Emergency - Lost Dog - Then Report

While out pheasant hunting (don't hold it against him) a friend of mine had his 9 yr old lab either drop in the field or run off.  We are all hoping he ran off, although he's never done that before.  The general area where the Yellow Lab named Chief was hunting was by/around the following places.  About 2 miles West of Brian Elliots house and 1 mile South.  Around Silvercreek Kennels, Gil's and Chatt's.  NW of Galls Lake.  I'm sure everyone familiar with the area knows "about" where this is.  If anyone sees him, again his name is Chief, yellow lab 9 years old average build.  Please shoot us an email if he happens to show up at your place, or you see him running around.  Thanks to all.  Hopefully he shows up.

Managed to get a couple warm bodies into the Ditch around 11AM.  They stayed until around 2PM and didn't fire a shot.  A few groups here and there was about all that was seen.  Haven't heard any reports from anywhere else with any major success.  When the winds finally calm, I believe it'll be shootin' time again.  Got and email for Dr Oz and the Boyer Boys;
Well the hunting has been good since our last report. We are getting some geese now. The ducks are decoying and it has been a season to remember. Monday the 29th was a dud till the wall of clouds moved in. The winds  were 22 mph out of the SE till around 11:00 A:M and when it hit it sent decoys flying within an instant we had 25mph North winds. Saw thousands of ducks ahead of the front and more after it got here. The first group came at 10:45 while I was in the decoys fixing some things. So I got to call that group in while on the ground. That was very cool to see fifty mallards work lower and lower from decoy level. The winds were bad news and I knew they would only get one shot in the blind. The lids throw open and they blaze away the birds flair and off they go, gone in a split second. Two Drakes are bagged and I think they did good. We bagged four more Drakes before going to work. So far 138 ducks and 25 geese. Lots of ducks moving south and north in huge flocks. The flocks appear like clouds, quite a sight.
 
Promising report!  I've been looking at Squaw Creek Numbers and the Can's are definitely not there yet and there's nothing left at Sand Lake.  There are still large numbers of birds somewhere between here and South of Sand Lake in South Dakota, they're gonna come and it's probably gonna be quick! Get down and Get Ready!  That's all for now, hope Chief finds his way!

No News

Waiting anxiously by the phone today to hear some news.   With this storm blowing in and the temps dropping, was really hoping to hear something promising.  Obviously the Legends rolled a few up today, and heard another story of one brave sole with 3 or 4 youngsters who hit 13 ducks and a few Can's on the river.  The Ditch was unoccupied and we're hoping we can get a body or two up there tomorrow, but just don't know.  After the lack of phone calls, I'm beginning to wonder if everyone is already getting tired of hunting.   The temps up North have just about froze everything up, other than the river.  Tonight and tomorrow's wind will likely push the rest of the birds South, hopefully we can keep 'em around for a while.  Had a "party" related email that I'll share with everyone.

Burt/Washington County Chapter Sportsman's Night Out! (Most cherished evening where 5 turns into 9, and "remember when" is commonplace)

Friday, December 03, 2010
Tekamah City Auditorium
1315 K St. Tekamah, NE
Tekamah, Nebraska
Doors Open 6:00 PM  (Another email said 5PM, and food at 7PM) Just pick a time that works for you.

Sounds like $25 get you your membership, food and beer.  A pretty good deal!  We hope to be there talking about the latest and greatest and showing off our Muckbottom apparel and gear, along with our full line of duck boats, steel pits, decoys, layout blinds and much, much more.  Come join the fun!  And, if you dress in your Sunday Best (camo) you'll get into a free raffle for a shotgun. 

