Lancer09

Since ducks are done up here in the middle zone I'm zoned in on the geese now so the idea of the spreads I at least don't have to worry about movement on the water. Since I'm only running with 9 shells I've been using a loose J or U shape with the wind sock decoy to a side coming in to keep the landing area open. I've been trying to orient them so that the geese can land into the wind, and still not have to drop on over top of all the others. Typically they are flying north to south so I know they aren't seeing me, and they can't/won't until they would be directly in front of me at 20 yards with how far back I am in some brush. I have trees that extend completely over the top of my head, plus the camo they aren't catching me that way at least. I'll just keep giving them a go until I figure it out.. then I have to figure out how to cook one.

For the last three years I've thought about getting into waterfowl hunting. This year I did. Two and a half years ago my dad sold his lake place down at Truman. In the back shed were a dozen duck decoys, a mix of mallards, pintails, woodies, teal, and 9 goose shells. Out doing some Christmas shopping I decided to grab my tags and make my focus the geese as I have longer to hunt them versus the ducks, and any duck I would bag would just be gravy on my biscuits. My father-in-law and I went out one morning, set some decoys and had a ridiculous day. I was terrible on my shiny new goose call and pretty much scared everything away. I've been hunting a family's farm pond of about 10 acres that is a roosting pond for anywhere from a dozen to 10 dozen geese each night. I can't get to it and set up without spooking them so they aren't really the birds that I'm hunting hard. That first morning we saw nearly 800 geese as they were constantly flying over for 4 straight hours out of range. He ended up bagging a gadwall. My terrible calling and poor decoy placement scared every goose off before we could get a shot, and the only ones we attempted were those who came from behind and couldn't see how bad anything was. A few more days of practice on the call and research on how to set up a small spread of decoys I went back again.. nothing, and not a lot of birds moving. I decided that I'd hunt the next day as well, and again a slow day. I had to work so I got there early and had to start picking up by 930 so that I could be at work by 10. Close to pick up time the first goose of the day comes over my spread and I hit the call. That goose darn-near broke his neck turning, two laps over the pond and heads back my way. I backed off a call and as soon as I saw it cupping those wings to come in and land I knew I had him. Stand up. Click. Bottom barrel of the over under didn't go off. I swear I saw goose give me the finger as it flew away. I squeezed off the top barrel and hit it but couldn't bring it down. His-posterior is going to be cold when he sits down in some cold water with all the feathers I took off of him. So I've now figured out that if I'm aiming above parallel to the ground my bottom barrel firing pin isn't hitting with enough power to set off the primer, and it cost me a bird with that first shot at 35 yards. Time to start hunting with the pump gun. Fast forward a few days, and $125 in bass pro gift cards for a wind sock decoy to give some movement, a duck call, a box of shells and a few other odds and ends and I'm pretty deep now. A few hunts. Birds working me a little bit but just not liking something so I keep changing it up and every hunt I'm getting them a little bit closer. Yesterday. Freaking birds everywhere. I sat down at 8, first birds at 815, and never went more than 10 minutes without birds coming over the pond, but CONSTANTLY flaring off of my spread at about 80 yards. I had them right there! What was going wrong?!?!?! I haven't been hunting in a blind but tucking back beneath a cedar and a locust tree. They aren't seeing me so I know that's not the problem, so what is it? As I start collecting decoys I realized that one of the decoys out of my view had flipped and was laying on its side, and I know that the moment the geese would "turn the corner" to come in and land they saw that decoy laying on it's side and changed course. I have just under a month left. I'm going to get my bird even if its in the 11th hour.

