BilletHead

Recipe looks good there Mopanfisher. Going to share a story with you all. Many, many moons ago my dad bought two what the guy told him "moss carp" . This would of been in the early eighties at a local fish farm. The fish farm got them from another place in Arkansas. Told dad they would make the water clearer in his pond as they were filter feeders. Once and a while you would see the fish coming up for catfish food with the grass carp. This was a small pond. I once tried out a little three horse air cooled motor on the back of a john boat. All I could do is run in a circle and as some have witnessed those two fish jumped out of the water about taking my head off. After dad passed on a hot dry summer the pond got low and nasty turning greenish and stinking . Allot of the fish died including the "moss carp" . They were bighead most defiantly. It is easy to see how they got started. No not by my dad though. None in our drainage as of yet! BilletHead

My grandfather would call them ice shanties. He would use hand carved fish decoys and jig them looking into the icy depths waiting for northern pike. When the pike swam by to inspect the decoy he would spear the northern. I remember as a kid visiting during the summer peeking into the shanty checking out the hand forged spear heads. Like a frog gig on steroids. So heavy actually it was more of dropping it into the fish. He also just fished in the shanty. Would of loved to spend more time and had his spears and decoys now. Chief I would share a shanty with you and if the fish were not biting we could discuss world affairs and solve the problems it has. BilletHead

Nice photos there. Really like the one with the sheds and the kayak in the distance. It really messes with depth perception. Kayak looks like a toy, BilletHead

Boy it is good to see you all really do like each other. I want to name the shack you guys will be fishing out of. I will let you guess the name and here is the hint, The B-52's sang this song. It is a good one, BilletHead

Boy it is good to see you all really do like each other. I want to name the shack you guys will be fishing out of. I will let you guess the name and here is the hint, The B-52's sang this song. It is a good one, BilletHead

You got a good laugh also didn't you Marcus?

Hey I just added a bit to the railroad besides we should all expect this by now. Heck I like them all Ducks,smallmouth and trout. I even like you chief! Can everyone say that? BilletHead

Peak man here, also bought the smaller jaws. I am happy though this was my first vice purchase and have not tried any other. Price was right too, BilletHead

Ok anyone that would like me to gift them a goose breast? You could gift me a ribeye back? We cannot trade that would be illegal. Yea I did not think so . Geese are grass and grain fed, they poop all over too like a fat steer too. BilletHead

That is because suckers fight good on a fly rod and trout fishermen want a fight. Yea we want it all. Squeaky wheels get the grease hahahahahaahah You know Mitch I am pulling your leg! Just squeak more, BilletHead

Well yes he has Chief, You know once, just once I thought, thought, I tell you about keeping from a pond full of stunted bass, stunted, I tell you a bass for dinner. again just a thought and one of these protective bass anglers with ESP read my mind about thinking of keeping a stunted bass to help the pond recover because the owner asked me to.. Biggest mistake I have ever done. Never crossed my mind again:) The BilletHead

Well then! If you are cooking the heck out of your ducks I am afraid to tell you, well not really afraid but you are doing it all wrong. Too done guys. As far as geese I could cook you fajitas out of canada goose that would make you salivate craving for more. Oh well just don't bother with shooting them any more and send them to my part of the state :). Sorry Marcus your post went from trout to ducks and geese. Go get them young man! BilltHead

Excellent JD and your attitude is part of getting through this. I seen this in Mrs. BilletHead too. Thanks for posting as this made my day! BilletHead

Well I did not know about "ghee", Well again I don't know much about these fancy things but do know "bacon fat" "goose fat too". Thanks Joe, BilletHead who likes too cook and hates to clean up

