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"GALE WARNING IN FORCE. Northwest winds 40knots gusting to 55knots.......
.......turning southwest 35 to 40 knots gusting to 45 to 50 knots mid morning. Southwest swell rising to 7 metres, seas very rough."
That was what greeted me when I checked the weather forecast for Saturday. We had 2 charters booked over the weekend but after phoning Mark we cancelled both.
Hmmm, spare weekend, lousy weather, Lets go duckshooting on the harbour!!!
Headed up to Marks at 4.30 am.....even though it wouldn't be light till 6,30, I wanted to double check everything on the boat as I figured it would be a tough trip. After checking out the 13' duck machine and loading my gear, I launched at 6am........The run down the river was good but at the river mouth I took my time to study the wind/waves before I set out on the 3 k run to where I knew there was sheltered water. It was an interesting ride, waves up to 3' with a 25knot head on wind......Wait, wasn't I going to wait until first light to make my run............Nope, Having full confidence in the boat and what little skills I possessed, coupled with many many years of experience in this area, I set off into the harbour while it was still pitch black.
Arrived at the spot I had chosen in the lee of an island around 6.45 and set the decoys. Not quite enough light for shooting so I sat back and listened to the wind howling over my head.
The sun finally poked its head up..............
And the first bird came into the decoys and decided to stay for dinner...............
A nice Grey duck was soon joined by a fat Mallard drake................
Then another Gray put itself on the menu............
Things went quiet for a bit so I took this pic of the setup.
Shortly afterwards the weather changed to this.............( This is the 'sheltered' area I had picked.........I could see into the unsheltered part of the harbour between me and the river and it didn't look good)
I needed to make a 'call of nature' so after rolling down my waders I leaned out over the side of the boat and let fly..........while holding onto a stout branch. Nek minit I hear a swan whistling and look up to see a black swan bearing down on me.........No time to 'zip' up', just grab the gun, swing through the bird to lead the head and at the shot it folded up.........in the meantime the 'old fella' had pissed all over the transom........:yikes::rotflmao:
The next shower arrived and did a clean up and the 'bag was looking better............
A couple of more birds arrived and joined the ones in the boat but the weather was getting worse and I knew it would be tricky pulling the decoys with the waves, so I packed everything away and started picking up the dekes.
It got a bit hairy at one stage with waves crashing over the transom but a flick on the electric bilge pump switch and the water was draining out faster than it was entering. Once everything was secured I settled in for the ride back.
Although the waves were now 3-4' with the odd bigger one, I had the wind at my back and I got her up and planing for an exhilarating ride back to the river. Managed to get a fair bit of 'air ' on the ride and was yahooing like a kid.........
Here is the end result of the trip................
Am heading out to BH's place shortly.........He has access to a pond which seems to be holding ducks and geese. Will be taking the camera so, hopefully will post up more pics............
That was what greeted me when I checked the weather forecast for Saturday. We had 2 charters booked over the weekend but after phoning Mark we cancelled both.
Hmmm, spare weekend, lousy weather, Lets go duckshooting on the harbour!!!
Headed up to Marks at 4.30 am.....even though it wouldn't be light till 6,30, I wanted to double check everything on the boat as I figured it would be a tough trip. After checking out the 13' duck machine and loading my gear, I launched at 6am........The run down the river was good but at the river mouth I took my time to study the wind/waves before I set out on the 3 k run to where I knew there was sheltered water. It was an interesting ride, waves up to 3' with a 25knot head on wind......Wait, wasn't I going to wait until first light to make my run............Nope, Having full confidence in the boat and what little skills I possessed, coupled with many many years of experience in this area, I set off into the harbour while it was still pitch black.
Arrived at the spot I had chosen in the lee of an island around 6.45 and set the decoys. Not quite enough light for shooting so I sat back and listened to the wind howling over my head.
The sun finally poked its head up..............
And the first bird came into the decoys and decided to stay for dinner...............
A nice Grey duck was soon joined by a fat Mallard drake................
Then another Gray put itself on the menu............
Things went quiet for a bit so I took this pic of the setup.
Shortly afterwards the weather changed to this.............( This is the 'sheltered' area I had picked.........I could see into the unsheltered part of the harbour between me and the river and it didn't look good)
I needed to make a 'call of nature' so after rolling down my waders I leaned out over the side of the boat and let fly..........while holding onto a stout branch. Nek minit I hear a swan whistling and look up to see a black swan bearing down on me.........No time to 'zip' up', just grab the gun, swing through the bird to lead the head and at the shot it folded up.........in the meantime the 'old fella' had pissed all over the transom........:yikes::rotflmao:
The next shower arrived and did a clean up and the 'bag was looking better............
A couple of more birds arrived and joined the ones in the boat but the weather was getting worse and I knew it would be tricky pulling the decoys with the waves, so I packed everything away and started picking up the dekes.
It got a bit hairy at one stage with waves crashing over the transom but a flick on the electric bilge pump switch and the water was draining out faster than it was entering. Once everything was secured I settled in for the ride back.
