How to shoot a duck...

For those of you that may not be aware, last weekend was a big deal. Big. Deal. It's not because it was pheasant opener, it was the first big goose/duck hunting weekend Matt has had in a few years. He'd previously set up a date with friends of ours, Kim and John, and we headed out to Grand Forks with gun, ammo, and blind. 

The group conned me into agreement to go along without mentioning that meant a 4:15 wake up time. They take a trailer to drag out bag after bag of  fake geese. They rake corn stalks to further disguise the blinds and factor water, wind, hill size, spread, and more. The amount of setup was exhausting to watch, I was glad I had little responsibility. John and Kim not only outfit me in camouflage (an Amanda-first) but they also had a blind that I was able to use/sleep and snack in. 

Overall it wasn't bad. The hard part is the waking up and setting up/tearing down... and the tripping over all the dang corn stalks. The good part was you just lie there on the ground, eat snacks, and snooze while John calls the birds in and then everyone else shoots them.That's when I popped my head up to see the commotion. Then it's a kick watching Hale (John's son) get out and chase them down. I have a feeling that it's not the same when it's just Matt but overall I was pleasantly surprised. 

Matt was able to go out both Saturday and Sunday morning and while only two geese came in, they had good luck with all the ducks. The hard part was that the weather was almost too nice as Matt reminded me that he doesn't have any light weather hunting material and most of his goose stuff is for 30 degrees, not 70 or 80 (as it was on Sunday).

Was so nice to visit with John and Kim as they enjoy many of the things we do; food, traveling, hockey, and fun. They took us to a local hangout that they love, Little Bangkok. Matt loves the sushi and I went for the noodles this time... we've never had a bad meal there. We appreciated crashing at their house and hanging out and just visiting. I also love that they are very open to trying our canning creations. I think I wow'd them with my 2015 version of beet syrup!

Best meal: Little Bangkok... even the leftovers were amazing!

ALR sitting in truck, watching.
Gets out of truck. Wanders over to hustle and bustle coming out of trailer.
ALR: I feel like I'm watching a new culture. One where I don't understand the rules and whynots.
Kim Laughs: Yes, there is a lot going on.
ALR: I showed cattle for 10 years and I know there's a lot of pomp and circumstance with all the stuff but this is completely foreign to me. Bags, stands, signs, goose heads... and then John brings out ducks! It was a constant surprise.
Watching continues.
ALR: Does it usually smell like this?
MJR: No, John hit a fresh skunk with the trailer.