16ga.com ~ View topic

Joined: 17 Jan 2014 Posts: 1377 Location: Denver, Colorado

Fourtrax: Thank you. Not hearing good things elsewhere either. I've got several vehicles and outbuildings sitting in 6-8 inches of water with more seemingly coming now (5 days of rain predicted up there for next week). The main building has water up to the 1st steps on the deck. Not sure what to expect when I finally get there. Figuring on not going-up there now until July for a salvage operation.

Oh well....

Last weekend, helped with the annual burning of the fields at the bird dog club. All went well, and for a change wasn’t too hot.

Yesterday, helped wife pull old carpet out of her boat. Lots of stuck/stripped screws to deal with. Three hours later, just about got it cleaned out. Still need to remove the forward plywood deck, but almost all the fasteners have now been defeated. The chair mount socket fasteners had to be drilled out for removal. 16’ aluminum V, late 90s vintage.

Also mounted the side cases to my motorcycle yesterday. Having some storage space should make the fair weather commute a bit easier.

Today’s work day at the dog club is canceled due to rain, so I really should tidy up some reloading stuff and sort some hulls from last season. Have at least three guns to measure bore/chokes on, and then some planning on opening for field use.

Joined: 27 Jan 2016 Posts: 490 Location: Oswego, Kansas

This weekend we had the Pheasants Forever/Quail Forever Kansas grasslands gathering at McPherson, Kansas. An enjoyable gathering of bird hunters and farmers from around the state. We started with a cornhole tournament Friday night, with the necessary coolers full of beverages and the training sessions on Saturday. Plenty of information on pollinators and on controlled burns to provide the best habitat for upland birds.
Was a great time meeting other people from around the state and learning more about here to find birds.
Had some good prizes given away and a good payout for the cornhole tournament. My first time ever playing the game and I got lucky and found a partner who knew what he was doing. Won third place and the next morning when I arrived for the day I was handed a roll of five dollar bills and an Onx membership!

I bought some farm ground and have been busy planning and implementing my conservation projects. Killing locus trees, killing cedar trees, planting CRP, killing Bermuda grass, planting some milo with no intention of harvesting it, a controlled burn, that kind of thing. I have seen quail and/or pheasants on each of my farms this spring as well as lots of other wildlife. I hope to be putting in a 10 acre wetland within the next year on one place. Been having a lot of fun I just wish I had the time to do everything I want to!

James

Member Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 376 Location: North ID.

I spent a few days fishing a reservoir here in N ID for smallmouth and caught a ton of small smallmouth and a few decent ones along with a few crappies and trout. I've never caught, nor have I eaten walleye, but everyone from the midwest I've talked to have told me walleye is the best! I don't doubt them, having never eaten any, but I can't imagine it's much better than crappie!

After the trip, I had some field mowing to do around my folks' place and after all the rain we've had the grass was extremely tall and thick for this early in the year and the mosquitos swarmed out of the tall grass as I chugged through it on the tractor! I also had to be vigilant as I moved through the grass for new fawn whitetails lying in the tall grass. I've almost ran over some in the past, while mowing.

Member Joined: 27 Jun 2012 Posts: 1113

I've been doing yard work with my three GSP's, reinforcing the basic commands and retrieving bumpers and frozen chukars. Just completed trap league with my local gun club and rolling right into skeet league next week. Basically, trying hard to keep me and the dogs healthy, fit and sharply focused for next bird season.

My fall plans are in early October spend two weeks in South Dakota catching the pheasant opener and then on to my buddy's ranch in Idaho until the snows threaten I-80 and my path home. Just don't want to get caught in the mountains trying to tow my trailer in slick conditions.

Joined: 17 Jan 2014 Posts: 1377 Location: Denver, Colorado

[url=https://imgur.com/qGmKq2B]

[/url]

[url=https://imgur.com/jbeqJEl]

[/url]

Member Joined: 30 Nov 2011 Posts: 1696 Location: Minnesota

Lloyd, I pm'd you my cell couple weeks ago to talk about LOW but never heard from you. Since then, this came out in the Outdoor News--High water isnt expected to crest til Mid June at the earliest on Rainy Lake and Rainy river. On the Ontario side, no one can remember levels this high,topping records from 1950. A guide from Rainy Lake says water levels are 7-8 feet high and expects high levels all summer.I guess some ramps/parking lots are underwater. I think the border country got more storms overnite. Sorry to be bearer of bad news.

