|
For bow hunters (bow hunters is another name for gluttons for punishment), these beautiful summer days in July and August are to be cherished if you can appreciate and endure very hot temperatures with sweat drenching humidity (in between the numerous thunderstorms), yellow flies, mosquitoes, ticks, gnats, active alligators, snakes and all the other beautiful flora and fauna that surrounds you as you bike and hike with eyes burning from your sweat, and your heart beating out if your chest. It's a test of wills and strength. It's definitely mind of matter. Your mind wanders and you ponder the meaning of life and why you don't have one, in moments of weakness you even question why you are out here but then you snap back and go through mental checklists...did I remember the SD cards, how pissed you are that your snake boots are no longer waterproof, why you have no friends that will go with you, etc. Then you settle into a groove, conserve energy when you can, focus on your surroundings, the next location to scout, next game camera to replace the SD card, drink regularly from your packs hydration reservoir, etc., and re-discover that this is where you belong, This is real life for you. And this makes you a better hunter.  Fresh hog rooting along the trail.  Trailer unhooked. Walking from here.  Butterfly Weed (?) To add to the fun this year, August is wet and getting wetter. Over the top of your boots wet.  Saturday August 17...another day of rain Valuable pre-season scouting tools:
3 Comments
Matt Cheshire
8/27/2019 09:12:39 pm
Been out scouting as well. Very wet this year on the nature coast. Keep up the posts, I always enjoy them.
Paul
9/8/2019 01:31:31 pm
find me a big buck!
Richard R.
9/9/2019 11:16:38 am
Love the posts, keep em coming!!! Leave a Reply. |
CategoriesArchives
January 2020
|
RSS Feed
|
Repair notes:
|
A marine grade filler was applied
Then sanding and multiple coats of cloth, resin and sanding
|
Then a final light sanding and spay can / palmetto paint job
The first trip we put in near Cedar Key and worked our way up a couple creeks that would have been inaccessible in a larger boat. We found 15 or more Redfish and a couple nice trout.
Gear used:
- Old 1980’s Gheenoe, classic model purchased at a garage sale for $150.
- Trailer assembled from parts
- Yamaha 6 hp purchased new
- Gheenoe’s are excellent backwater boats. Their shallow draft, excellent stability and maneuvering are boats you can take just about anywhere in relatively protected waters. And you can pull, push or paddle them if needed.
- The Yamaha 6 hp 4 stroke is a good balance between weight, portability, economy and power. The engine is not yet fully broken in, so it hasn’t been run a full throttle but I’m guessing it will move the loaded Gheenoe between 10 and 15 mph. The 6 hp is not a speed demon but seems fast enough and in the rocky backwater creeks, speed is the last thing you need. Easy to tilt up, shallow draft, and easy pull start are more important to me. As far as fuel economy goes, I don’t know how many hours I can expect from the 3 gal. remote tank because after a two or three hours running time the gauge hadn’t budged from full.
- The ride of the Gheenoe is great in smooth water and fair in a chop. The boat and motor are sensitive to load distribution and the loads should be adjusted to be when heading into the wind and waves to keep the boat dry. I expected and did notice some hull cavitation when in rougher water. The hull could be strengthened in some areas but I doubt I will make many hull modifications.
Paul with a couple nice trout from the first trip