The Saga continues, Goosefest! So this will be the sixth year our Friend Brad and his wife Pam have made the trip from Arnold to hunt with us. Brad all six years and his wife three of those six. They are off from Christmas to New Years so they spend a few days with us in BilletHeadville. Conditions were going to be testy. Wet fields preventing access to some ponds and every field. Roost pond in neighborhood holding many, many birds with some ponds beginning to freeze over. They arrived and Brad and I scouted and made a plan for that Evening. Just he and I went to a location with access by ATV and my little trailer. A central location among many other ponds being used. Dozen and a half mallard decoys and same amount of goose floaters plus sixteen full body geese, pond partially frozen. On trip in scare off thirty plus geese and at least that many mallards. A few ducks worked back with no shots, geese by hundreds from all over head for roost all evening with out even a look at us. While picking up after LST ducks back in until we leave. So much for hunt one? New Years Eve, Mrs. BilletHead working so the rest of us back to same pond as day before. More goose floaters as we had day before. Hoping after birds off of roost they will spill out to us. Some ice again on pond. Boys set out decoys while Mrs. Brad set up blinds. As we wait for daylight we see ice forming around decoys. Shoot two ducks as more ice forms. Mrs. BilletHead calls on her way to work " Hey the roost pond is loaded" . Then she drives down the road we are near and honks her horn on way to work. We hunt until close to noon. Only seeing birds get off roost go up fly in circles and drop right back into roost pond. Decide to leave decoys at location get a bite to eat rest a bit and come and hunt again. Afternoon hunt ice thawed and scare off ducks and geese off of pond right next to our location. No dice, no birds, nadda, zilch. Pick up and decide to regroup. Big meal and discussions of where to go next day. To bed by Ten o'clock New years eve with no plan to hunt the next very cold morning. Up next morning to big breakfast with boys doing a little predator calling and bird scout. Girls to town shopping. No predators for guys but plan for next hunt, girls bring home for evening snacking. Out to hunt again on another pond where other geese have been loafing part of the day with some roosting there too. We set up my best dozen and a half floaters and Brads floaters the same amount as mine. Then out came both Brads and my arsenal of full bodies. A count of fifty or more. All I know is it as two trips from the trucks to the location. Three out first trip with all four blinds. Two stay to start sitting up, back for other person and rest of decoys. Set up and hid real well we wait. We could hear on next pond over many goose noises. Mrs. BilletHead took a peek and said the place was covered with geese. Geese in the air but they of course decided to go to the real thing. I was beginning to sweat goosefest. I made a remark someone should get up the birds off the near pond so we might have a chance. if more flew. Then we spy more flocks in the distance and Pat says some have to land here as there isn't much room on the other pond. Ten more minutes left before LST to quit and a group likes us better than the live ones and they pitch in with us dropping three. I think to myself stink off maybe goosefest will be a success after all. We pick up birds and Brad says I got a band! Well yes he did! Icing on the cake. Pick up in reverse makes a late return home and why I like morning hunts better! Banded goose rather large and fat. I guess Missouri bird others guess Iowa, Minnesota and Canada. Report bird band. I win guess Local bird banded about thirty miles away. Make a decision to hunt same place in the morning. Next morning repeat process but with a slight wind change change layout location forty yards. A few ducks early with no shots and then the geese begin to move. Any low flying birds respond to calling. High flyers go right on and mid flyers circle, give us the stink eye and move on. But low birds save the day. We brought in a triple and others in singles and doubles. First group triple and three birds down. Good start. Then a double in and down. Another double in and down. I grab the fishing pole cast out the big plug for my birds retrieve. Guess what? My bird is banded! Back in the blinds I call it another Missouri bird, others will not commit until they know the band numbers and how close they are in sequence. I get on the phone, check out the number from yesterday to find they are pretty far off so the others guess? Soon another double comes in and one drops. Let one get away. Two more singles come in and they stay. We call the day with ten birds. Photo time, the set up, Hero shot of the girls and Brad, And then me, Good times with good friends, back to the house and a relaxing afternoon. Oh yea sent in band info. Another local bird banded close to my home town. Still birds were banded thirty or so miles apart. Banded the same year three days apart. We four have had pretty good odds on banded birds together. Over the six years eighteen days afield and out of those days the girls maybe six with us guys but out of those six for the four of us have been blessed with four bands. Not too shabby, BilletHead

Wow some super looking eat right here! I know the area where Ness resides and I don't mind driving North a few miles to The Ness household We have been in some food comas here too. Had a friend in for what we call the goosefest. They travel from Arnold near St. Louis for a few days between Christmas and New Years for water fowling. This year because of the rain it came a it later and we hunted into the New year. Well they bring food and I mean lots of food. We started last Wednesday and Brad cooked a rack of lamb on the charcoal grill. Pam cooked sliced potatoes in cream and then added fresh spinach. Oh my what to say? The coma has begun. Next Evening it was super thick rib eyes over charcoal again. Baked potato. Sliced not quite through with a piece of bacon weaved through the slices, slathered with butter and wrapped in foil then baked in the oven. Food coma still going:) We did not hunt New Years morning but again started the day eating Belgian waffles. That afternoon before our hunt it was fried fish, asparagus and of course black eyed peas. After yesterdays hunt bookoos leftovers to clean out the fridge. No photos of food, too busy eating and hunting. If you want the hunting report it will be shortly in the migratory birds, BilletHead still in food coma.

