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Mine was my first triple mallet, 2 greens & a hen, with a banded greenie

Shooting a black bellied whistling duck in LeFlore County in December and shooting blue wing teal out of the same blind in January.

Killing my first speck at my buddy's house. That same afternoon I spread some of the ashes of my buddy and first true "duck dog" who I lost to cancer in sept. In the same field he got his first mallard, and was also his favorite "vacation" spot

Went on my first duck hunt with my old roomy..we lived together for 2years and never went hunting together even though we had plenty of oppourtunities lol..don't know why we didn't sooner. Made a new friend with an old buddy of his down here where Im at for college in the process.

The most memorable moment this year was meeting Gator at the landing and seeing he was 5' 10'' like my son and I. All the pictures on the internet made him look like he was 6' 2'' ,and a Mountain Man. I had done an internet trade with him (a box call for a duck call and pot call) and exchanged a number of e-mails. You know how you form a picture of someone in your mind. Well ,he was just like us. Then to be able to go out on Ole Man River and have a hunt like the old days was "Priceless". Thank's for coming up!!!

Jake St. John wrote: All the pictures on the internet made him look like he was 6' 2'' ,and a Mountain Man.

he puts on his high heels for internet pictures.

Lawdawg, the pictures of those boys on those trees blowing duck calls was priceless also. I remember filling the mallard motel with young boys and putting Kirk, my son on a tree by the blind and watching their excitement when a group of 40 or 50 would flutter in!!!!!!! Nothing like young blood in the blind with you. It's hard to get old blood in the blind with you nowdays. Duck Reed is the exception, and a wonderful one at that!!!

Jake St. John wrote:Lawdawg, the pictures of those boys on those trees blowing duck calls was priceless also. I remember filling the mallard motel with young boys and putting Kirk, my son on a tree by the blind Iand watching their excitement when a group of 40 or 50 would flutter in!!!!!!! Nothing like young blood in the blind with you. It's hard to get old blood in the blind with you nowdays. Duck Reed is the exception, and a wonderful one at that!!!

I've enjoyed getting to know Kirk. I missed meeting you last Sunday at Madison Heights (I play bass guitar in the worship group and folks are usually gone by time I can get out for greetings.) You raised a fine son and I'm looking forward to serving with him on the Diaconate.

Let's make sure to catch up next time you visit.

David

Taking both of my new step daughters duck hunting this year, even when taking the youngest one (8) meant going on a one of the coldest days of the year and a morning i had planned on sleeping in. Seeing the look on both of their faces when ducks started pitching into the decoys and hearing my youngest one tell me, your gun sure is loud, do you have to shoot it any more. The picture I have of my daughter bundled up for the cold holding up the first duck she ever killed.

Going hunting with my son on a magical morning at mahannah that was reminicent of the times i hunted there before it was a WMA.

Taking a first-time hunter on 3 duck hunts, shot twice total and didn't kill anything, and still being told "That was awesome, lets go again"

Getting a text from my dad (that in and of itself is something...) at 8:30 Saturday saying "We killed two - brown heads green stripe. what are they?" and then hearing him tell his hunting story later in the day at a more reasonable hour

Here's the story...

My dad is 58 years old and has never been duck hunting a day in his life... Well, except for that once... but I plead the 5th. He grew up quail hunting and then when my brothers got old enough to hunt we got a pack of rabbit dogs. He's killed one deer in his life - a doe that he hit in the head at 80 yards while she was running... anyway...Never been duck hunting, can't stand the cold or understand why anyone would get up that early. And when I got hooked three years ago, called me crazy but bought me a shotgun for Christmas and said "Have at it girl, but don't count on me to teach you anything"


Last year I get a call that says "Well, the surveyor came out and told me where to build a levee - I guess we'll have a duck pond next year" and it about knocked me to the ground. It came out of no where, he didn't talk to me about it or anything just BAM - we're building a duck pond. I got MDWFP out to look at it and they donated a pipe for us. Dad rented a dozer and a friend built us a levee and we got a duck pond for only the cost of renting the dozer. Flooded it up (about 4 acres of hardwood and 1/2 acre of planted millett) and got the wood ducks - he flushed about 20 every time he went down there. Everybody is the community was picking at him about "getting up off your hip just to build your girl a duck pond"

He bought his first pair of hip boots ("an old man like me can't get in an' out of 'em waders like you"), bought his first duck stamp, and bought a "duck gun" (which he wanted anyway and was just looking for an excuse to get). He didn't hunt the duck pond until the 4th weekend of the season, came up empty, and got sick in the process.

