Spontanous hunting trip.

So on Tuesdays I stay at home with Maddy. This Tuesday we were outside feeding the animals and I asked her if she wanted to go hunting. Her response was a simple yes. Her only request was that we bring her water, which was fine with me. So I packed her day bag with some crackers and duck jerky to snack on.

We set off to a spot I know grouse like to winter. I didn't want to be out long so I had a short trip in mind.

As soon as we get to where I think the grouse are one flushes into a tree. As i get out of the jeep another one flushes into a tree. As I load my gun a third flushes. Now I am trying to keep track were each one is. I find the first one that flushed and as I walked towards it it decides to leave and I dump it. I then went for the third one that flushed. As I see it in the tree I aim at it ready for it to flush as I get closer. While aiming at the third on About 10 feet away from me in my peripheral vision I see a the second one looking at me. I dump the third one and turn the the second still looking at me. I can only see his head and I know if it flushes out the back side of the tree I will not get another shot at it so I shoot it in the head  right out of the tree.

Remi jumped out of the jeep and went to work. She found the three big blue grouse right away. As I climbed back into the jeep a fourth grouse flushed about 40 yards up the hillside into the a tree. I load back up and walk up the hill. Just as I see it it flushes and I can not get a shot through the thick fir trees. Just then a fifth on flushes back down by the road. I try to see where it lands and I think I have a good line on it. As I am walking to where I think the grouse is two more flush out of a tree and I get one of them for my fourth and final grouse of my limit.

I walk back to the jeep which is about 30 yards with my four grouse. The smile on Maddy's face when I come back with birds is priceless. Maddy always asked for a tail feather or two to play with on the drive home.

This is my first limit of grouse in November.

We did stop by a lake up in the grouse woods to see if we could get some ducks but they did want to fly over me.

The next day I was up cutting wood. Driving home with my second trailer full of wood a ruffed grouse almost flew into the jeep. I watched it land in a tree I got out of the jeep and shot it and Lily went out a retrieved the bird.  When I got home my wife is has grouse envy with all the birds I have seen the past two days.

Hunting Octopus

There was a story on northwest cable news website about two guys hunting octopus. They were 100% legal in their actions and two anti's walked up to them and harrassed them like they were breaking the law asking them what they were doing. Aparently the two anti's have started trying to change the laws. If it starts here where does it end. I am asking all pro hunters and pro outdoors men and women to leave comments in support of the 2 outdoorsman just trying to follow the rules. This shouldn't even be a story at all but for ANTI hunting Seattle it is a big deal.

There is a first time for everything

So this year there have already been some firsts , like the $100 duck. But today will another first for me and my wife.

It all started the night before when my wife got home a little early so I decided to head down to the local duck hunting spot The Run Way and see what I could get.  I got to the first and best area to jump some ducks and I shot a triple in mallards. This area is a side channel of the Methow River and the area I hunt is the island it creates. After Remi retrieved all of my ducks we started to walk the loop of jump holes. I got to one of the bigger holes and to my surprise was a group of geese sitting on the bank. Now where I live in Washington State is Goose Management area 5. That means I can only shoot geese on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays during water fowl season. Since it was a Tuesday I was not able to shoot the geese. I went home with my three mallards and a plan.


The next morning Wednesday I got up early and got down to the hunting area before anyone else could. I sneaked into the area and sat down in some timber before day light in a light rain.  I was about 75 yards from where the geese were the night before. Luckily I had my phone on silent because my brother started texting me. I told him I was sneaking in on some geese and he told me he was making banana bread, which we both thought was funny.  At shooting hours I crawled in on the geese that happen to still be in the exact same spot. I didn't get as close as I wanted to but I was able to drop two out of the air with my first shot and missed with my second two shots.  As Remi was retrieving them from the water I heard a couple of geese calling. I turned around and two of them where flying just over the tree tops I knew it would be a long shot but I took it anyway. When I pulled the trigger one of them came crashing down to the ground with a big thud. I knew it was still alive with the way it came down so Remi and I got over to the other side of the channel as quick as we could. Remi Quickly found the goose trying to hid in a small clump of grass.

 I returned home to pack up the family for a over night trip of duck hunting over in another part of Okanogan County where our duck camp is. Lucky for us this involved driving over a dirt road where we hit about 6 inches of snow and snowing in the Jeep. WE love to play in the snow if our household. We got over to the hunting area with about 5 hours of hunting left. We got into camp and the wife wanted me to make lunch for her and Maddy. After lunch we got going to start hunting.