We bought a house last spring and had a bunch of Family from both sides over. Wife did a big ol 20 pound bird, We smoked 2 racks of ribs, and I did a venison tenderloin. Plenty of other stuff as well. This is my favorite way to eat venison. Sure seems and tastes fancy, but is actually really easy and doesn't take that much time. Thaw that venison in red cooking wine. Coat that bad boy in a mix of Shallots, Parsley, Rosemary and Thyme. Cook in butter in the Cast Iron with a spring of rosemary and garlic cloves. Baste while it cooks Hot on 3 minutes per side. 7 to 8 minutes in the oven at 350. Top with a red wine reduction sauce.

I didn't have a pm from anyone looking for an address. I have about half of my flies done. Assuming everyone still wants to be in this, Christmas is a better date for me so I can get them mailed out the week between then and the first week of January. Thanks All.

I ought to probably get started...

It's been pretty slow for me. Seen just a few deer and shot a button buck. nothing of any size yet. Hopefully this weekend brings something.

I'm not much of a whisky guy so I can't speak to the qualities of those, however for tequila, Smallie is definitely right. A better tequila really helps, and it helps prevent those hangovers. resposado's or blancos will make you a good margarita, an anejo tequila is going to have probably too much wood flavor for a margarita, Try this - Good tequila, my preferance is a resposado tequila (1 shot), 1 shot of Grand marnier, 2 shots lime juice, and 1 shot of agave nector. Small back margarita to make by the glass, not by the pitcher. Also look for 100% de agave on there. Jose won't have it, it ain't the good stuff.

Thank ya gents! This was my first deer out of a ground blind so that was a different perspective watching him come in. Based on scouting I thought he would come from straight to my right, instead he came from behind me "downwind". Slight advantage of a blind? hides scent well at least! Busted mid draw, and had to hold that for a few seconds before he started walking again and finally got locked back, and hit him at 18 yards. Double lunged and didn't make it 50 yards. Arrow was a clean pass through, and I found it 20 feet into the woods. Arrow was at him fast enough that I didn't even get a chance to watch it fly, and knew I hit him from the sound, just didn't know how well until I started finding the blood.

Your in ruthead. If anyone else does as well does let me know. I wont say no to more flies.

Dropped him yesterday about 745. Small little button buck to help thin the herd.

Sorry. To say I've been swamped would be an understatement. The earliest I've been home from work the last month is 8:30 at night. Yes we are. I ain't tying something of my own creation but you's guys is more than welcome too. Try to keep the size at 3.5 inches or more - 1. Me. 2. DaddyO 3. Mike H. 4. JTram 5. Browntrout 6. FlySmallie 7. Trythisone 8. - Try to get your flies to me by Thanksgiving - will get them out for the Holiday season and we will have them for Streamer season in the new year. As always tie one extra for yourself so I can make everyone have the same package.. Stickers are appreciated and if you send one, you'll get one. Make it count.

The Spare Rib Pale Ale was quite delightful. Out of OK City.

It literally takes more "training" to legally hunt in the state, than it does to carry a concealed firearm. I have no issues with guns. In my living room I have a locked up fancy gun cabinet. I love them. I just don't understand what the fascination is with everyone being able to carry them wherever and whenever they want. Sure you will get a lot of responsible people who do train and shoot, and study when and where is appropriate and legal to carry and discharge that firearm; however now that it is going to be legal with no training or class required people are going to carry concealed with no forethought. For every 1 to 2 who actually went to the class there will now be 3 to 4 people who have "been shootin' guns all ma life" who think they know how to now handle a firearm with someones life in their hands, or the lives of others in the area. Honestly I think that if people want to carry concealed and take up the responsibility of trying to protect themselves and others the training process should be longer (This doesn't mean more expensive). I think the classes are too pricey as is, however I'm of the opinion that people didn't want to spend $75-150 on a class are the reason this ends up getting passed. Anyone here who has ever handled a gun was probably taught the basics of safety, finger off the trigger, muzzle away from people at all times etc, etc. Other than people who have the training in it, who has shot moving targets not with a shotgun but with a hand gun? Who has gone through a class to learn to Identify who the threat is in a crowd (I know, I know, the guy with the gun) but what if he is packing a small handgun and using it in a dense crowd instead of a big assault rifle. Say that guy runs and you get all John Wayne on him and try to bust him but miss and kill a little kid? Frankly that doesn't make you any better. Is it your constitutional right to own a gun? yes. Is it your God given right? Who knows.. I don't exactly see mention of guns anywhere in the bible so drop this argument. Is it your God given right to protect your family or friends if need be? Absolutely, but there are other ways to do so than with a .38.

