DICKENS AND WATERFOWL

I am currently in Fairbury waiting for the snow goose migration. So far, we have had a little stutter- start to the season. 

What appeared to be an early start for the snow goose migration has returned to a more normal time frame. The back-to-back snow storms that hit Kansas and Missouri have pushed most of the geese back to Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas. However, we have seen a small migration beginning the last few days. The forecast calls for warmer weather and  hopefully that will kick things into high gear.

The 2012-2013 fall/winter waterfowl season was on a similar roller coaster. November through mid-December saw above normal temperatures along with continuation of the drought.  The North Platte experienced reduced flows; however, we had enough water at our river location in Nebraska. The river refuge at Lingle had enough water to attract the ducks and geese. We also had sufficient water in our lake in Wyoming.

The warmer than normal weather did affect our goose hunting this year. We had fewer big Canadas and significantly more lesser Canadas in both Wyoming and Nebraska. For the second year in a row, many of the big guys stayed in Montana. In February 80% of our geese were little yappers.

Have I mentioned I harbor a great dislike of the lesser Canada goose? They usually fly in huge flocks which makes them difficult to decoy into our normal shooting range. Oh, they get you all revved up when a hundred of them lock up and descend to eighty yards. But like the cheerleader in high school they usually break your heart. Well, not every time. I seem to recall a late night swim at Villa Springs that...never mind.

November through mid-December daily limits were the norm. It was the best mallard hunting I have ever had anywhere!

December 18th brought a sharp change in our weather. It was our first snow of the year accompanied by bitter temperatures. From then until the end of the season we were on two-week weather cycles. Two weeks of bitter cold  followed by two weeks of record warmth.

Weather changes are generally good for hunting. It causes the birds to get out of their daily routines. However, when it is either cold or warm for two-week periods the birds get patterned very quickly. And JJ gets very frustrated very quickly.

That being said, 2012-2013 season was WyoBraska Waterfowl's best season ever. We set records for mallard harvest as well as for geese. The record that is most gratifying is the record for number of clients.


It was the best of times, it was the worst of times....  (Charles Dickens)

Mostly the best.

DUCKS GEESE AND GHOSTS

In 1854, along the banks of the North Platte River, east of Ft. Laramie, WY, a small detachment of soldiers entered an encampment of 4000 Sioux to arrest a man accused of taking a migrant's cow, although such matters by treaty were to be handled by the US Indian Agent. The Sioux refused as the cow had wandered into the village; they had not stolen the cow as they were accused. The situation escalated quickly to the point of one of the soldiers shot Chief Conquering Bear in the back and killed him. The Lakotas returned fire and killed a total of 29 soldiers, Lt. John Grattan, and a civilian interpreter. The massacre, as it was called by the American press, was the beginning of the bloody Plains Indian Wars.

The soldiers were buried in a mass grave near where they fell. My new pit is on the site of the fight. I call it the Grattan Pit. Many ducks and geese have met the same fate as Lt. Grattan. 

I am happy to report that none of my combatants were shot in the back. However, there are reports of ghosts near the marker. Rightly so.

limit geese

limit mallards and geese

the casualties of the skirmish

BEVERLY HILLS DUCKS AND GEESE

As they looked out their window, the faint light of the approaching sunrise caused the gunners' adrenaline level to rise in anticipation of what lay ahead of them. They had no idea of what to do or how to do it. They just knew this is where they were meant to be.

In order to select the best mentor, countless evenings over several weeks  had been spent in front of the computer researching "the best of the best" There could be no compromise.

The gentleman they selected understood the importance of this day. He wanted this day to be an introduction to an experience that would enrich the rest of their lives.

It was the start of another day at the Beverly Hills Gun Club.

************

In 1996 I was working as the lead fly fishing guide for Jan's Mountain Outfitters in Park City, Utah. A couple and their 8-year old daughter walked into the store and said they wanted to learn how to fly fish. I actually love the opportunity to introduce people to the amazing outdoors.

Whether it is fly fishing, hunting ducks, geese, pheasants or turkeys, I am not only blessed to have a hand in the improvement of peoples' skills but I also have the solemn obligation of introducing them to a world they have never known.

Shelley and Brian Kadison and their daughter, Paisley, were destined to become converts to JJ's world. The Kadisons have not only remained great clients but we have become very close friends.

