Every year we open up the early Maryland duck season, at a large blind situated along a heavily wooded creek near Urieville. It's always been a good early season blind with wood ducks and greenwings in predominance. We use it a few times during the year and two years ago on the season's last day, it produced a banded black/mallard hybrid drake for me.This year The Colonel, Russ and I showed up on Friday at the old 1704 Queen Anne brick farmhouse we use as a base during the season in the midst of the first of back to back nor'easters. Our guide could not help mention with a sly smile, "Well, boys, we've got weather." After a bit of ballgame watching and the ritual sipping of some Pikesville Maryland Straight Rye we hit the sack with the Yankees up 3-1. This morning it was raining and 42 degrees with swirling winds. Russ took his "rain gun", a 30" VHE with a Miller trigger, The Colonel his trusty Fox HE and I went with my Parker DH 32" 20g #2 frame magnum. At shootin' time it was still too dark to shoot but at about 7 o'clock we lit into a flock of mallards flying below a gaggle of Canadas...Strike Out! Hmmmm, how did that happen? The rain came down and a few ducks came by and a few fell and a few didn't. We picked at them, a greenwing here and a woodie there, a pair of mallards until we had an unremarkable 8 ducks...What was remarkable perhaps even notable was by 11:20 we had 3 duck bands in the blind on the ankles of 2 mallards and a woodie. A 11:25 a pair of woodies pulled pass a snoozing Colonel going upstream haulin the frieght. As they dipped to give a passing glance at the dekes, Russ to my left, yelled, "Ducks!" just as I spied them myself. We jumped up. Russ took the rear woodrow while I swung on the front bird. We scored. Mine staggered with the first shot, clawed for altitude but my second dose of 1 1/4 oz of Tungsten Polymer 6s anchored it and both fell about 20 yards apart. Gunner, the Lab was sent for my bird first by Bernie the guide. When he brought it back to him, I heard Bernie say, "For God's sake! He tossed the woodie to me in the blind as I put down the big 20. Another band...Gunner was already on his way to pick up Russ' duck. I watched Bernie shake his head when Gunner brought it to hand. It was another banded bird for a total of 5. A fairly notable day, I'd say... we quit at noon. 3 bands for me and 2 for Russ...back at the house sitting around lunch with 3 of the guides we all agreed, the Urieville Blind will now and forever be known as "The Bling Blind"...a good day out with the Parkers...
"The Bling Blind"
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