Bob B
Well-known member
It has been a long time since I have chose to hunt an opening day due to work, and overcrowding in the spots I like.
And this year was shaping up to be no exception till the best Duck Hunter I know txt'd me and said do you want to go? I had no choice but to drop my plans for bow hunting deer and dig out my gear with an invitation like that. You see this guy is the person who introduced me to the outdoors in the State I live in. Besides, he had been having good hunts on the spot we first hunted 27 years ago during the past two openers. Only one issue dampened the hope for a sentimental trip down memory lane. Like most of the East there is NO water. Our Favorite spot was bone dry. A hasty plan was made to relocate and the setup went smoothly. I did not bring my KARA and should have, as this "Choice B" spot is perfect for that boat. A long walk in reminded me how much I love that boat.
BUT I did have a mandatory addition to the decoy bags in with my other essential gear.
A P. Revicki black duck I paid dearly for at an auction, and another black duck carved by John Bourbon given to me after a meet up in Mystic. Both birds live in my living room through out the year and remind me of hunts and hunters past, along with really good friends I met here and in the swamps. They each have numerous really good shoots over them. This would prove to be no exception.
We had birds moving all morning and enjoyed an amazing day with less wind than expected and temps in the 60's which made me envious of you guys down South.
The highlight came early in the AM when a pair of birds approached in a direct line for the brush we were set in. The puddlers rose up right at the last moment as we lifted the guns to greet them. The two birds fell, each to a single shot. One to the right and one to the left. Just as it should be. Because the action was still on, we did not pick them up just that minute. But a few birds later we collected them. On the Right lay a beautiful Drake Black Duck with a Band. Shot by the Best Duck Hunter I know. I can't deny I was just a bit chapped for a second or two...... (as the last time this happened it also included a $100 reward band) but I quickly realized how much this band signified. The lanyard this band will hang on has held calls that have produced the Best Duck Hunts I have attended over 27 years. And it is not unnoticed that most of those would have been mediocre with out great calling on the old Faulk with a modified reed that was a stocking stuffer many moons ago.
But the next few minutes really set the bar on a great day. In talking, the band holder said, "The last time I hunted this spot I was 15 years old and we hunted with my Grandfather and his Stevens SxS." That is probably over 30 years ago.
So Pete and John, thank you for the Good Luck charms you both are responsible for. They have made some great hunts even greater.
I am truly grateful for the things I have learned on this site over the years, and the people I have met. Eric, I really appreciate you keeping it going and seeing the posts you tag on Instagram.
Enjoy another fall duck hunting in the places you really like with the guys you really enjoy hunting with.
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