Action Today

Was a short hunt do to Turkey Day food awaiting but it could've easily been a long day.  Nothing at first light and we were beginning to wonder why we got out of bed so early.  Just about the time breakfast got all fired up, we started seeing birds.  There were quite a few high groups of Can's and a few that we could call at and at least get them gliding.  Didn't get anything to drop in, but we honed our calling skills.  Came home today with 5 ducks.  One Bluebill and 4 Drake Mallards.  Had a group of 5 come dive bombing on us and we coaxed them to about 10 yds, not real sure why our 5 guns only took 4 of the 5 that close, but I'm pretty sure it has to do with the fact that we face East.  Yes that's right, some genius decided when moving the pit this year, that we should face right into the sun.  Sun or no son it was nice to finally get into a group.  Up to this point we had taken only 2 Mallards for the year. That's all for now, check back for the latest and greatest and thanks for all the hits.

Little Ducks Still Pushing?

A whole day spent at the ditch and 3 ducks in the bag.  Didn't have a lot moving, and had bad wind most of the day.  About 2PM the NW wind started blowing and hasn't yet stopped.  Cold, Cold, Cold tonight 14 degrees and up to 30 mph NW winds.  Gonna have a lot of ice Turkey Day AM, hope the water we have open attracts the birds. 
The South Ditch reported a late "good" hunt with 6 ducks.  Included in their bag was 3 Wood Ducks.  Has anyone ever shot Woodies over ice before.  Sure seems late, but that's gotta be good news for those of us hanging on for the Mallards. 
The Sillosocks Gang rolled up 4 Can's and 4 ducks this AM on a quick hunt.  Haven't heard how the evening hunt went.
Other than that, not much to report.  Very little migration today.  Hunting in the morning, it'll be short but hoping tonight's big wind blows some more down. That's all for now. Check back for the latest and greatest.

OMG! WTF!

For all of you with daughters or sons, or perhaps yourselves, the title is some "shortcuts" for texting.  OMG - Oh MY god.  WTF - What the (insert expletive).  A mid morning invite has us begging and pleading to leave work today early. Early as in around 2PM. By then we've put in 6 or so hours, so was it really asking alot?  Turns out it wasn't.  So we're off to lay in a field with the Master on the Grounds and try and shake a few feathers off some new geese that have been spotted in a field just waiting for us to take 'em home for Thanksgiving.  The set up was complete.  Uh Oh, what is that?  3 Trucks driving down the fence line about 70 yds away or so.  They stop, unload what appears to be about 12 Bigfoots and drive away.  We anxiously watch and wonder.  What are they doing?  They park the trucks and walk back to their "spread."  Oh well, a little competition never hurt anyone.  But wait, where are their blinds?  Oh there they are, those fence posts.  What?  They are setting up for skybustin', you gotta be kiddin' me.  So here we are, 200 deeks deep lying in a field the geese have been hitting for 2 days hard, and we got some idiots standing next to fence posts 70 yds away.  Hold on...it gets better.  So the obvious happens, they sky bust our birds away.  Here's the better part...after shootin' time is over, they ended up with one "sailor" about 150 yds from us and about a 300 yd walk across "our" field to get it.  We're pickin' up and this idiot (for lack of a better term, this is a family blog), comes over and asks us if we got any.  We politely say "NO", and he then asks if we'd like the goose he sky busted.  Seriously?  The nerve!  He was basically saying, "Hey, I know me and my buddy's totally jacked up your hunt. I got lucky and knocked one down, do you want it?"   I'm surprised that this great sportsman was still standing as he left us, me I'm not a fighter I'm a lover, but I'm pretty sure the other's with could've rolled this jacker up into a little ball and pissed on him. 

We managed to take some video after the idiots left and after legal was gone.  Some pretty good footage from a camera phone.  And boy those Sillosocks sure look good!  That's all for now, check back for the latest and greatest.

Had one comment to share about yesterdays post from a fellow economically sensitive and stimulus backing duck hunter.  Anonymous wrote:
Great blog, I too was in the work trenches. 2 days to go before 4 days off I hope they keep coming and you all can Drop 'em every day.

Only report from the day was from the South Ditch.  4 guys went 5 for 5 on a group of Mallards and rolled out just before noon.  Snow geese and Can's still migrating.  South wind and low sky's will stop them tomorrow, we hope!

Seriously? Is this Really Happening?

