ODE TO A COOT...KABOB



Photos Courtesy of Bob Gress

Coots might be the Rodney Dangerfield of the wetland world.  They're drab-colored, clumsy and awkward in air when they finally take flight.  They don't get much attention unless you're a new Lab pup on his first hunt.  They'll watch 'em for hours.  And I've never known anyone to attest to their palatability. I know Cajuns eat them but they'll eat anything so I'm not sure that counts.  
 
As a result, I've never killed many of them while duck hunting.  Honestly, they don't tend to fly into a spread much unless someone is moving around in the marsh on foot or by boat.  The limit, 15, is liberal so there's plenty of opportunity.  I've just never done it. 

Not that eating a coot is on my bucket list, but inquiring minds wanted to know.  I volunteered.  They bombarded us several times early one morning last week while duck hunting.  As an added bonus, six of them provided practical field work for my new Lab and he retrieved each and every one.  In all honesty, they're pretty cool critters up close and personal. They've got some of the most unique legs and feet you'll see on a bird.  I never waste anything I kill and knew I'd put them to the taste test once and for all.

There isn't much meat on a coot, less than a teal and slightly more than a big dove.  And it's not as thick or coarse as duck meat and looked and felt noticeably tender.  I marinated them in a bath of Italian dressing overnight.  I wrapped each of the breast halves in bacon and put them on a kabob.  I grilled them to a medium-rare and plopped them down in front of my twin 12-year-old boys for dinner.  The results were surprising.  Both boys liked them better than our usual dove or duck kabobs.  They commented on the tenderness of the meat and mild, pleasant flavor.  They were mighty tasty and I was impressed, too. 

And to think all these years I've been watching coots fly by.  I always liked Rodney Dangerfield and I think I like coots, too.  Maybe those Cajuns know what they're talking about after all.       

GATOR'S FIRST DUCKS

Last weekend was a welcome relief and eased my mind.  Our annual duck camp at Cheyenne Bottoms had been missing one of my favorite parts the last couple years.  My old black Lab, Magnum, was laid to rest in the summer of 2010.  Mag was basically retired and hadn't hunted the last couple years.  I still miss the ol' boy. 

But one thing he did before he left this world was father a litter of puppies.  I got pick of the litter and we call him Gator.  Now 17-months old he got his first taste of ducks and duck camp last weekend.   

Gator's got plenty of talent and tons of potential.  I've been working on lots of fundamentals and advanced training ever since I brought him home at 7 weeks old.  But I think I forgot how much energy young dogs can have and channeling that energy is a chore.  Too much energy is better than the opposite and he's done well adapting to lessons.  He's smart, willing to please and a dummy-retrieving machine.

My biggest concern was his ability to sit still and adjust to the duck boat.  New things freak him out.  But with the vigor of a veteran he got right in the boat and was a good citizen.  His first real duck came on an evening hunt as my buddy, Jim, dumped a wigeon.  Gator marked it down and was off at the sound of his name.  He retrieved it well and we shot several photos.  A nice retrieve on a pintail a short time later and Gator was now officially a duck dog.

Over the course of four hunts Gator got nearly 50 retrieves in a variety of situations.  He got better with each and every hunt.  One highlight occurred with two ducks left for a two-man limit at 9:30 a.m.  A drake redhead and drake canvasback came screaming into our spread and Jim and I dropped them both.  Gator had beads on each and a nice double finished up a perfect morning. 

I'd give Gator an A- for his overall efforts on his first few hunts.  I didn't think I could ever have another dog that could compare to ol' Mag as he was a good one.  I said I'd be pleased if Gator was 75 percent as good as his ol' man but he's got a legitimate shot to beat those odds.  He's still just a pup.  Sure, he's got some areas needing improvement but he's a quick study and digs duck hunting.  He's got a wonderful nose, desire and drive and I was a proud owner watching him work and develop. 

I bet his Daddy would be proud, too. 

IT'S ALL GOOD AT DUCK CAMP

Hunters and anglers enjoy a good road trip.   Getting out and away for a few days of rest and relaxation does a body and soul well.  And so it is the reason I look forward to our annual duck camp held at Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area near Great Bend.

