Operation "Kill Quackers" Success!!

The mission for operation "Kill Quackers" was simple:  Kill a duck.  One duck.  That was it.  I hunt on public land, without a boat, and I have very little duck hunting experience.  Last year the friends that I have been hunting with went 7 times and never got a duck.  Today I changed that.

I hunted solo.  I took the kayak out by myself.  If you want to do something eerie, take a kayak by yourself, in the dark, through a marsh full of cypress stumps, many of them just under the surface of the stained water... bump. I got my decoys set up, and just after official sunrise I had a single lock up and come right into the decoys.  One shot.  Done deal.  Successful season.  I did have another flock of teal come in that I whiffed at, but they were flying at least 680 mph, so I'm not going to lose sleep about missing them.  I saw a lot of ducks today, but the marsh was like a war zone with hunters everywhere, and the ducks got wise in a hurry.

Hen Shoveler.  My first.  Maybe my last - I've heard they taste like shoe rubber.
We'll find out tomorrow night.  The breasts are marinating.

I know, I know, I shot a hen shoveler.  My friends who shoot a lot of ducks don't even shoot at them because they taste so bad.  I don't care!  This was the first shot that I had at a duck in 6 years.  I was hunting by myself, and dang-it, I'm pretty proud.  So back off!  You've been told to back off a lot recently - sorry.  Allow me to gloat in my success.  Ahh.