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It was refreshing to see at the comments on last week’s post where readers commented on their own hunting adventures or the memories of hunting adventures of their family members. It seems that I am the only hunter out here in the blogosphere (well, at least my blogosphere world). I am sometimes hesitant to write about it for fear of getting some negative comments. It hasn’t happened yet, but I am sure it will. In today's polarizing society it is bound to happen. I like to think I am fairly tolerant of other people’s views on a variety of topics and try not to judge. I say ‘try’ as I am probably only successful 80% of the time.

I am proud to say that Barb and I have friends that are both hunters and non-hunters, friends that are politically right of center and left of center, friends that are pro-vax and those that are anti-vax, friends that go to church every week and others who have not gone for years. Heck, we are even friends with an arthritic creature with a bad back, hip, and hands! If you listen to the Mainstream Media, you would think that that is impossible in this day and age. I like to believe 80% of the population is just a little right and left of center on all these issues with the remaining 20% split equally on what I call the ‘extreme’ sides. The MSM’s main goal is to scare their audience by sensationalizing that 20%, giving the impression that the entire country is solidly divided on these issues.  

Hunting wise I respect people’s opinions on the sport, it is not for everyone. But I would also argue those that think all hunting should be banned yet still eat meat are somewhat hypocritical. Politically, I focus more on my stance on issues rather than the individuals running. The individuals come and go, the issues are here to stay. That said, I am hoping that neither of the leading candidates on each side run again, it is time for some new blood.

Okay, off my soapbox. When I last left you, it was the day before pheasant opener and was anxiously awaiting our morning hunt. Well, after walking over 6 miles on that day, I had 0 pheasants to show for it. And we are not talking 6 miles of easy walking, we are talking 6 miles of high stepping through tall weeds and cattails. I did get two shots off at one bird but the only thing I brought home with me from that hunt was shooting pains from my hip to my ankle that to date have not gone away. Ibuprofen is my friend.   

The ducks did cooperate for an evening hunt however. Bob and I were joined by a friend of his, Warren, who came out from Minnesota for a few days. Warren is 71, hunted all day with us for pheasants and went out again duck hunting with us in the evening. Bob’s license was expired but Warren and I were able to get our 6 birds each. When you buy a nonresident small game or waterfowl license in North Dakota it is not valid for the entire season, you get 2 seven-day periods for $125. Well, $250 as waterfowl and small game are two different licenses. I got my monies worth out of the waterfowl license so I think I am done duck hunting and will concentrate on the pheasants my last few days here. It could not been a more perfect evening for my last duck hunt of the year. Looking to the east, the moon was rising.....

Looking to the west the sun was setting as Bob and Warren were walking up from the slough. 

Day 2 of pheasant season was much of the same. Chris, Bob, Warren and I went out again walking 6 more miles. I missed another easy shot at a crossing rooster, this time getting 3 shots off before it disappeared over the horizon. All those great shots I made on ducks that boosted my ego are quickly a memory as these pheasant demoralize me. Warren ended up getting a Hungarian Partridge out of a covey of 8 that got up. Then finally I made a passing shot on a rooster that flushed on my right, heading left. Those were the only two birds we got that day but at least I have something to show for my efforts so far.

Bob and Warren left early Monday morning ending the 43^rd year that Bob and I have hunted together at some point. Each fall creates more memories and this one was no different. How many more years will we have to hunt together? Warren is 12 years our senior and gets along just fine and there was an 84-year-old here last week who hunted all week with his son. Although he was not able to walk to and from his duck blind, he was able to sit there and get a few birds when delivered to his blind. Who knows, maybe we have 20 more years of hunting together!

I did get the drone up and took a few pictures of the farm.

The biggest difference for me at least is the missing white house near the center where that semitruck is parked. Here is a picture from 2015 for comparison. 

You can see that there have been a lot of changes since 2015. Chris and Holly got a new house, there are a 1/2 dozen new bins and although it is hard to see on the latest picture, there are the combines, sprayer and tractors. I don't want to brag but, all of these changes have taken place since I have started helping out. I am not going to actually come out and say that I am singly responsible for the growth and success of the farm, I will let the facts and the pictures speak for themselves. 

