The Duckforce is Done...

Last summer without much time to spare, I converted an 18 foot Lund Alaskan from the traditional dark red boat into a pretty sweet camouflage duck hunting machine. However, I still needed to drum up a boat blind that would be reasonable in price, maintain a sense of functionality, and help better conceal the hunters who may be anticipating that eider bouncing in like a beach ball. Time got past me and I found myself rigging up a fixed blind out of conduit pipe, some fittings, and some green painter's canvas at Home Depot. I anchored the blind with some dressed up wooden supports that were tapped to accept the conduit and everything looked decent. But, the wood cracked and the blind was dismantled in the spring for other types of recreation...

For those of you who don't know, I am the type of guy that leaves a trail of chaos and destruction behind me. For some reason I can't maintain any order and cleanliness to my day. However, when it comes to duck hunting, my ducks figuratively and literally are all in a row. When it comes to this duck hunting noise, I don't screw around...

So the very first thing I did was assess my situation. The boat needed to be cleaned out, vacuumed, and washed while the blind materials needed to be brought out for inspection. This was the easy part...





Then I found myself into the wonderful world of engineering and fabrication. I decided to use some hinges that I had downstairs just in case a need popped up and now was the time. The hinges were screwed into the side bunks and then I tapped two holes into all of the conduit legs and bolted them in securely. Then I used my 90 degree and three way connectors to construct a frame to which the canvas was strewn. After that I fixed the pieces of blind material to the boat with screws and washers. This is when I discovered that once piece of my canvas was about 10 inches longer than the other. I assume that it must have shrunk or something, but I intended to install it irregardless of my dismay.




When all was said and done, I'm pleased with the blind. After several trips to the hardware store and one search throughout Home Depot, I feel confident that the blind will suit whoever draws a shotgun onto an eider well. I'm already thinking about next year and I believe that the conduit frame will be replaced with galvanized flanges, pipes, and a more expensive type of canvas such as army duck. It isn't much different in terms of looks than last year, but structurally it's a better system.

It's official- I'm the Downeast Dumbass

Tide in my neck of the woods is amazing... It goes in, it goes out, it changes in size, and you will never ever be at the same longitude, latitude, and elevation ever when you are on a boat in the Gulf of Maine... Today I challenged the tide and I lost- big time and here's how it happened...

I had intended to sleep in this morning and head out to the boat around one hour flood tide as the large tides were dropping from eleven footers to eight footers as the week progressed. For those who may need some clarification, a trap buoy will be higher and lower in water level on an 11 footer than an 8 footer at the same location. Apply some comparative math in terms of percentages, and that means a stronger ebb and flood with the larger tide as the smaller one has less "umph" to it.  Figuring that I had only shallow water gear to haul, I'd be smart and let the tide get up a tad to make for easier work...

No, I couldn't stick to the stupid game plan.  My eyes opened at 5:00 a.m. and I got out of my sleepnumber bed with sore hips and back only to decide I wouldn't go back to bed, but rather go out on the ebb tide and haul deep water gear on two nights soak.  Then I could attack the shallow water gear with a steady flood tide...

Everything was going great, deep water traps fared well and the tide turned.  As I worked the flood, the string of traps led me to one of my favorite nooks that has this submerged rock with tons of kelp.  For those who don't know, that makes great structure and will hold lobsters.  I treat this business as I would bass fishing, and there exists this uncanny similarity between the two. By constantly study charts and practice with presentation, bait, and time, I can improve my success and produce results in both arenas. Back to my act of greatness...

I haul up a trap, take out a nice lobster, bait it, circle and set. Watching my chart plotter I know that my rock is coming and I ready for the next trap buoy.  All of a sudden, my bow moves upward with a thwart like nothing I've ever experienced on the water.  As I hang on to the steering wheel and plunge for neutral on the throttle only to hit the gas.  This propels me along the rock as I felt that I was in the Atlantic in April of 1912.  Then it was done, boat running and everything intact.  What amazes me the most is that I might have been going about 5 knots upon impact, but the horsepower of the Caterpillar Diesel pushed me up over the rock...

I circled around the rock I intended to find and it looked bigger than ever.  Knowing that I had blundered, I immediately called my uncle who owns everything dealing with the marine and diesel industry for an emergency haul out.  I limped back to port, got hauled out, and this is the fruit of my stupidity...

So far I've taken the cage off to be repaired, the propeller was delivered by me to a repair shop 1.5 hours away, and I've scheduled some cosmetic fiberglass repairing for the end of the week. This act of greatness will cost far more than what that stupid rock will ever produce in lobsters in my lifetime. But it could have been worse and I'm grateful that my shaft was not bent and no structural damage was found. I'll post more when I find out more...

The Downeast Dumbass

Some new lobstering pictures...

Today my wife decided to see if she could trump the Maine Outdoorsman with some photographical wonder... On a side note, my oldest daughter came out for the first time ever and tried out her new life jacket... I'm cautious about throwing my children on this blog and I apologize if any of you would like to see those photographs... Nevertheless, enjoy some of the pictures taken by the little lady including some pre-season eiders who can't resist flying by the Downeast Duck Hunter...

F/V Ducks and Bucks

Trapped!!!

Full Flight in the Fog

Setting the Trap Back

Tending the Trap

Eiders in the Fog

Two Months Until the Opener!!!

The Downeast Duck Hunter at Dawn

It looks like the sea duck season for Maine is going to start October 1st, 2008 and run to January 31st, 2009...

That brings me to a reasonable assumption, the season is less than two months away and I couldn't be more excited...

But there will be some changes for the upcoming year and I'm curious to see how I will fare in navigating unchartered waters.  Here they are...

1. I've rigged up a tiny boat that used to be a sailboat, somebody told me they are called prams... whatever, I made a two inch keel for stability, fiberglassed it, and painted it camo... I intend to try wood ducks and teal, both are in my "I'd like to hunt those" list...
2. For the above option, I also bought some wood duck decoys so I now have to scout streams and ponds while researching this ball game... sea ducks I'm a pro & wood ducks I'm a rookie...
3. I'm going to try opening day for the first time on fresh water with Rabid, the Maine Outdoorsman... He's my wingman on the ocean, but I'll be his in central Maine... I hope Dr. Aflac gives me a note from work...
4. I intend to take a kid out on junior hunt day to promote our sport... There's not enough of us representing our world in good fashion and this will be an opportunity for me to show an aspiring sportsman and his father how we practice our craft of sea ducking...
5. Like the Maine Outdoorsman, I want to continue improving with my writing and see if I can get published with some of the eider hunting I do whether it be preparation, execution, or reflection of what I do well... I have submitted an article to DHC (Duck Hunting Chat) and hope to see it in a future online issue...
   

Nevertheless, last year was met with challenges, primarily a surgery that ended up being a season ender... But a new year is dawning much like the photo above, and I'm getting excited... I hope my wife is too!!!

Downeast Duck Hunter