DuckSouth.com

The wait was over. After proving to me that he was mature enough to go on a trip, I took my 12 year-old son to Arkansas last week for his first duck hunt. I figured that the duck numbers would be a little low but I just wanted him to experience the thrill of seeing a sunrise from a blind and hopefully get a few shots in. As it turned out, it was a dream trip!

We hunted with Bust-A-Duck guide service, close to Des Ark, Arkansas and they couldn't have been any nicer. The accomodations were fine, the guide worked hard for us, and we had blast! We only killed 10 ducks in 3 days but my son bagged 2 and is hooked for life! We didn't fill the freezer but we got to see 3 beautiful sunrises, see some ducks, work some ducks, shoot at some ducks, see a lot of geese, help arrange decoys, catch a mouse in a pit blind, go to Macks in Stuttgart, see some deer, see a million stars at night, play a little playstation, grill some duck wrapped with bacon, grill a couple of ribeyes, laugh 'til our stomachs hurt, and have some genuine one on one coversation. You get to know your kid a little better when you spend 16 hours in a vehicle alone with them.

He was the consumate gentleman and the guide was especially impressed with his manners and his gun safety. Never once did I have to reprimand him. His chamber was always open and safety was always on when I did the spot check. You know you did the right thing when your son can't stop hugging you and thanking you for taking him on a trip like this. I swear I teared up that last night in camp, I just hated that it had to end.

As in most trips, the unexpected usually happens so gentlemen, take heed of the following event:

While standing in a pit blind in a flooded rice field, I happend to glance down at my shotgun that was leaning in the corner. I saw something in end of my barrel that sent my stomach to my feet. Worse than mud. The one thing no duck hunter ever wants to see at the end of his gun barrel....THREADS!!!! DAMMIT!!!! After carefully packing everything we would need for hunting plus everything we would need if the world happend to end while were were in a duck blind, being loaded up 4 days prior to our departure, having about 30 years of hunting behind me, AND considering myself a pretty decent hunter, I, yes I forgot to screw in the damn choke tube in my shotgun!!! That was just great to find out after driving 8 hours (one way) and 2 days into a 3 day hunt! You think Dr. B was a little ticked? Ah, "yeah" would be an understatement.

The guide came through though with a classic one-liner..."Well Doc, I guess that's one for the yearbook." We all cracked up and headed out. Thank goodness I wasn't sending 3 shells of hevishot out everytime I emptied the gun. And yes, the gun was fine. I screwed in the choke within in 10 minutes of arriving home!

As it turns out, my son is begging to go back to shoot a greenhead when they really start coming in. He couldn't care what the weather is, he just wants to shoot some more ducks! I think the boy is gonna turn out alright!

Enjoy the pics. They may be a little large but I'm an optometrist, not a computer genuis! My favorite is the one with the decoys and sunrise in the background.


Dr. B
Montgomery

Doc, life is only full when you know in your old age you'll have these types of Memories. Great weekend great time I am sure.


spend all the time you can now with the Boy before ya know it He'll be walking his own path.



Ken

congrats, he is hooked for life now

Great pics and stories. That was a heckuva great weekend! Quality times make quality people. You're gonna have to frame 1 or 2 of those photos.

Great pics, Doc. I am sure he enjoyed the trip. Good Luck the rest of the season.

skywalker

Congratulations Doc.......just judging from the smile on your Son's face......I'd say he's 'HOOKED'......big time! Nice pictures and story......thanks for sharing it with us.

By the way, Doc........I was shooting 5-stand at the Gun Club a couple years ago.........and reached-up to tighten the choke tube (as i do periodically).....but I was shooting my duck gun which requires a choke wrench to keep it snug. Well, somewhere during the round(s), it musta worked-out to the end of the threads....(or I never had one IN there to begin with), because it was 'gone-gone'. I figure if there was a choke tube in the gun, it's layin' out there in front of the trap house on field #1, somwhere. But the threads were fine.......I just went and got another tube outa the box and kept shooting.

great pics and you now have a quackaddict on your hands

What a team! "The Duck Slammers" man that makes me want to go check out my son at school and head to the water!

Awesome Pics.

That has to be one fine young man. After all, he is wearing the right hat! sounds like a good time.

Crow

Excellent pictures, and don't let those spoonies scare you, we killed a pile of em' last week up there and one was smoked with a speck for T-day dinner and my wife wanted more of both. They eat great. Glad ya'll had a great time, that smile definetly has the look of one that will last a while.

Thanks for taking him hunting.

I know he's your son and all, but too many dad's don't take their kids hunting these days.

That smile tells us alot!

Dr. B start a duckhunting journal for him now. In twenty years he could say my party has killed X. I started a journal in 1996 and would give anything to say that from the day I killed my first duck ive hunted 800 and something days and killed 9000 birds. Just my two cents.

crackhead wrote:Dr. B start a duckhunting journal for him now. In twenty years he could say my party has killed X. I started a journal in 1996 and would give anything to say that from the day I killed my first duck ive hunted 800 and something days and killed 9000 birds. Just my two cents.

That's really not a bad idea, that boy really enjoyed being on the hunt, and you'll go a long ways towards building a strong tradition with the journal.

Good story and pics... Can't wait to take my bump hunting with me..