Could Have Been Worse

The morning looked promising as I found a new pond that was holding two drake canvasbacks, several scaups, and a few ring necks.  With little cover I had to nearly crawl on may stomach to get within shooting range.  Since I don't believe in sluicing birds I waited until they spooked and launched.  Once they did I focused on the canvasback and was dead on but the bird flew unphased.  Expecting the bird to eventually fall and therefore keeping my eye on him to mark him, I didn't even bother emptying my second barrel.  Without even flinching the bird continued to elevate and simply flew north.  I left in search of another pond that I found frozen solid.  Afterwards I moved to the river and hiked about 2 miles before heading back to the truck.

Before I got the shot off I saw a local here at this pond.  We chatted for a while and he gave me the inside scoop of where to find birds.  One spot was the exact spot Bill had success and had let me know about last week.  The local, Bob said all the big birds and stacked there now.  So I decided to head up in the hopes of getting Kaiser his first mallard.  Like the last time I was worried about the road that is now covered in snow.  Like Bill had told me, Bob confirmed all was needed was 4x4 and I should be okay.   With that intel I headed up to elevation.

The road was no problem and I made it to the spot.  The problem now was that the snow was knee high at some areas.  Without any snowshoes, this was extremely exhausting.  I glassed to see if I could find any birds but did not.  Kaiser was having to jump over the snow just to move so I decided continuing was not a wise decision and headed back to the Rover.  While I was up the mountain I chose to do some more exploring.  As I made it to a snow covered road I made it all the way to a section where the tire marks were not as packed.  It was here I decided that it was best to head back.   When I put the truck in reverse I got stuck.  Nothing more demoralizing than getting stuck without anyone to help out.  Getting my packable shovel out of the rear compartment I spent the next 40 minutes shoveling snow out of the way of the tires.  Since the elevation over 6900 feet, I was exhausted after shoveling.  I was able to move the truck about 10 feet before I had to get out and start shoveling again.  After realizing I had the LR3 off road program on "snow" I moved it to "rock crawl" since the program is much more aggressive with locking center and rear differentials.  Once I did that I managed to get on packed snow and get the hell out of there.

With that debacle behind me, I moved down to the valley floor returning to the pond I found earlier this morning.  This time even more canvasbacks were among the birds.  There was at least 6 of them.  this time these birds stayed way out of shotgun range and I could not even get a shot before they left.  Today was a rough one but I suppose that is hunting but at least it could be worse...I could be this guy:

I have no idea what is wrong with this guy's eye.  Disgusting and sad.

I walked a different section of the river again but was unable to find any waterfowl.  This section has lower banks and lower water flows.  If I had shot those mallards I shot last week here I could have easily recovered those birds as crossing the river would have been a cinch.  With no birds in sight I moved back to the pond in the hopes of pass shooting some birds.  Biting wind made staying there unbearable.  I left just before sundown as absolutely no birds were flying.  Hopefully tomorrow...

Returning For Another Try

Back at it again in the Owens Valley.  I only had two or three hours to hunt before lights out.  I decided to check out a portion of the Owens I've yet to hunt.  Within the first 20 minutes, Kaiser and I jumped a pair of greenheads but they were too far for me to feel comfortable with the shot.  At over $3 a round, I don't want to be risking low probability far shots.  Hiking over 2 miles we were unable to locate anymore.  We raced back and with the sun setting in the next hour, we made our way to Copenhagen Hill in the hopes of pass shooting some ducks.  But the only birds seen were a murder of crows.  We didn't even seen one duck at a distance.  Tomorrow we try again...

Ring Necked Duck Sandwich

For dinner I fired up the ring necked duck from my last hunt.  This was the first time ever trying this species of waterfowl.  I've heard several mixed reviews on the edibility of these ducks and I can say they are excellent.  It was sweet and slightly gamey and was perfect for the Japanese marinade recipe that I got from Yasuo Matsuki at Sushi Koto.  After marinading and cooking I made it into a sandwich with mixed greens and tomato on crusty French bread and topped it with Japanese mayo.

