If we'd have taken a swim that day it might have been our last one. Wind kicked up (very unexpectedly) as we were crossing Lake St. Clair. We were closer to our destination than we were from the dock so we kept going. Just as we started to get close we took a big roller over the front of the boat and about half filled it up. Thankfully we'd just broken from 6 feet of water to about 2 feet and were able to get it on into the shallows to bail it out.

I saw something that day I'd not seen happen before. I shot at a crippled canvasback that was sitting right in the decoys. The wind literally blew my shot pattern about two feet to the right of the duck. I had to literally lead the stationary bird a couple feet to the left so I could hit it.

Richard and I were shooting Kent TM and were still managing to kill ducks pretty well despite the wind. Nathan was shooting steel and I don't think killed one till the breeze finally calmed a bit a couple hours into the morning. The wind was completely blowing his lighter steel shot pattern away.


If I've told this story before please pardon me, It's a good one and I think of that morning often.


DLH

I remember that trip well also. That trip back to the docks was pretty iffy and if I remember right I was so cold I likely wouldn't have noticed if we had sunk! And I remember well your shot getting blown off by the wind. Never seen that before or since.

The wind had eased up a little bit by the time we headed back but it was still plenty sporty. If it hadn't we would have just had to sit out there till it did I guess. It was plenty chilly, I ran out of coffee before noon.

I've hunted that lake probably hundreds of times, but there aren't maybe half a dozen hunts that often come to mind. That's one of them.....

Are there any issues taking the gun into or out of canada?

Going into Canada you have to stop at the border, fill out a form, and give them $25 bucks. Once in awhile they'll come out and actually look at the gun. At the smaller crossings, mostly you just go inside, do the paperwork, and walk out. At the bigger crossings like Windsor they usually come out and look at them. The permit is good for 60 days. Some years, when I hunt over there a lot, I have to buy the damn thing three times.

If you're taking the gun out of the country for the first time you have to stop on the American side and get a little form. Essentially they're checking to see if the serial number is listed as stolen, that's the only reason for it. There's no charge and once you've got one it's good as long as you still own the gun.


DLH

Destry - It may be worth your time to get a Canadian Possession and Acquisition license. Good for 3 years I believe. Much cleaner process. Basically, you waste a Saturday taking a mostly useless class in Windsor, and then get your certificate

Yeah, I took that class actually, but never got around to applying for the actual permit. It was in the couple years where Nathan wasn't hunting and I was only going over a few times a season. I wonder if I've still got the graduation certificate around somewhere.....

Destry