The Kadison Family fly fished with me every summer in Utah and continued to fly fish with me when I made the move to Wyoming. However, something very alarming happened along the way. Paisley became older while Shelley, Brian and I remained locked in an ageless time warp. Paisley graduated from high school, graduated from USC, attended Oxford University and has a law degree from Stanford University. She now works for a law firm in New York City. And she still loves to fly fish.

Brian and Paisley fished with me this summer on the Grey Reef. Each year, during our time on the river the discussion always comes around to my Labradors and that discussion served as a segue into hunting.  Brian has said for years that he wanted to experience waterfowling. Having never hunted a day in his life he made the leap and booked a hunt for his wife, Shelley, and himself.

Neither Shelley or Brian had ever fired any type of gun before.  Consequently, my first suggestion was to take shooting lessons. Living in Beverly Hills (yes, the official 90210), they took their instruction at the  the only gun club in the area. The Beverly Hills Gun Club.

Fast forward to December 14, 2012. That evening I met Shelley and Brian at the Holiday Inn and made our plans for the morning. I am guessing the Kadisons don't, as a general rule, have breakfast at 5:00 am at the local diner. But this morning it was the Pineapple Grille. I was hoping "Pineapple" is close enough to "palm" to make them feel not too out of their comfort zone. Main Street, Torrington - Rodeo Drive (Ro-day-O - not bull riding), Beverly Hills. Similar yet different.

The morning was one of those magical moments on the North Platte. Ducks and Canadas were everywhere. Bunch after bunch of mallards dropped from the sky. The shooting was enthusiastic albeit not always effective. My guess is they probably did not go 25 straight at the Beverly Hills Gun Club either.

Molly put on quite a show making long blind retrieves and chasing wing-tipped birds downstream.  I now know that the main reason Shelley was there was to watch the dogs work.

I am so very blessed to be able to introduce people to experiences they could never imagine. Shelley and Brian are now converts to the wonderful world of waterfowling.

I hope no one tells my lab, Molly, she has an open invitation to take up residence in 90210.

Day 1

Day 2

THE BAHA MEN AND WATERFOWL

Irving Berlin, Ira Gershwin, Johnny Mercer, Cole Porter, Burt Bacharac, Oscar Hammerstein and Bob Marley are all great lyricists who have enriched our lives. Their songs play over and over on the soundtrack in our heads.

Randy Newman has never enriched a damn thing. Randy Newman sucks. I would love to take Randy Newman hunting on a -20 day with wind NNW at 30 with gusts to 50.  I am confident there would be a hunting accident. Randy Newman sucks.

Perhaps the greatest song of all time was written and performed by the Baha Men.

Who let the dogs out?
Who, who, who, who, who?
Who let the dogs out?
Who, who, who, who, who?

I apologize. I fear the lyrics are now permanently etched in the tiny space reserved for only your most cherished memories.

I can't promise this will be the last blog on my black lab, Molly.

If you have been following this blog, you know Molly's road to membership in the WyoBraska Waterfowl Retriever Club was not exactly on paved highways. Molly is now the lead dog. The many long hours of training over the past two years is paying huge dividends.

Danielle is now ten years old. She has earned the title of the Platte River Specialist. Dani is simply the ultimate retriever on the North Platte. I can't recall ever losing a downed bird with her. 400 yard blind retrieves on birds in the current or long blind retrieves on sailing birds into the woods are common place with her. She now hunts one day every two weeks.

Molly is well on her way to the same lofty status. She has been impeccable on her whistle commands and hand signals. I have not lost a bird with her this year. She is the steadiest dog I have ever had. She will sit outside all day and watch client dogs make the "easy" retrieves and never complain. But when the degree of difficulty is above the pay grade of the other dogs she is eager to show her stuff.

Molly still has a few little quirks. Large Canadas pose a problem for her. Being a small dog, her mouth is not big enough to wrap around a honker. You try lifting a 12 lb goose with your mouth. It ain't that easy.

Our apprentice retriever is 11 month old Tommie.  She has had a couple of ten plus duck days on the river and displays all the attributes I need in my retrievers.

Molly has big paws to fill. Her disposition and size remind everyone of the legendary Brooks. Brooks; Harvey; Ally; Zile; Danielle and AZ have set the bar high. By the end of the spring snow goose season, Molly will be reaching for the top rung.

Molly

Who let these dogs out? I believe only God.

