Ian F.
03-11-2007, 07:57 PM
What started in early september has run it's course, March 10th is the last day of waterfowling and my birthday and this year I spent it on the bay with a good friend hoping the brant would find their inner Kamakazi!
The funny thing about where I chase brant is that it starts very relaxed, quited different then most waterfowling misadventures where the rush to beat first light is always hanging over me. The reason it is different with brant is more simple then you would think, the boat launch doesn't open till 7am, and well there is no way around that.
So with lots of coffee, some egg McMuffins kindly covered by Dave we rigged out. This spot reminded me in a bizarre way of one of my old eider spots where you didn't know the conditions till you where right there on top of them. Here, it's the drive out the river, and round the spit until "you know" what's what...
Well today was a "good'un"! I think dave termed it best in calling it "lumpy". The wind was one way, the waves another and the tidea another again. We knew noah's rains where coming at lunch so eye's where on the sky and we headed to a little safer spot just in case. Hunt with me and you'll see some extrodinary lengths taken to get our quarry, but you will also see even greater measures taken to get that fresh coffee at first chance on the way home.
Bump and set was the order the day and we found brant right where my GPS said the should be, funny how that works some time?
It was daves first try for brant, and his first expereince with long lines and open water gunning, and he passed with flying colours! The rig went out much easier with help, and having rollers that should have pushed us, not doing so becuase the tide was fighting them was just freaky, scary and cool!
With everything out, blind set we where ready! Hopes where high as a pair buzzed us putting thing out..
Dave followed suit and offered the Max4 version of a marsh grass lump on a big green rock, and I did the same in shadowgrass.
http://server3.uploadit.org/files/ianrfeir-dave.jpg
We could see 300 of more brant a few hundred meters away and they where pulling birds here and there. It was time, it was time to reveal to dave the most secret of secret weapons I have in open water gunning. The eider call! before showing dave, he was double sworn to secrecy and all the possibliities of it's use covered. It's cross species effectiveness has not been studied, but I figured 50:50 on brant, it runs about 70% on eiders.
Out came the call and the brant responded like no tomorrow! Problem was, they choose the wrong 50 and left the bay en masse. But that's how it goes, cause when it's the top 50 it doesn't get any better!
The day progressed and little was flying, only a few bluebills buzzed the rig and with the storm coming it seemed that the tide was draining really fast. We hit 4 feet left and figured although I had 1/2 hr or so before I had to pull the pin, we both figured coffee now was better then coffee in 7 hours.
So that was it, the 4th hunt on the last day of the 2007 brant season and the score is a sweep, brant 4, Ian 0.
September will come soon enough, and since watefowling is a lifestyle for me, not a hobby, sport or pastime the end is always mourned, but it is only the end of part of the game.
http://server3.uploadit.org/files/ianrfeir-3van.jpg
I am either blessed or cursed to have an office (arrow) that can see the brant grounds in the distance, so when the papers and calls pile too high I can stand up and look to where I want to be.
Very best,
Ian
The funny thing about where I chase brant is that it starts very relaxed, quited different then most waterfowling misadventures where the rush to beat first light is always hanging over me. The reason it is different with brant is more simple then you would think, the boat launch doesn't open till 7am, and well there is no way around that.
So with lots of coffee, some egg McMuffins kindly covered by Dave we rigged out. This spot reminded me in a bizarre way of one of my old eider spots where you didn't know the conditions till you where right there on top of them. Here, it's the drive out the river, and round the spit until "you know" what's what...
Well today was a "good'un"! I think dave termed it best in calling it "lumpy". The wind was one way, the waves another and the tidea another again. We knew noah's rains where coming at lunch so eye's where on the sky and we headed to a little safer spot just in case. Hunt with me and you'll see some extrodinary lengths taken to get our quarry, but you will also see even greater measures taken to get that fresh coffee at first chance on the way home.
Bump and set was the order the day and we found brant right where my GPS said the should be, funny how that works some time?
It was daves first try for brant, and his first expereince with long lines and open water gunning, and he passed with flying colours! The rig went out much easier with help, and having rollers that should have pushed us, not doing so becuase the tide was fighting them was just freaky, scary and cool!
With everything out, blind set we where ready! Hopes where high as a pair buzzed us putting thing out..
Dave followed suit and offered the Max4 version of a marsh grass lump on a big green rock, and I did the same in shadowgrass.
http://server3.uploadit.org/files/ianrfeir-dave.jpg
We could see 300 of more brant a few hundred meters away and they where pulling birds here and there. It was time, it was time to reveal to dave the most secret of secret weapons I have in open water gunning. The eider call! before showing dave, he was double sworn to secrecy and all the possibliities of it's use covered. It's cross species effectiveness has not been studied, but I figured 50:50 on brant, it runs about 70% on eiders.
Out came the call and the brant responded like no tomorrow! Problem was, they choose the wrong 50 and left the bay en masse. But that's how it goes, cause when it's the top 50 it doesn't get any better!
The day progressed and little was flying, only a few bluebills buzzed the rig and with the storm coming it seemed that the tide was draining really fast. We hit 4 feet left and figured although I had 1/2 hr or so before I had to pull the pin, we both figured coffee now was better then coffee in 7 hours.
So that was it, the 4th hunt on the last day of the 2007 brant season and the score is a sweep, brant 4, Ian 0.
September will come soon enough, and since watefowling is a lifestyle for me, not a hobby, sport or pastime the end is always mourned, but it is only the end of part of the game.
http://server3.uploadit.org/files/ianrfeir-3van.jpg
I am either blessed or cursed to have an office (arrow) that can see the brant grounds in the distance, so when the papers and calls pile too high I can stand up and look to where I want to be.
Very best,
Ian