Tuesday morning, I was up bright and early at 5am and hit the road for home. All was went smoothly for the first hour then a deer runs out in front of me. I tried to avoid it but it ended up slamming into the side of the truck. It hit with such force I knew it was a goner, I could not stop right away but was able to pull off about a ½ mile up and inspect the damage. I could not see any damage on the truck or trailer. How could that possibly be?

I carried on down the road arriving in Rapid City just before noon. Barb knew I was coming home but had no idea where I was, so I called her and talked to her for a bit pretending I was still hours away. She said she was at Walmart shopping, so I went there, found her, snuck up behind her and grabbed her around the waist. She barely jumped as she turned around. Apparently, she is used to strange men grabbing her at Walmart?!?!

We had not seen each other in a month but we kept our reunion appropriate for our environment. Well, we were at Walmart so basically anything goes. I helped her finish her shopping and we went to lunch. We then departed ways so she could finish her other shopping adventures and I went home.

Arriving home, I walked into the garage, and it was filled with boxes. Amazon boxes, it looked like a d#nm Amazon warehouse. There were the boxes from the stools, that I knew about but what were all these other boxes? I felt a couple of them and they were all empty.

I walked into the house anxious to see the dogs. Dakota starts barking at me like I am a stranger. Zoey wants to run up to me but keeps looking back a Dakota to see how she is reacting. I start talking to them and they both run up and start licking and loving me. Such a nice feeling to be home.

After greeting the girls, I walk through the house and started to see new things all around. The side tables at the couch of course. But there were other new things.....

New pictures in the bathroom

New pictures in the bedroom upstairs along with a new bedspread, new duvet, new bed frame….what the heck?!?!

Does anyone recognize this quilt?!?

Back downstairs I see new dish on the counter….

A new wood bowl? Apparently, it is a dough bowl?

New handles on the barn doors...

A new blog book on the counter

Everything looks great actually.

How’s that old saying go? The cats away…and Barb starts buying stuff! As much as I enjoyed my time at the farm, it is soooo good to be home!

Barb got home an hour or so later and walked me around the house showing me everything she had purchased while I was gone. She was quite proud of herself! Meanwhile, the dogs settled in by the fire and were quite content now that the pack was back together.

While unpacking the camper I noticed the front passenger side jack looked a little funny. Then I noticed it was bent and there was deer hair on it.  Well, I guess I know where that deer hit! As it is, I cannot take the camper off the truck, but I guess it is better that it hit there rather than damaging the truck. The jack was actually twisted towards the back, but I spun it around before taking this picture. 

I took off the jack and saw that only the bracket was bent. Whew, I will just go online and buy a new one. Until I saw it was $350! I sure wish I was back up in North Dakota, Farmer Bob can fix anything! I took it over to my neighbor who is a rancher to see if he would have any luck straightening it

So now it is time to unpack and get to working on my project list in the house. It is going to be a busy few weeks!

Tales of Ducks and Dogs

Dawn broke Saturday morning gray, cloudy and cold. There was a light rain and a 20mph wind out of the northeast. It could not have been a more perfect morning. The first weekend in October is one of my favorite weekends of the year as, you guessed it, today is the opening of waterfowl in North Dakota!

Opening morning 2022!

Our group for the morning included my friend Bob, Dylan, Chris and two of his sons Gavin and Chase. It was a great morning. The only thing that would have made it better was if Dakota was there with me. But it would not have been fair to Dakota to bring her on this trip. She would have been in the camper 23 out of 24 hours a day as I worked all day for the past two weeks. As much as I wanted to bring her and as much as she would have loved getting out hunting, I just could not do that to her. So, she stayed home with Barb and Zoey.

