The sea turkeys can wait...

I had suspicions that the crud had found me...

It began just before Thanksgiving break with the achy, dry eyes which then converted into that painstaking sore throat.  Any tough and true hunter merely casts these issues aside, but I honestly was worried.  You see my immune system has been healing since the advent of Celiac Disease, and everything just takes longer to fix when I'm sick.  So with a fierce regiment of Emergen-C, Airborne, and any other recommended "this will fix what ails ya", balancing pursuit against maintaining health has become the cornerstone of my vacation.  So in turn, the eiders, coots, and old squaws have been awarded sanctuary for at least one more day.

My dad and brother-in-law had already planned to chase some newly arrived buffleheads, but this morning I simply chose to sleep in.  With about ten hours to recharge my battery, I opted to take a solo hunt out black duck hunting.  It turns out that all hands played out well as I was able to take advantage of a later flood tide.

After a quick set up consisting of the true trio of hen feeder mallards and MoJo, the tide played its typical game of big time flood.  I called, chatted with several different friends, but only one pair swam close enough to warrant a fair shot.  Once the tide level officially reached MoJo's tail feathers, I was forced into a predicament.  Go save Robo Decoy and be seen by the variety of black ducks, or let him try to fly up from the salty brine.  No sooner had I even begun these options, one committed black duck turned about thirty feet in front of me.  Honestly, I had no chance simply because any logistical type of readiness had been foreclosed upon in the midst of my crisis.


Shortly thereafter, I was able to call in two fliers that hit the water about 40 yards away.  A few single lonely hen quacks seemed to do the trick as the pair challenged the flooding tide and continued my way.  Once my last quack was levied, the trigger was pulled which left one duck down while the other burst away.  Clearly a head shot I thought, there was no need for a follow up shot.

Without hesitation, I rescued Robo Decoy whose charging port and power switching were flirting with the ocean.  Then I made a move for the rowboat and retrieved the prize.  After a quick pick up and a few photos, my day was over.

Tomorrow has been forecast as a day for reckoning with a westerly wind at 5 to 10 knots and mild temperatures.  My brother-in-law and Matt Diesel will be in attendance.  It is my hopes to finish my field test for BulkAmmo.com that will include some video of those monster sea turkeys hitting the floor.

Have a great day,

The Downeast Duck Hunter

Do you see the blind???

Yet???

Getting closer...

And it's flooded!!!