Opening Day!

Opening Day 2006. You can't get much better than today. 4 guys, 3 dogs and doves flying around like crazy. Okay we got there a little early. The regs said 6:38 was legal light, but it still wasn't bright enough to go boating yet. Once we got to the island, it was a bit slow. But around 9:30 things started to pick up. By 10:30 everyone had reached or exceeded their limit except me. I'm still a piss poor shot and only brought down 3 on my own. Not bad. The nine shown here are the 3 I shot and some Todd shot over his limit. In total we brought home 37 doves between the 4 of us.

I purchaced a new shotgun at Cabela's today. It's a Stoeger P350. It's very similar to a Benelli Nova. I bought it for duck hunting as it will shoot 3.5 inch shells where my Winchester won't. I had to try it on doves first so I could get a feel for it. I like it, it's a keeper.

Cold Duck

Pretty good day for hunting on the Snake River. However, it was pretty cold. Only 27°F for the high, sitting in the blind got pretty chilly from time to time.

Total Carnage: 2 Teal, 1 Shoveler, 2 hen mallards, and 5 drake mallards.

(not all birds shown)

Empty Handed No More!

For the last few attempts at pheasants, quail and such, we've been unsuccessful. Today we managed to bag this nice bull goldeneye down by Lake Lowell. I shot at it, but Alan finished it off and made me go get it. Oh well. At least we killed something.

Double Kill!

Max "Head Shot" Shaw lives up to his name this weekend as two quail get smacked down.

Wigeon and Abbey race to grab a wounded teal.

Good girl Abbey! Now leave the damn thing alone. She seems unwilling to let go of the prize.

Max holds up a rare Blue Wing Teal. Only the Second one shot in his lifetime.

Packing it in. "Why does picking up decoys take so much longer than putting them out?"

Total Carnage Count

1 Goose
3 Teal
1 Greenhead
1 Blue Wing Teal
1 Gadwall
2 Mallard


I had fun on this, my first duck hunt. One thing I did learn - I need more gear!
Look out Cabela's here I come.