Tommie

AZ

Dani

MOTHER BE WHUPPIN' MY BUTT

November 2012 has been one of the driest and warmest ever recorded. Torrington received a meager 0.6 inches of precipitation during the month. The high temp for the month was 76 degrees on November 21st. The end of November should bring us high temps in the low 40's and night time temps around 15 degrees.The 30th of November the high was 67 and the low was 27.

Thank heavens Montana had one storm in the middle of the month that pushed some birds south. Truth is it caused one of the most dramatic migration days I have ever seen. Canada geese and mallards came down the river all day long. Flock after flock of five hundred to a thousand lesser Canadas raced by on their way to Colorado, Oklahoma and north Texas. Skeins of snow geese were accompanied by spirals of sandhill cranes as well the tail end migration of gadwall and blue wing teal.

There are two major things that move big Canadas and northern mallards; ice and snow. Their water must freeze and snow must cover their food. If they have open water and a food source, cold alone will not move them.

Now that my pity party is over, I have to confess that November was my best month ever for mallards! I am blessed to hunt in perhaps the finest location for consistent mallard hunting in the entire US. I hesitate to say exactly how many mallards my hunters have taken because I don't want area hunters to know how good I am doing. In November we bagged more mallards than we took all of last season. And I didn't start hunters until the 10th!

Suffice to say, Mother Nature took a swing, butt she missed!

]

BOOM....BOOM....BOOM

Game on!

The 2012-2013 waterfowl season is officially underway. There has been a surprising number of mallards on the river. Our mallards normally don't arrive until mid-November, but we certainly welcome the early arrivals. We have had several great days on the river. 

However, none was more spectacular than November 7th. Accompanying me was my Dad, Michael, and my good friend Aaron Garcia. Aaron is the current Wyoming state goose calling champion. But this day was all about mallards. 

The balmy morning certainly didn't portend what we were about to witness. Shooting time was 6:10 and as if late for an appointment,  the 150 mallards broke from "on high" (for the WMIM).  Following their downwind leg they turned final, pulled full flaps and Boom....Boom....Boom............Boom................Boom! Five greenheads were doing their best spinning class impressions.

A flock 250+ came down river. The split second the high-balls from the Carlson calls reached the mallards, all 250 locked up. As they dropped altitude they were joined by 150 mallards who were heading up river. The first flock and their new best friends circled once and dropped into the decoys. 400 mallards in the water. All inside of 30 yards. There wasn't any Boom....Boom....Boom. We did not fire a shot! Too many and too majestic. I know I will never tire of witnessing that spectacle.

They kept flying and we decoyed flock after flock. Most flew away. We took a couple singles and decided  that was enough. Aaron's puppy, Briley, is a litter mate to Tommie. Briley flawlessly made the retrieves this morning. They are going to be great dogs.

I have never seen this many mallards on the North Platte this early in November. If (read big if) it continues,  the 2012-2013 season could be one for the record books.

Retriever Update

This early season has allowed me to get lots of work for the young dogs. Tommie is progressing at warp speed. Her water entries are explosive. She is learning how to handle live birds in the river as well as track them along the banks. I could not be more pleased with her.

Molly continues to solidify her status as lead retriever. She is handling beautifully and learns more about the river every day. We have not lost a duck this year with Tommie and Molly.

AZ and Dani are also getting some work. However, both need a couple days to recuperate after a morning of retrieving.

Best Day of All

Friday, October 26th, my son, Brayden, did not have school because of a teacher conference. He said he wanted to go duck hunting. The night before I told him he could pick which dog would accompany us in the morning. He picked AZ. He also insisted on bringing his Red Ryder BB Gun.

At 5:00 AM he was dressed in his Carharts and camo jacket. I was fairly confident he would last about 15 minutes in the blind. I set the decoys and we settled into the blind. The early migration consisted of teal and gadwall. We decoyed several flocks of "gaddys" and I shot a couple. As each minute passed I was waiting for the "Dad, I'm bored. Can we go now?" I answered questions about the migration: Why do ducks have different feathers?; How do they name the different ducks?; Do ducks have tongues?; Can we clean one here?; If AZ likes ducks, why doesn't she eat them?; How do weathermen predict the weather? (they don't); Can you go to McDonalds and bring back lunch?; How many do you think I shot? I know I shot two!

