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Thread: Unscripted

  1. #1
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    Default Unscripted

    The Cranky Ole Taxidermist sunk his boat several years ago. It put things in perspective for me. He wasn’t far from the landing but still probably wouldn’t have survived if it weren’t a Saturday, a popular landing, and without the help of a handful of camo-clad strangers in well-lit duck boats. He survived but he gave up duck hunting.

    It wasn’t just the event that caused him to give up duck hunting. Age and other health issues combined with the accident to hasten a decision that he had been putting-off for a while anyway. He’s a giant of a guy (played on the offensive and defensive line for Georgia back in the day) and a cancer survivor in a daily struggle against psoriatic arthritis. It was time.

    I had hunted with him a handful of times every season since about 2005 but always from his boat; the one he sunk. It was initially hard for the obsessive-compulsive in me to relax and let someone else control the hunt. I am used to doing everything exactly my way including shooting or not shooting ducks based on some pre-scripted ideas I plan before every duck hunt. His decoy spreads were a mess – basically the antithesis of mine, ugh. He kept his decoys in an open bin with twisted, bare wire siding – I keep mine in slotted bags. His were all plastic – mine are solids with wooden heads. His were barely recognizable for species and leaking foam from where he patched bullet holes – mine are meticulously painted to match the biology of every species. I learned to not bring mine on our hunts because a bird in the decoys was going to get shot regardless of any collateral damage. COT never apologized. He wasn't rude. He just didn't see it as a problem - they're just decoys for goodness sake..

    It took a couple of seasons but I learned to, not so much enjoy but, endure hunting over misshapen brown blobs thrown out helter-skelter. Part of my hesitancy in accepting his style of decoying was having to admit to myself that my own decoy details are more about me, maybe much more about me, than the ducks. I still uphold my pre-existing decoy principles. It is a big part of scripting my duck hunts and a soothing ointment to my OCD, obsessive-compulsive duck hunting methodology.

    It is not just the decoys. The Cranky Ole Taxidermist was an unapologetic duck killer. A duck anywhere within his perceived range of his favored 3½” shells was going to get shot at and he had a high opinion of the range of the long shells.

    Decoying flocks weren’t parsed for drakes, adults or species. An empty gun was about the only guaranteed result of a quality draw.

    Early on I kept my standards but realized that waiting for the right duck to approach the decoys at just the right angle and the right time was making me nothing more than a spectator at a duck hunt. At some point I started joining in on the fun. I tore into flocks without regard to species or gender and we sorted them out afterward. Having a dead duck that neither of us would claim became almost as common as a dead duck that we both claimed. I smiled and laughed where my solo hunts are as serious as brain surgery. I still like the way I hunt but have some fond memories of those unscripted days when if it was brown it was down.

    A couple of months ago I decided to compile pictures of our better hunts into an album and send it to the COT. This was one of my favorites just because of the number of species…it was a fun day.

    Last edited by Rubberhead*; 07-19-2019 at 10:51 AM.
    Ephesians 2 : 8-9



    Charles Barkley: Nobody doesn't like meat.

  2. #2
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    This put a smile on my face.
    Be proactive about improving public waterfowl habitat in South Carolina. It's not going to happen by itself, and our help is needed. We have the potential to winter thousands of waterfowl on public grounds if we fight for it.

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    Fun! I'm ready to pull the trigger already.

    As always, great write up-

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    Very thoughtful of you to remind him of the good times y'all shared in the blind. I'm sure it's appreciated. I'm glad you learned to go with the flow as well and enjoy the moment. Nothing wrong with that at all. Great read, yet again RH!

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    Damn good read. Thanks for that.

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    Good stuff Rubberhead!

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    Yep, we need lots more of this type stuff around this place. Thanks for sharing RH

  8. #8
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    Very nice as usual sir.

    What kind of boat did he sink?
    "Think A Guy Like Me Worries About Percentages?" Tin Cup

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  9. #9
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    Thanks guys.

    Quote Originally Posted by JBK View Post
    What kind of boat did he sink?
    It was an old skiff type Boston Whaler with a side console and a F70 Yamaha. He's not totally sure what happened but it sounds like he got distracted for a moment and hit a tree along the bank. Everything seemed okay so they headed back to the landing and were in the middle of the river when he realized they were taking water quick. He must have split or cracked the boat when he hit the tree and it really opened up once he was under way again. What floatation the boat originally had must have dry rotted away or was totally waterlogged. The boat basically rolled over on its side then sunk.
    Ephesians 2 : 8-9



    Charles Barkley: Nobody doesn't like meat.

  10. #10
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    BTW - I was not with him when it happened.
    Ephesians 2 : 8-9



    Charles Barkley: Nobody doesn't like meat.

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    Beautiful well written story.

    Let's sit down for a conversation some time if you don't mind. It'd be my pleasure.

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    Great read brother!

    I'm far from a duck poet and still much more of a killer but I do try my darnedest to be more selective. (My harvest report from USFWS says otherwise tho.)
    Listen to your elders. Not because they are always right but because they have more experiences of being wrong.

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    Good stuff RH


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  14. #14
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    Very nice! Good for you helping him remember the good days.

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    Kudos for the story.
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    good read, thanks for sharing.


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    Good stuff RH. Always enjoy.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Glenn View Post
    Beautiful well written story.

    Let's sit down for a conversation some time if you don't mind. It'd be my pleasure.
    Thanks - I'd be honored.
    Ephesians 2 : 8-9



    Charles Barkley: Nobody doesn't like meat.

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    He isn't doing so well parnter, if you aren't aware , would be good to give him a shout. The first time I met him he told me he would mount any Black Duck I killed for free , that was many moons ago. Good feller.
    Genesis 9;2

  20. #20
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    RH, was said sunken boat eventually recovered, or is it still on the bottom of a river somewhere?

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    Last edited by willyworm; 07-20-2019 at 02:15 AM.
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    Delta in a nutshell: Breeding grounds + small wetlands + big blocks of grass cover + predator removal + nesting structures + enough money to do the job= plenty of ducks to keep everyone smiling!

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