Friday June 9, 2006

Well, I think that I am almost over the initial phase of dealing with the fact that turkey season is actually over. I still wake up and think I might get to go hunting. Well, this afternoon we finished up work and then Larry, Beeler and I went down to our duck blind to fix up some stuff and have a few beers while watching the wetland wildlife. We replaced a floor board that got broken towards the end of last season, drilled holes in the floor near the door to allow the water to drain so that when you take that first step up, you aren't sliding around on a sheet of ice at 4:30 in the am in 10degree weather. We also stood up the cedars that had fallen over this spring and got them situated so that all the willow transplants that we put around the outside will have room to grow. When we got there, they were all doing good, but some of them were growing up through the dead cedars. We also clipped some more willow branches from a pretty robust plant next to the blind and stuck them in some of the areas around the blind that were lacking transplants. They should grow up nicely and minimize the amount of brush we are going to have to add this fall. There was a pair of mallards on the hole, as well as a lone hen wood duck. Larry has been spotting a bunch of woodies on the hole recently, I don't know where they were tonight. The work portion of the night took about an hour, and it was pretty easy. Earlier we stopped in to see Bobbi, the lady who owns the property. She just had back surgery, but when we pulled up she was out walking around with her daughter in the yard. She's a great lady, always very friendly, and very talkative. They offered us some iced tea and some "moose munch crunch", one of the monthly gifts that she gets from our company through a "gift of the month club". She always makes us laugh, because she gets all these treats once a month, but can't justify opening them until we stop by, or her grandchildren come. We usually have a piece of candy, or something, then leave the rest for her to enjoy, which I'm sure she does after waiting weeks to try some of the stuff. Anyway, we visited with Bobbi, then fixed the blind, and since it was a friday, we watched the sunset while sitting in the blind and had a few beers too! We decided that we are going to build a small shelf that runs the length of the front wall so that a box of shells could be stored there, rather than on the seat or on the floor. We also talked about planting some millet in the area in front of the blind, but who knows if that is going to happen. I also went fishing on Sat. morning (the 10th). I caught one nice largemouth (about 14") on a crankbait. The shenandoah does not produce really big fish, actually it doesn't produce much over the 2lb. range, at least not that I've seen in the three years I've fished it. I also brought my old Proline Bow, which I have set up for bowfishing. I couldn't get close enough to any carp, but I did have a shot on a 2-3lb catfish. I know I am not supposed to shoot those, but I have never landed anything bowfishing, so I was eager to do so. Besides, I know that at least I would eat the catfish.........I don't know what I would do with a carp, either give it to my friends to put in their garden or I would mulch it up into some coon bait for someone else. I have been thinking a lot lately about trying to trap some coons this winter, but I don't know if I will have a good enough place to do so. I've attached a picture of what our blind looked like last fall!