As the morning clouds hung low, the sounds of waterfowl echoed from the pond. 4 souls headed toward the abyss. The great unknown, the home away from home, the coveted South Ditch. A bird of every species flew away upon entry, and inquiring minds wanted to know, is this "the day". From "go" ducks were on the move. 3 became 5, 5 became 7 and 7 became 10. And then it happened. The great northerly winds began to blow and what appeared to be the great migration from the North began. Flock after flock of Canada geese started showing up. High groups, low groups and medium groups. Unlike in years past, they came with their dancin' shoes on. Sailing, dumping, dumping, flipping, comin' and chargin' hard like they had a date with destiny. The phone rang and rang, with desperation in their voices everyone was wondering. 4 guys turned into 7 before days end and each was burdened with a limit of can's and they split up the measly 12 ducks and two snows.
Some people's burdens are just two hard to handle. Wah, Wah, Wah. To hell with all of you with your flexible schedules, 10 weeks of vacation and unlimited "sick" days. The rest of us will work hard to keep the economy going so you can keep your jobs so you can buy your guns, your decoys and your ammo. You think it's just fun and games when you call and call and call and call and call and call numerous times throughout the day, just hitting send and setting the phone down. Making us listen to calling and shooting, you think that's fun. You think you're doing us favors cause we can't be out there. To hell with it! Leave your damn phones off! Loose my damn number! And quit sending me all those pictures. It's just not fun anymore.
So there you have it, 21 Geese, 12 Ducks and 2 Snows from the South Ditch. Have had numerous other phone calls with same results. The Canada Geese are "flying like they've never flown" (a quote from a
diamond smuggler i know).
That's all for now, check back for the latest and greatest and thanks for all the hits!

Was a Duck Day

The sky was low, the temps were cold and the wind was blowin'.  On this day one would've thought ducks, or perhaps even geese, would be movin' around.  So just what happened today?  We split up today, 1/2 to the field and 1/2 in the ditch.  The pictures below show the success of both locations.

 

Take your pick.  Me I prefer the breakfast.  A bit of a long morning at the Ditch as there was very little movement to keep you there.  Rolled out before 11AM without a shot fired.  The other boys managed to hammer 6 geese during a short, yet successful morning field hunt.  The weather up North needs to push some birds.  That's all for now.  Check back for the latest and greatest and thanks for all the hits.

Migration Mounting

A steady stream of Ducks and Geese the last two days has got to be a sign from up North.  The ducks have been pretty steady and a few geese were seen and heard today.  I just let the hound out for a bathroom break before bed-time and I heard two different groups of Can's in about 10 minutes.  Again, has to be another sign.  At night you can usually hear the "carp" but rarely the Can's.
Received one report from the South Ditch today and the birds were high flyin' and not playing.  The fellas went out just after lunch time, when the wind switched.  They rolled in and could see the geese sitting on the pond.  After a quick peak through the "spotting eyes" it was determined that 50 or so geese were waiting for them.  Enter "the great Sneak of 2010."  We've all done it.  Tried to sneak up on some geese, or ducks, as we're getting to our ditches.  I believe the last time I checked, Vegas odds were about 240:1 that a successful sneak would happen.  Too many eyeballs seeing too much movement.  After a well thought out plan of attack, they arrived at the parking garage undetected, and the sneak begins.  Got within 100 yds of the group and there they go.  Oh well, kept the blood boiling while the cold north wind was blowing.  In case you haven't been watching the weather, here's a run down for the next week in Aberdeen SD.  They are gonna be comin'.  That's all for now.

fri	sat	sun	mon	tue	wed	thu	fri
nov 19 M Cloudy 30° 14°	nov 20  Snow  29° 20°	nov 21 AM Mix 33° 16°	nov 22 Snow  22° 5°	nov 23 P Cloudy 19° 3°	nov 24 Snow  12° -3°	nov 25 M Sunny 18° 8°	nov 26 P Cloudy 26° 16°

Took a Couple Today

A quick hunt yesterday morning showed some promise and hope.  Dropped two Mallards out of 2 different groups of 3 and blasted at a group of 6 Can's.  We hadn't seen really any geese yet and this was our first day of more than 1 Mallard.  There was some early morning movement of ducks that appeared to be migrators.  Got a variety of stuff, to report about.

