Went up to the Goose Creek Impoundment with my partner Mike McGee. It was about 1990 and the limits were reduced, the season shortened, the beginning of some pretty slim years. They had reduced the Pintail limit to 2 birds out of a 4 bird limit. To me, it was still worth all of the effort it took to hunt out there just to be able to shoot a couple nice Bull Sprigs. For McGee, it was worth the effort just to fire his gun.
We didn't get our favorite spot, had to settle for a very small clump of grass about 200 yards away. We pretty much had to face the sun in order to have our decoys visible in some open water. It wasn't the best, but there were birds there, and with a little patience it was still possible to have a nice hunt.
I told Mike I wasn't going to shoot until it was good daylight and I could pick out really nice drake Pintails. He apparently wasn't of the same mindset. Shortly after shooting time he killed a bird back in behind us. The dog brought it back; a Shoveler. I kidded him a little and soon he was at it again. With 3 drakes and 1 hen, all Shovelers, his day was done. I took about an hour to kill 4 beautiful drake Pintails.
We picked up our decoys and headed back to Jacksonville. When I dropped him off at his house he spoke to me in a very small, almost childlike voice. "You going to make me take all these Spoonbills?" I didn't. My sons had never seen one before, so I took a pair home.
We didn't get our favorite spot, had to settle for a very small clump of grass about 200 yards away. We pretty much had to face the sun in order to have our decoys visible in some open water. It wasn't the best, but there were birds there, and with a little patience it was still possible to have a nice hunt.
I told Mike I wasn't going to shoot until it was good daylight and I could pick out really nice drake Pintails. He apparently wasn't of the same mindset. Shortly after shooting time he killed a bird back in behind us. The dog brought it back; a Shoveler. I kidded him a little and soon he was at it again. With 3 drakes and 1 hen, all Shovelers, his day was done. I took about an hour to kill 4 beautiful drake Pintails.
We picked up our decoys and headed back to Jacksonville. When I dropped him off at his house he spoke to me in a very small, almost childlike voice. "You going to make me take all these Spoonbills?" I didn't. My sons had never seen one before, so I took a pair home.
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