"For Hunters by Hunters"

Update on Valley Waterfowl Blinds 2008/2009 Season - January 2009

By: Ron Tobeck

As I write this article we are about to start the last week of our waterfowl hunt season.  This season like many others in the past has been a real hit and miss affair and the lack of storms has just added to the frustration. Unlike last season this season started out slow and stayed that way for the first several weeks. We did have a weak weather front come thru the first week in Nov. which saw good hunting for a few days but it was very short lived. While it was here, members Pat Gonzales and his son Charlie shot 13 quality ducks at Delevan but a few days later the birds were gone.  Pretty much everybody I talked to had the same complaints – no birds, lots of high flying geese but few ducks.

The season remained slow throughout November with only a few birds shot here and there. More often then not, no shots were fired or there was only an opportunity or two to down a passing bird. Then at the beginning of Dec., fog moved in and hunting took a turn for the better. Hunters who were willing to stick it out thru the morning when the ground fog lifted to high fog were rewarded with decent shoots. On the first Sat. in Dec., for instance, member Tim Powers and 2 friends shot 16 ducks at our new Butte City blind. The majority of the birds were Teal but things were looking up. It should be noted that all of their birds except for one came after 9:30am. During this same week, members Dennis Chan, John Fendick, and Tim Donnelly shot 9 Geese and 6 ducks at Delevan. Not to be outdone both McRae blinds began putting out birds with scores ranging from a couple of birds to 8 ducks and 3 geese for a couple of hunters. Again the best shoots occurred during the late morning hours and every hunt saw at least a few opportunities for birds.

Then the fog disappeared and hunting got tough again. To add insult to injury we lost our Delevan blind to lack of water due to no fault of our own. This meant less hunt opportunities for members and several of you had to have hunts cancelled and rescheduled elsewhere. I want to note that all our members were very understanding and cooperative during this rescheduling. This was much appreciated by me as I worked to reschedule the cancelled hunts.

The last week in Dec. saw things change again. Weak weather fronts were passing thru with some fog and clouds. It wasn’t much but it was something. Hunts began to improve with scores ranging from a couple of birds to as many as 13 birds for a morning shoot. On Wed. Dec. 31 members Jim Fecteau, Cliff Hall and Pat Hale shot 11 geese and I duck at Butte City.Then the first week in January brought the first halfway decent storm of the season with strong winds. On Jan. 2 member Bruce Caldeira and his sons Cody and John hunting McRae East shot 14 ducks and 2 geese before having to leave early. On this same day, hunters in the McRae West blind shot full limits of ducks and 6 geese. The shooting remained good in all three blinds for the next few days. On Jan. 3 members Eric Deibert, Chris Hansen and friends came all the way from Fresno and shot 14 ducks and 2 geese at McRae West.

Again the weather cleared and shooting got tough. It has stayed that way ever since. With no storms, bluebird weather, and record high temperatures prospects do not look too promising. By the time you read this, the season will have ended. As I write this, they are predicting a weak storm for the final weekend. Lets hope they are wrong, and it is a strong storm with multitudes of birds. Duck hunters are like that. They are an optimistic lot. Always hoping for the best and seizing every positive possibility. But we will be out there no matter what. That is just how we are.

I would  like to take this opportunity to thank you all for working with me to make our system work. For the most part, cancellations were done in a timely manner and everyone was great about getting back to me with hunt results. Believe me when I say this sure made my life easier and my wife appreciated it too!!

Part of this Labor of Love in managing our blinds is working and talking with the good folks who make up our organization. Although it might be only a brief conversation or email here and there, I feel like I have gotten to know a lot of you and consider it an honor to serve you.  I hope to be able to meet and talk with many of you at our dinner in March.

In closing thank you again for working with me and may God bless you abundantly in the year ahead.

 Ron Tobeck