First off, the Boyer Boys and Dr. Oz have shot us their first report and season progress so far.  Dr Oz wrote: It's been a little slow this week but we are seeing birds. The Boyer area has plenty of water, horseshoe is full of water and ducks and we have a new twist with a flooded timber area about three miles away.We have seen one thousand to two thousand ducks daily. The decoying part has been a problem. They have a pattern going and we seem to be a little off the X.  We have managed to kill 79 ducks as of 11-17-2010. And 6 Canada's so far. Where are the geese?  Seems some weather is about to hit ND cold weather early next week with lows -7 and highs 5 degrees. I wish everyone good luck and be safe. Happy Thanksgiving too.

Also, received a call for the Sillosocks Boys and the Master on the Grounds said this.  Watching hundreds of "chickens" rolling into the area.  They just appeared out of nowhere.  The orange sky was full of geese tonight (Thur).  The birds will start this next week and through Thanksgiving. 


Finally, the South Ditch has 3 hunters and ran away with 4 Mallards.  They reported some minor movement as well early in the day (Thur) but left the ditch before noon as everything shut off. 

That's all for now, check back and keep a watchful eyeball to the North.  It's gonna happen and it's gonna be fast.

South Dakota Report

A little promising email from a friend concerning South Dakota Birds.

SpitTech Guy Wrote:
"Hang in their guys. There are ducks, and plenty of them, in NE South Dakota. I have a friend, of a friend, of a friend, of a friend....actually, a best friend from high school is wacking big greenies daily. Plenty of ducks, plenty of water, and plenty of food. Does not bode well for migration soon, BUT, the temps are going in the tank up that way, and although they won't lose food, they'll lose lots of water. What that means for us only the Lord knows, but, if it comes, it could be good."
"I really enjoy your posts, and if father time doesn't run out on us, we may still have a shot. Until then, keep an eye for cold up North and NWest winds with plenty of sun. A duck hunters dream for sure. Oh, and the guy by the urinal in Cabela's, well, that might have been me."

Thanks for the report.  A little hope goes a long, long way among us waterfowlers.  We will keep after it in hopes of the migration coming before the season ends.  That's all for now.  As always, check back!

It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere

The reference in the title it fitting for today's hunt.  5 O'Clock in the song by Kenney Chesney is a reference for the time to start drinking.  Meaning if it's Noon, your justification for drinking at Noon is "it's 5 O'Clock somewhere".  How that ties into today's hunt, is rather simple.  There are ducks...Somewhere?  The wind was right, the clouds were right, the temps were right, but the ducks were non-existent.  We've seen more ducks on 65 degree days than we did today.  The "adult film stars" were 85 percent right today.  They nailed the wind, clouds and temps, but missed the precip.  It felt like rain and snow, but it never happened.  We need some weather up North, Big Time.  Just a week from Turkey Day and there has only been 2 days of minor migration.  It seems as if we will need 'til middle December to see anything happening.  The last couple years it's been frozen by December, sure not gonna be the case this year.  That's all for now.  Check back for the latest and greatest and thanks for all the hits!

In Our Minds...

...tomorrow is the day.  As we sit wistfully awaiting the incoming weather and the last chance forecast from the 10PM guys, we can't help but think that tomorrow is the day.  It must be coming later than they thought because right now there isn't a stitch of wind and really no sign of the clouds that are said to contain precipitation.  Schedules have been rearranged and we may even have a guest with us in the AM.  Tomorrow's the day.  I once heard that if you repeat something 7 times before you go to bed at night it will become reality by the time you wake up, i.e. get up at 6AM, don't forget to pay bills tomorrow, remember lunch money for the kids, etc.  So I've gone crazy, here goes, tomorrow's the day, tomorrow's the day, tomorrow's the day, tomorrow's the day, tomorrow's the day, tomorrow's the day, tomorrow's the day.  There, I feel much better!

