Good luck to all. In spite of the hype by USFWS and DU etc. about the current state of duck populations (lots of them) I am currently experiencing the slowest year for shooting and seeing ducks since I started waterfowling in 1974.

Im envious.... a trip outta state about now sounds grand as the duck shooting here in south Jersey is quite slim to put it kindly... Brooklyn Handicap?? Tree Top Tall?? I may be wrong but I think Mr Buck was a T-totaler..if in fact that is the case ...Im sure he would'nt mind a gentleman having a tug of something southern say maybe Blantons or even better Pappy Van Winkle after a day in the woods marsh or field.
heres to a fun trip

There's always been some question about Mr. Nash and his drinking. He talks about people drinking in nearly every story, and several times you get the impression that he's joining in, though he does actually say in only one tale (that I can think of) he doesn't drink himself. I think he maybe didn't drink at one time but did drink at other times. There's a picture of him in Life (Don will correct me if I'm wrong on the magazine) holding what's obviously a cocktail of some kind in his hand.


Destry

Yes, in a 1944 issue of "Life" Nash is photographed with a highball in his hand sitting in Cousin Evelyn's home after a quail shoot. He also has a O/U in his hand in another Photo at Ev's gate. Things look very slow down here in Tunica. Baver Dam itself is very high but quite silent with ony a few (a very few) fowl. It is 65 degrees and raining...

"Things look very slow down here in Tunica. Baver Dam itself is very high but quite silent with ony a few (a very few) fowl. It is 65 degrees and raining... "

Hang in there "Boys" the cold weather should hit you today or tomorrow. Good luck....

Well, Beaver Dam was slow today, we were out in the Electra 225 Blind in the Southe Trails. To use Nash's phrase, "provender was scarce" We had a 32" DH and a 34" DHE ,both 12g factory long chambered 3 frames, in the blind and the guides a VH and a Fox. About 0800, 7 or 8 gadwalls dropped in and we took 3. Another one snuck in an hour later and I gave it a go but ony managed to cut off a one inch thick cypress branch directly over head. Another group of 15-18 grey ducks worked us hard but pulled up and fled...Ol' Ho'ace would have had a easy day today...mo' tomorrow. A little recce mission this afternoon near Arkabutla Lake found thousands of snows and blues feeding in the fields but precious few ducks. Normally, every other pothole you drive by around here has a few ducks in it...I blame Al Gore...

boys the temp is dropping so maybe things will change tommorrow...hopethem barrels get warm....charlie

We finished up our Mississippi trip with a total of 27 ducks over 3 days including a bluebill drake and a spoonie hen shot over some catfish ponds that we shot on one afternoon. These ponds were filled with ruddies even they proved quite "eloosive fowls" in Ho'ace's parlance. There were lots of snows around but no real way to get at them. There were gadwalls, too, in the air high over Beaver Dam on Sunday mawnin' but they just would not cooperate. We made the 1100 mile return trip without incident. Now I have to figure out when I can get done to my club in the Upper Chesapeake for somemore duck hunting below the Mason-Dixon Line.

Monday's Beaver dam report was 6 teal and 5 mal'larts.

How did the new #3 frame 12 34"er perform?

Well, John I am pretty sure I shot one mallard drake with it on the first day and then using Hevi-shot, a bluebill the second afternoon. A 34" 10 lb 3" 12 gauge was not really needed for either shot! Our "big day" was the second day when Russ and I limited out on mallards, gads and baldpate. We were both shooting "infernal contraptions". His was a Model 11D straight grip and mine a very early Grade 6 Remington Autoloading Shotgun.