Sea Duck Opener 2013

4 eiders, 3 shots



5 shots, 4 drake eiders

 

 
With the new job, it's nice to be able to self prescribe some trigger therapy and let the steel fly. 

The 2013 duck season opened several days ago, but my opener had to wait.  As the boat received fast minimal preparation in a haste driven effort for overall readiness, I figured things were as well as they were going to get.  Time is at a premium and I let the dice roll in hopes that my half assed dedication would at least suffice for a quality sea duck venture.

After a few minor snags and a little extra transport time, my father and I were able to get the decoys into the Atlantic and start gunning for our annual sea duck opener.  This weekend proved quite successful and although we saw very few scoters, the eiders proved somewhat more satisfactory. 

I limited out on four eiders as a pair were dropped from two separate smaller groups whilst my father managed to outdo my great efforts with four eiders out of one group.  8 shots total with 4 taken on cripples equals twelve total shots and the limit was satisfied in less than an hour.

We opted to stick around and enjoy the scenery, sun, and a few more eiders buzzing our spread.  But the patch heads and butterbills simply weren't there, go figure.  But it was a great day nonetheless!


Have a great day,

The Downeast Duck Hunter

Change of venue...

This past week, I interviewed to become principal for a regional elementary school.

Yesterday, I was offered the position.  Pending school board approval and an agreed upon contract, I will be leaving my 15 year career teaching and begin a new path in educational leadership.

There will be less ducks, deer, fish, and outdoor adventures but I'm looking forward to the opportunity to enhance my life and the lives of others.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend!!!

The Check is No Longer in the Mail

After ten years and 120 timely installments, the title to my fishing vessel aka Ducks and Bucks is in the mail.  The 27 foot Osmond Beal design finished by none other than Osmond Beal and his grandson Erick Blackwood (the chairman of the Moosabec World's Fastest Boat Races) became mine on Thursday, May 9, 2013.

Here's a couple neat facts and/or stories about my boat...

The boat was the last to be finished in the former Osmond's Boat Shop on Beal's Island as a newer larger facility was installed next to the aging and now collapsing building.

The first paycheck did not originate from the almighty pursuit of lobsters, but rather a dive job for an ailing yacht that had pulled some 3 inch wide rope into the wheel.

Hit almost 30 knots during the sea trial, and hasn't been that speed since.  

When naming this vessel, a disagreement occurred... Often, men name their boats after their wives.  Since I did NOT have one at the time, I went with a catchy name that exemplified my passions.  I married my wife several weeks after the boat was officially put onto the ocean.

My cousin and the Alley brothers decided to have some fun with me during a haul out.  They put a for sale sign on the boat for a price they determined would be "low enough to move fast".  For about two days, I received calls about selling the boat, several were at 3 a.m. when lobstermen are up and at em during the summer.  Eventually I figured out I had been punked.

Due to the lobster glut and low price last year, I hauled my traps out early and was done before school started.  The D&B only spent 12 weeks on the ocean last season.

Almost all of my sea duck scouting occurs while working on the Ducks and Bucks.  Watching the birds fly by in the early fall is one of my favorite parts of being on the water, hunting them several weeks later is my favorite part of being on the water.

Shifting gears...

My life is family, and my family is my life...

I had a good run, but I do not have the time or the energy to post regularly on my site.  I'm not getting out nearly enough in the great outdoors and I'm posturing for other opportunities down the road.

If the good Lord helps those who help themselves, then my efforts will be of fruition.

If not, then my efforts will be not in vain but rather unfortunate.  I must balance my life, family, health, and career in greater accord which leads to the obvious reduction in writing, photography, and video.

The website will remain up and I will post when the opportunity arises, there will be no forced posts for the sake of keeping things active or maintaining a readership or earning sponsors and that lucrative outdoorsman contract.  This blog will once again become what I intended previously, a record of a part of my life with a literary and visual appeal.

I'm thankful for gaining two fine buddies in Trey Luckie and Kevin Sellers who will be lifelong friends, and for those who've crossed in my adventures with Steve Vose.  We'll still do our thing down the road, and I'm sure there will be posts but my overall zeal and enthusiasm for writing by force is low.

Until my next post, whenever that may be... take care...

The Downeast Duck Hunter

Please Louisville, One more win!!!

The Honey Bradger, Witchy Wheat, my wife, and yours truly...

I love March Madness and am constantly amazed one team will match up against a completely different foe from another part of the country.  The full court pressure of Louisville, the size and speed of Wichita State, the defensive zone of Syracuse, the return of Michigan, the athleticism of Florida Gulf Coast, and the continued curse of Gone-zaga.  It is all relevant and inspiring for me as I take part in several college brackets every spring, but this year I found myself participating in a different type of madness; a drawing.

For twenty bucks, I got four pulls out of the 64 contenders.  My hits were Colorado, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and finally Louisville who is the overall number one seed of the tournament.  I figured I had a good chance as anybody and felt confident with those picks.  After all, Wisconsin had a great run in the Big Ten tournament finally losing the championship to Ohio State and Minnesota had continually competed in the same league.  Louisville, however, was my lynchpin to success.

The Cardinals have mowed their way through the tournament turning the tide quickly against the Duke Blue Devils following the hardest to ever see sports injury I've ever seen, so bad that my wife had to leave the room as we replayed the action to fathom the seriousness of the injury to guard Kevin Ware.

Last night, Louisville met up with an amazing Wichita State team that had played ever so impressively as well.  The 9th ranked Shockers had mowed over #1 Gone-zaga and La Salle while surviving a second half surge by #2 Ohio State.  Wichita State also happened to be the team that my buddy, the Honey Bradger held with pride.  The stars were aligning on this one.

Our match up took on a whole new life as a variety of pictures were sent to each other along with harassing text messages all building up to our show down at a get together.  This match up promised insane smack talk and potential violence coupled with an overnight invitation which mandated all children being relocated to all available grandparents.  Yes, the Final Four party would provide food, fighting, and fantastic basketball madness for all those who dared to participate.

Wichita State proved capable, illustrating great size, speed, and shooting whilst the Cardinals found themselves in a war of attrition and hung in there.  After several hours of brutal words, a slew of sign language, and one hard fought battle, the Louisville Cardinals survived and will face the Michigan Wolverines tomorrow.  Due to same crap as Monday night football, the game will start around 9:30 EST so I must stay up until 2 a.m. in order to accommodate the west coast but that's okay especially if I (Louisville) win.  For a couple hundred bills, I'll be a slug Tuesday morning.

Have a great one!!!

The Downeast Duck Hunter