I have a dream...

-A dream that tomorrow, we all rise from the pits with guns a blazin'
-A dream that tomorrow, from the ditches everywhere, hunters of all walks can sit down at the table of brotherhood and enjoy the days harvest
-A dream that tomorrow, we will be characterized not by the brand of our feather dusters but by the accuracy of our shots

And finally,
-A dream that my children will one day say "tomorrow's the day"

And when this happens, when we let it ring from every pit and every laydown, from every lake and every field, we will be able to speed up "tomorrow" when all Waterfowler's will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old spiritual Duck Hunter:

               

Free at last! Free at last!

Just What's the Weather Gonna Do

After hours, and I mean hours, of looking for some consistency in the weather forecast.  All I can really say is that everyone is predicting rain/snow Wednesday.  It's now Monday night and only one day left to figure out if the Duck Doctor is needed.  There are 4 weather sites and one AirNet wind speed/direction site for airplane enthusiasts that all have good information.  3 of the 5 say North Winds Wednesday the other 2 say SSW winds.  Do they really have a clue?  Wednesday would be an unexpected hunting day and a guy needs to figure out his week based on weather forecasters that have no clue.  Kinda like relying on an adult film star for the state of the economy.  No disrespect to all the adult film stars present and reading!  I just don't get it, how do they not know?  Nonetheless, by days end tomorrow a decision is going to have to be made, looks right now as if 3/5 odds wins.  Haven't really heard anything good other than a call from an avid waterfowler with his eye in the sky saying that Canada Geese were observed migrating for about an hour this morning.  That's a good sign.  The last real look at South Dakota (Nov 10th) had the light geese still packed up on the Northern Border, which means the ducks are still farther North.  The up coming weather should be pushing these birds further South.  I just heard Randby (channel 7 meteorologist and recipient of the American Meteorological Society's seal of approval) say "you should see my forecast for Wednesday" on his hook to get us to watch the 10PM news.  Suppose I'll have to stay up and see what he has to say.  It better be good I haven't slept in for weeks!  That's all we got for now.  Keep an eye in the sky and your ears to the phone, one of these days it's going to pay off BIG TIME!

Two Fer One

What an exciting weekend for us.  It all started Friday and ended early this afternoon.  The Two Fer One part is the fact that I can wrap up Saturday and Sunday hunts all in ONE report.  Not a good thing!  As you may have seen a couple reports from Sat AM on the blog, those were from the crackberry.  Both posts were full of anticipation.  One at 434AM excited about the high NW wind and the rain going away and the other at 634AM saying how we were covered in Ducks at that time.  And...if I recall correctly, I may have said something about limiting out by 9AM.  Well, not really the day we were hoping for.  The birds on the pond all but disappeared into thin air at shootin' time.  There were ducks movin' tall all day and only one bunch decoyed until about 930AM.  At that time, it was decided that playing hooky was no longer an option and the time from worked needed to be saved for another day.  We left Saturday with just one Duck in the bag.  Couldn't commit to the whole day anyway so it was over early. 

On to this AM.  Having 150 ducks on the water Saturday AM was enough to get 4 eager guns in the Ditch.  Sunrise came and went with just one duck in sight.  Took a couple shots to bring him down but he found his final resting place just a few feet from our blind.  Managed to handle a single later in the AM as well, but not the day we were looking for.  We saw, I believe, about 6 or so groups of migrators.  The rest we saw were all ducks that have been here since Friday and they're not playin'.  There were always birds to call at but not much in the way of N to S movement. 
Have harvested just one Mallard so far and that was Friday.  There are some around, and I use "some" lightly cause I just don't think they've come yet.  We have seen ZERO Canada geese worth talking about, and the snows/blues don't seem to be pushing like they were 10 days ago. 