One thing Dave told when I asked him if these birds were edible was that they are good eating but a pain to clean.  He wasn't wrong, I normally have no problem plucking a bird clean but this one took some time. 

All the little hair follicles were tough to remove.  Once I plucked the best I could, I cut the breasts and legs out and scraped the skin with a pairing knife to remove all the left over feather particles.  For the most part it worked.  I intend on heading back this week so hopefully I'll be enjoying more of these birds soon.  Perhaps next time I'll try a different preparation.

Fly Fishing Film Tour Feb. 9th

I've just got off the phone with Bill and he let me know about the upcoming Fly Fishing Film Tour on February 9th at the District in Tustin.  There will be free beer from Kona Brewing Company, food, silent auction, a door prizes and raffle ranging from rods to Simms G3 waders.  There are only 250 tickets available and 90 or so have already been purchased.  Tickets are only available at https://www.ticketriver.com/event/5335 for $22.

From The Calico Syndicate:
The Calico Syndicate is hosting the 2013 Fly Fishing Film Tour Orange County Edition on Sat. February 9th at the AMC Tustin 14 @ The District Tustin Legacy. Tickets will be sold on-line ONLY here: https://www.ticketriver.com/event/5335 ... Along with the screenings we will host an "event" featuring a hosted beverage garden by the Kona Brewing Co., hosted hors d'oeuvres, a silent auction, raffle, a few select sponsor representatives will be on-site for Q&A, and a portion of the proceeds to benefit The John Wayne Cancer Foundation (JWCF.org) & The Algalita Marine Research Institute (Algalita.org). You do not want to miss this event!

 

Purdey Guns and Rifles

An interesting film on the historical background of one of London's best and then a nice tour of the workshop.

Department of Fish and Game Loses The Game, Now Wildlife

For whatever reason, this retarded state of California has changed the name of the Department of Fish & Game to Department of Fish and Wildlife at the beginning of this year.  Why would they do such a thing?  Who knows but in the opinion of this sportsman there is an agenda among antis to chip away our ability to hunt. 

The definition of game:  animals under pursuit or taken in hunting; especially : wild animals hunted for sport or food (2) : the flesh of game animals

The definition of wildlife:  living things and especially mammals, birds, and fishes that are neither human nor domesticated

One word- the old word- has implications of hunting and sport.  The other is merely living things and had no implication of sport or hunting.

This is a subtle way to slowly chip away at our rights to hunt.  Call me paranoid but in a state with so many non-sportsman and antis I think my hypothesis is on the money.  When a DFG commissioner loses his job for legally hunting a mountain lion in another state in Idaho, than you know this state is out of control.  Let us not forget that certain hunts are now banned from using hounds.  Its only a matter of time an attempt ban all types of hunting with a dog. 

Given the current economic condition of California, is it prudent to change the name?  Don't we have bigger issues to handle.  How much will this name change cost?  Remember all logos from banners, uniforms, hats, patches, decals, websites, etc. need to be eventually changed.  All that is time and MONEY that this state does not have.  Keep in mind all uniformed DFW workers pay for their uniforms and hats etc. (although they get a small stipend but I've been told it is not enough). 

California again you prove how stupid you really are.  It is no wonder every other state in this union hates your guts.  And rightfully so.  I labeled this under humor because California you're a joke.

Casting 900 Grains On a 10 Weight Line!?!

Last summer I asked Capt. Bill Calhoun if he wanted to hit Barrett Lake with me and although he wanted to he told me he couldn't as he was busy working on something all summer long.  I asked what it was but he told me he couldn't tell he was up to but would let me know when he was finished.