In my mind, two things make duck hunting special and memorable. One is hunting with good friends, just spending the morning watching the sunrise, the ducks fly, laughing at the easy misses and if you are lucky making a good shot on a duck or two. The other is doing the same thing with your 4-legged companions and seeing the excitement in their eyes as they wait for their next retrieve.

We did have three dogs with us on this morning, so it was not like we were lacking dogs. Chris brought Remy, a 10-year veteran of the field. He is the boss dog and does not take any sass from anyone. That dog is relentless when hunting ducks or pheasants.

Dylan brought Nova. Probably the most energetic dog I have ever seen. That dog is all go and never slows down often getting to the birds before the other dogs are even ½ way there.

 

Bob’s dog Ember is the youngest of the group at 2 ½ years old. Her desire to please is second to none. The excitement in her eyes as she looks at Bob will just melt your heart.

Grandpa Bob and Chase

The addition of Gavin and Chase this year made it special for Chris and Bob. Chris, because it is the first year he has brought his kids into the field with him. And Bob, well, because he is the grandpa and was hunting with his grandchildren for the first time. Hunting with two small kids adds a different dynamic to the hunt. Not quite as quiet and a lot more movement for the birds to pick up on. They were good though, no whining, just excited chatter as the ducks flew overhead.

I went and walked short way off and hunted the pothole above by myself and let the father/son combinations enjoy their first hunt together. While I sat there, I thought about the hunting dogs I have had over the years. Dakota, Bailey, Packer and Jake. A Labrador Retriever, a Golden Retriever, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever and a Springer Spaniel. All good dogs in their own right but all vastly different. Jake, my first hunting dog was more of a family dog. We were young when we got him. I did not have the knowledge or patience to properly train him. Although I hunted with him, he was not very good and was mostly just a family dog.

Jake, my dad and sister Becky probably early 90's

Packer, the Chessy, was probably the best hunting dog we have owned. Also, the cheapest at a mere $30 from a roadside stand. He was stubborn and bullheaded but man, could that dog retrieve. He was a one-man dog, did not listen to other people and was not kind to any other dogs in the group. I think all my friends sighed a sigh of relief when he finally passed in 2007.

Packer

Bailey was a sweetheart who loved to retrieve and used to look at me the way Ember looks at Bob. She passed away in ’14 shortly after we hit the road fulltime.

Bailey

Then there is Dakota. A special soul who loves hunting but would rather be doing it with Barb or just being anywhere Barb is, only tolerating hunting with me. I mean, who could blame her!

Dakota, wet, bloody and all smiles!

Last but not least we cannot forget Daisy who never actually got out hunting but for a Puggle she was quite the water retriever! As most of you know, we lost Daisy in January of '21 and still miss her every day. 

Ms. Daisy Mae

But back to this year.....I got skunked my first hour despite having the new hunting jacket Barb bought me and my new shotgun. That’s right, I bought myself a new Beretta A400 just before coming on this trip!

We grouped up an hour or so later and all hunted together. The ducks started cooperating and I went 4 birds for my first 5 shots with my new gun. I think I am going to like this gun! We ended the morning 2 short of 24 bird limit with 18 gadwall, one pintail, one widgeon, and a teal. A great start to the 2022 hunting season!  

Gavin

The next 5 mornings resulted in 5 different views of the sunrise. Some beautiful, some drab but all very special. Well, except for the morning that was 21°. It was beautiful but man, I am not ready for this! 

The lights of Douglas in the background

As I was walking in, I saw this frosty spider web that was just begging to have its picture taken.

It was just Bob, Ember and I most days. Each season we get together is special, having been friends over 40 years I cannot think of one hunting season we did not hunt together. Overall, it was a great first week filled with reminiscing of past hunts with friends and family, some of which are no longer with us.  God willing, we will continue to hunt together for many more.

But it was not all fun and games this week. After the morning hunts it was back to the grind getting things done around the farm. With all the crops in we focused on other chores. Like cleaning out a couple of grain bins. Don’t tell Barb, but I learned how to operate a vacuum cleaner this week. A really large vacuum cleaner.

