Josh B
01-12-2009, 08:00 PM
Well, I returned to Maine last night for the second semester of my junior year.
Shortly after I walked in the door at 7:30, Todd Jackson of Penobscot Bay Outfitters called me up. I figured he was calling to say hello because I had told him I would be back on the 11th.
He was calling to see how break went for me, as well as to invite me on an Eider hunt this am. Well, after checking my schedule, I knew I really shouldn't skip class the first day of the semester, but I told him I would call him in 15 minutes after I thought about it more.
I hung up and said WTH are you thinking...you better hunt.
So that was that, a brief phone call to Todd and I was recieving directions on where to meet in the morning.
We met up bright and early and were off. The boat was launched, a short run to the spot was made and we were stringing decoys as groups of eiders traded in the early morning.
We got set and it wasn't long until I was booming away at some absolutely beautiful drake eiders at 15-20 yards. After some humbling shooting, I got on them and was able to finish my day with 4 gorgeous drakes.
Todd also shot 2 beautiful drake eiders as well as two hen old squaw. He was aiming for the drake old squaws, but as they zipped through, he was behind the drakes, but his pattern caught the hens.
The highlight of the morning was when a drake and hen eider worked in perfectly and I dropped the drake on my first shot. He hit the water with his head up, so I put another into him to finish him. As I did this, I saw Todd swing on the hen. I remembered him saying "I only shoot hens if I see a band"...and remembering this, I swung on the hen as well. As I prepared to shoot, a report from his beretta sent the hen splashing down and I looked at Todd and he said "BAND!".
Sure enough, when picking up the pair, his hen was indeed banded.
That was his 10th banded eider of the year, and the 25th taken on his boat so far this season.
Here are some photos from an incredible morning!
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m206/Joshb161/joshandeiders.jpg
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m206/Joshb161/toddandeiders.jpg
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m206/Joshb161/josheiders.jpg
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m206/Joshb161/henband.jpg
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m206/Joshb161/hensquaws.jpg
After getting home, I changed up and headed to school to 'explain' my absence to the professor. I told her "sorry I wasn't in class for the first day...something came up that I had to attend to" and her response was "oh, I didn't even notice...here is the syllabus, all we did was go over it and leave after 10 minutes".
Thank god I went hunting. I would have been p*ssed if I went to class and sat through that.
-Josh
Shortly after I walked in the door at 7:30, Todd Jackson of Penobscot Bay Outfitters called me up. I figured he was calling to say hello because I had told him I would be back on the 11th.
He was calling to see how break went for me, as well as to invite me on an Eider hunt this am. Well, after checking my schedule, I knew I really shouldn't skip class the first day of the semester, but I told him I would call him in 15 minutes after I thought about it more.
I hung up and said WTH are you thinking...you better hunt.
So that was that, a brief phone call to Todd and I was recieving directions on where to meet in the morning.
We met up bright and early and were off. The boat was launched, a short run to the spot was made and we were stringing decoys as groups of eiders traded in the early morning.
We got set and it wasn't long until I was booming away at some absolutely beautiful drake eiders at 15-20 yards. After some humbling shooting, I got on them and was able to finish my day with 4 gorgeous drakes.
Todd also shot 2 beautiful drake eiders as well as two hen old squaw. He was aiming for the drake old squaws, but as they zipped through, he was behind the drakes, but his pattern caught the hens.
The highlight of the morning was when a drake and hen eider worked in perfectly and I dropped the drake on my first shot. He hit the water with his head up, so I put another into him to finish him. As I did this, I saw Todd swing on the hen. I remembered him saying "I only shoot hens if I see a band"...and remembering this, I swung on the hen as well. As I prepared to shoot, a report from his beretta sent the hen splashing down and I looked at Todd and he said "BAND!".
Sure enough, when picking up the pair, his hen was indeed banded.
That was his 10th banded eider of the year, and the 25th taken on his boat so far this season.
Here are some photos from an incredible morning!
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m206/Joshb161/joshandeiders.jpg
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m206/Joshb161/toddandeiders.jpg
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m206/Joshb161/josheiders.jpg
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m206/Joshb161/henband.jpg
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m206/Joshb161/hensquaws.jpg
After getting home, I changed up and headed to school to 'explain' my absence to the professor. I told her "sorry I wasn't in class for the first day...something came up that I had to attend to" and her response was "oh, I didn't even notice...here is the syllabus, all we did was go over it and leave after 10 minutes".
Thank god I went hunting. I would have been p*ssed if I went to class and sat through that.
-Josh