13 replies to this topic

[pond jumper]

As everyone is well aware, duck hunting and hunting in general is pretty darn expensive, but this week has been a little over the top for me. I shot my first grouse with a sling shot and I spent my first 5 years hunting ducks with a dozen old beat up decoys of a generic species, my grandfathers old rem 870 with a fixed choke, a box of 8$imperial steel shot and a Crappy T special camo rain jacket over top of my winter coat, my allowance/part time job paid for it and i always had a blast. Over the last few years ive bought a new synthetic camo shotgun, 5 dozen decoys, water proof windproof coat,a boat, a dog and 2 motion decoys and this year have decided to splurge a little on ""premium" ammo, but this week its pretty well cause nothing but frustration. First day of the season, one of my motion decoys was stolen, thats ok my fault for trusting that it would be ok from 8pm til 5am...WRONG...second day of the season, sleeve of my new coat gets caught under the action of my pump gun, (still dont know how that happend) out comes knife now a big hole in my new coat...still no biggy only second day of season, lots of birds...day isnt over yet, remaining motion decoy gets blown in water..still works for now. I decide to book a week off work since shooting and conditions are so good...what happens water comes 30 feet. Then comes today when the whole season has gone down the tubes before its even arrived. I get up this morning find out my uncle had to chase down my boat the day before, water is so high all my duck spots are now under 10 feet of water and its so windy i can't even get off shore...thats ok off to some back woods ponds...only problem...no water! go figure! Find a bit of mud and water, set up some decoys and motion decoy, switch is stuck..screw with it a bit and finally get it to work, now its stuck on so have to disconnect battery to shut it off...oh well better than it being stuck off i figure. Sit for a bit No birds, saw that coming. Thats ok, go pond jumping with my cousin, we jump a few birds get a few , all is going well, fire a couple more shots, decide to switch over to black cloud , go to change my choke tube...no choke tube in the gun..my full choke tube is now at the bottom of Grand Lake. Put remaining mod choke tube in and head to a fav beaver pond , get in up jump a woodduck, Bang, Bang nothing not even a click, look down the fore end of my gun is ahead but action is still open...wtf, one of the slide bars is broke off..great now my gun is toast (until i get it repaired or a new one). By this time im getting more than a little pissed, my cousin loans me one of his guns, the we head into a promising (or so it seemed) spot for night shoot where we'd jumped a bunch of ducks earlier and try and salvage the rest of the day. We throw out some dekes and put out my motion decoy (screw with the switch for a bit to get it to work. No birds. Period. Well we decide to call it quite, on the way out of the tangled mess of alders and mud,I lost a wing to my motion decoy, after a lot of swearing which im sure was probably heard from each corner of the province and several trips back through the mess with more hope of catching an STD from a virgin than finding that wing, i decided that with my week booked off for work im going to hunt grouse with a sling shot and start scouting for deer,and maybe jump that beaver pond with the old 870..how was your first week?

[gothemi]

Man, sounds like you need a beer.

[ArcheryAddiction]

better then yours lol

[Scoot]

That sucks! When it rains it pours! No pun intended.

Here's one from a moose hunting trip back in 2005 in Gaspe Quebec. It's all about my cousin but since it's 2 tags per moose it does affect me.

I leave on Friday at around 10:00 am to haul my trailer up since first day is saturday of gun season. My cousin gets tied up at work and doesn't leave until 4:00 pm.

I'm already in out camp spot 6 hours later and set up waiting for my cousin to show up. Now it's getting dark and I'm a bit concerned. So I leave for the 1 hour drive to Campbelton from up in the woods and many kilometers of dirt road. I am going to call his cell from the pay phone when I get there since he has to make it to the store in Cross Point Quebec to buy his license by 10:00pm. Now it's 9:00 pm and I call him from a pay phone. I finally get through and he's about an hour away. It's going to be close for him to buy his tag! Come to find out he just had his transmission serviced the week before and for some reason the mechanic screwed up and the seal blew outside of Bathurst. Fluid caught fire from exhaust and he had to pull over because his truck hauling the utility trailer with his 4 wheeler is on fire. He get's the fire out but is stranded. He calls home and has to wait for his step father and mom to driver up the new Z71 Chevy 4X4 up to him and do the exchange. Here he is on the side of the highway waiting for 3 hours.

Arrives in Cross point at 10:00 pm exactly. Lucky SOB gets his tag and we finally get back to the camp site at 11;30 pm. Get to bed about 1:00 am and up at 5:30 for the hunt. Pouring rain. NOt fit to hunt. I stay in bed on day 1.

