The first shot heard in the distance, though way too early, seemed to get the adrenaline pumping and the heart racing. As shooting time arrived, the sky was filled with Teal which closely resembled tiny little F-16's flying in tight formation then pealing off into evasive maneuvers as soon as the first shots were fired. I had hunted waterfowl before and taken a few birds but I had never anticipated the fast action that had evolved around us. I felt like a complete rooky as I missed one after another, all of which were flying just overhead at 50 miles an hour. After half a box of ammo and whole lot of frustration I finally connected with a perfectly timed shot. Once I broke my missing streak the birds seemed to come easy and everyone in the group became more and more patient letting the birds get ever closer to the decoys before opening up. At the end of the morning we collected more than 30 birds including 3 beautiful drake Mallards, 2 Gaddies and 2 Shovelers.
The clean-up and trip back is never as exciting as the one out but it was fun to be able to see the scenery that was previously hidden by the darkness. Surprisingly the water looked nothing like I had imagined on the way out. Reminding me of Pea Soup, the entire waterway was covered by a film of duckweed.
In the distance we watched thousands of ducks that found safety in numbers holding out in the middle of the unit.
After some quick pictures and some well deserved handshakes I was on my way back home. The whole way contemplating where I was going to hunt the following weekend.
I was welcomed home by some enthusiastic hugs and smiles. My boys were eager to see every picture and hear every story. I may have the best two hunting buddies a father can ask for, in a few more years.
A very dark colored Drake Mallard
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