The Bottoms is 20,000 acres of wetland heaven.  Unfortunately, the nature of the beast doesn't allow wetlands to be wet every year.  But in what could be considered the biggest save in history the Bottoms has water in a couple units thanks to a storage pool and other work done years ago for just such an emergency.  The fact it has ANY water at all after 50+ days of 100-degree-plus temperatures and no rain is nothing short of a miracle.

Our main objective at duck camp is to shoot ducks.  But it's also about big fires, good food and friends and maybe a power nap or two.  The aesthetics of such a place is almost worth the trip in itself.  We see many species of ducks, geese, shorebirds and other wildlife like deer, turkeys, snakes, turtles, skunks and raccoons. 

Our day starts at around 5 a.m. with a wake-up call and we're out the door of my camper by 5:30 a.m.  We launch the boat at about 6 a.m. and motor to our spot and set up with 20 or 30 minutes left until shooting time.  All the sounds of the marsh are amplified as the sun begins to glow in the east. 

Ducks were plentiful enough to make things interesting last weekend.  We shot pintails, gadwalls, widgeon, teal, coots and a few different species of divers over the course of our stay.  We'd hunt 'til late morning and then return to camp and cook a breakfast outdoors the Waffle House would be proud to serve. 

We'd clean ducks and tidy up our gear and camp.  The next couple hours might involve a good snooze falling asleep listening to the Cottonwood leaves rustle in the wind.  Now refreshed a fire was the order of business and a few snacks and drinks would precede some good eats.  After dinner the fire was stoked big enough to see from space as we relaxed listening to screech and great-horned owls, white-fronted geese and sandhill cranes. 

The next day we'd do it again. 

It's all good at duck camp.

24/7 EYES

Nature enthusiasts have found a way to watch the wilderness without even being there.  In particular, deer hunters can scout areas for weeks without as much as an hour in a treestand.  Since the advent of trail cameras the sportsmen and women can keep tabs on their spots from afar.

Trail cameras run the gamut as far as price.  Many are at least affordable now as competition is keen among manufacturers and more companies have joined production with their own version.  This is beneficial to consumers and trail cameras now can be purchased for as little as $50 with other models still costing several hundred. 

Some of the factors to consider when purchasing a trail camera include price, trigger speed, ease of operation, battery life and mounting choices.  Trigger speed is important unless the animal is stationary as shots can be missed on moving deer.  Another factor unfortunately considered nowadays is the potential for theft.  Trail cameras are difficult to secure adequately and unscrupulous individuals may walk off with one.  It's a problem on public wildlife areas but private lands aren't exempt, either.

Swapping out cards on a trail camera equals the feeling of a kid at Christmas.  You can't wait to get home and see what you've got waiting once you plug it into the computer.  Oftentimes, it's usually the run of the mill deer photos.  Much of the activity takes place at night but flash or infrared photography light up the scene.  If it's not deer, occasionally you see furbearers and other natural odds and ends.  People in Kansas using trail cameras have even recorded a couple mountain lions and an elk or two.  Millions and millions of images are shot each year in Kansas.

Trail cameras are valuable scouting tools.  They show when deer are using a particular area and future hunts can be planned accordingly.  They also show when you SHOULD have been in a stand.  Several years ago I attended a friend's daughter's wedding and about the time she was saying "I Do" a big buck said "I Did" and with plenty of shooting time left walked right by the tree I would have been sitting in. 

I never saw the buck and she's still married so I guess most involved consider it a happy ending!

   

FALL FISHING

Many outdoorsmen are gearing up for fall hunting seasons.  However, those that aren't big hunters, or realize how good fall fishing can be, are still chasing many species that swim.  Fall fishing can be some of the best of the year.

Crappie are popular now.  These fish start to school up and concentrate on areas like dams and rocky rip-rap or in brush piles.  Minnows can still catch fish but jigs, 1/8 or 1/4-ounce, often work just as well.  Many crappie are caught in 12-20 feet of water. As the water gets colder, fishing often gets better.  The most important advice is not to spend too long on unproductive water.  Keep looking until a pattern develops and then duplicate it. 

