Headed over the pass late friday night and my buddy and i arrived at mcnary just in time to pick a blind. Not that it mattered, because the hunting was terrible. i think we shot 5.
Well i figured it could only get better from there on, and it sure did.
headed back towards yakima and stopped to chase some quail in the wind. They held really tight which made for some quick work and Madison and i were able to get 10 in about 45 minutes. Not the best shooting, but Madison did great and had some great points for me.


This morning i was at a loss for where to go... TCs had sucked, the Yak valley is iced up pretty hard, and there just arent many huntable birds around. Well i decided to head over to Othello where i had some distant (friend of a friend of a friend) information that there were some birds.
Well i woke up late and left around 530. By the time i hiked back into my spot it was just about shooting light, and wouldnt you know, even though its been 40+ degrees and lots of wind, my spot was iced in THICK. 4+ inches of ice. But there were some birds in the air so i threw my decoys out in a cluster on the ice and put my flutter-wing in the middle. Well the first flock comes over right after i get set up and i scream at them with the call and spin the wings, sure enough the peel back and bomb into the decoys. It was awesome. 50+ mallards at point blank range. Of course i somehow knocked down 2 birds that i wasnt even aiming at and missed an easy 3rd shot. Just as soon as i get those birds off the ice, another flock is working towards me. They wouldnt commit, but i was able to scratch down my 3rd of the morning on the swing. After Maddy brings that one back i look off to my left and about 500 ducks, a mix of mallards and pintails, are making their way towards me. They were flying down wind but they didnt even bother to swing into the wind and the whole group locked up and dropped right on into my little cluster of 2 doz lopsided decoys. Birds were skidding on the ice and knocking into my decoys. Somehow i only maneged to get 2 out of that wad of ducks as well. should have tripled for sure!
Had one more good flock come in and i was able to finish out, plus a bonus honker as i was picking up.
A great morning on the pond... i mean ice... and one i wont soon forget.

And after that i was able to head over to a little chukar spot i know and not manage to see even one, although i did knock down a pair of huns.

Pretty good little weekend

Nice...Very nice...

Awesome story with the ducks! Wow, that'd been cool to watch!