Thursday, January 4, 2018

Modern Wild Man ~ Mallards on the Mind~


Hunting Ducks is One of Our Favorite Past Times 

It's been a good duck season!



A great two man limit on a December morning!

Duck Hunting Season is Here!

We are in the thick of duck season at Modern Wild Man!  Early season migrators have come and went, the fair weather birds are comfortably paddling in the warm waters of the south and the die hard late season fowl are hanging on the edge of frigid temperatures and ice.

Waterfowl season is like a whirlwind.  All summer you are thinking about it, you have ideas for blinds, and boats, and spots you know will be hot and hold birds next season.  The first breathe of fall breathes and early season teal opens for a taste of what is to come.  Then all of a sudden it's on you, season is open and if you're lucky the ducks have arrived.  Some scouting goes into the seasons first hunt, that turns into another hunt and then another, and before you know it late season has arrived.

It's a Duck Addiction 

Duck hunting is addictive, it gets in your blood.  It doesn't make a lot of sense to folks who don't understand when you try to explain it.  Grown men in waterproof pants trying to fool birds into flying toward them.  Complicated rules dealing with the number of shells in your gun, the type of shot in your shells, the number of ducks you can take and only certain ducks, even female and males have different limits.  Throw all that in with cold, mud and waking up well before dawn and it's a wonder that anyone ever goes duck hunting twice.  The thing is though, that it is beautiful.


Meg watching over the decoys waiting for shooting light.


Duck hunting is its own kind of amazing beauty.  It doesn't take long for outdoorsmen and women to recognize the draw of time spent pursuing ducks.  Daybreak over a flooded marsh on a cold December morning brings with it a kind of peace and solemnness that is almost indescribable.  The sound of wings breaking the air over top of your hole in the darkness of a morning full of anticipation brings a smile to my face even now as I am writing.   The satisfaction most duck hunters find is not in limits and heavy game straps, not that they hurt, but in a oneness and quietness with wild water, marshes, lakes and rivers.

Waterfowling offers a variety of opportunities, not only in types of game, but in methods and types of hunting.  Duck hunters can find peace and solitude in quiet little tucked away places when soul searching and inner peace are what is really being hunted.  There is also great opportunity for comradery and fellowship in duck blinds.  Groups of hunters gather in boats, blinds, pits and fields the nation over for a chance to build bonds and friendships.  Often times the harvest of a great group hunt is the stories, laughter and smiles that are shared year after year following a great outing.


Modern Wild Man with a fist full of ducks from a quick afternoon hunt.

Duck Hunting Tradition is a Badge of Honor

Duck hunting is steeped in deep tradition, but at the same time is always pushing the limits of sportsmen and the idea of hunting culture.  The craftsmanship of decoys and duck calls has long been a time honored art, while at the same time hunters deploy spinning motorized decoys and calls made from all types of modern plastics.  The duck hunter is an opportunist, changing and adapting tools and techniques throughout the season, and from season to season.  

Pursuing ducks can be successfully done over early fall marshes covered with green water vegetation, crisp fall hunts on mirrored lakes reflecting golden cottonwood leaves, and white frozen river banks clutched hard and strong by late season temperatures in the single digits.  Hunters must learn to adapt, develop new tactics and master techniques to fool warry birds who are pursued by hunters from Canada to Mexico, some even on their way back again. 

There are only a few weeks left in this years duck season.  Everytime I set out with decoys, calls, waders and a dog in pursuit of beautiful birds in their annual migration I find that it's my obligation to appreciate the magnitude of the season and the extraordinary thing that is the waterfowl migration.  For as long as we know waterfowl have been migrating south and then back north again for as long as there were waterfowl to migrate.  The ducks don't need me, they don't depend on me or my love affair with them and their beauty and the places that they call home.   I for one am grateful for the opportunity to get to witness such an amazing display and be filled with the richness of the hunt.



A great morning shoot with Meg!

I hope you have a chance to get out and hunt ducks this season!  Be sure and take time to experience the out of doors, the sunrise on the marsh and the sound of cupped wings coming into the decoys!



-See ya out there!-


Are you a duck hunter looking for recipes to feed your family?  
Check out these Modern Wild Man duck recipe posts:



Corn that Duck                            Mallard Bacon Wraps



















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