2011 Dove Opener Success
Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2011 9:32 pm
Several storms roared through Southeastern Arizona just before the opener. Fortunately, it happened before opening day, but it did manage to blow a lot of the birds away. Not all of them, though. Temps were about 115 during the hottest part of the day.
Despite the storms, hunting was excellent and we managed limits long before the heat became unbearable.
In years past, the ice cooler was the preferred means to keep things cold. With the installation of the solar panel and the automatic setup, I decided to give the 12v fridge/freezer a chance this year. There was no shortage of sunshine, so I figured that the frequent cycling of the compressor, even in the 115 degree heat, would not be a problem. During the evenings, things cooled down to a comfortable 85 degrees, still making it necessary to cycle on and off more than under some of the cooler conditions we have seen on other trips. With the temp control set to 35 degrees, the fridge worked like a charm. The excellent insulation of the fridge also meant that when we got up in the early AM to hunt, the battery voltage was still above 12.6.
While filling up with gas in Yuma, we spotted this culinary special. I think this says it all.
Despite the storms, hunting was excellent and we managed limits long before the heat became unbearable.
- 02720010 (Large).JPG (159.95 KiB) Viewed 2202 times
- 02720017 (Large).JPG (169.34 KiB) Viewed 2202 times
- 02720005 (Large).JPG (98.59 KiB) Viewed 2202 times
In years past, the ice cooler was the preferred means to keep things cold. With the installation of the solar panel and the automatic setup, I decided to give the 12v fridge/freezer a chance this year. There was no shortage of sunshine, so I figured that the frequent cycling of the compressor, even in the 115 degree heat, would not be a problem. During the evenings, things cooled down to a comfortable 85 degrees, still making it necessary to cycle on and off more than under some of the cooler conditions we have seen on other trips. With the temp control set to 35 degrees, the fridge worked like a charm. The excellent insulation of the fridge also meant that when we got up in the early AM to hunt, the battery voltage was still above 12.6.
- 02720003 (Large).JPG (112.9 KiB) Viewed 2202 times
While filling up with gas in Yuma, we spotted this culinary special. I think this says it all.
- 02720001 (Large).JPG (64.21 KiB) Viewed 2202 times
