In the Beautiful Sunrise Club this past weekend for the Florida Duck Season opener. I headed out Saturday morning, all loaded up in the FJ (the boat ramp I was heading to is much more conducive to use with little vehicles) and I get about 1/4 mile from the house and the truck begins hitting me with all sorts of check engine lights. Sooooooooo, I limp home slowly hoping that my truck doesn't explode or something. It's the first real "issue" I have had with it in 230,000 miles so I shouldn't be complaining but C'MON!!!!!! IT'S THE FIRST DAY OF DUCK SEASON!!!!
Ah well. That's 2020 for you.
So I get home and begin the mad rush of switching vehicles, which overall isn't too bad except I had to go digging through both trucks and then had the inspiration to check the garage for a length of chain because the chain from my canoe trailer is too short to reach the attachment points on the Chevy. I ended up leaving about half an hour later than planned, and I had originally left about half an hour earlier than I planned. So, as a result I didn't get to the boat ramp until about 15 minutes after legal. All the way there I wondered to myself if I should even bother. Then I'd kick myself and remind myself I got up at 3 in the morning to dig through the garage to get all my stuff out and load the truck up and I am NOT going back home to bed without getting out on the water.
I headed to the Gulf. The weekend before I had seen GREAT numbers of divers trading around. I had hopes, though not super high because the tides weren't quite right, that there would be birds flying around. Luckily the boat ramp is only about 200 yards or so from the Gulf so I hauled butt when I got to the boat ramp and got on the water quick. I was the only person at the ramp, which isn't a total surprise since the impoundment on the opposite side of the boat ramp that it is supposed to be managed for ducks has been duckless for about six years. As I was paddling out, enjoying the quiet, I had a flock of green winged teal buzz my head. It got me excited!
I got out to the Gulf, headed to a jutting out spit of marsh and tossed out some decoys, got buzzed by three bufflehead and then shoved the canoe up into the grass and sat to wait. I was set up in time to watch the sun begin its ascent over the horizon.
As the sun was coming up, so too was the breeze. I thought I was quite well positioned with the breeze to my back and the ducks would like to come in and visit. I waited. I waited some more. I waited even more. The butterfly migration is still going on so I had lots of those little beauties flutter by. Of course I had a few flocks of shorebirds zoom through and trick me for just a second that it was ducks coming in. I had some pelicans float through the decoys.
I watched a bunch of fish cruise through, some fishermen caught some really nice redfish and I told myself I should have taken a rod with me.
The breeze continued picking up, the tide continued dropping and the few ducks I did see were waaaaaaaaaay out on the water. I don't know where the flights I saw the weekend previous were, but they were definitely not around me then. Since I've not been out on that section of the marsh, I really wasn't familiar with how long it would take for it to empty out of water at the boat ramp by low. Plus the wind was pushing water out of the marsh as well, so I decided to pick up. Good thing. I know I've stated this before but just me in the canoe, even loaded down with decoys, the canoe is a sail. There were a few stretches I had to walk the canoe because I couldn't make any headway with the wind pushing me back to the Gulf. It was an adventure and the water was surprisingly really clear so I saw a bunch of neat things...lots of crabs, one small flounder, tons of little bait fishes. Things that I would have normally spent time watching or trying to catch if I wasn't fighting trying to go forward.
The boat ramp is only about 200 yards from the Gulf but it took close to 30 minutes to paddle that 200 yards. A few places, I was dragging bottom across the mud so I was really happy to have been heading back because dead low was still about 3 hours away, though the boat ramp itself was still nicely flooded for a little boat like mine.
Once I was loaded back up at the boat ramp, I sat with my face in the breeze and just watched the world go by. Lots of butterflies and the white pelicans put in an appearance.
It really is a shame about the impoundment because it has the potential to be a duck mecca. Right now though, shorebirds, rails and the occasional grebe can be found on it.
So ended the first day of duck season. I headed back home for a nap and to try to diagnose my FJs problems. I came up with a couple of simple things to try first, but I won't be finished totally until after Thanksgiving since I am waiting on a part. Then if those things don't work, I will really begin to worry.
Sunday, I decided to try my luck out at a freshwater lake. This place is only about 30 minutes from my house and is usually pretty crowded. Regardless, I got up late enough that I was there at the boat ramp 30 minutes before legal. It was more of an armed scouting mission than anything. I found a place that looked as good as the next and got all set up to watch and see how everything would play out.
It was indeed another beautiful sunrise morning.
I was well surrounded by coots. I love watching coots. Even when the ducks aren't flying, they are fun to watch. These guys were no different. Lots of fighting and arguing going on.
As the morning progressed, it was clear I was not even on the right side of the monstrous lake. I wasn't overly upset about that though because even on the correct side of the lake where the birds were apparently flying, there wasn't much shooting. When the birds are in, the lake sounds like something out of one of the world wars. Sunday it was comparatively quiet. Usually there are high flying flocks of ringnecks but there were very few of those. So, I was content to sit in my canoe and watch the coots pester each other. There was enough of a breeze that the bloodsuckers were kept away and it was a very pleasant temperature. Not a bad way to spend a morning watching the world come alive.
Eventually it was clear that there were going to be no birds interested in visiting me and I felt the need for a big breakfast so I picked up my decoys and meandered back to the boat ramp. I was a little smarter because I headed into the wind when I had left the boat ramp. Mostly I could sail back to the boat ramp while I just enjoyed the quiet and beauty of the lake.
