Duck Hunt, Canadian River

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mentioned the ducks had been scarce and wondered if I'd fly my plane and see if they had moved in on the river.</div> <bR> <div> I agreed to fly providing I accompany them on the hunt.  Phil and I have hunted together for years, bow hunting for deer, turkey hunting in Pushmatah Management Area and occasionally duck hunting.  Tom had a Lab I had watched work on one hunt and I was anxious to see how the training had progressed.</div> <bR> <div> Friday evening, I flew the river in my 1946 Taylorcraft.  This fabric covered airplane cruises at 80 mph so drifting down the river at low altitude was no problem.  I dropped down below the mountain and followed the river from about a mile below the dam to the Whitefield River Bridge.  There were two bunches of ducks.  One containing about 400 birds was loafing on the shoals below the dam about a mile and the other was about 2 miles from the dam.  Most of the birds were gadwall, but a sprinkling of mallards would make the hunt interesting.</div> <bR> <div> Phil and Tom picked me up at my house just after lunch.  This was an evening hunt, since I had seen the birds at around 4pm the preceding day.  They were pulling an 18-ft. canoe and had their decoys and the dog ready to go.</div> <bR> <div> When we arrived at the river, we found a large camp of 4 wheeler campers.  They were from several different states and had come to the Canadian River below the Dam because they had heard of the excellent riding available there.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> It turned out this was a big help to us in getting the gear off the 30 ft. high bank.  We had to lower the canoe full of decoys, paddles, gun cases and shell bags down a near straight up and down bank.  The four-wheeler group pitched in and made short work of getting the canoe in the water.</div> <bR> <div> Once in the water, it was easy sailing as Tom and Phil paddled the canoe at a brisk pace up the river.  I had offered to help, but there was only two paddles, so I chatted time while they stroked up the river.</div> <bR> <div> We made good time as the two of them worked as a team.  They have had lots of practice as they have been canoeing together since Tom was six years old.  It was fun to sit in the middle of the canoe and watch the expert paddling as each of them knew instinctively what stroke was needed to keep the canoe on a perfectly straight course for the spot we planned to hunt some ½ mile upstream.  </div> <bR> <div> The area Phil chose to hunt was just below where I had seen the largest concentration of birds the day before.  We placed the decoys out in a spread that resembled the raft of duck I had seen the preceding day.  Just for good measure, Tom put out two pair of pintails on the outside of the other decoys. </div> <bR> <div> The wind was blowing gently from the east, coming up the river.  This would be good for the approaching birds that would circle and come down river, if all went well.</div> <bR> <div> We got the decoys out and the canoe stowed in a small inlet that when viewed from above would look like one of the numerous logs that are natural to this stretch of the river.</div> <bR> <div> I had watched the Lab from the time we loaded in the canoe.  I believe this is the best-behaved Lab I have ever seen.  She waited until Tom gave the order to board and gently hopped over the side of the canoe, landing in the middle at the balance point.  On the ride up river, she sat quietly looking at the scenery passing and waited until Tom gave the order to get out of the canoe.  </div> <bR> <div> Tom has owned this Lab since she was a small pup.  His work as a wildlife biologist for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation had given him an opportunity to train the dog as he went about his normal duties that included working out of a boat on Broken Bow Lake in Southeastern Oklahoma.  The dog was his constant companion, actually helping in his work, as she became a close friend and companion.</div> <bR> <div> Now, in the river below the dam, I watched as she followed each command, as Tom gently talked to her.  She moved slowly to the log that would be standing out in the open river.  The birds would spot any movement here as they wheeled overhead preparing for landing.  Phil had found it was more effective getting on a natural log and sitting in the open, than building a blind.  </div> <bR> <bR> <div> As the three of them sat there, I listened to Father talking to Son and the dog in the middle listening.  Phil and Tom have hunted together since Tom was old enough to walk.  These trips now give them an opportunity to catch up on what each have been doing.  Tom has changed jobs and is now a Game Ranger for the Department of Wildlife and Phil is employed at the Kiamachi Vo-Tech where he is a Small Business Coordinator.  Listening, I here them discuss past hunts, laugh about what happened and then get more somber when talking about friends that were hunting buddies that have passed on.  All the time, the Lab waits.</div> <bR> <div> I know of these conversations.  Talk was personal and relaxed, while waiting for birds to fly over.  I have had many with my own son while waiting in a blind or on a deer stand.  I watched for birds while the time slowly unreeled.  Then, out of nowhere, there was a flight of about twenty birds that folded their wings into a tight tuck, and in kamikaze fashion, dived straight for Phil and Tom, sitting in the middle of the decoys.  I watched, unable to get my camera up as the dots turned into duck just feet above the decoys.  Tom fired, Phil fired and when the shooting was over, one duck was flapping in the water, swimming away.  The Lab, which had sit motionless on the log, jumped up and in a few short bounds had the bird tucked gently in her mouth.  She returned to the log and as I watched, dropped the duck into the waiting hands of Tom.</div> <bR> <div> Now I have hunted with Labs before, but never one that was perfect.  This lab performed flawlessly.  I asked Phil how Tom had trained her to be so calm and then so obedient?  It turns out that Tom had never used harsh treatment in his training, other than to remove the food for a few days.  He said that when she reached a rebellious point, he quit feeding her and on the first day, she still would not retrieve, on the second day, she would go out to the decoy he was using for training and on the third day, she brought it back to him, whereas he gave her a hand-full of food.  She quickly retrieved the decoy again, and he fed here again.  This was repeated on other occasions and accounts for the calmness and obedience this dog displays.</div> <bR> <div> We hunted until nearly sundown.  We sat there and watched bald eagles soar by, listening to there cry as they approached their nest on the far side of the river.  We were fooled several times by the flights of sea gulls that moved slowly up the river in a formation, and were amazed by the number of dove we saw crossing the river.  </div> <bR> <div> About an hour before sundown, the wind shifted out of the north and the temperature started falling.  We had thought all along the ducks would flock in when it got a little later.  However, the number of 4 wheelers going up and down the river mush has moved the duck farther downstream.  We watched as group after group road along the sand and gravel beds, cutting donuts and splashing water.  When the ducks are abundant, this would help the hunting by keeping them flying, but on this day, they were scarce.  We would not get anymore shooting and as the day drew to a close, we gathered our decoys.</div> <div> It was a fun trip and we were able to get a lot of visiting in.  We even did some planning for our next adventure.  Gold Prospecting in Colorado for next summer and maybe a trip to the badlands of Texas during the Christmas Break next year.  We even discussed maybe going to Pushmatah to Turkey Hunt in April. </div> <bR> <div> We had prospected for gold in Colorado during September.  Our exploring the high passes; steep canyons and panning in the Arkansas River near Buena Vista had produced enough gold to make me want to go back.  Also, we visited historic mining towns and took a tour of a gold mine that took us deep into a mountain.  I couldn't wait to get back up there.</div> <bR> <bR> <div>  As Phil paddled back to the truck, we had decided that we should go Goose hunting during February and March, since the season had been extended for Snow Geese.</div> <bR> <div> We were glad the 4-wheeler group was still there when we arrived back at the truck. </div> <bR> <div>  They helped us lug the canoe and gear up the hill gave us something to drink and good conversation.  We left to go home, knowing we would be back next year after the elusive River Birds if the lord's willing and the creek don't rise.</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>