Duck Hunting 2008 - Trip #1

October 3 - October 5, 2008

This post marks the start of my 18th year duck hunting! I have no idea where the years went, but I really wish I did a better job documenting them....

The plan this year was that Dad and I were going to leave at about 0800 on Friday morning and meet my cousin Rob, his step-son A.J., and their new dog Tucker at the Forty. Then later in the day, Rob's friend Scott, and my brother Michael (and his dog Tanner) would be joining us. Dad and I hit the road in the 'burban with the S.S. Dinghy in tow a little after 0800. I realized that this was the first year that I had driven the 'burban to the Forty! Dad drove all last year and the year before I still had my truck. Anyway, after a quick two hour drive with only a little traffic here in town, we were in Alexandria. I gave Rob a call to see where they were at and it turns out he got a late start due to A.J.'s football game and they were just leaving. Dad and I had to run a couple errands (I still had to get my hunting license!) and we decided to get some food. After we got done eating, Rob and A.J. weer just getting into the Forty so we drove out and met them there.

After we got the 'burban unloaded and the cabin set up, Dad and I drove down to the east slough to get the decoys set up. We piled the decoys in the S.S. Dinghy and set off into the water. The only problem is the boat motor wouldn't start! Dad and I both took many turns pulling on the starting cord to the old Johnson 3 hp, but nothing would work to get it going! Then, to make matters worse, from all the continued pulling, we messed up the starter recoil...so now even if we figured out what was wrong with the motor, we still wouldn't be able to get it started. So, I provided the horsepower this time and we set off across the slough. We got all four decoy spreads set out in a little over an hour (not including the time we were messing with the motor) and we headed back up to the cabin.

When we got back up to the cabin, Rob and A.J. had finished getting the sheds cleaned out and their duck blinds set up. We all started talking about dinner about the time Rob's friend Scott called saying he was at the top of the road and needs a ride in. Scott drives a VW Passat and it lacks the needed ground clearance to get down the road into the Forty. We got him picked up and decided to eat at The Hatchery Bar & Grill in the nearby town of Lowry, MN. Friday night features the all you can eat fish fry! After we stuffed ourselves with fish and some beers, we headed back to the Forty for a camp fire. My brother Michael called and said he was just pulling into the Forty as we were leaving, so now everyone was accounted for! Since duck opener isn't until 0900 on Saturday morning, we stayed up until about 2300 or so, sitting around the camp fire, drinking a couple beers, and talking about past duck hunting trips. What a great way to start off the season!

I have never liked the 0900 opening time for duck hunting, but it beats the 1200 time it used to be. We all got up at about 0630 and starting making coffee and having some breakfast. When we were getting done with breakfast we were joined by my uncle's neighbor, Stan and his dog Daisy. We all headed down to our blinds at about 0830 and got settled in. The 0900 opening came and we were met by shotgun blasts in the distance, then the ducks started coming in. The weather was cool, but there wasn't a cloud in the sky, a total blue bird day. I ended up with a pair of woodducks for the day. The others in our group all got a couple too, but overall it was a pretty slow opener. We all stayed in the blinds until the closing time at 1600 and then headed back up to the cabin.

When we got back up to the cabin, we got the ducks plucked and cleaned and decided to do dinner at The Hatchery again. The Saturday night special was ribs (which I can't stand, so I had a chicken and Swiss) and everyone ate very well. We headed back to the Forty and were all in bed by 2200 or so. I kept thinking about how on Sunday morning at least we got to hunt 1/2 before sunrise!

Sunday morning we all woke at about 0530. We got the coffee going and had a quick breakfast. The weather was kinda windy and the temps were cool, but not as cool as I would have liked. Stan drove in again and joined us for the morning hunt. We all headed down to our blinds and I had the chance to watch another amazing sunrise at the Forty! The hunting was pretty much like the day before, some birds flying, but not a ton, some wind, no clouds. I took advantage of the lull in the action and reconstructed my blind. The structural integrity of my old blind was gone and I wanted to be closed to the water. Dad and I used bits and pieces from my old blind and some newly acquired downed branches and built a much nicer and improved blind close to the water!

The rest of the Sunday morning hunt was pretty uneventful...just not a ton of birds in the air. We all called it a day around 1100 or so when it started sprinkling. We got back up to the cabin and started getting the birds cleaned. A.J. had his first bird cleaning lesson by my Dad and did a very good job.

After we got the birds cleaned and packed up, we got the vehicles packed up, the S.S. Dinghy loaded, and said our goodbyes for the weekend. Overall, it was a pretty uneventful duck opener, we had some luck, but nothing to write home about. All of the dogs did a very good job, it was great being up north, and the company was good. Not much to complain about at all! Now just another week till the next trip!

Trip bird/species count:
(2) Bufflehead
(1) Hooded Merganser
(2) Mallard
(5) Woodduck
(1) Blue Winged Teal