Another system coming our way late Tuesday into Wednesday and it will likely move some more birds.  There was a big push of birds Friday for everyone, but I would say the vast majority of waterfowl are still North.  Plenty of season left and it's mid November.  It's the time of year we all wish for in October, and the temps are settling into "normalcy".  It's definitely time to keep and eye in the sky and your ear to the phone.  That's all for now, check back for the latest and greatest and thanks for 30,000 HITS!!!!

It Started this Morning

The sounds of snow and blues rang through the morning darkness as anticipation of the migration mounted.  Slowly counting the seconds until the clock said go.  Ducks everywhere and in every different direction.  What decoyed came right in.  Some near hits along the way kept us from limiting early as the shootin' was, admittedly, far from "SURE."  Had all species of ducks in the bag today when we pulled out at quitting time.  Have to admit, other than wet, didn't get anything after lunchtime.  The morning was full of fun and frenzy.  A day like this is only our 2nd in 3 years at the Ditch.  While 9 ducks doesn't sound like much, it all happened before lunch and it took plenty of shells to get 'em hauled in.  This wind was a bit tough on the steel today.   The take isn't nearly as important as the process.  Very few times does a guy get what we had today in the way of decoying ducks and hard pushing birds.  This is what we spend thousands of dollars on, spend countless hours on, and why we have that lawyer on permanent retainer.  This is it.  North winds, precipitation, cooling temps up north with snow, dang it's about time.  Tomorrow is looking to shape up as good as, or perhaps better than, today.  More bodies in the morning hoping for another round or duck hunters delight.  The boys were a bit frustrated as it appeared we were just not on the flight pattern this afternoon, thousands to see, nothing to decoy.  Have heard stories and reports similar to this from just about everyone on the bottoms.  It's definitely time!   Time to quit wishing, time to quit hoping, time to quit looking at the weather, and time to quit making excuses.  IT is Happening.  Make time now cause who knows how long it's gonna last.  The game doesn't start 'til 7 tomorrow night so no reason for leaving early.  That's all for now.  You can count on a report tomorrow! 

News from the North

Got a phone call earlier from a guy who talked to a guy who talked to a friend who talked to his brothers brother in law who knows a guy that is hunting in Canada.  The birds are high-tailing it out of there!  There is 10 inches on the ground and 18 - 19 below the next 4 nights.  That's good for those boys still hangin' on to hope in N Dakota.  And speaking of North Dakota.  I spoke with another guy who knows a guy whose hunting in ND right now and said they're blastin' the birds non-stop and they aren't sure if the one's they're seeing are gonna stick around.  So that's good for those in S Dakota.  So how about us in Nebraska?  Well, I'll say this the local guys say that it's gonna snow north of here and about 4 inches worth in the next couple days, the national guys/websites don't say anything about that, so it's another waiting game.  Wait to see until it happens.  The Ditch will be full and almost all friends of MuckBottom are all rolling out tomorrow hoping it's going to happen.  Every Ditch South of the US/Can border, West of Missouri River, and East of the Rockies is gonna be full.
Dear Duck Gods:  Hear our prayers! 
Oh yep, almost forgot, we hunted today and didn't shoot anything.  Did see a fair amount of specks moving in from the North and just a couple bunches of quack's.  That's all for now, we'll be back tomorrow with the Yea or Nea.  Keep checkin' back!

Weather Change

Well in late morning the weather system that moved through made the skies look good the wind blow favorably.  The temps dropped for around 60 to in the 40's awfully quick.  After seeing the weather change the Ditch was man'd quickly.  Upon arrival 20 or so ducks jumped off the lake causing high excitement and anticipation.  After sitting until dark, sadly, I must report nothing going on.  Thought just maybe we could possibly see some action this afternoon.  Heard no words from anyone all day long.  For November 10th, 40 degrees, overcast sky's, precip and Northerly winds, that was very surprising.  Tomorrow is a new day.   We're heading up to see if anything decided to move around tonight or perhaps in the morning.  The weather looked promising coming up but I see the fortune tellers have changed their minds.  Some minor weather in the form of pouring rain Friday and that's about it.  It is going to start getting colder at night but there is no "cover" forecast from here to Canada for the next 10 days, just those cold temps.  That's all for now.  Hoping for a "forward-looking" and "promising" report and forecast tomorrow after the hunt.  If you jump back on here and there is a report before noon, you know it wasn't good.  Check back for the latest and greatest and thanks for all the hits.

