I hunted with Bill Doshier and Bud Grisham, longtime friends from Harrison. We went to hole 9. Doug Davis' group went to hole 12 and posted a zero. Jerry Davis came in later, went to hole 13, and posted a zero. Wayne Owen did not hunt Winchester today. I think he went with a friend from Monticello to hunt his friend's place.

Two Mallards showed up about 6:45 a.m. Bill killed the hen, which was on his side. Bud and I both shot at the drake. Bill and Bud thought that the drake flew off, but I was watching him and as soon as he got out of the hole and out of their sight, he just dropped straight down, stone dead. C. J. picked up the hen, brought it to me, and I sent her after the drake. She is really doing good for a one year old dog. Thanks Dr. Poirrier, for doing such a good job training her!

At 8:00 a.m. a Mallard hen glided quietly over our blind from behind us and landed softly about in the middle of the hole. She didn't see us so we waited to see if any other ducks were coming behind her. We determined that none were coming, so we flushed her and C. J. got to make another retrieve outside the hole.

About 10:30 a.m. Bill spotted a few ducks in front of a big group of geese moving southeast. I started calling them and two responded to my calls. Soon eight more joined them in the circle around our hole. On the second pass only six ducks remained interested. Two drakes cupped and landed just outside our hole on left end of our blind, Bill's end. He wanted to shoot them but Bud said no because by now even more ducks had joined in circling our hole. Finally we lost the big group and Bud threw the screen down to shoot at three of them in front of us. Bill left a sure thing on his end of the blind thinking there was a really big group of ducks falling in the hole in front of us. We only had a shot at two ducks. Bud killed a drake and I knocked down a hen outside the hole. I shot it again on the water and it turned belly up and waited for C. J. to bring the drake to me. When she did, I sent her after the hen. It must have revived and swam off, because it was nowhere to be found. So, we wound up with four Mallards on the lanyard, two drakes and two hens. And Mr. Bill wound up disappointed because he felt like he passed up a sure shot at one or maybe two Mallard drakes.

More later,