PathfinderJR's First Duck Hunt

[PathfinderJR]

For a couple of years I have been asking Dad to take me duck hunting with him and CoryTDF.  He always told me that I had to be a little older.  Finally, last week he decided I could go with them.

My story starts out with us Going to CoryTDF's house to load up his boat. We had to put up sort of a canopy on the boat so snow would'nt get in. After we got loaded up, we started on our way. I fell asleep in the truck on the way to our spot.                                                             

I woke up to the sound of shouting and laughing. My friend Sam(he was hunting with us too) jumped into the truck and told me to get out because the boat was "sinking". I got out thinking we were going to have to go home... WITHOUT A BOAT!!! But my thoughts were disturbed when I took a glance at the sky... I could'nt see two feet in front of me. We were in the middle of a HARD CORE snow storm!

 Then I remembered why I got out in the first place... The boat! I ran over to see what happened. Apparently, the water was realy shallow for about 5 feet, and then it dropped off a ledge in the water, so a third of the boat was in the water we finally got all the water out and started down the river, About 2 minutes later, the boat went "POP" realy loud and we could'nt figure out why. We all thought we were gonna sink, but Dad and Cory started pressing buttons,and we started moving again. When we got to the duck blind, Dad and CoryTDF slept in the blind. Me and Sam slept in the boat.We woke up and got on our waders and coats.then we got in the blind as CoryTDF set up the decoys. In the first 5 minutes, a drake widgen flew down to our decoys. I was so excited, that all I heard was someone say "Take em' ". I shot and nailed it in the chest and head with my new .20 Guage. After that, CoryTDF got 5, and sam got 1. We got back on the boat at lunch time and drove it back to the truck. We tried to hook the boat trailor to the back of the truck, but the ball on the end broke, so Dad and sam went to buy a new one. CoryTDF and I had to pull the trailor close to land. I fell into the dropoff in the water and gotmy waders full of water... I was freezing.

When Dad and sam got back, I Jumped in the truck and fell asleep. Thats how my story ends.

[Ellensburg]

Nice job dude. Good looking dog too. I need to get a full camo outfit like you have.

[400out]

Very cool bud! Brings back very fond memories! those are hunts you will look back on for the rest of your life 

[duckhunter]

nice job bud  i member shooting my first duck to that was probly 4 or 3 years ago know a mallard drake came right into our spread! haha the best feeling in the world! welcome to the addiction! haha it will just keep growing and u will want a new gun or boat or whatever! Nice job though! hope you have many more good hunts this year!

[Pathfinder101]

Yeah, he did a good job considering all that happened.  The snowstorm, almost swamping the boat, sleeping out in the storm, breaking off the trailer hitch, waders filling up with water...
...Now he knows why I have always told him he has to be "a little older" before he went duck hunting with Team Dead Fowl...

...none of it discouraged him though, I fear I have created a duckhunter for life...
Thanks CoryTDF for taking us out...

[400out]

Yeah, he did a good job considering all that happened.  The snowstorm, almost swamping the boat, sleeping out in the storm, breaking off the trailer hitch, waders filling up with water...
...Now he knows why I have always told him he has to be "a little older" before he went duck hunting with Team Dead Fowl...

...none of it discouraged him though, I fear I have created a duckhunter for life...
Thanks CoryTDF for taking us out...

Nope you've created a partner/deek setter/blind builder/bird cleaner/boat packer/ect.......  For life

[Pathfinder101]

Yeah, he did a good job considering all that happened.  The snowstorm, almost swamping the boat, sleeping out in the storm, breaking off the trailer hitch, waders filling up with water...
...Now he knows why I have always told him he has to be "a little older" before he went duck hunting with Team Dead Fowl...

...none of it discouraged him though, I fear I have created a duckhunter for life...
Thanks CoryTDF for taking us out...

Nope you've created a partner/deek setter/blind builder/bird cleaner/boat packer/ect.......  For life

hopefully I have not created someone who can't hold a job through a full duck season too....

[carpsniperg2]

Sounds like a fun and intresting hunt. Congrats!

[Austrian Hunter]

Nice write up!!!  Great story and goos job

[jordano]

Congrats and great write up!

[Michelle_Nelson]

There is another Taxidermy bill! 

[gadwall]

Cool pictures and a good story.  Nice lookin' blind too!

Gadwall.

[Pathfinder101]

There is another Taxidermy bill! 

Yeah, I probably should have stuffed it, it was a pretty drake widgeon.  Didn't have time to skin it out right though, so we just kept the meat.  Next drake he gets will go on the wall...

[MichaelD]

Nice job PFJr.    Sounds like a great time - something you will remember for not only your first bird but also the "fun" stuff that goes with hunting.

[Pathfinder101]

Something JR forgot to mention; a couple of teachers were hunting a few hundred yards from us and drilled a nice looking drake mallard that managed to make it over our spread and finally crash landed about 60 or 70 yards out in the river.  We took Rocky (the big yellow pup in the pics) out of the blind, and with the help of a few "dummy rocks", got him out to the duck.  His longest retrieve yet.  The boys got to bring the duck back to the guys that shot it, (and PathfinderJR got to brag about his dog a little bit in the process ).  Nice guys, and it was a good lesson in etiquette for the youngsters.

[alwinearcher]

Sounds like fun!
Next time try to keep the water outside your waders?