Although the waves were now 3-4' with the odd bigger one, I had the wind at my back and I got her up and planing for an exhilarating ride back to the river. Managed to get a fair bit of 'air ' on the ride and was yahooing like a kid.........
Here is the end result of the trip................
Am heading out to BH's place shortly.........He has access to a pond which seems to be holding ducks and geese. Will be taking the camera so, hopefully will post up more pics............
Still enjoying the trip of a lifetime and making the best of what I have.....
Replies
Regarding 'Natures call', I've had that happen when fishing lots of times. Nary a nibble until you start getting some relief, and then BOOM!, the biggest fish of the day. :roll2:
― Douglas Adams
The late Warren Page was the shooting editor of Field & Stream magazine here in the USA. He wrote an article which probably was printed before you were born about one of his many hunting trips around the world. After a safari to New Zealand he wrote this:
"For some seven weeks I hunted in New Zealand. This country has more game than you can shake a stick at! Hirsch, elk and whitetail from our own continent, pigs from heaven knows where, fallow deer from England, Japanese and axis deer from eastern Asia, sambur deer from India, chamois from the Austrian alps and Himilayan tahr from the crags of the roof of the world - all of it on a no season, no limit, no license basis. The Government even hires cullers to hack away at the burgeoning herds at the rate of 60K to 100K per year. They'll even give you, as a reward, 4 .303 British cartridges for each head taken, which in my opinion is pretty poor pay."
I'm curious. As this was written in the early 1960's . . . was he slightly exaggerating? What's your take on this?
Thanks
BTW, the above 60K-100K is heads of game, not dollars!
Its all true. I grew up wanting to be a deer culler but my parents got in the way!
In the 60's there was a period that is commonly referred to as 'The Deer Wars'
Here is a link to a documentary that explained what happened. There is some good footage of large numbers of deer being culled.
http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/deer-wars-2007
Its well worth watching...............
Another interesting fact......the SMLE (303) was the rifle used by ground cullers after WWII............But when the 222 was introduced, it became the weapon of choice for cullers as it was milder recoiling and they could carry twice as much ammo......
Get your passport and head on down next may Mike. We can shoot a few birds my friend...................maybe even get a few ducks as well........:tooth:
Thanks, and yes, it is. Standing invitation if you are ever down my way during duck season, hell, any season. ( see post #4 above)
Duck hunting is the most fun a person can have with their clothes on in my view............Don't get jealous...........get an air ticket instead damnit!
Thanks Orchidman. Great videos.
:nono: Sea anchors slow you down................:rotflmao:
Seriously though, the boat I have is a 13' Allicraft. Its not your usual flat bottomed 'punt', but a relatively deep 'V' hull with a 'gull wing' profile and full in the bow. I chose it for its sea keeping qualities over all other brands and styles when I bought it in 1992. I had a couple of extra features added like a full width transom well, a slightly longer quarterdeck and extra gussets in 'high load places, because I knew what would be expected of it and the conditions I would be using it in. It is perfect for task and hasn't let me down yet.
Gb, my hunting buddy is a marine dealer and he often comments that it is one of the safest hulls he has ever experienced/used.
It is only rated for a 20hp outboard......but I have a 30hp commercial rated Yamaha on it. :roll2:
I've only boated a few times is saltwater but from my observation, while the height of waves is much greater and hence more dangerous, the frequency of the waves on a river or lake during a storm beat the living snot out you more, especially if the wind is blowing against the current. Course I've never boated in 4' seas.
-- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German writer and politician
My bad. Been busy dealing with crap.
Just waiting to see what the weather is doing this weekend as we have charters booked. Might have to make it a weekday trip next week if you can make it.
I live on a very sizable bay system here and it runs North-South. During a North wind that can stir up waves way bigger than normal. They have 20 miles to build going from North to South. Every year at the beginning of fall we have cold fronts come down and most years you will read of someone who went out without checking the weather, and get caught out in the middle of the bay when one of these fronts blow in. I have known some personally who have drown through the years. It's not hard to do. This isn't a big place and I can name 8 or 10 people who are no longer with us due to this unsafe practice. And to make matters worse, when a strong Norther first blows in, it can have winds in excess of 50-60 MPH for the first 10 minutes until the pressures equalize a bit. That can generate waves in excess of 8-10 feet high out in the middle of the bay. Waves this big can swamp even a 30-40 foot boat, much less a 15- 20 foot bay outboard powered fishing boat. Like I say, we lose someone or more than one person nearly every year.
My recommendation, always check the weather. Double check it right before you head out. If there's bad weather forecast go put that boat up and grab a beer or go play dominoes til the bad stuff blows over and it's nice and calm again.
Also, if you're in a big lake away from the leeward side of the lake, you can very easily get swamped. Also, in shallow water bodies be careful, because if your engine dies and you can't get it started, the winds can blow you up into shallows where your boat may not can run even if you do get it started and you will be stranded in a cold wind and you will probably be wet. So we're back to the hypothermia scenario. High winds on the water is always a serious situation. Be careful.
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.