don’t forget the longlines

Todd Duncan Tennyson

Well-known member


long before the sun was up
my phone was ringing

i didn’t have the fire lit or the coffee going or anything


i knew it had to be mike
because no one else would call me so early

i’d just rolled out of bed and was kind of worried that maybe mike had hit a deer or had a flat tire on his way

he indicated that his alarm was experiencing issues from the recent solar flare activity, and somehow, he’d arrived at the rendezvous about an hour ahead of schedule

he said, “just knock on the window when you get here and i’ll see you then,” he added, “don’t forget the big window sash weights or the longline reels, because we are going to need them later on to blast some divers.”

“ok mike, i have already got the big bag of burlapped birds in the boat, see you soon.” i said

i got my cup of coffee and my dog, a box of shells and a sweet potato that anya made for me the night before

we loaded up and rolled down the block after i let about a bathtub full of water out of the back of the bomber


soon we met up and rolled to the launch


we did the routine
mike unhitched the lights and straps and i put the plug in the stern so we wouldn’t sink


mike doesn’t ask if i need help

he watched me for the first couple seasons
(i’m pretty particular about the routine with loading and unloading on the bomber.)

now he just gets to work undoing lines and ropes and checking tiedowns



it is nice to hunt with someone that i can count on



the red dog sat there and watched it all like he knew the next steps coming

i backed the bomber into the water and put the red dog’s flack jacket on him


it is difficult to put a flack jacket on a dog that wants to get going


you have to be able to get him to hold still for long enough to lay the jacket on the ground splayed open

then you have to put both of his front legs through the left armhole
and then both through the rt armhole


once all of these are completed
all you have to do is get the zipper to zip and the velcro to fasten

you will need to muss the fur out of the way of the zipper
and then you will probably either pinch yourself or your dog in the fasteners
once you have done the aforementioned your dog should be ready

you will be sweating and exhausted



we left the launch and were in the dark on the big river

i always feel a bit apprehensive at driving the boat out into the dark
even with lights and a compass
it is intimidating to go through fog patches
or rollers and side currents

and although we’ve made the same run easily over a hundred times
we ran aground on a new shoal today

it took a moment to free ourselves but we kept on and into the blackness just like we always do


soon we were at the chosen location


i dropped mike and what he could carry and he was off on a long hike into the marsh and the dark

i took the bomber and ditched it and hauled the rest of the gear


mike shouted “hey man, don’t forget the longlines”




he had the deeks out and we had birds coming in from every direction
some in the spread
& high overhead

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i am shooting a little side by side 20 ga and it seems to pattern nicely with a 3’’ #2 at 1550 fps

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red dog had plenty of birds to fetch


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we got our birds and each made some good shots


i sure was proud of the red dog




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mike got a nice drake with quite a set of curlers



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soon we had all we were allowed and the red dog was trying to say something



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mike said “what’s that kaden?”

kaden said “i sure like a corned dog”

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me and mike pitched in and got the boy his corned dog on the way home after rolling through thousands of birds

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mike looked back and laughed and said “well, it sure was a good thing we brought the longlines and 50 lbs of sash weights”


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Thanks for the great pics and story. Looks liked abgood day. Your red dog reminds me of my brown dog. Lots and lots of energy. Luke
 
Thanks Todd. I sure like Kayden. Red dog looks just like a twin of mine, just younger. Trip.
 
As usual, thanks for the story and pics Todd.

Always look forward to reading of your exploits.

Let me know when you publish all of these writings...

Jon

ps. Red Dog reminds me too, of a Golden I had years ago.
 
Loved that story, Todd. This line brought a smile to my face----"[font=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]it is difficult to put a flack jacket on a dog that wants to get going " Great job. The pictures were outstanding. Sure glad that someone has some birds to look at.
Al
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a great story and beautiful pics.
what state is that you hunt in it looks beautiful there
nice boat too
 
Todd, I really thought you did forget the longlines, this ending is better. I too laughed out loud about the flak jacket, I try to sneak it on him before we even leave the house. Those dogs do know about the gear that means fun -jackets, collars or bells and do get crazy. Thanks for sharing.
 
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Isn't it amazing all the work we go through to have "fun". Your story reminds me of our routine. Sure helps when everybody in your party pitches in and does their part. Even then the whole process can be exhausting. But as they say, "A bad day duck hunting beats any day on the job".
 
Todd,

If you stick your hands and wrists through the holes in the vest (like you are going to put it on yourself inside out) and grab the dog by the front legs, the vest goes on fast :). Good essay, btw.

T
 
Todd, old friend of mine, it's another great adventure to add to all of our others.
Some day I'll have to fashion some type of binder or hard cover and put it together for my grandkids to read when I'm gone.
I hope they will be able to enjoy these places as much as our hounds and we do.
 
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