Why is it that the best stand in the field is always the least comfortable? During these first two weeks of our unusually slow dove season I've been taking mental notes about where the birds are coming in and out of the field and who's leaving with the heaviest bags. On opening day the only guy who shot a limit sat underneath a power line near a pole with a transformer on it. But that kid paid for his limit.
Not only does this stand lack any usable shade, it sits on the east end of the field, meaning that as the hours tick by you stare more and more directly into the sun. Ever try to shoot a dove that's using Japanese Zero fighter tactics?
Today only five of us showed up, hardly enough to cover the field effectively but few enough that nobody was stuck with a really bad stand. I'd decided before I left the house that after two weeks and only a handful of birds in the freezer I was ready to pony up, and when no one volunteered to sit under the wire I eased in that direction.
I lost about 5 lbs of water weight and still see lots of pink and purple and white when I close my eyes, but after three hours I managed to scratch out an old school limit. Worth it? Oh yeah.
Congrats! Been slow here too, but I finally shot my first limit on Saturday evening after blanking on teal that morning. Win some, lose some...
ReplyDeleteI saw your post about September teal (Sometimes they're there, sometimes they're not) and wondered how you did. Glad you're getting some shooting of one sort or another. Chasing two different birds in the same day is a win in my book.
DeleteIn your Opening Day entry, I mentioned my "old man umbrella". It's a golf umbrella, camo'd. Using a 7' section of schedule E conduit, I taped a section of pvc pipe to the top end. The bottom end is sawed off at an angle and flattened with a hammer. 18" above the "point", I drilled a hole through the conduit and tied a loop of parachute cord open enough for my foot to go through. My fat azz supplies enough weight to sink the point into the ground. The open umbrella slides into the pvc. Instant shade. The best manuever to avoid a Zero attack is never, ever let him get on your 6 o'clock. Doves out of the sun? You are on your own. Gil
ReplyDeleteI can see where that would come in handy. So would some cool weather. I'm ready about any time now.
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