Encore...

**David Rearick** · #1 02-18-2008, 09:25 AM

Date: February 15th, 2008

Location: New Castle, PA

Sunrise/Sunset: 7:14

Weather: Cloudy and Snow

Temperature: 30-35 degrees

Wind: West @ 10 mph

Equipment Used: Avery® Finisher Blind Bag, Avery® Finisher Gun Sling, Avery® Finisher Blind, Avery® DIY Lanyard, Avery® Super Flag, Avery® Fleece Skull Cap, Avery® DIY Lanyard, GHG Ground Force Dog Blind®, Avery® Neoprene Hand Warmer, Greenhead Gear® FFD Lesser Active and Feeder Goose Decoys, Greenhead Gear® FFD Feeder Active and Looker Honker Goose Decoys.

Hunters: Brian Dillemuth, Zink staff member Erik Nilsson, and Avery® Pro-Staffer David Rearick

Retriever: E.’s “Gauge”

Encore…

I thought last Saturday may just be the last day at the end of a long and successful season. I’ve have been in the process of moving into a new house and work has been keeping me busy. With good weather and a lot of great help, we got ourselves moved in much quicker than we anticipated and there was still a few days left in the season. By far, this season has been a memorable one due to having Erik’s son along and trading opportunities across state lines, but after 100+ days, the desire to keep going is still there. With some roller coaster weather, the scouting continued and when Erik found birds in a field we have taken a liking to this year, plans quickly changed and we were set for a last day’s “Encore”.

With a long lost hunting buddy home for the weekend, it was the perfect way to get to see him again. We met early and made our way to the field as Erik would come shortly after legal shooting time. After pulling out the sleds, setting the dekes, putting snow covers on the blinds, and getting set-up, it wasn’t long until Erik arrived and the birds followed. The first group approached from out front and shorted us in the darkness. Never letting birds sit tight, I went out after them and as I attempted to run them out of the field the birds started pouring out of the roost. I made my way back to the blind as the birds lifted and for the next 22 minutes it was game on. Even after being hammered since September 1st, reading the birds put them where they needed to be. With good shooting all around, we did our best to not leave many witnesses for next year.

Gauge did his job and chased down the cripples and we did our best to keep things going as the birds wanted in like they had so many days before. With 5 birds left a group of three was in and dispatched, then four more worked into the field from the same entrance point. A little flagging and calling at a distance and nothing as they got close, put these four birds hovering over the blinds and after a short volley our limit laid within arms length of all of the blinds. Gauge made his last two retrieves of the PA season and with birds still working the decoys all that was left of this season was a hero shot and a handshake. Another one for the journal and a few days rest before the final weeks of the 07-08 waterfowl season are all but over..

E on the Run with Gauge after a few long ones...

The Pre- Hero..

With the same hero over and over this year, I tried something different with this Hero by varying the focus from us to our true focus of the day, the geese...