Day 2: Heavy rain. Clears up in the evening and windy.

Day 3 no luck
Day 4 no luck
Day 5 clear cold evening. I get back to the trailer and find my truck hooked to the utility trailer. Cousin shot a 6 point bull. Moose runs down hill. Hills in Quebec are steap!
Cousing took brand new Z71 Chevy with trailer down the road to go get moose and blows a tire. That is why my truck is now hooked up to it. Couldn't get tire off brand new Z71 truck. Fancy piece of junk tire hoist and lock. Ends up drivin on rim and ruins the highway tire that should have never been put on the Z71 4X4 truck in the first place at the factory.

Finally get to moose with my truck and utility trailer. Cousin drives his bike in. Brought coleman lantern to help light up the place as we clear a trail with the chainsaw to get to moose down the hill. Now it starts to rain. Slippery as a wet fish! Trail half cut and run out of gas. No more gas for chainsaw. Then coleman lantern runs out of fuel. Clear rest of trail by axe and hatchet. Wore ou, wet and tired. Now 11:00 pm.
Hook up to moose with one bike. Can't pull up hill on slippery slope. Go all the way back to the trailer with truck and get second bike. Now 2:00am Go back and hook up second bike after driving the 14 kilometer return trip on my 4 wheeler. NOw cold and wet and tired.

Hook up to first bike and start hauling moose out. Slippery as heck! brake rope twice and moose gets hung up on large stump. Ended up breaking one side of rack off. Got moose out and onto level ground.

Back at trailer by 5:00am and going to bed as alarm goes off for us to wake up!

Wake up at 9:00 am and start cleaning up moose a bit since my cousin used his stupid 300 ultra mag and shot through the brisket and it went through the guts and tore the paunch and came out the hind quarter. What a frigging piece or cannon! Brought guts and feed bag through hind quarter. Nice smell after all that effort!

One thing I will never understand is why we just didn't wait until morning.

[SlickTrick]

Seen a Coyote, out at 35 yards.. fired on it, missed.. Arrow dropped right between its feet.

Took a break for lunch, and adjusted 30 yard pin from 25 yards to 40 yards. Coyote wont be so lucky next time.
Evening hunt, sitting in the tree line, buck staring at us 15 yards outside of an ethical shot. (I swear it was sticking its tongue out at us)
Tried to call it in, and deer call failed miserably... It bogged out, and you could not blow it. It will be going in the trash!

Monday morning, holiday... have to take GF to work for 9 am. might see if I can get someone else to take her so I can go out.

Talk about high water!! man its not quite, but pretty close to freshet levels in the upper Kennebecasis. I have seen boats floating over what should be hard marsh.

[B^K]

i had to work...beat that!

[NBG]

Laugh or Cry.....Nothing wrong with sitting on a stump by yourself in the middle of the woods crying and wondering "am I cursed or something" LOL LOL

When it seems everythings breaking on you, just take a few moments and bust everything up on purpose and save yourself the anxiety and aggravation of it breaking at the wrong moment..LOL LOL

Hope things get better...geeeeeeeeshhhhh

[Muddler]

PJ... Sounds like you're having a hard ol battle this season!!! If you ever need any gear you know where to find it. Give me a call sometime if you want to get out... although I will admit, I did some laughing over your post hahahaha. I almost called for a WANNHHBULANCE!!

[Riverboy]

Pondjumper,Don't feel bad. Everyone has times like that,it goes with the territory. Just grin and bear it.It'll turn around sometime.{I hope!} Cheers! RB

[pond jumper]

PJ... Sounds like you're having a hard ol battle this season!!! If you ever need any gear you know where to find it. Give me a call sometime if you want to get out... although I will admit, I did some laughing over your post hahahaha. I almost called for a WANNHHBULANCE!!

I actually laughed while writing it, the decoys, no big deal but my gun really pissed me off, ive got a loaner shotgun since my other ones won't fire 3" and i just bought 4 boxes yesterday, hopefully i can get it fixed before next week

[takin'time]

Let me guess Pond Jumper your nickname is ......Lucky

[Muddler]

PJ... I should be in McAdam a few times this week if you need me to pick your gun up or anything. I think we have a side by side here you can borrow if you need a gun.

[mu'in]

after a lot of swearing which im sure was probably heard from each corner of the province

Wondered who that was..

[pond jumper]

PJ... I should be in McAdam a few times this week if you need me to pick your gun up or anything. I think we have a side by side here you can borrow if you need a gun.

Took it up yesterday, should be done early next week, i got the week off so i might just take a drive up to get it and do some bird hunting up that way