Danger - Die Hards Only!

An early, early, early morning and to say we had high hopes would be a lie.  We went out today cause:

1) We're die hards
2) We wanted to eat breakfast
3) The coffee maker was brewing when the alarm went off
4) We enjoy the beautiful sunrises and the crisp morning air
5) Sleeping in is just not an option during season
6) Why not?

So there you have it.  While I'm certain most of you passed on 70+ degrees and south winds, the Muck Bottom Boys were out in full force.  We expected to shoot nothing and were a bit disappointed.  We shot one!  A beautiful little Teal.  That's right, you're not reading it wrong.  It is November 7th and there are still Teal around.  I had previously thought that Teal being around was a good thing that meant the big ducks haven't moved yet.  Then I realized that we only have 4 weeks left.  At 2 times a week that's only 8 hunts.  C'mon weather and C'mon ducks!  We heard massive shooting on the river this morning.  Only thing I can figure is they got a boat and they found where the ducks were wanting to be.  We're only 'bout a stones throw away from the river and we didn't see any of the birds they were shooting at.  Not a single group broke above the tree line or into the horizon.  Not sure what was goin' on over there but it sounded awful fun. 

That's all for now, check back for the latest and greatest and thanks for all the hits!

A Great Email from an Old Friend

I received an email early this morning from an old friend MC of Kohler West.  It was in reference to the "Story Worth Sharing." From a few days back. If you haven't read that story, you will need to in order to understand the email.  MC Wrote:

I have waited patiently this entire fall…to report only good news to this web site. I finally have some!

While pondering when things will happen for us and if we will still have any season dates left when it does happen a true “feel good story” brings us back to reality. A simple gesture on behalf of the UNL athletic department has renewed our collective hopes in mankind.

 

I just happen to have a daughter who works at UNL…in the athletic department…very close to the football program. Trust me on this…the MuckBottom web page has been circulated throughout the hallowed halls of the UNL athletic department. The statement made towards the end of the story about this person…”She will never read this blog and will never know the affect of her kindness”…has been taken care of.

So there you have it!  Much thanks to MC for taking it to the next level.  You can only say "thank you" so many times on the phone and you just don't know if it sinks in.  I contacted the persons of the "story" and told them about the blog and what happened with the story.  They are very grateful and appreciative of the athletic dept and ALL of us as well for being a part of their amazing story.  I think they've officially converted to being "crazy's" with the rest of us.  One by one we can convert them all, we just need more blogs!  Again, thanks a million to MC for really bringing it on this one.  May the Duck Gods bless you and keep, may your face shine only when ducks aren't around, may the migration come and give you peace.  CAN I GET AN AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!

Last Night to "sleep" in

Well, nothing at all to report today as far as duck action is concerned.  It's the last night to "sleep" in as daylight savings time ends.  If you're leaving at 6 now, it'll be 5 after tomorrow morning.  Wow that is early.  For all you favorable weather hunters, you are probably going to have at least another week to sleep in and get used to the change as there is nothing to indicate any waterfowl movement or change in behaviors for quite some time, if you pay attention to the weather dudes that is.
I was reading the Legends report last night and saw there is yet another group of "crazy's" among us.  Another blogspot talking about duck hunting.  I nosed around a bit and it doesn't look too bad.  Their site is http://www.platteriverwaterfowlers.blogspot.com.  If you can't get your fix from one of us, you're just not that into duck/goose hunting.  There is some great stuff on the Internet.
I do have a bit of action to report from our friends, the Sillosocks Boys (F.K.A Hay Ditch).  They did a bit of scouting last Tuesday and found a spot for Wednesday afternoon.  The Magic Man on the Grounds had this to write:  "Hunted the corn field blind, last 10 mins of light was nuts. Me and "The Inventor" smashed the green heads, they never knew we were there until it was too late. The Sillosocks 3D Ghilli Blinds really work. Great hunt for the last 10 min then time was up. Got some great work in for the young dog.  There were no new birds, but we had geese landing in the field while picking up.  Sillosocks rule>>>>>The Gang."
They put in the scouting efforts and it paid off.  There's always something to do if you have two very important qualities of a successful waterfooler.  Time and Mobility!  Wish we all had it.  That's all for now.  Check back for the latest and greatest.