This grain vac hooks up to the PTO on the tractor which creates a suction and transfers the grain into a truck or cart. You do not want to get anything in front of this thing, it will suck up hats, gloves, anything you put in front of it!

I spent another afternoon moving bales scattered throughout the field and stacking them in one location so they are ready for the semi-trucks to pick them up. So next time you see a field with hundreds of bales scattered throughout it, remember someone has to pick them up one by one and get them ready for transport.

It was little disconcerting moving bales right across from a missile where they are doing maintenance with heavy security. 

I also spent two afternoons digging stumps with the Bobcat and a stump bucket. This is back breaking work as the Bobcat bucks and jumps while trying to uproot these stumps.

I did have some time to fill two 5-gallon buckets of apples in the hopes of apple pies and crisps when I get home. 

Barb told me to bring her something, I cannot wait to see the look of surprise on her face when I present her with 10 gallons of apples!

Speaking of Barb, I only received a couple of pictures from her this week. The first was of the new stools that arrived, and she put together.

I think they look great and will open up that side of the counter compared to the old ones!

Then there were these two pictures of Zoey. Well, there is ½ of Dakota in that one picture. Zoey is always the picture hog, but Dakota does not mind as she really doesn’t like to get her picture taken.

 Barb did get this picture of Dakota when she went out after the squirrel or as we call it in our house “The S.Q.” Because if you say the whole word all hell breaks loose, and the dogs run for the door knowing they need to protect all mankind from the bushy-tailed little rodent. We also have to spell out W.A.L.K. If you say the word the dogs excitedly run for the door, and you are then committed to take them for a walk.

Tomorrow is the start of a new season. We will still continue to duck hunt but then after breakfast we hit the fields in search of the elusive ring-neck pheasant! So many memories to make, so little time! 

Small Town America

Barb and I have lived in some small towns in our lives. Communities as small as a couple thousand residents. But we have never experienced a community as small as the ones here in northcentral North Dakota. Douglas is the smallest town in the area at just over 100 people. No schools, no stores, one bar, and one church. Max is the next biggest, about 10 miles away, with a population of ~300. No grocery store, one gas station, two bars and a couple other businesses and churches. If you want groceries, you need to go to Garrison with a population of a whopping 1,700 but you will have to drive about 20 minutes to get there. There are definitely pluses and minuses to living in a smaller community. The pluses are too many to list, like always pulling together in times of need. The downside is everybody always knows what you are up.

My graduating class back in the day was about 300. Small by today’s standards but huge compared to the classes at Max where Chris and Holly’s kids go to. When I asked Holly how many kids were in Gavin’s 3^rd grade class, instead of giving me a number, she named each of the kids. I think it totaled 10 or so. Then there are the class reunions. All of the Finken kids graduated from Max high school; 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2015.

Bob graduated from Max as well (DeAnne graduated from Garrison). It would be impolite for me to mention when they graduated but I am pretty sure Bob graduated shortly after the wheel was invented. They do not have class reunions by years here, they have “All Class” reunions, meaning all graduating classes have their reunions together on the same day. Chris and Holly’s oldest son Gavin is now 8 so when he graduates in 2033, there will be three generations of Finken’s at the same class reunion!

On Sunday, Bob, DeAnne and I went to a chicken supper with neighbors (10 miles away) Tim and Linda. We drove to the Catholic Church in Underwood 40 miles away and even there they knew everyone. They even had people coming up to them asking who the “new guy” (me) was!

Days here start at sunrise getting the equipment ready for the day. I took this picture while fueling the equipment for the day.

When I last left you I was harrowing wheat fields getting them ready for next year. Well, not a lot of harrowing has been done in the past week as I broke it. I went to fold up the harrow to move to the next field about a week ago and only ½ of it folded up. Upon closer inspection the problem was obvious. The joint on the right wing was totally broken.  

No, it is not supposed to be cracked like that!

It looked like a bugger to fix. A pin, approximately 2” x 10”, had partially fallen out causing a portion of the joint to crack and bend. Fixing this would require heating, pounding, grinding, cutting and eventually welding everything back into place in a precise position so the pin fits back into place through both pieces.