I could have shot a limit of gadwall, but elected to wait for the greenheads. At 10:00 I had two gadwall and three mallards.  I said, "B we have to go now we have our limit." " No Dad, I want to stay and play duck hunter!" At 2:00 I pleaded, "B we have to go now!" He reluctantly acquiesced.

A perfect day. And the Lord smiled.

Brayden's Gadwall

SUMMER'S PROMISE ALMOST GONE

Yesterday, October 2, 2012, was an idyllic day on the North Platte.

As the light crawled across the sage and filled the canyons, the temperature followed the light's lead. From a chilly start in the mid-40s the temp climbed to 83 in the afternoon. The wind remained light and the trout seemed to celebrate the day as well.

From a distance, mini-clouds of Tricorythodes (Tricos) resemble puffs of white dust. Pods of rising trout were feasting on the spinners as they fell in the shallows. As I witnessed the spectacle, I was reminded of a line from A River Runs Through It. "Nobody who did not  know how to fish would be allowed to disgrace a trout by catching him."

The fly fishing has been spectacular this year. The fishing this fall has been unequivocally the best in all my years on the North Platte. Gin clear water, prolific hatches and hungry trout. What could be better?

Today we said goodbye to summer. The high today was 38 and the wind was relentless.  Today was time for streamers.  Countless 20+ inch fish chased the streamers and made their way to the net.

It is time for the fly rods to be put away and  park the Clackacraft for the winter.

It is time for waterfowl.

Dog Update

Molly and Tommie have made tremendous progress this summer.

Molly will be a great hunting partner this season. She is doing long (300+ yard) blind retrieves and never misses a hand signal. She may have the best nose of any lab I have ever had. Molly got some time during the recent Sage Grouse season and she expertly tracked down several wounded birds. She will assume the lead retriever position this season.

Tommie is now 10 months old.  She has grown from a little black puppy to the tallest of all my dogs and loves to train. She is steady as a rock and is delivering to hand with style and enthusiasm. Tommie is doing multiple marks and is doing well on her lining drills. She soaks up each new step in her training like a thirsty sponge. I can't wait to spend time in the blind this season with her.

Dani and AZ, are doing fine. However, they both are having the aches and pains that inevitably come with age. Although their time in the field will be reduced, it will be impossible to reduce their desire to hunt. The old dogs also got to hunt during the Sage Grouse season. Dani reaffirmed her place as the upland specialist. She covers ground like a pointer and rousts birds out the thickest of cover. On the last day, AZ trailed a wing tipped grouse for three hundred yards in the sage brush and proudly brought the bird to hand.

The girls and I have been training most evenings, with the young ones getting most of the work. Dani and AZ getting tune ups as the young girls continue their education.


2012-2013 Waterfowl Season Preparations

I will be heading back to Torrington in a couple weeks.  My last day on the river will be October 15th. There is lots of work to do to get ready for the upcoming season.

We pulled the lake pit due to water seeping into the pit. The culprits were muskrats tunneling into the bank in front of the pit. The pit was allowed to dry over the summer. In September, Grant Harpstreith and Kris "Petey" Peterson put the pit back in the ground. Before the pit was dropped into the ground, the hole was lined with a pond liner and  reinforced mesh. Petey had some extra liner from his landscaping business. I can't thank him enough for his help (I think there may be someone in Aspen who might have a leaky pond). My dad, Michael, checked on the lake today and said the water level is great. He also noted the lakes held hundreds of blue wing teal, gadwalls, wigeon and mallards. You kids are safe for awhile!

The Henry field is looking great. The winter wheat has been planted and is already growing. Thank heavens we have center pivot irrigation! The corn should be ready to be picked soon.   Many area farmers have had to cut their corn for silage because of the drought. The crop won't be as good as last year but will certainly provide adequate food for the birds.

The Lingle pit has been the premier pit in Goshen County for many years. Last year four times as many geese were harvested from this pit as from any other pit in the county. My only concern is the amount of water for the river on the refuge. Extreme drought conditions exist throughout the North Platte drainage. Hoping they will release enough water to hold the birds.

I have the same concerns for the river in Nebraska. The advantage of low water for the duck hunting is that we should have more choices for great decoy water. Last year's blind location may have to be relocated due to low water. I will keep it there if we can. The final location will be determined in early November, but we will probably have to be mobile this year as water levels change.

I am ready; dogs are ready; decoys are ready; pits and blinds will be soon. Hope the birds are ready.