Closing day

High Tea at the Laingham on Saturday old bean... a small concession to pay for getting in a final duck hunt on Sunday. I launched The Booger at about 7.45 on Saturday night and headed down to the hut. There were a fair number of hunters out and about judging by the parked cars. Got to the hut and had a beer and a bacon wrapped pheasant breast - YUUMMMM. Discovered a hole in the floor where some assholes had attempted to break in. Ass wipes. After the lads had scoffed their dinner, me Tim & Andy headed out for a possum shoot with the.22, silenced and using sub sonics. We got up to the end pond and promptly disturbed quite a large pig. It got away as we tried to close the gap - would have needed to shoot it in the eye anyway, not an easy feat with a rifle with no sights! We got a fat buck possum at The Willow, after a small fusillade of shots including some interesting ricochets...

Next morning was the first real winter's morning of the year. Cool and clear. The ducks moved at about 7, and it really was half light. The Hollands and me were at Puru. We had a reasonable shoot, knocking down 5 birds. We retrieved 4 of them.

Then one of those special swamp moments. Bitterns are pretty rare, we see them from time to time but this morning we had a pair flying around...

And then another pair... dear reader, if you are sensitive to terrible language, please don't watch this.....

You were warned. We packed it in and set about cleaning up for another year. The weekend's bag was 14 birds, taking the total past 200 for the seaon off the ponds. Home by 3, cleaned up and stowed away by 4.

A mint closing day. Now for the pheasants and geese....