For the Children

Saturday was the Youth Waterfowl Hunt

at TMG WMA.  As always, it is my favorite

hunt of the year.  

I was quite fortunate this year.  Stu got

a draw for the Goodwin side, but was the

14th pick of 16 groups.  I wasn't sure

we would get the spot we wanted in

the reservoir.  Out of the blue earlier

in the week, I got an email from Mike U.

I had worked with him years before

at Controls.  He had been scanning

the Internet for info on the Youth

Hunt, found oldfatslow, recognized

me from a picture, and wrote to see

if I was hunting.  He and a friend were

each taking a son and his boy had

the fifth pick.  He asked if I wanted

to have Stu and Tommy party up

with them.  I dithered at first because

I didn't have waders for Tommy.  But,

Tom found an old pair that he could

fit and the bathtub proved didn't leak,

and we were ready.

I got there early and found the gate open

and drove on in.  There had been no

hunters in line and no one else at

the check in stand.   Jason "Kansas" the

intern was working the desk and gave

me good G2 on where he had seen 

birds.  It was the same impoundment

where Craig had had his great YWfH

nine years before. 

Mike and his buddy Dave showed up

with their sons, Josh and Kody and

reissued their invitation.  I was only

too greedy eager to agree.  Jamie F.,

the local Professional Wildlife 

Biologist confirmed the G2 and we

got the spot we wanted.

Kansas wasn't going to run the "hay

wagon" and gave us permission to

drive up by the observation tower

next to our draw.  

It wasn't a big pond and we set up

on the north reed line.  With the south 

wind we weren't in the best spot,

but it wasn't a strong wind and 

teal will fly however they want to.

We were on the bank, high and dry.

The decoys were in two wads in

front of us and we had a lot of

time (an hour) to enjoy morning on

the marsh.  I had hoped for fog and

ended up not being disappointed.

The fog rolled in and slowly blotted

out all the distant lights.  We could

hear lots of hen and drake teal around

us and (I thought) some pintail.  A 

group of black bellied tree ducks came

over, but never came back.

When shooting time came, we had

one duck land and get nipped, but

it landed a ways out and disappeared

before we could make a retrieve.

I realized that we weren't right where

the ducks wanted to be and we picked

up and quickly moved to the only

other spot with cover.  We were still

facing south into the wind, but the

decoys were in much shallower 

water.  We covered up with palmetto

fans that Mike and Dave had brought

with them as best we could.  The

four boys were in front and the

dads behind.  We were exposed,

but it didn't seem to bother the

birds.  Fog helps.

Tommy in the Blind

Wide Open on Our Little Island

Stu fell in a hole and got most everything

wet but his gun.  He was miserable, but

still hunting.  Tommy managed the first

duck - a hen blue wing - that landed to

the right of his position.  We were on 

the board and the rest of the day was

gravy.

We never had big opportunities after that

and most of the shots were passing shots.

Mike's son Josh had the hot hand making

many really hard over the left shoulder 

shots.  He finished the day with his first

four ducks - 3 bwt and 1 gwt.  Kody was

wedged in the middle and didn't have

as many chances, but as soon as he

moved to the end seat, he dropped a

nice drake bwt - his first duck.  

Tommy got one more duck when

a small group of gwt flew through.

It happened so fast that he didn't

have time to really pick them up.

He fired instinctually and hit his

drake with most of the 3" #4 20 ga.

steel pellets.  That was about as 

dead a duck as I've ever seen.

Stu got a nice drake bwt and

crippled a drake ringer.  Mike

and I made a two lab tough 

retrieve on that bird in some

thick mud and para grass.  I

again tested my blood pressure

medicine to the max and it

came through.

A UWF buddy - Naustin -

was on shore and took these

pictures of us on the wade in:

We hit IHOP for a late

breakfast/early lunch and

had then sent some tired boys

and proud-and-tired dads

home.

It was the best hunt of the season!

Four Happy Hunters

Stuart and Tommy with (l to r) Drake BWT, Drake Ringer, Drake GWT, Hen BWT

Duck Hunting is Serious Business