I know I should be chasing trout or striped bass--both finally on the move with some big dumps of rain providing access to spawning tribs for the trout and moving juvenile alewives down the rivers for striper chow.
But opening day is opening day, even when it's better weather for casting flies than shooting ducks--warm, clear, windless.
Went to the usual early season spot. I thought I had it to myself but company showed up just as I had my decoys set. Turned out to be a nice young man who was very polite, moved from where he wanted to be to get as far from me as possible once he saw where I was, and came over and introduced himself as we were both picking up. And it worked out. At first light I had wood ducks everywhere but in my decoys. He took a shot that put them all up in the air and three dropped right on me. A Scotch double on a drake and hen woodie.
It was a short day for both of us as the ducks stopped flying pretty much as soon as it got light. Downside of all that rain--every puddle in the woods is full of water right now. I returned the favor at the end of day, pushing ducks from my end of the pond to him when I started picking my decoys up, and he dropped one of them, then came to apologize for "setting up so close to you". (He was at least 1/4 mile away on a pond that's less than a half mile long.) Perhaps all hope is not lost if the 20-somethings are polite, hunt walk-in spots solo, and can shoot well.
"At first blush I am tempted to conclude that a satisfactory hobby must be in large degree useless, inefficient, laborious, or irrelevant."
— Aldo Leopold
But opening day is opening day, even when it's better weather for casting flies than shooting ducks--warm, clear, windless.
Went to the usual early season spot. I thought I had it to myself but company showed up just as I had my decoys set. Turned out to be a nice young man who was very polite, moved from where he wanted to be to get as far from me as possible once he saw where I was, and came over and introduced himself as we were both picking up. And it worked out. At first light I had wood ducks everywhere but in my decoys. He took a shot that put them all up in the air and three dropped right on me. A Scotch double on a drake and hen woodie.
It was a short day for both of us as the ducks stopped flying pretty much as soon as it got light. Downside of all that rain--every puddle in the woods is full of water right now. I returned the favor at the end of day, pushing ducks from my end of the pond to him when I started picking my decoys up, and he dropped one of them, then came to apologize for "setting up so close to you". (He was at least 1/4 mile away on a pond that's less than a half mile long.) Perhaps all hope is not lost if the 20-somethings are polite, hunt walk-in spots solo, and can shoot well.
"At first blush I am tempted to conclude that a satisfactory hobby must be in large degree useless, inefficient, laborious, or irrelevant."
— Aldo Leopold