I spoke with Bill this morning after talking about our duck hunts, he let me know about his new project with his buddies, The Calico Syndicate.  These guys are casting lines up to 1000 grains on their 10 weights going after monster Calicos in the deep!  Now 1000 grains lines are nothing new, in fact I have one from my Costa Rica trip years ago.  The difference is back then we never actually casted the line, we simply hucked it over the boat and jigged the line until a tarpon hit it.  Also we were using rods 12-14 weights.  Now with modern graphite and flylines what was thought of as impossible is now reality.


While this set up was designed for Calico bass, I would love to try this set up on largemouth bass, particularly at Barrett and Stripers at our various Striper lakes.  This concept is new so Bill and company haven't yet tried this set up for those species but are planning to do so soon.

More videos are available here on their youtube channel.  There you can learn how they design their lines, knots that they recommend using for and such.  I need to try this set, the only question am I going to kill myself by nailing myself in the back on the forward cast?  I hope to God not.

Last Day-Jumping Over 40 Mallards

Merkel Model 8 12 Gauge with Kent Tungsten Matrix No.3

I'm home writing this blog entry with sore blistered feet from hiking over 10 miles in my bootfoot waders.  I thought I wouldn't make the same mistake as I did yesterday and wore my waders all day long.  My feet are paying for it now, they are sore and starting to blister.  Kaiser is the same with ripped up paws.

Another frozen solid lake

Last night I decided that I would spend this morning jump shooting the river after all the birds I flushed the previous day.  But before I started, I wanted to check out a couple nearby lakes.  The first was frozen solid and the other was half way frozen.  The open water held several birds including mallards, mergansers, buffleheads, and various birds I could not distinguish with my binos. 

After checking out the lakes I moved toward the river.  I decided to fish the same section as I did yesterday but I would start further down today.  Within a few yards from the truck, I flushed a single greenhead but since my firing lane was obstructed by vegetation I moved quickly to my right and shot, by this time the drake was 35 years or so out.  I missed the first shot and tracked him for the second barrel.  I missed again.  By the second shot 10 more greenheads flushed further down. 

After cursing my lousy shooting I moved down flushing even more greenheads.  This time about 6.  No shots were taken as I had no shooting lane.  I moved down.  And about 1500 yards I spotted a herd of Elk including a number of bulls.  We stood there cautiously staring at each other as took pictures.

Once I had my fill of these elk I carried on with my waterfowl hunt.  I continued to flush birds out of the river.  All birds were mallards and I passed on several because they were either out of range or they were flying towards the opposite bank.  I finally flushed 6 out of the water that flew toward my side of the bank.  I check all of them looking for the drake but found none.  I took aim at the lead bird a hen (hens are permitted up to two here in CA).  I shot and I saw her flinch and shot again.  She turned toward the opposite side of the river and started flying away until she dropped out of the sky once she cleared the river. This time I made sure to mark the bird properly, she fell next to a power line tower.  I spent the next hour looking for a spot to cross the river where the dog and I could cross easily.  Another day and another lost mallard, I was beyond pissed.  I continued down the river and continued to push birds but never had a good opportunity for a shot.

While along the bank, I nearly had a heart attack as a Navy F18 Hornet buzzed me.  This pilot was literally only a few stories high.  These planes literally are silent until they pass you thousands of yards away.  Trust me you don't want to be a Taliban or Iraqi insurgent as these planes will drop their ordnance on top your head before you even hear them coming.  After I double checked that I hadn't crapped my pants, Kaiser and  moved on.  We were in an area close to the hill we were pass shooting on the first night when a covey of valley quail flushed.  Because quail are always a possibility near the river, I carry number 5 bismuth rounds for both small ducks like teal but also for quail as well. I couldn't believe how far we hiked.  My feet were now killing me.  We run into a pair of hunters and after chatting them up we headed back to the truck.  It was a long hike and we didn't run into any birds on our way back.

