Moose Droppings

The final call of 05/06 season Originally posted 01/06

May 25, 2006 @ 11:36 pm by Moose

The beeping of the alarm at 4 am made me question my sanity as I dragged myself out of the bed. It be a lie if I said part of me didn’t want to stay in bed but today was a special day, the last day of the North Carolina Waterfowl season.
As I drove to the restaurant where I would meet Ridge Runner and Hawkeye I reflected on the season I have had so far. The highlight of the season had to be 2 weeks ago when I took my first Swan. Other highlights I recalled an early season hunt where we laid some geese out and had a deputy sheriff stop by and see us because an adjoining landowner did not appreciate the roar of shotguns while she tried to enjoy her morning coffee. Of course she called and reported that we were hunting doves out of season but the deputy saw we were in the right cause geese was in season. Shared a lot of hunts with good friends; like Woodmoose a man that could kill ya 101 different ways but with a shotgun might not be one of them, Ridge Runner who we’ll make sure you know where you are going what time you need to be there and where you need to turn to get there, Conman who taught me the importance of not passing more then once on birds to be nice to fellow hunters, Sydbail who can kill a bird at an incredible distance and is even better at long distance bird identification then your average guide, and of course BM master guide and shot caller. There are many others I have hunted with this past season but I can’t list them all and besides I pulled up at the restaurant and the coffee was calling me.
After the coffee and a bite to eat we rolled out to the wheat field for the final hunt. Watching the sunrise, whether it’s the first day or the last day of the season, is a magical moment as the world around you seems to come alive. This day proved to be as hard as Ridge Runner had told us , these birds have heard every call, seen every decoy spread, and been shot at 100’s of times. We saw some birds but none could we entice to our setup so the season went out without a bang.
I got home and put all my waterfowl stuff up, cleaned out the layout blind, and packed up the steel shot, but it won’t be for long cause September will be here before we know it. I’ve got a few geese to grill over the summer to help remind me why I get up at 4am and drive an hour, drag a bag of decoys and a layout blind into a field and watch the sunrise.