16ga.com ~ View topic - Russell Kansas Dec. 2007

Gentlemen

Just got back Tuesday from Russell Kansas and a hunt with Stuart Young and the award-winning pointing labs at Last Chance Wings and Labs and am filing my report for those who are interested. Another trip to Russell planned on Jan 4th 2008 so more adventures to report in the coming weeks. If you bear with me, I will report in stages as my job (empathizing here with MGF – must be due to living/working in Illinois) has been pretty intense this past year.

Day 1 – Friday Dec. 14th

Pulled out of the house at 6 am for the 500 mile trip door-to-door to Russell Kansas (I’m in Glen Carbon IL on the east side of the St. Louis metro area) on I-70. Left early because all week they had been predicting snow in Russell beginning about 3 pm Friday afternoon and I did not wish to drive in snow (but I love to hunt in snow – good thing too! – likely due to living in Ithaca NY for 6.5 years) in the dakota. Told the Boss as I left that I wasn’t even stopping at either Cabela’s Shocked

(Hazelwood MO or KC, Kansas) on the way so that I could go straight through and beat the storm. Stopped once for gas at QT in Oak Grove MO and once for snack at Wendy’s in Salina and arrived in Russell about 1:30 pm to cold and cloudy skies. Reported to Stuart (working in Great Bend) that I was in, checked into motel (Days Inn), unpacked and opened the laptop to 90 emails (gotta stop doing this…). Looked out the window at 3 pm to BLIZZARD conditions – snowing and blowing as I have not seen in a while. By the time I went to dinner (Santa Rosa Mexican restaurant – 2 years old in Russell – I recommend highly) at 6 pm with Stuart and family, 4 inches on the ground and no sign of letting up. No worries, Stuart had a plan. Instead of hunting pheasant and quail in the morning, we will drive over to Wilson Lake and hunt the running water below the dam for mallards and other puddle ducks – reported to be 50,000 mallards on the lake and the snow and wintry conditions will push them off the lake into the small creeks and creek bottoms. After grading final exams until 10 pm and getting 16 ga citori and waterfowl gear together, I went to bed to 6 inches+ of snow on the ground and more coming down.

Day 2 - Saturday Dec. 15th

Up at 4:15 am – coffee pot in room on first and then looked out to 11 INCHES on the ground – truck completely covered – and snow still falling and blowing. Hotel that was 1/3rd full when I went to bed was full when I got up with 18 wheel rigs parked everywhere. Wondering as I slipped into winter camo gear (thank goodness for wool and gore-tex) whether Stuart will show up. Should not have wondered (know my friend well) – he showed up at 5 am on the dot in the 4 wheel drive truck with decoys in back and a big grin. “Let’s go Doc.” Off to town to pick up Stuart’s Dad Ron – waiting in the driveway for us and then off for the 25 mile drive to Wilson Lake on I-70 – very little plowing on roads this early. Once we get to the Army Corp Park below the Wilson dam – we were breaking trails in the snow. No matter. Arrived at the end of the road and then hoofed it across a snow-covered wheat field about 150 yards to drop into the creek bottom – I say hoofed, it was quite a hike in 11+ inches of snow. However, once in the creek bottom out of the wind, hidden in the bushes, 16 ga grIII citori 26 inch barrels in hand with 2 ¾ in 4s and 6s in bismuth in gun, decoys and mojo out, and coffee in hand I was set. Right at shooting light a flock of gadwalls and then a flock of teal dropped into our little spread – landing in the flowing water in the decoys. We waited 5-10 minutes (seemed like ages) for a little more light and then Stuart whoofed at the ducks and up they went – I shot at a gadwall first through some brush (stupid, should have waited another 6 feet) and missed (hit the brush) and then a drake green-wing teal popped up right in front of me and I dropped him cleanly with the 4s in the second barrel – oh, forgot to say I was using light-mod first barrel and light-full second, briley extended. Stuart and Ron ganged up on another gadwall and dropped him too. Ducks trickled in for the next 2 hours and I ended up shooting another green-wing teal drake and teaming up on a drake mallard. Many ducks landed just upstream from us in the “safe zone” next to dam. By the time we quit the snow had stopped, we had seen 5 other duck hunters, about 1500 ducks and close to 3000 geese. A GREAT morning! Very Happy

Into town after lunch for a change of clothes and then off to Last Chance Wings and Labs for lunch – meatloaf, mash potato’s, corn, rolls, and coffee (yum, thanks Crystal – always good food at this house! Can’t figure out how she did it as power was still out from the ice storm Tuesday, but generator was running and gas burners on stove). After lunch Stuart and I drove around and scouted many fields and covers (down plowed and unplowed roads) that he has access too for opportunities for Sunday’s hunt. Stopped at 2 plum/cedar thickets where Stuart has permission and between us we shot 2 roosters apiece and 6 quail – too fun in the deep snow – hunted about 40 minutes with 2 labs at both covers, great points and flushes. I shot my 16 ga GRIII citori with ic and light mod briley chokes and 1 1/8 ounce Winchester western factory shells in 6s. While driving around, we saw over 400+ pheasant under and on every plum/cedar/tree thickets along the road and field edges – all milo, corn, wheat, crp fields in 11+ inches of snow covering. If a road hunter – could have shot many pheasant out the truck window at about 25 feet!! About 4 pm, Stuart took me back into town and I cleaned up at hotel, ate dinner (Log Cabin restaurant in Russell – decent steak), prepped for Sunday, and entered final grades (thank goodness for the net and electronic submissions, only 45 emails to answer tonight). On Sunday Stuart and I had agreed on pick-up at 8:30 am and then out south of town to a 500 acre field with a food plot in the center of it. stay tuned for day 3….

Guest

Oh, man, what a trip. Makes me jealous of my two-bird wild limit & the fairly easy state and game farm birds.

Still, my bro's 3-year-old Lew is progressing so well, that alone has made the seaon special. There's been no sophomore slump. They say the prime for a little Lew like her is about 4 to 7 years old, and I'm already marveling at the dog: more driven and a better listener each time in the field, but still a spoiled, preening little puppy-princess at home. Was hearing some guys have to hack their dogs the other day, and really appreciated what Wilbur Chapman down in Lincoln, Ill., has done with his Lews.

Keep the updates coming. Those of us stuck in the Prairie State can only admire the adventure.