Duck, Duck, Goose

The first time I went on a duck hunt was eight months into my courtship with the man I later married. For me it was an opportunity to be with the guy I was infatuated with. For him I believe it was an attempt to “cure me” of something he didn’t really think I was cut out for (though he denies that to this day). At the time he had a hunting membership at a dead-tree reservoir. I borrowed clothing, gun, shells and chest waders (about four sizes too large) then allowed myself to be plopped down next to a stump in about three feet of water. Lo and behold, I discovered the beautiful sight of ducks flying against a gorgeous sunrise, hearing them answer to a call and watching them cup their wings against the wind while coming in for a landing. I loved it!

During the first year of our marriage we invested in a rice farm in the Arkansas Delta with some friends and family. This provided us with ample opportunities for field hunting ducks, geese and dove. When our first wedding anniversary rolled around, my husband gave me what I still consider to be one of the best gifts I ever received: my own shotgun! I’ve acquired a number of firearms over the years, but that’s still the gun I prefer to use when hunting, whether it be duck, dove or deer.

That following year I hunted as many days of the season as my schedule allowed. Once our kids arrived, however, my time and priorities changed. It was just too hard to get away. The sleep deprivation of raising small children left little desire to voluntarily crawl out of a warm bed long before the crack of dawn. Duck hunting would have to be put on hold until the proverbial “empty nest” arrived.

The youngest chick flew the nest last year, but for one reason or another I still didn’t feel ready to step back into duck hunting. Those who read this blog on a regular basis know that my BOW weekend this past September changed that. Hearing the instructor talk about all the sights and sounds of an exciting hunt got me fired up to experience it again for myself. That was reinforced when my husband called from the farm this week and told me there were more ducks there than he’d seen in a long time.

The 2008-2009 duck season opened in Arkansas this weekend and I was a part of it. I had forgotten just how much fun it is!! My husband was right… I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many ducks in my entire life! Literally thousands and thousands of them!! Mallards, teal, pintails, black ducks, widgeons, gadwalls, and equal numbers of speckle-belly and snow geese. The weather conditions were totally different the two mornings we hunted. On Saturday it was 23 degrees with a cloudless sky. My husband said it was the first time he could remember having to break ice on opening day. Today was twenty degrees warmer and totally overcast. Although we limited out early both days, the ducks were working better today.

The beauty is not just in the ducks and geese. We saw dove and red-winged blackbirds, red-tailed hawks and at least five bald eagles (always a spectacular sight!). Yesterday morning while sitting in the blind waiting for legal shooting time we could hear thousands of geese in a nearby field. Huge flights of teal zipped around us, turning on a dime and masses of mallards talked to us as they checked out our decoy spread. Even then, before the first shot was fired, I knew the weekend had been worth the price of admission.

I hope it was just the first of many more hunts.