The first little pond produced a drake green winged teal. The second lake I shot at a green head but missed and hit a mallard hen and a pintail hen with the same shot. The third lake I shot triple on mallards because they were in a perfect spot for jumping.

The next little pond had a bunch of geese on it. I had my wife scare the pond and they flew remotely close to me. I knew I already had 3 of 4 for my limit of the day. So I picked out the last goose in the group and unloaded my gun on it. I could tell I hit it all three times I shot at it but it did not collapse. It struggled over the hill and into the lake about 1/2 mile away.

My wife, Maddy and I drove the jeep over to the lake while one of its friends joined the injured the goose in the lake.  A half hour later and a 3 mile swim around the lake for Remi chasing the wounded goose, I was able to get a shot on the injured goose so Remi could retrieve it and my wife killed her first Honker.

All I needed now was one more duck for my limit of ducks. I really only had one more option to hunt. A small jump pond just off of the main dirt road in the area. The problem with this pond is the ducks can see you coming as you drive up to it. As I pull up I can see a couple of mallards in the pond, one green head and one hen. I loaded up got behind a clump of tall grass and ran up to the lake. With my first shot I dumped the green head. This time Lily my 3 year old German Wire Haired Pointing Griffon went down and pulled the drake still alive out of the cattails. 

So lets review the firsts of the day: 1. Shooting geese at the Run Way below my house. 2. Shooting a limit of geese and ducks in the same day. 3. Wife killing her first goose.

It was an awesome day.

Grouse hunting with Dad

So every year in September after my Dad gets back from his boat trip to Alaska he tries to find some time to come to The Methow valley to do some grouse hunting with me. I always enjoy hunting with my Dad so I look forward to this every year.

This year he arrived and we basically had one day to hunt. So that morning we set out with the whole family because my wife and Maddy decided to tag along. We went to an area we call the upper road and went for a short hike. We did not see anything but had a fun trip.

We got back to the house and my wife went to work and my dad and I hung out with Maddy all day.

I like to start my evening hunts by leaving the house around 4PM. This time it was Maddy , my Dad and I. I decided to take him to the next canyon over from the house since we have been having good luck over there. We get off the main road and right away I spot a grouse on the side of the road. As the good host and guide I let Dad get out and shoot it as it flew up into the tree. About 200 yards down the road Dad spots a grouse running down the road. We get out and chase it and just as its getting into the brush and about to get over the hillside I say to Dad you better shoot it before its gone. Dad pulls the trigger and down it goes.

It is at this point I see how the day is going to go, I see the grouse Dad shoots it, Dad sees the grouse Dad shoots it.

Anyway we get to where we were going to start our hike with Maddy on my back and right away Dad see's what looks like the biggest grouse ever sitting on top of a rock. Dad sneaks up on it staying behind trees and shoots it. When the dog recovers it, it turned out to be the smallest runt hatchling ever. I thought it was a quail, HAHA.

The rest of the hike did not turn anything up. On the drive back home I see a grouse fly up into a tree. I jumped out of the car as fast as I could and shot it before Dad knew what was going on. In that split second I had two choices. Let Dad get it so he could have a limit of grouse and never hear the end of it how I was not able to shoot a grouse. Option two was shoot the grouse and hear about how I was so mean and didn't let Dad get a limit. Of course I chose the latter and shot my grouse.

The best part of hunting with my Dad is the variation of how everything happened. The same event will have a million different stories depending on who you ask. OOO what is going to happen next!

Weekend 2 of duck hunting

My family has been duck hunting the same area for around 65 years. This weekend something would happen that has never happened there before.

Friday after work I head up do duck camp like normal. My wife wasn’t feeling too well so she and Maddy decided to stay home. When I got into camp Dad and Ellen are already in camp with their new trailer AKA the castle. They have the fire burning which was great since the weekend before we couldn't have a fire due to an area burn ban. Later that night my sister E'lana and her kids and my little sister's (Ellary) boy friend (Caranza) with his little sister Jazmine showed up in camp.

The next morning we all got up and got ready to go like any other day hunting. The first couple lakes produced some Teal and Widgeon.

Caranza and his double banded Green Head

We get to the lake we call Rock Lake. E'lana goes around to scare the lake and I sneak into my spot. My dad and Caranza are a ways on the other side of the lake. While I am sitting in my hiding spot I can hear all the ducks splashing and talking in the water and I can tell they are mallards by the sounds they are making. Like a tornado they all get up as soon as E'lana shows herself. Just my luck they all go over Caranza and Dad. As I watch the Mallards start to fall I start walking their direction in case they need Remi my dog to help find the ducks. When I get there they have found all the ducks but one. They tell me the area where they think it fell and Remi goes to work. Remi get birdy a few times but isn't finding anything. Finally Caranza says he sees it in a mint bed about 75 yards away. When he picks it up he says it has two bands. Everyone gets excited; Caranza had never shot a banded bird let alone two bands. A two banded bird has never been shot in our group in this area; it only took 65 years and tens of thousands of ducks.


