Washington comes to its senses with the passage of the Farm Bill and the new Federal Duck Stamp e-sales program.

As many of you might already be aware of, the Senate passed the 2013 Farm Bill this week, considered a victory for conservation organizations concerned with our disappearing wetlands and grasslands. As part of the bill, measures to ensure environmentally aware farming practices were included. These programs, essentially, help to reduce the amount of grasslands and wetlands being converted to farmland, as well as allow farmers to utilize high-percentage areas for farming, yet maintain habitat for waterfowl. I, like many of you, am anxious to learn more about the ways in which Washington is helping the ducks. I must admit that sometimes reading through the technicalities of these bills gets a little overwhelming. I’m a lot more comfortable talking fishing and hunting than legislation and lawmaking. Thank goodness groups like Ducks Unlimited are there to help us sort through all of the mumbo jumbo, and represent a nation of face-painted swamp rats like me in Washington. In any case, this week brought good news for waterfowl.

It also brought good news for waterfowl hunters, as the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to make the Federal Duck Stamp available online. What? Are you serious? You mean I no longer have to wait outside the post office until they open at 9 a.m., to find out that they’re sold out of Duck Stamps, then travel to the courthouse to find out the same news, all the while getting text messages from buddies in the marsh as they burn the ducks on opening day? Stop the presses; we’ve made it to 2013!

On a serious note, this jump into modern times will not only make it easier for procrastinators, like me, to ensure compliance with state and federal regs while hunting, it might also add to sales of the stamp.  I’ve repeatedly said that more people owe it to wildlife to buy the Duck Stamp. The funds generated by the sale of that stamp are the primary funding source for acquiring lands that become part of the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS). Ninety-eight cents out of every dollar generated from sales of Federal Duck Stamps go toward the purchase or lease of property in the program. 

A quick check of the NWRS website shows who it is that uses the refuges across the country. Hunters, fishermen, hikers, bird-watchers, students; the numbers total more than 30 million visitors annually. Yet, modern Duck Stamp sales rarely total 2 million annually. Call me cynical, but those numbers seem a little skewed. Ask yourself this: how many fishermen or hikers do you know who purchase a Duck Stamp?

In any case, online sales can only help the cause. But I argue that more can be done. Is it out of the question to think that fundraisers or kids' events can someday raise money to purchase Duck Stamps? Am I crazy to think that visitors to the refuge systems should be required to purchase a stamp for entry? Why is it that the only group of individuals required to purchase Duck Stamps are migratory bird hunters, yet 20-times that number reap the benefits?

I’d love to hear your productive ideas on ways to increase sales for the program. After all, we can finally get our stamps instantly, and don’t have to wait for the post fffice to open. 

Out of nowhere, as if sent from the heavens themselves, came a big group of wigeon. In my part of the world, we’re fortunate enough to get a fair sample of all puddle ducks, but large groups of wigeon are very uncommon. I tried to identify the ducks as something else, but they were in fact the little whistling devils. And they were coming right for us.

Being a big believer in multi-species set-ups, I had placed a good sized group of wigeon and teal decoys off to the side of the main spread, in a sloppy duckweed soup that looked just perfect. The group of ducks, led by a hen and followed by several full-plumed masked bandits, headed right into the set. They cupped their wings, just 15 yards off the strong side of my hunting companion. He rose up, swung his gun and fired three times. All the ducks flew away. Normally, missing the only opportunity of the evening would be grounds for some serious bashing, possibly followed by an all out cuss fest. But, in this case, it was simply a time to join my partner in several minutes of gut-busting laughter. At only eleven years old, it was his first shot at a duck. That memory will last longer for both of us than if he had shot a triple.

Each year I participate in a local youth hunt or two. Our draw-style state-run hunts include a few opportunities each season that are set aside for hunters who include one member of the party 16 years of age or less. The intention is to introduce youths to hunting, but what I feel is really accomplished is the introduction of adults to taking kids hunting. Whether or not this is the intended result is debatable. But I’m always surprised at how large the turnouts are for these events. The kids, each given a gear box, introductory duck call, some camo gear and the like, are fed a hotdog and given a quick tutorial on duck hunting. But the actual hunt lies in the hands of their mentors. Having no children myself, I’m often called upon to bail out a buddy or two and take theirs, and I gladly volunteer. Truthfully, it's one of the highlights of my year. In the back of my mind, I somehow feel I’m training one more future duck hunter to do it the right way, and that the world will be better off. In reality, I’m just remembering how my dad “trained” me.

I’ve never spent much time waterfowling with my dad, although I plan to do more in the future. He’s a deer nut, and we share some time each year together at deer camp talking about things that deer hunters talk about, like racks, grunt calls and doe urine. I mainly attend to eat a bunch of comfort foods and sleep in a tree stand. I’m always amazed that I can gain five pounds a day deer hunting. But, the point is to spend time with my dad. He was the one that ingrained in me several traits that can be applied to any outdoor pursuit. Put your time in, keep confident, taking no shot is better than taking a marginal shot; never waste what you kill. I’m reminded of that each year that I set out on a youth hunt.

One thing I’ve come to learn about duck hunting with young people: even though it’s never boring for adults, it can be for a 10-year-old. For that reason, I always place the dog somewhat near the kids, and give them their own call. Most times it’s something simple, like a whistle or a drake call; something they can just blow into. You’ve never seen interest until you’ve seen a kid believe he helped call in the ducks, whether they end up on the strap or not. That, alone, will hook ‘em for life.

Another piece of advice: gun safety must be ingrained in young hunters from day one. I’ve experienced “marginal occurrences” with shotguns while hunting, and it’s almost made me want to quit the game. It’s important to realize that we are dealing with life-threatening weapons at very close ranges. Accidents are rare in the waterfowl world, but, when they happen, they are often very bad. I remember hearing the old adage “a gun is always loaded” when I was young, and it has stuck with me. I tell all my hunting companions the same thing, young and old: “never point your gun at anyone, including the dog. Guns are only loaded when all hunters are in the blind, and are immediately unloaded when shooting hours end." There are no exceptions to these rules, and everyone feels better when the youths involved follow them the closest.

I feel lucky in that I still remember how it was being an outdoorsman as a kid. I find it hard to believe that anything in the world is met with the same enthusiasm as hunting and fishing. Maybe I’m partial, but I don’t remember my friends telling me how they couldn’t sleep the night before a soccer tournament or a day at the movies. I was fortunate to be born into an outdoors family, including both sets of grandparents, uncles, aunts, sister, mom; everyone. Youth hunts help us remember how the outdoors are meant to be viewed: with childlike enthusiasm and wonder. Take part in one this year, and you’ll be the one that benefits.