Despite feeling under the weather, I was determined to hunt this morning. However, no one else shared my enthusiasm. My cousin had the flu, my brother had to fly back to Boulder, and everyone else was either working or didn't want to get up at two in the morning. My wife asked me last night if I wanted to push the hunt till tomorrow, and offered to cut our plans short tonight so I could sleep. I told her no, I had a good feeling about today.

After the death march it takes to reach this hole, I threw out a hand full of decoys and contemplated wringing the sweat out of my clothes. There was no wind, and I was cussing myself for forgetting a jerk string. It didn't matter though, I was done nine minutes after shooting light. It was still so dark I had to listen for the 'bbrrrreeeepp' to pick out the drakes. I pulled the drake out of a pair of woodies that buzzed in, and then settled in to wait on a black. Not this time, I didn't see a single one. Still hoping for fresh birds...




Banded 8/31/13 in NR Aylmer Ontario. Hatched 2012 or earlier.