Last week, a good friend called and asked if I wanted to go out body booting on the Flats. Why even ask I said back to him..."Of course, what time and where?"
I readied myself for the upcoming hunt, put on layer after layer, wrapped in tight by my waders. This season like most, I have been hosting a bunch of my friends for duck and goose hunts. I worked overtime to try to give them a good experience but this time, it was for me. To fuel my waterfowling passion and what better way to do it, then to body boot on the Flats with good friends my own age.
As we loaded the big crabbing boat, I noticed the stack of Frames...V boards to most and the bushel baskets of handcarved decoys. The captain and local Havre de Grace Carver, Stevie Lay brought out around 3 dozen hand carved blocks for the afternoon. There, next to the baskets was a few dozen handcarved cork decoys.
Stevie asked if I had a survival suit and when I replied "No just my waders" he said, "Nope George, you gotta have a suit, its not fair to the other hunters, 'cuz you gotta get low, way down with the decoys." His words hit me solid like a smack to my face. He followed that up with "I have one for you, dont want to make you mad, but its gotta be fair to everybody...you wont be able to get down low enough."
As the boat made its way out of the harbor, with ice breaking across the sides, i put on my suit. The nostalgia of it all began to flow through my thoughts. We finally found the spot we would be hunting. We unloaded and placed the frames, the big cork goose and mallard floaters and then Stevie's handcarved Canvasbacks...known in these areas as blocks.
As the sun began to set, Chuck and I looked out onto the Flats. Across the tops of our heads came one lone Canvasback Drake, spiralling down to the blocks. I watched it, peal and drop, with legs down and wings cupped.
That memory, that picture is now locked into my life long waterfowling photo album. A Canvasback Drake coming into handcarved decoys with an auburn sky across the Susquehanna Flats. As if at the end of a story, a report came from my 12 guage...the drake fell and laid there amongst his mock brothers in wood. This my friends is my 2010 waterfowling cornerstone.
This year has been a tough waterfowling year to say the very least. But within this short time period, we have all had memories that will last a lifetime. We have hunted with friends, family and enjoyed the time away from our lives for just a brief moment. We prepared for this, the end of our passion...but the drive still lives on. The memories and laughs that we will share over the upcoming down time.
Whats most important is the memories that we made for our new found friends. The life long passion for cold water and whistling wings for our children. The folks that drove hours to sit in our duck blinds and share in our lives that will last a lifetime.
Waterfowling is an addiction that can not be explained or understood by most. Something hidden deep inside the depths of our souls drives us out on frigid early mornings. Something that ignites the spirit, stokes our waterfowling furnace and places us out there year after year...in search of that flock of divers, geese or mallards committing to our spreads.
And with the sound of the waterfowling season drawing to a close...it is with great pleasure that I begin my planning for my next years hunts. The pictures that we will share with you, are sign posts of what we love doing...hunting...plain and simple...hunting with friends, family and the great outdoors.
As we loaded the big crabbing boat, I noticed the stack of Frames...V boards to most and the bushel baskets of handcarved decoys. The captain and local Havre de Grace Carver, Stevie Lay brought out around 3 dozen hand carved blocks for the afternoon. There, next to the baskets was a few dozen handcarved cork decoys. 
That memory, that picture is now locked into my life long waterfowling photo album. A Canvasback Drake coming into handcarved decoys with an auburn sky across the Susquehanna Flats. As if at the end of a story, a report came from my 12 guage...the drake fell and laid there amongst his mock brothers in wood. This my friends is my 2010 waterfowling cornerstone.
