Pierre. On the other hand on the upper Chesapeake, deep booms and shaking earth are an everyday occurence while waterfowling. The Aberdeen Proving Grounds is still perfecting the Bunker Buster...The US took over thousands of acres of the finest gunning land in the country in 1917 and has kept it ever since. The days of the Carroll Island Club and many others ended in one fell swoop of the exercise of eminent domain. I blame the Kaiser!
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Destry finished our morning with a double on a pair of blacks with his 34" DHE at 7:05 then we walked through the woods to watch Kevin and Tom finish up their limits by 8:30.
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