Getting Ready for Duck Hunting!

Well, here it is. Two posts in one week! I knew I could do it!

Dad and I spent the afternoon this past Tuesday getting the bigger items ready for duck opener this fall. I had some decoys that had lost their weights last year that needed to be fixed. Dad's decoys didn't need any repairs this year at all! Once we got the decoys fixed, I had to blow mine up (Yes, I used an inflatable heavy rubber duck decoy....they came with the S.S. Dinghy when Shannon gave it to me....I love them, they are very durable and realistic looking....I just need to find some more of the same kind now!) and get them bagged up. Even though it might not seem like much fun, there is just something about getting decoys ready on a cool fall afternoon that really gets you in the mood for duck hunting!

After we got the decoy situation taken care of it was time to move onto the duck boat. To be honest, when I first got the boat, I figured I might use it during the summer and do a little fishing on some local lakes, but the reality is that it is a duck boat that get used for duck hunting....and that is it. So needless to say, the boat hasn't seen water and the motor has ran since last year. We got it loaded up and brought it down to Bush Lake again to try it out. After getting it launched and a couple pulls on the motor we were off. That is until the middle of the lake when the motor died and wouldn't restart. The motor was dripping gas everywhere and nothing we could do helped to get it running again. So, I had the task of rowing us back to the boat launch. We loaded it up and returned home to hopefully fix the motor!

When we brought the boat home we found the problem right away, one of the spark plugs had worked itself loose and was leaking cause and causing no compression. We got the motor cleaned up and the spark plug tightened and "bench" tested it in a garbage can full of water. It was working great! We brought it back down to the lake, took a 20 minute cruise and got the mixture ratios dialed in. The S.S. Dinghy is now ready for another season!

The final thing I did to get ready for the duck hunting season (outside of actually packing) is install my new GPS in the 'burban. If you remember right, I got a new GPS as a groom's gift for my brother's wedding but I have yet to install it. I spent a couple hours yesterday and got the GPS mounted and wired into the 'burban. It looks great and has been working very well. I can't wait to use it on the way up north.

Well, there it is. Tomorrow Dad and I will be heading up north. I want to wish all of you fellow duck hunters good luck this weekend! Stay safe and good luck!