Channel cat fishing is still going strong and often does well into November.  Many reservoirs have a tradition of baiting or chumming and this technique works even when waters cool.  Cut baits drifted across mud flats work, too.  

Other species such as walleye, white bass, smallmouth and largemouth bass are all strapping on the feed bag getting ready for winter.  Lots of shad are still available and baits that resemble dead or dying shad often elicit strikes from any number of species of predatory fish.

Fall is a great time to fish.  Keep safety in mind as a solo fall into chilly water can turn deadly.  Tell someone where you are going and when you plan to return.  The weather is cool and the pleasure boats and jet skis have been stowed away for the winter so it's often a solitary experience.  On some days the only company you might have are all the gulls and pelicans that inhabit our reservoirs in the fall on their migration.   

Good luck!

JUST DUCKY

I can remember the first game bird I ever killed as a youngster with my Dad.  It was a pond-ridden scaup and after several errant shots from a single shot .410 I finally got it.  I was proud as could be and at just 9 years old the mold was set.

It's nearly four decades later and I've been introducing my twin boys to the joys of hunting.  Although they've killed several turkeys since age 7, it's only been in the last couple years I've trusted their physical ability to safely handle a shotgun on flying game.  Doves have been plentiful and they've managed to bag a few, albeit at Dad's expense as shells have been counted in boxes rather than singles.  That's okay. 

Their first duck hunt came last weekend during the youth season of the Low Plains Early Duck Zone.  We hauled my duck boat I've affectionately named "Cluster Duck" out to Cheyenne Bottoms Saturday afternoon.  Water isn't plentiful but an early teal season out there proved there were ducks using the area and hunters found good success.  I looked forward to showing them something I've cherished for many years.

We were the only boat on the pool at 3:30 p.m. when we launched.  We flushed plenty of ducks and the boys were amazed how my Go-Devil mud motor just cut right through the weeds and mud.  We looked around before picking a spot where we flushed a big wad of teal, pintails and mallards.  I wasn't totally prepared for a blind as early season cover there usually isn't a problem, but we made do with some grass mats I brought along.

The ducks didn't move for quite some time.  I was getting K-State/Baylor football score updates from several buddies via text so it helped pass the time.  The ducks finally started to move and the boys got a few cracks at their first ducks.  Cody was first on the board with a bluewing teal and his brother, Brandon, followed shortly after with one of the same.  Shots weren't plentiful, but they managed better percentages than they ever had for doves.  They liked ducks a LOT better as they were "slower, bigger and easier to hit!" 

The evening ended with a beautiful sunset.  Cody tallied three bluewing teal on his strap and Brandon had two pintails and two bluewing teal.  I was pleasantly surprised, and proud, of their shooting and considered their first hunt a huge success.  Our plan was to stay the night in Great Bend if we had good luck so we headed to town, grabbed some dinner and a motel to eat and watch football.

The next morning was a bit chilly.  Forty-seven degrees with a 15 mph breeze made the boys shiver a little bit on the ride out to the marsh.  We set up in the same place and waited for daylight.  We saw lots of ducks but had fewer opportunities than the previous evening.  Fortunately, the sun warmed the boys up a bit and they still managed to shoot a few ducks.  Cody killed two bluewing and a greenwing teal and Brandon shot a pintail. 

There were 10-12 trucks in the parking lot this morning and I was glad to see others taking advantage of the youth season.  From the sounds of it, they were getting plenty of shooting and the occasional downed duck would be obvious with all the whooping and hollering.

As we headed back home, the boys nestled into coat pillows and reclined truck seats for a nap.  I'd glance over at them sleeping peacefully and I felt truly blessed.  It was a joy to share this experience with my boys.  This was one of the things I'd looked forward to being a father.  I hope they enjoyed it as much as I did.  I also hope they're fortunate enough to share the same kind of experience with their kids a couple decades down the road.