Joined: 17 Jan 2014 Posts: 1377 Location: Denver, Colorado

Savage16: Thankyou! My bad, I got your number but was travelling with family all last week. I'm also in communication with folks on the ground there as well. Haven't heard anything about it breaking the 1950 flood level yet(!) but it sure is high right now and doesn't sound like it's going down anytime soon. I had planned on a trip up there earlier, but am now waiting on the waters to recede enough to replace a boat dock. If it gets much higher (about 1-more foot) we'll have significant problems at the house there, but right now it's just affecting the outbuildings and some equipment in the yard. Nothing too-horrible just yet, thankfully.

Joined: 17 Jan 2014 Posts: 1377 Location: Denver, Colorado

I spoke too-soon evidently, flooding at Lake of the Woods got much worse this afternoon, forcing the residents in the area of our home there to evacuate. I had two 4x4 vehicles in harm's way there and had to get a wrecker to get them out of the flood waters...

I do hope the local grousies have decamped for dryer places. I'm not expecting much this Fall up there accordingly (assuming I still have a place to hunt from then, which is by-no-means certain now).

Let's see what have I been doing or being done to?

4 or 5 years ago I was fishing in a blue marlin tournament here in SC. We caught fire 75 miles offshore, being in a tournament we were surrounded by boats within minutes and we abandoned ship. Long and short, fire went out, owner got a tow, and refurbished her. One of my fellow crew member's wife who had never met my before this walked up to me and said I must be the dude with bad mojo. Yeah right!

Fast forward to this past memorial day weekend, same tournament we fished day one, caught fish just no money fish...oh well we'll have better luck on day two. Three years prior we had done just that on the last day in the meat-fish Calcutta. We all shared in a pretty nice check.

Well the second day was not meant to be...it turns out that when we got to the dock that first day we found that a turbo leak melted some insulation and wiring but. The boat that caught fire a few years prior...the cause was a turbo leak!

Now this was a different boat, but there were 3 of us who were on the first boat that caught fire, including my buddy's who's wife blamed me. She cut her eyes at me in that accusatory way, but said nothing. (without an proof what so ever).

Repairs could not be done until the following week, so I was invited to fish with another buddy. We only made it out 2/3 of the way to the break when we lost power to the port engine. Well maybe it was me. The crew was kind enough to let me stay on board until we made it back to the dock. When we made it back no one would allow me to come anywhere near their boats; an outcast... My buddy's wife, well nevermind...

As we all know trouble comes in threes. The following day I was taking my bride for a boat ride on our 22 footer. When I started the Yammi all the engine alarms went off!! We never left the dock.

So it was me that had the bad Juju after all. I informed everyone that after 3 incidents of bad luck, that I was now a good luck charm, and that it would be beneficial having me on board. Still have not heard from any of my "friends" Crying or Very sad

So to answer the question, what have I been doing?

Causing havoc, and doing a full blown service on my Yamaha 150, as well as some wax on wax off too.

Joined: 26 Apr 2016 Posts: 369 Location: Vermont

Haven't been on in a bit but let's see. Turkey season stared off with 3 broken ribs on the 4th the day before I was to take my daughter out. Still re-cooperating but after a week and a half i could stand it no longer and went out took a few day but I shot a nice gobbler. We had a re-do and I took her out had a great hunt . She rarely misses but has not shot much the past year. Well a big bird came in molested the strutting gobbler I had out and she missed it fell over backwards in the chair. The bird would not leave she shot twice more emptied her gun the bird stayed and I shot it. I have never seen such an aggressive bird. We wont forget that one. One more hunt with her but no bird.

Since then I've been fishing for rainbows and browns across the road from my house catching some landlocks as well. Not too picky yet or tippet shy having fun with small drys. Also doing some smallmouth fishing at my place in New york they fight so hard and smash top water baits.

This coming weekend is the grandkids fishing derby. If I could figure out how to post pics i have a couple good ones.

Joined: 26 Apr 2016 Posts: 369 Location: Vermont

Almost forgot going for long walks with the dog in the early morning at first light and shooting skeet and sporting clays. Retirement is hard don't know when i had time to work

Joined: 04 Mar 2019 Posts: 1840 Location: Central ND

Soggy socks, when my Dad retired back in 1995 he said the same thing, he didn't know how he ever found time to go to work. I retired on July 5, 2019 and I find myself in the same predicament.

It's a wonderful problem to have!!

I've been buried between gun stock work and trying to get fifteen new paintings done in time for a show in September. Not going to have much of a summer and get outdoors unfortunately.