I don't like it. I'm pro second amendment but I don't see where the issue is for having to have a little bit of training. The only reason this passed is because of a stupid bi partisan system that means you're either all PRO GUN EVERYTHING, GIVE THEM TO EVERYONE, or NO GUNS ALLOWED FOR ANYONE INCLUDING POLICE. But it seems ridiculous to me that anyone can carry a concealed weapon without having to go through a little bit of training. Now it seems like a TON of people are going to end up carrying in waistbands instead of doing it right, training, getting actual holsters and knowing how to use the weapon. This is so incredibly stupid. The more I think about it the more I get annoyed about it.

What with buying a new house and all this late spring/early Summer I forgot all about this. Figured I would just throw the option out there for people who were interested. Late Summer Streamer Swap - Single Hook streamers this time? Doubles, triples, All include some deer hair work? I'm open to options. Discuss amongst the lot o ya.

I like this topic. I like it a lot. I like beer. Beer is good. Last night I spent some time working my way through a few 312 Urban Wheats and Goose Island 4 star Pilsners. I don't think I have yet found a boulevard beer I don't enjoy. I toured the brewery a few weeks ago and tried their milk stout they are testing, incredible. If you like the 4 hands milk stout see if you can find some Nitro Brewing Milk stout. Awesome stuff.

Difference being this latest drowning wasn't a drunk floater, it was a young girl. I don't think that it is every outfitters duty to remove all dangers, teach everyone how to swim, and hold someone's hand through the whole float, but if they do have a clearly dangerous hazard on their property that is their doing or has gone into disrepair due to neglect then the thing should at least be removed.

I've never done well on big buggers or anything. i fish mostly 8 and 10 4xl streamer leeches, unless I'm going big, and then I'm looking 4 to 6 inch big on the small side. Frankly though I don't think it's been as good the last 3 or 4 years as it was in the past. Now there seems to be a lot of froggy water that just sits there instead of being a gravel bar, a lot of the old gravel ledges are gone too. If the water is off I've never understood how people do well up by the outlets, there isn't any current and is pretty dead to me, I even see less fish up there. But give it a go and let us know how you do.

I don't think it should be anyone's responsibility to remove all risks from a river. However when something that was man made, neglected by man, and cost the life of someone because of what could be argued negligence you've got to either fix the thing or remove it. There is hardly any water storage done by Dawt's dam, so that's a moot point to me at this stage. Just get the thing out of there and move on. If for some reason the stripers ruin the trout fishing, stop stocking the stripers and in 20 years the stripers will be long and dead and the trout will come back, frankly neither of them really belong here, but are big economic drivers for the area.

I feel like I recently saw that Dawt was approved to begin the permitting process to remove the dam. There was also something about them being able to start the process at the national level which would somehow speed the process up? Anyone else see this? Add: I don't think there will be so many "predators" moving up into the river that it would ruin the trout fishing. While I love the wild trout they still aren't the native fish. Sure some small ones would get eaten by a few more bass, stripers and walleye, but I think it would end up not being the catastrophe that some people think that it would.

NO, NO THEY CANT!!! I had to spend my first Thursday night off work in 8 weeks sweating my tits off cleaning my garage for four hours.. If I'm not having fun.. no one else can.

I always forget the nail knot tool...

I do loops the same as Wrence. Have been for years now and I've never had one fail.

I've yet to find any white river brewing around KC. I try to stock up every time I head down to Springfield.