Now I'm Hunting

We finally got our new camera on Monday, but it was too late for pictures of this hunt.  Did you really want to see more pictures of dead ducks anyway?  Hopefully our new camera will take great pictures, but that will have to wait for another day.

Saturday, December 1, 2012
On Friday night I was at home with the C-ster as Cheryl was at an activity with some of her friends.  For some reason, I didn't feel like going duck hunting in the morning.  As I set the alarm clock for 4:00am I was thinking, "Do I really want to do this again?"  I knew that I would be all by myself as Seth was down to crunch time studying for his boards.  Is it really worth it?

I was still asking myself these questions at 4:00am when the alarm sounded.  Diligently, I woke up, ate some breakfast, got dressed, and got myself on the road.  The car thermometer read 55, so at least I would be warm.  As my tires hit the dirt road my attitude started improving.  As I trudged out to the honey hole I felt better and better.  Gone were last weeks nerves, gone were the stupid expectations we put on ourselves to be successful.  All I needed to do was enjoy myself and have a good time - and I did!

Setting up the decoys I knew that the day would be different than the previous week.  I only jumped a couple birds walking in, and the marsh was quiet - no whistling wings, no quacking.  It was 5 minutes after legal shooting time when the first volley went off across the marsh, and it was an hour before I had my first duck in range.  Today, however, I made the most of my opportunities.

I saw two ducks flying low, right at me about 400yds away.  At 200 yds they locked their wings.  At 100 yds they were only 5 ft off the water, but still coming in fast!  I composed myself and stayed still.  At 50 yds one of the birds turned to my right and landed.  The other one kept coming right into the dekes.  Just as she put her landing gear down I popped up, waited until I had a good bead on her, and BOOM, she landed right in the middle of the decoys.  The duck was nothing special, a hen shoveler, but it was probably the coolest duck hunting experience I have ever had.  Even though I was alone, there were some major Tiger Woods-esque fist pumps going on!  I was stoked!

The other highlight was two drake mallards that came in high.  They approached from my left, and circled behind me.  Instead of turning to watch them, I remained still, facing forward, keeping track of them with my ears.  When they came in front of me they were still high, so I kept perfectly still, and they continued circling.  Finally, on the sixth revolution, they came in, and I took a bead on the lead drake and hit him with two shots, bringing him down! 

I finally felt like I was hunting efficiently.  At the end of the morning I would guess that I had only seen a total of 25 ducks.  I had two birds that I should have shot - which I did, and I had 4 that I could have shot, and I took one, another beautiful drake gadwall.  I felt like I was hunting - like I was doing things right.  In the end it was a great morning.  To top it off, after getting home, cleaning the birds, and taking a nap, the whole family went to the Memphis Zoo and the BBQ Shop for dinner.  It was a great way to spend a Saturday.

Fly tying materials anyone?  I am really excited about the Green Winged Teal.  They are barred like the mallard, but the banding is much finer and much more defined.  They should make some really nice wing posts and tails!  The gadwall is similar to the mallard but the markings are more defined.  It should be great as well!

Today's Thoughts:
I wanted to share a bit about my feelings on hunting.  As a fly fisherman, I almost always practice catch and release.  Fishing is a sport for me, and memories are all I expect to gain.  I feel the same way about hunting.  We certainly don't need the meat.  I often say that if I could practice catch and release hunting I would.  Mom tries to convince me to hunt with a camera, but it just isn't the same.  Part of hunting is the shot, part of hunting is the kill, and part of hunting is the meat.  It wouldn't be the same otherwise.  I really enjoy hunting, and as long as it is done ethically, I have no moral problems with it.  Almost every hunting trip I go through this series of emotions:

1.  Excitement.  Having a rooster flush at your feet or watching a duck work into the decoys is exciting - that's why we do it!  There is a great feeling of satisfaction watching a bird fold at the report of the shotgun, and even more when your dog makes a beautiful retrieve. 
2.  Remorse.  I don't like dispatching a bird.  It really hits you that you are intentionally killing an animal that you have a great deal of respect for.  This feeling lasts from the time I pick the bird up from the ground until the time I get home.  It's a little bit uncomfortable, as it should be.  If I ever get to the point that I don't feel a pang of conscience for killing an animal, it is time to quit.
3.  Satisfaction.  Game animals provide meat for my family.  As soon as the first cut has been made during the butchering process, my remorse leaves.  The animal is now meat, which will feed me and my family.  3 bird breasts will be the main course for dinner for my family.  It is part of being human.  After killing, cleaning, and packaging three pheasants or ducks, I certainly think about it when I pick up a pack of 6 chicken breasts from Kroger!

Dinner anyone?  Four meals for my family.  The rest of the ducks have already been digested.