 Once we made it back to the Rover, we loaded up on water and rested a bit before deciding to visit my friend, Dave who lives in the area.  When I reached Dave's office, he was out so I started to scout the area near his home and found the pond my friend Kelly and I enjoyed hunting the past few years was frozen solid as well.  After an hour and half I headed back to see Dave.  He was in the office and we chatted, catching up since we've not seen each other since I last hunted this area and stayed at his house.  He suggested I hunt the pond and I told him its frozen.  Shocked, he suggested I break up the ice and throw a couple dekes and see what happens.  Its been successful for him in the past.  Since my feet were in no condition for anymore walking I gave it a try.

I broke up the ice, and cleared about a 10 foot diameter and threw 3 dekes in there.  I had about an hour of light left and sat behind some brush waiting for some passing birds.  Within that hour I saw two groups of 6 fly over.  But none wanted to come in.  My lousy calling did not help.  Its been too long since I've and its more than obvious that I'm out of practice.  I mean I really sucked.  With about 15 minutes of light left I gave up for this outing and started to pack up.  With the end of the season fast approaching, I'm hoping to make it out again but with the old man next time.

Owens Valley Waterfowl Hunt Day 2

I slept in on accident this morning as it was bone chilling cold.  It actually was a good thing as by the time I made it to the pond I wanted to deke up, I found it was frozen solid.  I would have been pissed had I woke up early just to find out it was a waste of time.  I spent the whole morning exploring for new areas, basically I wasted the whole morning driving around missing exits or making it to roads that were closed due to snow.

Bill told me of the area he hunted just before Christmas, I tried to make it there but the road was too sketchy for me to go it alone.  Since I was in the area I checked out a few watering holes that I never seen, of course they too were frozen solid.  So I turned back and headed to the lowlands.  I drove around looking for an area to jump shoot some ducks.  After sometime I managed to finally find an area that I could actually walk along the river.  I parked and after about fifty yards, I flushed a drake mallard and took him with the right barrel loaded with Bismuth number 5 load and he buckled as I was tracking him down, fifteen more mallards flushed and I took another drake I didn't track him as Kaiser jumped off the 8 foot bank toward the river.  I knew at least the birds fell on the opposite side within the reddish wood branches.  The river was too fast for Kaiser and he was reluctant to go in.  I climbed down and had to pick him up and put him back on the bank.  I rushed to the car and put on my waders and headed out with Kaiser to find a spot to cross together.

The banks on this section were too high so I put Kaiser back in the River and headed out myself.  I managed to cross and struggled to make it up the bank on the opposite side.  I looked through the vegetation and spent 45 minutes trying to find at least one of those birds.  No luck.  I went back to the truck and drove 20 minute to find a bridge to cross to get the other side.  Finally reaching the spot I let Kaiser out to see if his nose could find the birds but unfortunately I was not exactly sure where the hit the ground.  After about 30 minutes I gave up as we were running out of sun.  When I lose birds, I get pissed, I get even more pissed when they are fat mallards especially when it was my first double on ducks and would have been Kaiser's first mallard.  Oh well I guess that's hunting.

I drove to another spot I thought would be a good spot for some pass shooting.  Once I got out of the truck, three unknown ducks flushed and then a hen mallard flushed before I could even get my gun.  We walked along the river as the sun was setting.  Three small ducks flew overhead but were way out of range.  And after that it was time to head back to the motel. We'll see what tomorrow brings...

Happy New Year Waterfowl Hunt Day 1

Ring Neck taken with a Merkel Model 8

Happy New Year.  Hopefully my new year will be better than the last few weeks of last year.  I had the intention of hunting the last week of the pheasant season but due to a serious illness that plan went to shit.  My new plan was head north and see if I could get Kaiser his first mallard.

Of course these Mallards were loafing in an area with no hunting.  Typical.

