i thought i was going to die

[roseberry]

pat,

i am glad you made it!!!!!!!!! i have to say that like you, i have noticed that i can't do things at 49 that were easy at 47. we should all be careful constantly regardless of weather. we should certainly operate smarter when the mercury is hiding in the bottom of the bulb.

that said, i am glad you were out doing your thing as it was locking up. we all survive many close calls each and every day.(i drove to walmart this morning) the only close call we don't survive is the last one. God has more for you to do.........so keep on punchin' my friend!!!!!!!!!!

jmc

ps wading sticks are for smart people and old men. thankfully you and i are neither!

[KwickLabs]

This "experience" resulted in always getting out of any boat on the upwind side and having it anchored. I have had nightmares about picking up decoys and watching my boat drift out of reach down stream, but being on the downwind side of a loose boat is a huge mistake. When I am not at the launch the boat is always anchored. After loading (and unloading) on the upwind side, I get back in on the upwind side and then pull up the anchor (as "jacduck" suggested. Learning from experience can at times be terribly difficult. Glad you are OK and good for you on getting through it.

Pat, reading your story gave me the shivers all over....again. That situation is something most experience at one time or another. Learning from mistakes is good.

I'm 72 and still hunt alone on the Mississippi River. Four years ago, I stepped out on the downwind side of my small Carsten Bluebill....."at the launch". It was late with not a person around. The boat immediately pinned my foot to the bottom in 8 inches of water. The leverage was amazing and quite un-nerving. It caused me to sit down with the boat crawling up over my body. I too thought the boat was going over the top of me, but it was a very small boat and I managed to push it back. There I was, sitting in freezing water with only hip boots on. It was a cold ride home.

This "experience" resulted in always getting out of any boat on the upwind side and having it anchored. I have had nightmares about picking up decoys and watching my boat drift out of reach down stream, but being on the downwind side of a loose boat is a huge mistake. When I am not at the launch the boat is always anchored. After loading (and unloading) on the upwind side, I get back in on the upwind side and then pull up the anchor (as "jacduck" suggested. Learning from experience can at times be terribly difficult. Glad you are OK and good for you on getting through it.

As far as being 72, I will continue to hunt alone even though I can't pack in as much "stuff" as I use to. Actually, I am in better physical shape than quite a few guys at hunt camp that are much younger than me. In addition, I have had a lot more difficult experiences to learn from. I know my limitations. The definition of an accident is "It's the failure to recognize the possibilities."

Yes, there is a higher level of risk when hunting alone, but I don't consider it living on the edge. And yes, my old man, ski pole "walking stick" is a great tool.

[gdgnyc]

Glad a big scare did not turn tragic. FWIW, I try not to get out of the boat at all. I set decoys from the boat and I pick up from inside the boat. My paddle is a multitool---it is a canoe paddle, a wading stick, and a decoy hook. I have cut a notch into the edge of the blade of the paddle. Sweeping it under the decoy catches the decoy line and I can bring it aboard. I use the same paddle with my Pokeboat.

I hope this may be useful to you and others.

[gdgnyc]

KwickLabs

You are 72 and hunting alone? When I was 50, yes. Now that I am 61---I stopped. My worst problem is leg cramps, I get them nearly every time out. Then there is the asthma, the bad back, the carpal tunnel syndrome,the arthritis and the pinched nerve (I see a neurologist regularly). If you don't suffer from any of the above I think you are very lucky.

I found a youngster to duck hunt with---he's 54.

[Hairy Dawg]

I've always been told "what don't kill you, only makes you stronger". Glad you were able to make it out alright. I know that had to be some stunning cold running down your waders.

[Judy Chute]

This is a good thread...just never know what might cause one to get out of a boat and not just while hunting. The 8" of water incident is really scarey as well.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Judy

[smok'in gun]

age doesn't matter if it's in your blood, you're going to go, you just need to be a little more careful

Jeff

[JustinS]

I may not be 60 or 70 or heck even 30 years old, but I do have a bad back, I have to be careful as I had a lower lumbar fusion sept. 2011 and I can't haul near as much as I used to through thick slough muck.

This last season I scared the heck out of myself as I had a Mojo duck in one hand, a shotgun in the other and a large bag of decoys on my back. I was wading through knee high muck and my left foot got stuck and I fell over. I tossed the mojo and tried to keep the shotgun from getting jammed into the slough mud but it was useless with the weight of the decoys on my back I had to fight to keep my head above the water. I was finally able to get my leg free and roll a bit so the decoys were next to me. I was able to unlatch the straps on my decoy bag and get stood up and made it back out of the slough with a mud packed shotgun a broken mojo but alive.

I really dont like hunting alone especially in a sloughs but if I do I make sure I pack much lighter and hunt in locations that my friends know the location. Hunt safe and live to tell of the great memories.

have a happy new year to you all.

[gdgnyc]

JustinS


Perfect for those sloughs are the self inflatable decoys.

[lghare]

Thanks for the story, Merry Christmas