Ontario 2008

by Sean E. Evans
October 16, 2008

October 4, 2008 was the day we had been waiting for. The day that fellow high points winners and Z-Unit members, Rusty Hallock, Mark Hoke, Troy Bailey and myself were to board a plane and head to the Zink shop in Port Clinton, Ohio for our 3-day trip to Walkerton, Ontario to hunt with Steve Todtz and the guys at Grey Bruce Outfitters.

It seems like time has stood still since Clay sent out the email in July asking which of us would be able to make the trip. Unfortunately, Troy was transferring to a new division and not able to get the time off to make the trip up north, so it was left up to Rusty, Mark and myself to pick up the slack.

After arriving at the airport in Cleveland, Clay met us at the baggage claim and took us on the short hour drive back to Port Clinton where we hooked up with Freddie and Jimmy Wren at the Zink Duck Camp. For me, this was my first visit to Port Clinton as well as my first visit to the Zink Calls shop. Even though I have been on the team for a little over two years now, I felt like I was the new kid on the block. Being around guys like Mark Hoke and Rusty Hallock, these are the guys that I would watch in the videos and read stories about their adventures on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. These are the guys that go out of their way and dedicate their lives to making sure that every child has the same opportunity to enjoy the outdoors as they do. These are the guys that I have always looked up to, not for their ability to blow a call or how close they can get a goose, but for their unselfishness and true desire to make our sport even better.

After a quick tour of the shop and the duck camp, we set off for a great dinner with Freddie and Dawn, along with her parents and the guys from the shop. At dinner Freddie filled us in on what was in store for the next few days. Several stories and a few drinks later, we were on our way back to camp to get ready for the drive to Ontario the next day.

The next morning went by in a flash. Once all the camera equipment was checked, blinds packed and gun paperwork filled out, Mark, Rusty, Freddie, Field, Jimmy and myself we were on our way. From Port Clinton to Walkerton, Ontario it is a tolerable 5 hour drive. I am always amazed at the amount of information you can learn about someone when you spend several hours with them in a vehicle, especially when you're in the presence of this crew. The things I learned I will never forget, like how Mark earned the nick name "LaCross" and I never knew that Rusty was a bus driver.

That evening we pulled into the lodge and met up with Steve Todtz, owner of Grey Bruce Outfitters, and Tony Vandemore, who was doing some guiding for Steve. Tony informed us that he had been hunting for the last week and that there was a big push of honkers that had just showed up in the last few days. Tony went on to tell us that the field we were hunting in the morning was a cut corn field that was holding around 1000 honkers. Armed with that information, Steve showed us to our rooms and put in a 4:30am wake up call.

The next morning we woke to a dead calm day, a few clouds and 36 degrees. Not the best conditions for hunting, much less for filming, but we were still going to give it a shot. Once we pulled into the field and started setting up, my spirits were quickly lifted when I heard the excited sounds of honkers sitting on a roost not to far away. We quickly got the cameras in place, blinds out and decoys positioned just before sunrise. As the sun started rising in the sky, it didn't take long for the first flight of honkers to leave the roost and start towards our hide. Even with 5 of the best goose hunters in the world calling at these birds, we were quickly humbled when the first group landed wide out of the view of the cameras. With the lack of wind, I was afraid this was going to be the common theme for most of the morning. As the next few groups came in and again landed wide, my frustrations grew. Lucky for us, as the sun continued to rise and warm the earth, the winds picked up and the next group of honkers that came our way set up and committed, almost like they were mesmerized and in a trance. Just as the first 5 birds were touching down 10 feet in front of us, Freddie called the shot and a thunderous volley roared out. Within seconds we had 6 on the ground and the next sound I heard was the deep voice of Tony calling out, "Ruff"!! In an explosive burst, almost like an atomic bomb going off, "Blackie Chan" aka Ruff, was on the first bird and had it back in hand. Like a highly trained Marine, Ruff stood at attention at Tony's side waiting for the next command to be given. Tony again gave the command and Ruff was off. This is the scene that played out for the next 30 minutes until we reached our 15 bird limit.

With the first days hunt out of the way and the pre-season jitters gone, we quickly turned our attention to getting ready for the next day. While Field and Jimmy were hard at work getting the camera batteries charged and bags organized the rest of us focused hard on taking a nap and getting something to eat. As the sun was setting on the first day, the reports came in from the spotters that they had found another field that was loaded with long necks. Hearing this news got us all excited and ready for what the new day had to bring.

Bright and early the next morning, we again found ourselves set up in a harvested corn field. The weather conditions for this day were nothing short of perfect. Cool and clear, 32 degrees with 10 mph north winds and not a cloud in the sky. As the eastern sky started to glow from the rising sun, our spread was quickly bombarded by flocks of hungry mallards wanting to feed. Their smorgasbord was abruptly cancelled as the barks of our Benelli's rang out. For the next 30 minutes our corn field was invaded by flock after flock of crazed mallards trying to get their grub on. As the next group of mallards lined up on us for their final run, Rusty called out, "honkers to the north coming our way"! With those words, our focus turned to the big birds in the sky and gave the hungry mallards a free pass. Twenty minutes later we had 24 big honkers on the ground and they were still coming from every direction.

That night after another great hunt, Chef Freddie put on his grilling hat and fixed up some fresh duck from the birds we had taken earlier in the day. That night we all sat around the lodge telling stories from hunts past and recalling the memories from the last few days. Before we knew it, it was 4:00am and we still had not made it to bed.

A quick check of the weather the next morning called for light rain early in the morning turning to a heavy rain later in the afternoon. To the excitement of Field and Jimmy, the decision was made to keep the cameras at the lodge and that this hunt was going to be a fun hunt, no cameras. This morning we set up in a cut green field that the geese had been feeding in heavily for the last few days. With the spread set we settled into our blinds and waited for the first flight of the morning to show. The wait was a short one and even before shooting time we had geese in the air circling our spread. No sooner did it turn to legal shooting time, that the flood gates opened and the skies filled with giant Canada's. With in minutes of the first flight, we had our limit on the ground and as quickly as it started, it was over.

The trip back to Port Clinton that afternoon was a long one that was filled with conversation recalling the memories that were made over the last few days. For me, I thought back to the first day we arrived in Port Clinton and the feelings I had of being the new kid on the block. Those awkward feeling have now been replaced with a feeling of pride and belonging. I have always heard Freddie talk about the Zink Pro Staff and the guys that work for him directly, Jimmy Wren, Jason Sparks, Josh Grossenbacher, Walt Gabbard, Field and Clay Hudnall, as being one big family. I was fortunate enough to experience this first hand and I am proud to call all of these guys my friends.