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dave
01-14-2007, 04:48 PM
Well we took a walk around on the dykes today, just to say we got out on the last weekend. The marsh was almosy completely frozen. There were a few open spots and a few golden eye but they looked pretty desperate to have a place to swim so we left them alone. It was a great day for a walk in the snow.

Spent the rest of the afternoon seeing if the boat and trailer would fit in the garage. Sometimes life works better than expected. Put the Jon boat on top of big boat and with a little shuffling of bikes and such and it all actually fits:)

Its been a good duck season and except for a chance or two for snows I guess we will have to pack it up until next fall. Hope you all have a great summer (offseason).

craigchaplin
01-14-2007, 06:12 PM
Good to hear you found a spot fer the boat!......I spent the whole weekend cleanin out the garage...wish i could have gotten out fer a bit but oh well. You can actually see everything now and it all has its place.....main reason was to make room fer my boat too....plus i wanna do some work on it over the next few months...needs a paint and some other odds an ends..should keep me busy till fly fishing season comes around. It has been a good season fer me too....dog did well in his first season out and i learned quite a bit. All the best to you to.

wetcoaster
01-15-2007, 04:20 PM
Got out and did a few waterfowl hunts this year or the first time in a long time and really enjoyed it. I am looking forward to the Goose opening in mid February.

I love the fact that you can get out for the morning flight, bag a few birds and still have the rest of the day to play at other things. I need to get better at calling and get some duck calls. Went out with a really good caller a few times this year what a difference!

Dano
01-17-2007, 11:45 PM
My last try at ducks was this afternoon. I had a dentist appt. this morning so that freed up the afternoon for a season ending duck hunt(make all appts. wednesdays so I can hit the marsh... if it's not frozen). Went up at the end of Harris road and hunted the Pitt river. Lots of ducks around but nothing decoyed in, I didn't fire a shot.
Only 2 more duck hunting days left, good luck to any of you guys who get out. Post results good or bad! Goose season opens again on feb. 11 (a sunday, ...wtf ???). Usually we do pretty good in the marsh, lots around the Pitt River too (check for dyke closures).
I guess I'll make this my end of duck season summary. A pretty good year for me (for the most part I shot well) but a little shy of last seasons bag. Considering the weather we had, it was great to see some birds stick around this late. Looking back, it was the driest opener and lowest water conditions I've seen in the Pitt Marsh. Then the heavy rains came and it was the highest water I've seen since before the drainage was added back in the '80's. The marsh froze up solid twice, it was semi froze quite a few times too. All species appeared to be down in numbers for the marsh this year. Gadwal were way down as were widgeon, mallards were still the most plentiful, woody numbers seemed a little up from last year.
Had the opportunity to hunt with a couple new guys from the site and renewed friendships made over the last few years. Always a good day when spent with guys who just enjoy being out there, sharing stories, and watching the dogs work. A hot cup of coffee and a handful of jellybeans in the blind ain't too bad either, right Dave!:) My dog continues to improve, her marking skills were excellent and she's now spotting birds when I'm not looking. She'll need a new vest for next year as hers is pretty marked up. I think I'll get one with side floatation this time. I need a new jacket and waders too. Cabellas gear like Ian and Dave have are high up on my list as is a portable heater for the blind because my partner 'Ol Dan is 71 and has a problem with blood circulation to his hands and feet (mine get cold too!).
I've got some work to do around the house now, funny how it didn't get done while I was duck hunting.... (funny to me at least). Then after goose season trap&skeet should really get going. Hopefully we'll have a few new guys from the site join us this year.
Cheers,
Dan

zaconb
01-18-2007, 08:40 AM
Still-hunting ducks... you guys are driving me crazy!! That’s Ok just a few short months and I'll be able to say I'm a resident of B.C. !!
Dano if you are looking for a blind heater look at the Mr. Heater ones. I have two of the Big buddy Heaters in my big Jon they are 18.000 btu's each and have a battery operated fan, lot's of days I take off the waders due to heat. The smaller Mr buddy is 9000btu's and is great in smaller areas, I think I even have an extra one in the basement you can use next season if you still need one.
Cheers

Two Buddy heaters at work!

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c277/zaconb/heater.jpg

Dano
01-19-2007, 01:39 AM
That's the style of heaters I was talking about. Where are they available from?
Pretty disappointing season finale this year (last season we bagged 16 mallards on the last weekend...). But we still have the spring goose season!
You have a few short months to go? Wil you make the cutoff allowed to purchase a resident license next year?
Thanks for the offer and picture, pretty sure we'll get a couple too.
Dan


Still-hunting ducks... you guys are driving me crazy!! That’s Ok just a few short months and I'll be able to say I'm a resident of B.C. !!
Dano if you are looking for a blind heater look at the Mr. Heater ones. I have two of the Big buddy Heaters in my big Jon they are 18.000 btu's each and have a battery operated fan, lot's of days I take off the waders due to heat. The smaller Mr buddy is 9000btu's and is great in smaller areas, I think I even have an extra one in the basement you can use next season if you still need one.
Cheers

Two Buddy heaters at work!

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c277/zaconb/heater.jpg

zaconb
01-19-2007, 01:18 PM
Dano,
The 9000 btu heaters where on sale at Princess auto, but I got mine threw Cabelas. The 1800 Btu heaters are not legal in Canada for some strange reason; I also got them at Cabelas.
As far as making the cut off for resident hunter it will be close, but regardless of what my license costs I'll be hunting in B.C. in "07"!
Cheers
Rick