Fred from B.C.
10-02-2003, 03:42 PM
Many years ago I was an avid duck hunter. There wasn't a body of water wide enough or a slough rough enough to keep me away... the dirtier the weather the better too!!! One place I liked to hunt was located on the Harrison River even though I had to wade across a pretty wide slough, in this case a small tributary to the river, which is a pretty big one, to get to my hide. I liked to go for the "morning flight" and it would be pitch black while I was wading, as I wanted to be hidden before first light. One time when I was near the top of my waders, right in the middle of the slough heading over to hunt, something large bumped into me under the water. I'm talking about a good stiff thump too, none of this light tap business increasing in intensity over years due to failing memory and decreasing testosterone levels. Naturally I levitated and walked on the surface of the water for a bit. Thing was I couldn't see anything due to the blackness though, believe me, my hearing was working over time and every other sense too! You would be amazed the kinds of things that I perceived! Now, as we all know, it is almost impossible for any human to levitate more than a short distance regardless of circumstance. We can feel a strong desire to levitate forever, and maybe even convince ourselves we can do it when the motivation is intense enough. But almost always we come back to earth far too early. The result of this indisputable law concerning levitation and water surface walking means that I soon returned to a position in which I was back in the water with the surface level near the top of my boots again. I stood there frozen for several years wondering (hoping? wishing?) if I imagined the hit in spite of my bruised thigh. Just about the time I was getting ready to expire from stress, I got hit again. Still couldn't see anything, but it was a good stiff clout right in the side of my thigh again. At this point I calmly waded to shore, returning sixty yards or so to the edge of the slough to wash my shorts and dump out my waders. Still couldn't see anything, though the red haze was getting in the way a bit. After an indeterminant length of recovery time spent some yards from the edge of the slough prying my shotgun free from my hands so I could put my pants back on, I went to my hide and actually made the only triple on ducks I have ever made in my life. But this isn't what really made the day, though let's face it, it's pretty good! I went back to the slough which, I am sure you can apprecaiate, I was looking at very carefully. I had to wade it to get home, you see. But now, of course, I could actually see what was going on. In the slough was a massive school of spawning Chinook in the 30 and 40 pound class. Many were pretty chewed up with large chunks out of them. Still, they were heading upstream, however slowly. Every once in awhile one would accelerate to a pretty good speed, and I guess that is what hit me earlier in the morning. I sat and watched them for probably an hour, overwhelmed by what was going on...beautiful!!! Still, you know, I would have liked some warning before being bumped in that slough. Fred