Canoe Float Trip On
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FAT MALLARD DRAKE The first duck of the trip
waited too long after his friends flew off ahead of him.
He didn't jump until the canoe came into view around
the bend and then it was too late. When he spooked, ha
flew straight up, like most puddlers, making an easy
shot. The boards are part of a fallen bridge . . . one of
the few obstacles across tha Wood.
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ARE SIGHT OR EYESORE This is another shot of
' the main pool at the source of the river. The water in
this pool is extremely clear and deep, and the bottom
can be seen easily. Once in a while you can spot a trout
cruising along the bottom among the beer cans and pop
bottles that thoughtful campers have left behind. The
trout just love to read the labels. If you climb the dirt
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COURSING THROUGH FARM LAND Not far from its source, tha
Wood River widens and is perfect for ducks. They're hard to spot when
they feed clou to shore among the brush, but the brush is also good cav
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By GEORGE ALOTRICO
This was the time for a float
trip. The last week of the season
brought ideal conditions. The week
before had been cold and the
lakes and tule sloughs were froz
en over. If there were any ducks
left they'd be in the open waters
of fast running trout streams and
rivers. The question was, were
there any ducks left?
The predictions for the 19fi2 sea
son had been gloomy and the
statistics showed a bad year com
pared to the seasons before. Sport
ing goods stores sold few shells,
motels suffered and even the duck
and goose picking establishments
closed down early for lack of
business.
Everyone said now that the Sea
son was nearing its end there
were few ducks left in the eastern
part of the state. Even so
thought, wouldn't those few be
concentrated on the rivers? Well,
it was worth a try.
I decided to put in at Jackson
Kimball Park at the source of
the Wood River where the spring
waters gush out and immediately
form a full size trout stream. A
two-mile float down to the conflu
ence of Annie Creek would make a
nice comfortable two-hour trip
mat wouldn t have to be rushed
The fairly wide river bends
and turns frequently through the
low farm land north of Fort
Klamath. It gets narrower, deep
ens and picks up speed where An
nie pours In. After the float, the
one and one-half mile walk back
to the park on State 232 would be
snap.
I ve found you don't have to
get up with the birds to find
good shooting on a river. The
ducks usually stay in the river all
day feeding and resting at will.
I haven't found that river ducks
fly out and feed in the fields and
then come back in the evening.
Larger flocks on big rivers may
do this, but the small flocks on
streams usually puddle around in
their favorite stretches all day.
I put my canoe in at noon and
started slowly coursing down
stream. Silence is all important
on a float, the slightest noise
will flush out a flock six bends
downstream. The best procedure
is to cross from bank to bank
around each bend hunching down
low. This enables the hunter to
.
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road high above the pool you can see the cam and bot
tles glittering like diamonds in the lun. A rare sight. At
the upper right, the river starts winding its way to the
lake. At this point, the river bottom is glutted with cans
and bottles as if someone had planned on building
a bridge or dam for the benefit of other campers.
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bootina
use every bit of available cover
on the banks for concealment
When you take the tight turn on
the inside of each bend you usu
ally find you're right on top of
them within easy range. That's
why 7' is are all that's necessary
lor tins type of shooting. Pud
dlers like mallards and pintails
will generally flare straight up
making shooting duck soup, if
you'll excuse the pun.
The larger shot size won't give
much of a pattern at close range,
but the 7'is open up quickly and
the pattern is hard to fly through
Floats are usually full of sur
prises and my first one came as
I rounded the first bend, paddle
clutched tightly in hand.
The pair of mallards were close
to the bank near a little clump
of overhanging brush. I didn't
spot them until they jumped about
15 yards away. Instead of flaring
downstream they whizzed straight
over my head making an impos
sible shot, especially with that
canoe paddle still tightly burning
in my hand.
I beached the canoe right awav
and tied on a three - foot length
of rope to the paddle and canoe
thwart so I could drop the pad
dle immediately when I jumped
more ducks. It takes too much
time to put it down in the canoe
or on your lap. When the paddle
is tied to the canoe it can be
dropped right away so the hunt
er can reach for the gun quickly.
The paddle will just float beside
the canoe.
Pushing off again, I heard the
familiar sound of a mallard drake
gabbling, but the river bends so
many times in just a short dis
tance, I couldn't tell exactly what
bend he'd be around. I didn't have
long to wait. I carelessly hit the
side of the canoe with the pad
dle making a faint noise and the
sky was full of ducks ... all
flying south.
A clump of trees was between
the gun, and the ducks and for
the second time, I couldn't
touch off a shot. I didn't have
long to wait for some action
though.
