Not Looking Good For The Home Team . . .

Here we are: 5 days before the opening of the 11/12 hunting season, and last night I witnessed a game-changer. First and foremost, we're lookin' down the barrel of near-record 79-degree highs today, which AIN'T good for keeping waterfowl glued down and happy. Add to that the fact that we're comin' out the back side of a full moon phase, and the unexpected seems fairly easy to expect. As per the norm, particularly under the circumstances, the birds shifted off to a night-feeding pattern. As I drove by the Home field last night, I was shocked at the sight of what was easily 7,000-10,000 birds rising up at dusk. I got some crappy video, which I will post later. Upon my return this morning, I saw a couple hundred using the field.

So here's what we've got working against us: (1) Uber-high temps; (2) 30-m.p.h. winds with gusts to 40; (3) full moon; (4) expected torrents of rain; (5) expectations for temps dipping into the upper 20's/lower 30's over the next 3 days; and (6) predictions for cloudy/rainy conditions on Saturday.

Recall that I said that IF the rivers didn't blow out AND IF the weather didn't change dramatically AND IF we were blessed with sunny weather on Saturday, we'd probably do alright. Apparently this week we'll be getting everything we hoped wouldn't happen. As little as an inch of rain will put the Cache, which is presently sitting at 8.4 feet, well outside its banks. Ducks will scatter, hunting will be poor.

Guess we'll have to wait 'em out.