Today the wind was really whipping on my local slough. I paddled out to my spot and fought the cross wind the whole way. Ducks did trade back and forth in greater numbers than the past few weeks, but weren't really decoying. The reason for this post happened on the paddle back to the landing. I started paddling and the wind just pushed me directly in the direction it was blowing. It didn't matter how hard I paddled, it was a losing effot. Once I hit the other side of the slough I had to hug the shoreline all the way back to the landing. It took me 3 times as long as normal to get to back and at times the waves crashed over the sides of my canoe. It was as scary as I would have wanted it to be. Thankfully, I made it back fine.
Morale of the story, be very careful to mess with mother nature. What can be a great day of duck hunting due to the weather can also be the end of your life. Safety should always your first priority. Far too many duck hunters have lost their lives after falling in the water. With the temperatures of the water dropping fast as winter approaches, it doesn't take long to turn an unfortunate spill in the water into a life threatening event.
Please be careful while out hunting.