Mic, Pat and I have anchor trolleys on both sides of our kayaks. This way we are in good position no matter which way the wind is blowing. This is the link to where we got them. Also if you sign up with the monthly news letter you can get a ten to fifteen percent discount every month and more specials, http://www.austinkayak.com/products/16465/ACK-Anchor-Trolley-Kit.html BilletHead

Fish with Mrs billethead a bunch. Fish with Ham. Catch a fly rod striper (my first). Etc. Etc. Etc. You understand Ham I had to list it this way.

I know there have been many thoughts and prayers going on from this flood but I have another couple of things to share. Pat and I have a friend by the name of Bill. Younger than us by a few years just recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. This is going to be tough on our friends and his wife has been living with MS. They are getting second opinions on the course of action for Bill. Have not heard back yet on that. I was visiting with the pastor and his wife where I get my native pecans. They are going to have a moment for Bill Wednesday night at seven PM and have made calls to area churches to do the same. Also passing the word to those who don't attend services to do the same. We will be among those and will be doing this. Please if you are moved do this for Bill. Ask others too. Thank you, On another note there is a waterfowl hunter missing not far from us. A lot going on close to home. Think of him also Please, http://knemknmo.com/newsitem.php?id=04113_VERNON_COUNTY_SHERIFFS_SEARCHING_FOR_MISSING_HUNTER_141347.xml The BilletHead's

Cubanelles! They are great. Also see they have those fermentation crocks like you have. Pricey things. I would like to try that sometime. Do you have horseradish in your garden? Need any roots? I got mine dug and made some and have bookoos roots in the crisper in the fridge. Want any this Spring? Anyone else? I overwintered mine last season in there since I had mine growing in tubs and replanted in the Spring. BilletHead

Ness, you dirty raskel. Beat me to it! Well done. Yes seed catalogs here too. Gosh so much to pick from. Are the offending trees in the neighbors yards? Go ahead and reach across the fence as far as you can and cut away. It will be alright and you can tell them I said it was OK. You have the right to your portion of the sun . Did you get a catalog from Territorial Seed Company? Your sungold cherry tomatoes are in there. Will be trying some of them this season. Their lettuce varieties are mind boggling. Speaking of greens I still have uncovered lettuce growing. Bet that will change with it going to get in the teens after tonight. By all means podum join right in. Love to have your input, BilletHead

Dang Snagged, I like this but really don't an oxymoron for ya, be safe everyone, BilletHead

Had to take another gander at the river this morning. Forum member and friend RichMack went with me. First three photos are along 54 Highway. Here is a field across from Venter Bluff. Right next to the road. I have been through that gate many times down through a pasture to farm fields and the river hunting points (arrowheads). Then the 54 bridge with the Sac below it, Here is a view from the bridge. RichMack is peeking over to see if there is a sign of a big drift that has been hung up on the pier. The sheer volume of water going under. If it was me peering over I think I would of got dizzy and barfed Then off on a side highway we ran upon this sight. This is why they say don't try to drive through high water. After snapping the photo a lady in a truck stopped and looked in the door seeing how much water damage. She said they got the people out last night and they had a child with them, Then in a field. Having a hard time figuring this one out. Maybe tractor broke down? Truck tried to pull tractor home before the high water and truck got stuck? Who knows but bummer for the owners. You have to try, Then to a boat ramp on the Sac River. Outhouse top showing And finally we tried to get to the town of Blackjack. Tried three roads and this was the closest we got. The little community is inaccessible by road right now. The river bridge according to the USGS site has crested at 30.83 feet and according to the record it was 30.95 feet. Almost a record. It is on the fall now again according to USGS gauges along the river, BilletHead

Wm, Yes I know the dangers of that place. Again the things I have seen down there. A lapse of judgment by one young man cost him his life. He thought he could ride a raft over the dam. Mrs. BilletHead and I were in a boat directly below. We tried a rescue only for the two of us to lift his lifeless body into our boat and take him to shore. I tried CPR to no avail. So far this has been the most traumatic or should I say the worst thing I have ever had to do. BilletHead

One word for this Mitch, Awesome! The BilletHead's