Day one results

Later sitting in the truck after a closer look at the band Caranza finds out that it is a "Reward Tag" worth $100. That has also never happened in a group I have been hunting with.

We continued to hunt and Remi had a stellar day. She was able to find numerous injured ducks in the thick cattails and bring them out. Remi even brought out a 100% healthy coot from the cattails.

At the end of the day we all had our limit of seven ducks and were happy. We returned to camp to clean the birds and tell the stories of past hunting trips around the campfire.



Day two results
 

Day two (Sunday) yielded 10 ducks. Sunday is a relaxed day where we don’t work as hard since everyone has a long drive home after hunting. It was a great weekend and can’t wait to be back at duck camp.

Hunting and protecting your hearing

This is a guest post from John O'Conner about hearing protection during hunting season after reading the article I think I am going to take a bit more care of my hearing.

Hi my name is John O'Connor, I am a father, outdoorsman and passionate about living a healthy lifestyle.  Over the past few years I have become more and more interested in hearing loss.  My father and grandfathers, who are and were all hunters, are affected by hearing loss.  I feel that there is a general lack of understanding around the issue and it is our job to spread awareness where we can.  Check out my new blog at bloggingwjohno.blogspot.com!

 

Hunting and Hearing Loss

With the arrival of fall and cooler weather, many outdoor enthusiasts are looking forward to hunting season. But before embarking on their hunting adventures, those actively engaging in shooting sports should always consider effective ear protection to safeguard their hearing. The extreme loudness of shots ringing out in close proximity to hunters' ears poses a permanent danger to healthy hearing if ears are not protected with some type of sound blocking device.

Depending on the type of weapon used, shots can reach up to 170 decibels in volume. However, all gunfire can be dangerously loud and cause temporary or permanent hearing loss to unprotected ears. Hearing loss may be immediate or occur by gradual onset. Hunters may initially experience characteristics like ringing in their ears shortly after exposure to firearm noise and find that they have difficulty discerning certain sounds. Constant ringing in the ear, also called tinnitus, is one of the telltale signs that damage to hearing may have been sustained.

It only takes one severe exposure to gunfire to damage hearing in hunters permanently. Noise-induced hearing impairments resulting from overexposure to loud noise during shooting sports may come with an array of safety concerns that may limit future hunting expeditions if hunters are unable to effectively listen to their surroundings for orientation, location of game, or certain dangers. Permanent hearing damage may require use of a hearing aid for everyday functionality. Hunters who already need to use hearing aids will still need to apply ear protection devices on each outing to avoid further, more severe damage that may leave them unable to hear.

Choosing the correct set of ear protection is crucial to effectively protect hearing. Ear protectors typically come in different shapes and sizes and should always be tight fitting, with no vents and little room for movement. Wearing hearing protection devices the correct way is one of the best ways to reduce the risk of potential short or long term hearing loss. Innovative devices, like electronic hearing protection devices especially developed for hunting use, are able to adjust amplification of sounds of differing frequencies. While hunters using these devices may be able to hear high frequency sounds in their environments, the devices will not amplify sounds above 100 decibels, such as gunshot noises. People who participate in regular hunting events should also consider having their hearing tested occasionally to have any potential existing damage to their hearing diagnosed and treated in a timely manner before their conditions worsen.

It is important for avid hunters to always wear sufficient ear protection. Once hearing is damaged, the trauma may be irreversible. Ear protection serves not only to prevent hearing loss but also to avoid aggravating existing hearing loss in those who already wear hearing aids. Proper hearing is considered a true quality of life.  Hearing impairment, however severe it may be, can significantly complicate daily activities and take the fun and excitement out of hunting adventures if care is not taken.

First Duck Jerky Ever

So last weekend after shooting my limit of 7 ducks the first thing I thought about was using the smoker I got for my birthday.  It is a big chief smoker and I've heard a lot of good things about them.

So one night I had time and I cut up all 14 breasts. I then used a seasoning and jerky cure  from High Mountain. I then let them sit in the fridge for 24 hours.

Today I put the smoker together and placed the duck meat on the racks and started it up.

2 hours later some delicious jerky came out.  We like our jerky frozen so it went straight into the freezer for us to enjoy tomorrow.