With all the nasty weather we had the last few weeks I figured the waterfowl must have finally started to move southward.  Since I did not want to spend five hours on the road just to find out I was wrong I confirmed my hypothesis by call my buddy Bill Calhoun to see if there were waterfowl in the Owens Valley.  He confirmed that the birds have moved down and he was able to take a couple mallards, a widgeon, and a few green wing teal just before Christmas.

One of many ponds.

Since I was still not 100% I waited until after new year to make my way up.  I arrived to my first spot around 3pm only to find that this pond was frozen.  I moved north to my next destination only to find that the entire spot was dry.  I know that the LADWP creates ponds throughout the Owens Valley and they move them every few years.  So I imagined that they just moved it to a new area.  I later found out by a hunter here at the motel that Mammoth got very little to no water last year and DWP isn't moving water. 

I moved to my last spot, a small pond I knew that would be in the pathway of waterfowl that would be making their way back their night roost.  I arrived at this spot with about a hour or so of light.  The pond was clear of any waterfowl except a number of coots, so I made my way down the river looking to jump shoot a duck or two.  Kaiser and I made our way down south and flushed a Ring Necked duck it flow south away from me and then turned back north just above me.  I took the bead of my Merkel Model 8 and took him with a number 4 Hevi-Shot Classic Barrel out of my right barrel.  He plopped into the water and before I could call Kaiser I heard him dive into the river to retrieve it.  This was Kaiser's first river retrieve.  I imagined to capture the retrieve on film but not the shot.  I'll upload it when I'm home.

Sunshine was making its way to bed so I moved toward a hill where I gathered would be a excellent place for some pass shooting.  I made it to the base of the hill and noticed 5 mallards just overhead but I noticed them too late.  Even so I figured they would be too high for a reasonable shot.  I made it to the top of the hill and only saw two singles in the next hour and a half.  Only one was within a reasonable shot distance and I managed to muck that one up.

I love these small Sierra towns

What a Steal!! Hanwag Boots Dirt Cheap

As I am on the mailing list for Sierra Trading Post (STP), I receive a catalog every month, the last contained an extra 25% off coupon.  STP, for those of you who don't know, is a discounter who buys overstock, closeout, last season, or liquidated goods at a bargain and resells it to the public at a significant discount.  Most of what they sell is stuff that has no interest to me but on occasion they have some real gems.  I bought my first "premium" fly reel (Abel) from them more than 10 years ago among other things like Barbour sweaters and such. 

But this time I think I struck the mother load.  While checking their site I noticed that they have some select Hanwag boots in stock.  Hanwag is a bootmaker from Germany known among the international mountaineering scene.  These boots, with the exception of one dealer who only stocks a few models, are extremely difficult to acquire in the States.  My father and I had considered buying some in the past from Europe but since sizing is always different from one brand to the next we never ended up purchasing any. 

So I was pretty ecstatic to see these Hanwags dirt cheap on the site and with the additional 25% coupon, what a deal:

Hanwag High Performance Trail Shoes $146.21

Hanwag Yukon $178.46

Hanwag Fjall Expedition Winter Boots $159.71

All these boots are made in Europe, finished in Germany.  These are not cheap imports. I was somewhat reluctant to buy the winter boots as I would rarely have a chance to wear them.  But I figured that my old man and I do have the intention of hunting in cold weather climates in the future so its better to get them for the cheap than to have to buy them when we go and pay full boat.

Hagn Action Single Shot Is Complete

After about three years of waiting, my father's Martini Gunmakers Hagn action single shot in .30R Blaser is finished.  These are some pictures Ralf has sent him.  This rifle will be on display at the Dallas Safari Club convention in January 3rd-6th if you care to see Ralf's workmanship.  Afterwards my father will take delivery.  When he does expect more pictures from yours truly.

Martini Gunmaker Hagn Action With Claw Mounts In The White

My old man has sent me some pictures of his Hagn action single shot from Martini Gunmakers in the white. After about three years his rifle is now complete, these pictures are from Ralf during the building period. Finished rifle pics to follow.