At least down at the old farm. How grim? Well, the spot where my truck is parked should be under about three feet of water this time of year. And there should be ducks, lots of ducks, all over it. Instead, you can just barely make out the lake (or what's left of it) way off in the distance.
I'm taking this picture from one of my duck blinds. In fact, that firewood in the bed of the truck? Yeah, that used to be one of my duck blinds. No sense in letting all that good dead-standing wood go to waste, right? Gotta make hay when the sun shines. And obviously it's been shining quite a bit the past couple of years...
We're still in the grip of what the climatologists classify as a "moderate drought" but all I know is that virtually all of my early-season shallow-water hunting spots are simply gone, replaced by dusty little bowls of cracked and desiccated earth. Which means if I want to hunt I'm going to have to switch to main lakes and bigger, deeper bodies of water.
Anyone have a layout boat or sneak box they want to send my way? Looks like I'm going to need one...
I hate that for you man. It seems like all of the good "little" holes are now dried up!
ReplyDeleteWe are getting ready for duck opening day on 10/22 in Delaware...marshes along the Delaware Bay. Plenty of water...now it depends on whether cold weather up North has pushed the birds down our way...stay tuned
ReplyDeleteDude, come out to Cali. We'll hook you up.
ReplyDeleteDitto NorCal Cazadora.
ReplyDeleteThe way it's looking I may have to take someone up on that. If I could only get F&S to pay for it...
ReplyDeletePitch it as a hunt with and story about wild game cook extraordinaire Hank Shaw (aka "Boyfriend"). His book is coming out in early spring, and F&S already likes him. From what I know about magazine schedules, you'd have the piece ready about in time for the book...
ReplyDeleteThat is pretty darn grim. Here I was worrying that warm weather was going to mean very few ducks until January, but at least our river is still flowing. Hope you get a big dose of rain to open up some of your shallows before too long.
ReplyDeleteIs that actually an old McCulloch chain saw in your truck? Forget the drought, go get yourself a Husky and your duck drought will be over!
ReplyDeleteActually anon, it's a Stihl 025, purchased for $65 bucks from a pawn shop a number of years ago and it just won't quit.
ReplyDeleteMy big saw, however, is a Husky 181 that produces more horsepower than many compact cars...
Ha ha. It's still 80 degrees and droughty here in Maryland, despite a noreaster and a hurricane dumping 13 inches of rain a month ago.....it's all gone now. Didn't even go out for early duck.
ReplyDeleteNo matter. Goose season's in less than 4 weeks. Don't need water. Just need cold.