I hunt it twice and come up empty both times, but that was my fault - I was more interested in looking that shooting.

Next to the last weekend of the season "Well, RD and I are going in the morning. We'll see what happens." and at 10:30 he calls and tells me about it. Told me about getting there in the dark and hearing the ducks come in but it was too dark to shoot. Told me about hearing the wood ducks come in behind him but he was more focused on the "big ducks" in the open field. Told me about having a group of twenty come down, hearing their wing beats, and then letting the guns roar. Told me about killing two (oh yeah, they were green-wing teal - who would have thought we'd have TEAL on our duck pond ?!!?)from that group and should have got the next group but "those little boogers are FAST." Told me about RD watching four "big ducks" going "butt-up" and having more fun watching them and wouldn't shoot.

And told me "I wish you could have been there."

I haven't been home in month and when I get home in a few weeks duck season will be over. I haven't got to duck hunt with him yet but knowing about a 58 year old man that goes on his first duck hunt, no calls, very few decoys, no blind just standing in the woods, and has the time of his life makes me smile. Hearing the excitement in his voice even when they only killed two makes me smile. Knowing that he finally understands why I chose my career, makes me get a lump in my throat. And knowing that even though I wasn't there I've got a great memory of my dad duck hunting and I'll never forget it.

I would have to say my most positive memorable moment of this year would be watching my chocolate lab fall in love with duck hunting. She knows when the vest comes on that we're going duck hunting. Anytime you blow a call or mouth the sound of a gadwall she will perk those ears and start looking around.

The negative of the year was being on 2 different boats that began taking on water. The first was early season, the second was during the great freeze. I am lucky we got out of both situations.

Great story DukGrl- you can get hooked on this duck thing at any age!!!!!!

my best will be this weekend. get to go with my hunting partner who has just gotten home from over seas. no matter what happens it will be a great time.

one of the most memorable hunts i've had in some time was definitely the eddleman hunt. mr. eddleman and kirk are class acts and i enjoyed every minute of it.

alaska...............well, it's my second trip up there and it gets better all the time.

knocked off several species from "the list": black scoter, oldsquaw, greater scaup and black duck.........i now only lack a handful, w/ only 1 sea duck left - king eider.

shots limits over a single decoy i carved, called in by a call i turned, retrieved by dogs i trained.......

finished the year out at the camp, l'anguille lounge...........reconnected w/ old friends i hadn't seen in a while and had a great last hunt........

due to Lila getting sick this weekend, i wasn't able to get out yesterday and w/ work this week, in done........doesn't matter.

got a good wife that allows all this and a beautiful 4 month old daughter......i'm short, i'm blessed.

-justin

Watching my youngest dog "figure out" what real hunting is. He had the "test skills" in place before the season, now he has gained the experience to back it up. He's gonna turn into a hell of a dog.

Shooting a black duck/mallard cross after a friend passed it up. After I shot I asked him why he passed it up and he said "'cause I thought it was a hen".

Had a barn-burner river hunt after launching at 10:30 one morning "just to ride & look".

Made my 3 hunts that I'm required to make every year... opening morning with dukbum (the teal special), a river hunt to the same spot every year with 2 good friends, and a hunt with Big Timber where we screw something up every time (and this time was no let down!).

All of this done with a job that demands more time and a 9-month pregnant wife at home with a 21 month old boy for days at a time while I'm in the woods doing what I love. The things she puts up with for me to live out my passion amazes me every season.

this last sat a.m was a microsacasm of the season..

limit out shoot in da back-road flyway. needed that bad.. backraod flyway has been pretty crappy this year...
got home and for once my wife had cooked breakfast... howd dam.. thats special..


so i was thinking.. man if state can win its game and i can talk me wife into givin me a little sat afternoon nookie..

hell i'd be 4 for 4 on the day... needless to say i went 2 for 4....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!