Weel, my season may be done....

[Mr. 16 gauge]

Michigan's waterfowl season is coming to a close....we have less than a week left,then it closes for a week, then opens for two days (Dec. 10th and 11th), and then that's it.
My season hasn't been two bad; duck numbers (esp. mallards) were down. I managed 10 birds for the season, which doesn't sound like much, but the best that I've ever done has been 21 for the season. Most times the weather hadn't cooperated, and the flight birds just never came through.

However, there were some positives, like hunting with a new partner for the first time, taking my pup out on her first experiences, and watching her make her first retriever. It wasn't her very first, but she brought back a nice large drake mallard with a triple curl that went to the taxidermist that very evening. We found out about a few issues, and we'll take care of that with some training between now and next season.

The final insult was my outboard. Damn thing ran fine all season, then the Friday before last I was hunting in the evening and I fired it up to come out of the marsh. Dang thing ran for a minute, then just quit! I started rowing (against 25 mph winds), and was exhausted by the time I got to the dike....I still had a mile to go! Fortunately, I decided to leave early, and there was another pair of hunters coming out of the marsh behind me, that offered to give me a tow......that was greatly appreciated! I took the motor in this weekend (first chance I had) and the guy at the repair shop says it's running great!!! All he did was change the hose on the tank (the hose, btw, is brand new....I just bought it this fall!). Hopefully I will make it out that last weekend, but if not, it's been an O.K. season.