Are you up at 3 am on Saturday Morning? You better be, because ducks arenât waiting for you, and thereâs a long trip between you and the rendezvous point.
Get out of bed and be dressed fast. Itâs going to be cold, very cold. I would suggest a heavy waterproof jacket, it might rain. Gloves are okay while you are carrying your bag, but I would suggest taking them off before shooting (I keep a hand warmer attached to my waders instead because gloves affect my trigger pulling). Next make sure to grab your calls, flashlights, decoys, bags, and all the rest of your gear. Hook the boat up if youâre lucky enough to have one, but make sure everything on your boat that the law in your requires you to have (registration, lifejackets, duck licenses, etc.) because they will check you. Driving there is the easy part. Depending on where youâre going you could spend easily an hour doing just that. Stop at the gas station for coffee and something to eat later. Viena sausages or beef jerky usually provide enough protein and calories to get you through the morning. Now that you are there, if you have a boat, youâve got a harsh ride with cold winds and sting drops rain hitting your face as you zoom downriver. Alternatively, with no boat, you stand a nice long walk. Personally, I know of a nice little honey hole with some nice ducks about 2 miles back into a swamp about an hour and a half from me. The nice ducks, however, come at the price of trudging through the two miles of swampy bottomlands carrying guns, gear, and decoys. Finally, you are at the hole. your work is not yet done, wade out deeper into the swampy water and set your decoy spread. Next, if you dont already have a blind there, build one. use logs, sticks, and whatever vegetation is directly around you for camouflage. Now youâre all set. All of that, for a rush that will last minutes.Â
Maybe they come. Maybe they actually come as you kneel behind your blind, feeling like it was all finally worth it. âtica-tica-tica-â sounds your feeding call. You see them now, coming overhead. The rush creeps over your body. You click the safety on your gun as you see them lock their wings in response to your call, preparing for landing. They make their circle and descend to join up with your spread. You shoulder your shotgun, stand, and take aim, to feel a rush you cannot describe.Â
Or maybe your donât. Maybe you see ducks in the air that only keep flying. Maybe the only shotgun blasts your hear are the ones far off in the distance. Maybe you sit there all morning, after all that, you dont see a single duck come your way all morning long. Maybe you pack up, trudge the entire journey back empty handed, with a defeated feeling. But if you can do all that, and see absolutely nothing, and get back up and go again the next day. If you can do that, just maybe duck hunting is for you.