While the birds were a little disappointing, and I believe that Dave short stopped most of them, it was not a bad way to spend a weekend and relax. Plus my membership back into the Beautiful Sunrise Club is firmly established.
Dani
Ah well. That's 2020 for you.
So I get home and begin the mad rush of switching vehicles, which overall isn't too bad except I had to go digging through both trucks and then had the inspiration to check the garage for a length of chain because the chain from my canoe trailer is too short to reach the attachment points on the Chevy. I ended up leaving about half an hour later than planned, and I had originally left about half an hour earlier than I planned. So, as a result I didn't get to the boat ramp until about 15 minutes after legal. All the way there I wondered to myself if I should even bother. Then I'd kick myself and remind myself I got up at 3 in the morning to dig through the garage to get all my stuff out and load the truck up and I am NOT going back home to bed without getting out on the water.
I headed to the Gulf. The weekend before I had seen GREAT numbers of divers trading around. I had hopes, though not super high because the tides weren't quite right, that there would be birds flying around. Luckily the boat ramp is only about 200 yards or so from the Gulf so I hauled butt when I got to the boat ramp and got on the water quick. I was the only person at the ramp, which isn't a total surprise since the impoundment on the opposite side of the boat ramp that it is supposed to be managed for ducks has been duckless for about six years. As I was paddling out, enjoying the quiet, I had a flock of green winged teal buzz my head. It got me excited!
I got out to the Gulf, headed to a jutting out spit of marsh and tossed out some decoys, got buzzed by three bufflehead and then shoved the canoe up into the grass and sat to wait. I was set up in time to watch the sun begin its ascent over the horizon.
As the sun was coming up, so too was the breeze. I thought I was quite well positioned with the breeze to my back and the ducks would like to come in and visit. I waited. I waited some more. I waited even more. The butterfly migration is still going on so I had lots of those little beauties flutter by. Of course I had a few flocks of shorebirds zoom through and trick me for just a second that it was ducks coming in. I had some pelicans float through the decoys.
I watched a bunch of fish cruise through, some fishermen caught some really nice redfish and I told myself I should have taken a rod with me.
The breeze continued picking up, the tide continued dropping and the few ducks I did see were waaaaaaaaaay out on the water. I don't know where the flights I saw the weekend previous were, but they were definitely not around me then. Since I've not been out on that section of the marsh, I really wasn't familiar with how long it would take for it to empty out of water at the boat ramp by low. Plus the wind was pushing water out of the marsh as well, so I decided to pick up. Good thing. I know I've stated this before but just me in the canoe, even loaded down with decoys, the canoe is a sail. There were a few stretches I had to walk the canoe because I couldn't make any headway with the wind pushing me back to the Gulf. It was an adventure and the water was surprisingly really clear so I saw a bunch of neat things...lots of crabs, one small flounder, tons of little bait fishes. Things that I would have normally spent time watching or trying to catch if I wasn't fighting trying to go forward.
The boat ramp is only about 200 yards from the Gulf but it took close to 30 minutes to paddle that 200 yards. A few places, I was dragging bottom across the mud so I was really happy to have been heading back because dead low was still about 3 hours away, though the boat ramp itself was still nicely flooded for a little boat like mine.
Once I was loaded back up at the boat ramp, I sat with my face in the breeze and just watched the world go by. Lots of butterflies and the white pelicans put in an appearance.
It really is a shame about the impoundment because it has the potential to be a duck mecca. Right now though, shorebirds, rails and the occasional grebe can be found on it.
So ended the first day of duck season. I headed back home for a nap and to try to diagnose my FJs problems. I came up with a couple of simple things to try first, but I won't be finished totally until after Thanksgiving since I am waiting on a part. Then if those things don't work, I will really begin to worry.
Sunday, I decided to try my luck out at a freshwater lake. This place is only about 30 minutes from my house and is usually pretty crowded. Regardless, I got up late enough that I was there at the boat ramp 30 minutes before legal. It was more of an armed scouting mission than anything. I found a place that looked as good as the next and got all set up to watch and see how everything would play out.
It was indeed another beautiful sunrise morning.
I was well surrounded by coots. I love watching coots. Even when the ducks aren't flying, they are fun to watch. These guys were no different. Lots of fighting and arguing going on.
As the morning progressed, it was clear I was not even on the right side of the monstrous lake. I wasn't overly upset about that though because even on the correct side of the lake where the birds were apparently flying, there wasn't much shooting. When the birds are in, the lake sounds like something out of one of the world wars. Sunday it was comparatively quiet. Usually there are high flying flocks of ringnecks but there were very few of those. So, I was content to sit in my canoe and watch the coots pester each other. There was enough of a breeze that the bloodsuckers were kept away and it was a very pleasant temperature. Not a bad way to spend a morning watching the world come alive.
Eventually it was clear that there were going to be no birds interested in visiting me and I felt the need for a big breakfast so I picked up my decoys and meandered back to the boat ramp. I was a little smarter because I headed into the wind when I had left the boat ramp. Mostly I could sail back to the boat ramp while I just enjoyed the quiet and beauty of the lake.
While the birds were a little disappointing, and I believe that Dave short stopped most of them, it was not a bad way to spend a weekend and relax. Plus my membership back into the Beautiful Sunrise Club is firmly established.
Dani
] I did my best to scare and educate the ones that did get thru.
