Session #1 "Let the help begin"

Well I just saw that I never published my preliminary evaluation sessions notes.  Well they are out there now so now I guess it is time for me to start my next session.  It is snow conservation order currently in the state of Missouri and all I have been seeing is guys just slaughtering those loud mouthed dirty talking birds.

Yes this is from Facebook.  I have to give Momarsh and Habitat Flats respect because they have made amazing products and now a great hunting place that I will not be able to afford.  Habitat Flats had slain the crap out of waterfowl this season and are still killing those snows in great numbers.  

Seeing this has brought back those memories of the past season and how I learned from the past hard season.  So where to begin this session.  Well when I first started hunting my friend and I hunted out of two prototypes for Momarsh boats.  They were great and I knew I wanted to buy one sometime for my addiction.  My grandmother died in the early months of 2012.  Well she left a nice inheritance for me.  I bought a new shotgun that I had wanted since it was created and I bought a Four Rivers refuge runner layout boat.  I did this all without my parents blessing.  I am a grown man or at least I pretend to be.  This will come back very soon.

So the first hunt of the season was in late October or early November. The weather was still warm but not steaming hot.  I like hunting in the early weeks of the season especially on public conservation ground.  A lot of hunters are still out chasing deer either with a bow or with a rifle once that season starts and it keeps the numbers in the poor line low.  Guess I need to explain the poor line for those that are not in Missouri.  Well Missouri has a a quick draw process for a few places, where you put in twice a week online and they will draw a bunch of spots for specific days that you selected.  The remaining spots are then used for the poor line, which is when everyone that did not get a quick draw they can drive to the headquarters and then pick a pill and the spots are given out based on the lowest numbers of the pills.  The quick draw can be very nice if you get picked but I only got picked once in the season after trying for every day I could hunt. 

Now that is out of the way lets get back to my sessions notes.  I was able to convince my dad to drive and meet me at Grand Pass from St. Louis, a three hour drive.  I took my new to me layout boat with me to hunt knowing my dad would be pissed that I spent money on it that I should have saved.  Oh well I wanted it and it will be used.  I finally got to Grand Pass and met my dad.  He saw the boat and I could tell he was not happy because he knew where the money came from.  We stood in the poor line and I drew a great pill. It was the third lowest pill I could draw in the poor line.  It had been a while for both of us in the poor line and we thought that we were not hunting that day.  Then like someone flipped the light switch on I realized that it was a low number.  I shouted to dad we are hunting and he had a confused look but then he realized that I was right.  I get so many of my quirks from my dad, like father like son, I guess.

So I pick my usual pool  in Grand Pass and off we go.  I know the one section and it has treated me well.  It is nice to pick early because you can get setup and not worry about missing an opportunity of killing ducks because you are still setting up.  So we unloaded my truck boat and all.  Loaded everything up in my boat and sled and we walked out to where I wanted to set up.  We got setup in rows of standing corn.  My dad used his marsh seat and I used my boat.  The water levels were not very high due to the early season and low water for pumping off of the Missouri river.

the view from our hideout for the day

The day was great killed a decent amount of ducks but what was best was the time spent with my dad doing something we both enjoy together.  My first duck of the season was a young green head mallard.  This was so shocking because the number of mallards never came down solid until after the season closed.  I used my two Mojo ducks and a Wonderduck.  It seemed that the ducks were not wanting to finish.  They would come in for a look and fly away.  So after trial and error we discovered that the ducks did not like the motion of both the Mojo and Wonderduck.  We tried having one or the other and they both made the ducks not finish.  I know the ducks love the Mojo because I had one mallard come in locked in from more than three hundred yards out.  It just seemed that the ducks knew what the mojo meant once they got close.  I know most of you hunters out there are thinking well your calling stinks or you were not concealed well enough.  I know my calling is not the greatest but it is not crap and our concealment was good.

Can you find dad?

There he is!

Our spot was great to hunt out of.  A nice hole at the end of a slough that went straight to the refuge.  The birds were coming straight from the refuge and following the slough which lead those fowl mouthed birds straight to us. 

View down the slough.

Dad looking for his call to try out.  This will be funny.

So we finished the day with a decent limit but not a max due to the birds not finishing.  So the day was over and we loaded up the sled and boat.  We walked the boat to the deeper water in the pool.  Feeling daring I had dad sit on the front of the boat while I stood in the back and used the trolling motor.  Once we got back to the truck I knew dad was happy about the boat and not mad anymore.  He realized how useful the boat is for getting around in the marsh.  He always did teach me to work smart not hard.

Dad and I after the hunt.

I had just bought a new waterproof/shockproof/freeze proof camera to take pictures of my hunts and I captured this great picture which turned out to be a Christmas present for dad.  It is always great when I can get dad to put his game face on with paint but it was not done today.

So to close the first session of my addiction treatment;  smack those fowl mouthed ducks in the face, if it does not work change it and just enjoy life with the things you enjoy and with the people you love.