Are YOU a DUCK hunter?

[Palssonater]

Recent posts led me to ask this question? Then I realized that there is so much to the title! What does duck hunting mean to you? What are some examples of "what makes a duck hunter"? What are some of your personal experiences that make you think, "only a duck hunter would..."

1) Up late, driving countless miles, scouting for the next day. 500kms in a day is regular. And up early with about 4 hours of sleep to hunt.

2) Enjoy the darkness of the morning, as the the quad or boat slowly makes its way to the destination.

3) The noise of decoys being set. Splash

4) The noise of the marsh before the sun is up. Geese and ducks talking, fish jumping, etc.

5) Enjoy and practice calling! The way people look at you as if you are crazy while practicing in your car.

6) Hot coffee or tea getting spilled as mallards rifle through your spread.

7) Care so much about your dog, that it has actually been the start of a bar fight.

8) The way you fill you year preparing for the season. Training the dog, organizing supplies, buying new supplies, tying decoys, painting decoys.

9) The way you dog hits the water, either enthusiastic or cautious. The way they sound as they retrieve and "puff" as they carry the game back.

10) Rain and weather that can't touch your skin cause you blind or clothing stops it. The feeling of warmth even in the harshest conditions.

11) Pole-ing/Wading around picking up decoys....

12) tailgate cleaning of birds/feathers that stick to your hand!

I am sure I could think of many more things, but I hope you share some of your examples...

[benelli_man_84]

My funniest thought about duck hunting is the way my dog looks at me when I miss a duck or a goose. She just cocks her head and looks at me like, " Well dont miss them stupid. I am getting bored just watching you shoot at the air."

[Palssonater]

Unfortunately, I know that look all to well benelliman!!

[Covehnter]

All sounds too familiar!

- of course, the sound of winging wings.

- the sight of cupped wings and working flocks on God's canvas of a red, firey sunrise.

- the sweet smell of a wet dog and spent ammunition.

- the feeling of accomplishment when you can look back at a strap full of feathers.

- the anxiety you can sense in your dog, as their tail wags and there body shivers for the next retrieve.

[jerdanmagic]

well down here, we drive MILES, not kilometers!!! HAHA!!! Silly Canadians!!!

[rbduck]

.....or the times you have fallen the water(tripped). We sunk our boat once in a storm in Libau(for Passionator) but we all made it safe to shore.How many times have you had to play "retreiver" when you didn`t have a dog. Forgot your waders, or shells, or shotguns, or food, dragging all that extra weight from a limit of Greater Canadas, maybe forgetting your licence or Heaven forbid, the coffee.

Passionator....thanks for the enjoyable post and the fun memories.

Ron

[total disaster]

when you don't take in count for the tides and get stranded on a ledge for 7 hours LOL ( young and stupid)

[RTF]

When a group of ducks come in and you pull up ready to spank them, and the duck in the middle says "AFLAC !" Now that gets me going.

[Bob LeBlanc]

When yer sittin' in the blind and you hear that one, lone...Kr-r-r-r-o-o-o-n-n-n-k...and you don't dare look up to find where that goose is?!?
..Or the dog who is sitting so contentedly beside you suddenly comes alert...and you then just KNOW there are birds in the air!!!
...Or just the thought of a flock of Canada's all cupped up...teetering side to side as they make their way to the hole in your set!!!

Man...gotta get my butt in gear and out to the tubs!!

Bob

[Palssonater]

[ QUOTE ]
.....or the times you have fallen the water(tripped). We sunk our boat once in a storm in Libau(for Passionator) but we all made it safe to shore.How many times have you had to play "retreiver" when you didn`t have a dog. Forgot your waders, or shells, or shotguns, or food, dragging all that extra weight from a limit of Greater Canadas, maybe forgetting your licence or Heaven forbid, the coffee.

Passionator....thanks for the enjoyable post and the fun memories.

Ron

[/ QUOTE ]

Only my finacee can call me that!

If its ok with all of you I am gonna copy all these examples down and put them on my website under waterfowl.

If anyone objects PM me....I will give credit to Realtree Forums, link, pic and all!

[Covehnter]

Go for it Pal!

- Waking up at ridiculous hrs (sometimes not going to sleep) to drive several hours to the lake, taking the painful boat ride to break ice for an hour so that you can set out decoys, sit with aching hands, dog at your side, and not a duck in the air and watch the sunrise w/ a smile and be glad you got up. . . . .all this just to do it all again the following morning.