But if anyone could do it, Farmer Bob could so he set out to tackle the task! Several hours, (more like 5 hours) Bob had it all lined up so the pin slid in and out of place and he welded it back together.

The next day we hauled the harrow back out to the field, got it all lined up to the section we left out in the field, lined it up and pounded the pin back in to place. The big test will be to see if the weld holds. Time will tell on that one!

If there is a bright side, it broke right before it rained so we did not lose any time out of the field. I spent the next few days finishing up the tree rows and working on the combines. This time I was replacing the skids on the bottom of the headers. These skids help protect the header from the ground and rocks as the combine goes down the field. You can see there are two skids missing from the header in the picture below. 

I replaced 20 or so on the first combine and 16 on the next.

Just in time as well as the next day we were in the field harvesting soybeans for a neighbor. With most of their crops in, the guys have been getting calls from surrounding farmers asking for some help. We spent two days harvesting beans for a neighbor. Once that was done, we moved over to their last remaining fields and got that done over the next two days.

Bob and Chris coming across the field

View from the Combine

I carted and hauled it back to the farm. Carting is when you drive next to the combine “on the go” and they dump the soybeans into the cart I am pulling.  The combines have flashing lights on top of them that light up when they are full. I then drive up next to the combine with the cart. You have to match their speed, get within 2-4’ away from the header of the combine and line the cart up with the auger of the combine and drive next to them for a minute or so while they dump.

               Approaching the combine from behind                Dylan dumping into the cart

I then take the cart over to the semi and dump into the semi. Then take the semi to the farm and dump into the grain bin! The combine holds about 15,000 pounds of beans, the cart up to 70,000 pounds and the semi about 54,000 or so. The semi will actually hold more but it gets too heavy. So, if you are driving down the road and see a combine in the field with a light flashing on top you now know they are full and need to dump their grain!

Friday was homecoming day in Max. I did not go to any of the festivities but Bob and DeAnne did partake in the parade. Bob drove his '51 Farmall Super C and DeAnne drove the latest addition to the family, her ’66 VW Bug!

Bob on his C

Calvin waving to Gramma D

Meanwhile back in South Dakota Barb has not slowed down at all. After finishing the bed project, she set her eyes on the kitchen/living room area. She bought a couple of end tables for the living room. These cool whiskey barrel tables fit our décor perfectly!

Then one day I was scrolling through Facebook Marketplace and came across these stools for sale. I thought “those look like the stools we have in our kitchen”. It was then I noticed those are the stools we have in are kitchen. Or should I say were as she sold them the next day. Apparently, she has a different idea for stools.

She ended up selling them to a woman who responded to the add that lived about 1/2 mile down our road!

Another day she got a message from a friend of ours back in Minnesota who was going to be in the Custer area with her brother. We have not seen Kay in over 10 years. They stopped by the house for an hour or so. I just wish I was there to see them as well!

But alas, I am still here for another 10 days or so slaving away while Barb is back there spending money like a drunken sailor. But as I write this at 5:00am on Saturday morning I am anxiously awaiting sunrise. Today the duck opener here in North Dakota and we are headed out in an hour or so!

Our thoughts go out to those impacted the hurricanes in Florida and Prince Edward Island. My sister Judy owns a place in Fort Myers a few miles up from Fort Myers Beach. Although they are well off the beach the surge reached their house resulting in over 2' of water flooding their house as well as a couple of palms falling on their lanai.

Palm trees on their lanai

Then there was Fiona that hit PEI and New Brunswick. Many of you will remember this sea stack in Thunder Cove on Prince Edward Island named the Teacup that we saw a couple months ago. Well, I guess it is no more.

You can read Marie's blog to learn more about the impact from Fiona.

Last but not least, here is a picture for Pam in Arizona (opps, I've been corrected, Pam lives in Nevada and I knew that!!!) who give me heck every time I post a blog without the dogs in it!