12 Long Hours

Yep, that's right.  12 Long hours in the Ditch Wednesday and Thursday and Zero Ducks in the bag.  Hunted the afternoon on Wednesday and had just one bunch of 15 mallards come close, but not close enough as it turned out.  There were ducks here and there all afternoon.  There were some groups of migrants and a few groups that appeared to have already been in the area.
Thursday wasn't much better as 3 minutes before shootin' time had 3 mallards give a great swing but it was a bit too early.  Just before 8AM had a group of 4 mallards work and work and work, could have pulled the trigger once but didn't and the rest is history.  Only saw one bunch of high ducks all morning.  A guy could figure that with this wind and the fact that it's now Nov 4th the ducks should just be flyin' cause mother nature is telling them to, but that is not the case.  Had big winds yesterday and today and while there were quite a few more birds moving Wednesday afternoon, there was  nothing moving Thursday.  The weather looks as if it's holding again until possibly next Wednesday with just a chance of rain predicted.  Mid to upper 60's again for the weekend, and no weather North of here.  Might be time to roll around the countryside and see if you can't get in on a field here or there that last weeks pushers are using, assuming some of them stayed.
That's all for now, check back for the latest and greatest and thanks for all the hits!

Comment Regarding Story...

Hard to believe even on slow duck days(weeks,months)you have a great story to tell and keep the blog interesting.  WELL DONE!!!!

Story Worth Sharing

It appears that there is nothing going on in the duck world so I decided to share a story I ran across today while dreaming about duck hunting a work.  It has absolutely nothing to do with hunting but a lot to do with the University of Nebraska and how far the program has come since SP and BC departed, and TO is calling the shots as AD.

There is a couple who recently had their 2nd child about 6 months ago.  Their new baby boy has "flat spots" on his head and they recently visited the experts at Children's Hospital and they recommended a helmet.  We've all seen kids with these from time to time.  They are pressure helmets that re-shape the soft head of a baby and allow proper growth of the brain and proper shape development of the head.  Being a Husker fan they ordered the helmet all white and figured they could find a red "N" to put on the sides of the helmet.  He was searching and searching for a Red Husker "N" to put on both sides of the helmet.  He searched the Internet, made numerous phone calls and just wasn't coming up with it.  You could get some "N"'s but they all had writing across them or numbers or something else they just didn't want.  As a last ditch effort, he looked up the athletic department phone number at the University of Nebraska.  He called there simply to ask where they got them and was hoping to get a store or website or something.  The person on the other end of the phone asked him why he was looking for one and he explained the story.  After hearing the story, she threw him the best 12 to 6 curve-ball anyone could have ever imagined.  She told him that they would be glad to send him a couple if he would just draft a small letter explaining the story and send it to them.  He was asked to send a self addressed stamped envelope with the letter and she would make sure they sent the "N"'s out as soon as she got the letter. 

A few years back when the program was run like a business, and was, what I would say in the "crapper" far as all of us were concerned, that would have never happened.  I wonder how many top 10 college programs across the country would've extended this gesture to one of their fans?   I would bet not many!  Kudos to the woman on the other end of the line that took 2 minutes out of her day to extend courtesy and listen to a dad wanting to make light of an awkward situation.  Let's face it, do any of us really want our kids wearing helmets?  She took the time to listen and made a dad's day.   She will never read this blog and will never know the affects of her kindness.  "People" really do make a difference.

Thanks for reading and check back for the latest and greatest.