With high tide being at 12.30 I arranged to pick him up at 9am.....However, after hooking up the boat to the Suzuki, I started loading up the gear. In my haste to be on time, I opened the tailgate without thinking and due to the gas strut being quite vicious ( had it recharged last week ) it swung the tailgate open and next thing the rear window exploded when it hit the bow of the boat.
Bugger!. Shotgun cases, wet weather gear and clothes bag saturated with glass. Not a good start.
Extracted the gear, shook all the glass off it, reconnected the boat to the Cherokee and made it to his place just on 9am.
Got to the ramp at 9.45, loaded up the boat and headed down the river. Weather was 25knot southerlies with gusts to 35 knots and I knew it would be rough.......But I also knew that the river mouth would be sheltered.....so we poked the bow out of the river to be faced with 2-3 m high waves and I immediately reversed course back into shelter. Having been in similar conditions in previous seasons I already had an alternative spot picked out.
Back up the river to spot X, decoys set 50 yds upwind and guns loaded. 10 minutes later, nothing. So I told Bh to block his ears and I sent a shot away to hopefully stir up any birds hiding in the mangroves.
Sure enough, within 2 minutes,a pair of mallards came screaming downwind past us out of range at about 50-60mph, a quick call and they swung into a diving turn, set their wings and came into view again 30 yds out. I told BH to take them and 2 shots later we had our first 2 birds. While we were untying to go retrieve them another pair came into view and the same scenario was repeated....4 nil to Bh.
Retrieved the 4 birds, just got tied up back in the mangroves and 3 more birds appeared. Once again I let Bh open up and he dropped 2 while I took tail end charlie...6 to 1 in Bh's favour.
When he queried why I was waiting till he opened up we had a discussion and decided we would alternate in taking the first shot.
Here are a couple of pics showing the view we had....
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- 20240526_111553.jpg (5.19 MiB) Viewed 2220 times
- 20240526_111558.jpg (3.94 MiB) Viewed 2220 times
We sat back to enjoy our coffee and while I started the bilge pump to clear the bilges ( damn leak again) I heard a single 'quack' and looked up to see a drake swimming in the river. We both got ready and then yelled out/shook the mangroves but he didnt want to get up! I said to Bh we will use the 'Kaipara 2 Step' ....he got ready. I fired a shot over the bird with scared it into flight and he dropped it after it had cleared the water. As he fired a second bird came screaming past with a tailwind and my second shot dropped it. 8 to 7 in Bh's favor and he had his limit. He graciously told me the next bird was mine and 5 minutes later I dropped a single that answered my call to 'dinner at my place'.
1 hr and twenty minutes for us both to limit out which included setting up and taking down our dekes and camo.
5 minutes later we were back at the ramp, called to see Mark and gave him a damn good listening to, and were back at Bh's place by 2,30pm
Here is a pic of the birds....
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Oh, about the Blonde.....
Here she is on the far right.....
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A bad start to the day but it just got betterer and betterer lol.