A drake that was with this flock
hadn't been frightened by the
noise and as I came into full
view he jumped. Surprised as 1
was, I recovered quickly and he
came down with a splash as soon
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er for the hunter and helps him keep out of
11 crystal clear and fishermen heve to go
his water.
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START AT THE BEGINNING This is the main pool at the source of
the Wood River in Jackson Kimball Park where the spring water pours
out to form a good size trout stream. Some ducks that are jumped fur
ther downstream will fly back up and land in this small pond. Most of the
as he reached tree top height.
As I said before, it s hard to
fly through a pattern of 7'is.
Only a half hour had passed
and I'd seen enough ducks for a
couple of days already. .
The next surprise came when
I had to get out of the canoe to
pull it over an old bridge that
slowly sank into the river a long
lime ago. It's at times like this
when the most care is needed to
avoid noise. I soon found out you
can't be too careful.
Slowly, slowly I inched the light
canoe over the bridge, my gun
resting against the thwart . . .
precariously It proved. As the ca
noe was nearly over the hurdle I
started to lower it Into the water
That's when the gun slid down
the thwart and tumbled into the
bottom of the canoe with a clat
ter
Again, the sky was full of wings.
Just 30 yards away, around the
next bend, countless ducks got
r. r
iid with a icrrilic surge, i quichiy
reacJied for mv eun. lying miles
away it seemed, m the bottom ol
the canoe. Too late. .
Only an hour passed and half the
trip spent, and I had to sit on
the bank for 10 minutes to get
hold of myself. The whole busi
ness was just a bit unnerving.
As I passed through the quiet
slow run that just minutes ago
held all the delicious table fare 1
saw nothing but a few downy duck
feathers floating on the water.
I knew what I was going to
find around the next bend so I
prepared myself. The water ahead
courses across a little spit of
land flooding a small wooded
area. There were always ducks
there. As I came around the
SOLVE JOB PROBLEM
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (UP!t-5ix
women in the vanacmurgn
County recorder's office have tak
en $600 pay cuts rather than have
one of them lose her job.
Recorder Clyde Cole said he
had approval of a plan offered
by the six clerks as their solu
tion to an economy proposal thatl
would have eliminated one of thel
jobs.
"I'm very happy," he said.
didn t know which one lo let go."
Don Caspar de Pnrtola. lead
er of a Spanish expedition to
Virlhcrn California in lift), dis
covered the California redwood.
sight. Tha river at this point
a long way to fool trout in
bend I lowered the paddle and
picked up the gun. Just like clock
work, there they were, hen and
drake in midstream.
They hesitated a fraction of a
second and then "blasted off." I
downed the drake easily as he
was still climbing, but I touched
off, the second shot just as the
veering hen put a bush between
us. As I shot the bush exploded
and twigs flew all over, but mir
aculously 20 yards beyond, the
hen buckled and fell.
The last shots warned any ducks
down as far as Annie and they
now would get up at the slightest
provocation. I could picture them
nervously swimming around,
alert, not knowing what to expect.
Even the noise of water dripping
from the paddle would spook them
now. They knew a gun was near.
Goldcncyes and mergansers
came into view as I put the last
half dozen bends behind me, but
if I filled out my bag limit It
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Mara orane, i aeciaea.
It happened just before I
reached Annie Creek. I came
around a bend and faced a Jong
stretch of open walcr. Forty
yards down I spotted one of the
biggest flocks of the afternoon.
There must have been 20 ducks
there ... all mallards, it looked
like.
I only needed one lo limit out
and I had to hold back be
cause f couldn't take a chance
of killing or wounding more than
one bird. And at that distance I'd
be only flock shooting with my
light load.
They were probably out of
range anyway, I rationalized.
trying to still the temptation of
cutting loose.
I had enough now anyway.
Those three mallards were down
from the grain fields to the
north and they were king size.
There were a couple of days left
before the season ended and I'd
be back anyway.
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ANNIE CREEK COMES IN Annie Creek, upper right,
joins the Wood River here and starts the river moving
faster on its way toward the agency. The swifter current
starts carving out undercut banks ai tha deepening river
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AN EASY DOUBLE There was plenty of time to bag this pair ... I knew right
where they'd be. As I rounded tha bend I dropped the paddle and held the gun ready.
The drake and hen were right where I thought they'd be. I almost missed the hen at ,
she flared and put a bush between us, but twigs fell all over and (he dropped.
KLAMATH FAII-S, OREGON.
ducks jumped in the headwaters, however, will head down toward
Agency Lake. The canoe is canvas and weighs only a bit over 50 pounds.
With a carrying yoke it can be handled easily by one man.
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curves back and forth. After almost tViree hovn of hunt
inq the walk back to the car was easy. The last float trip
of the year brought plenty of good shooting and excitement.
SITVDAY, JANUARY 1J,