Blackjack on the Columbia

By Riley Mclaughlin
December 4, 2009

The day started out much like most of our hunts do. We left the house around midnight, we got to the boat launch about an hour later. Once all the gear was loaded into the boat the adventure began. It was really foggy that morning. Trying to find an island in the middle of the Columbia River at 1am in the fog was a battle, but the thoughts of green heads careening down from the heavens into our decoys drove us on. We made it to the island fairly fast and waited for the world to turn a little more so we could set up decoys. Once we set out each little plastic deception device strategically on the water it was getting close to "go time." The morning started out right, the first group locked up, dropped in and three fat drake mallards splashed the untouched water. With our duck dog Boone on his way back with the second drake, another group come bombing in. We shot two more drakes and the hunt was going the way it should. As the hunt progressed it was as if the ducks where possessed and wanted nothing more than to land in our spread. We shot great and Boone was about as happy as a duck dog could get with non stop retrieving. A single drake was flying by, with only one more duck needed to fill our limit, I reached for my PH-2. He hooked around and came in, his head shining like an emerald and the Hevi-Metal put him to rest with a splash. We had 21 drake mallards by 8am. It was a great day, the kind of day that keeps the drive alive in us waterfowl hunters, a day that will fill my dreams with whistling wings.