Last Day Limit - An Unforgettable Season Has Ended

[stickbuck]

Well, the last day came and went as I had hoped. Another limit was more to me than just seven birds. This season was more than I had ever hoped a duck season would be. There were highs and lows that taught me many things about myself and my abilities. The season started with a little uncertainty due to the fact that I was so busy at work until the the third week of November. As work slowed for the year and the ducks started  to move into the area, I decided to start the season on November 18th. Looking back on it, I wish that water had flooded my area a little sooner than late November, but I was ready to take advantage of it. I hunted only two days in November, but turned around and hunted 18 days in December and 17 days in January. My wife was damn near ready to divorce me by the end of the season. Up until the last day, I only got skunked only 4 days during the 37 day stint at the blind. The last day started like many of the others. The bell rang at 3:30am and I was at the blind by 4:30am. My dozen and a half decoys of Wigeon and Mallards along with the winger were set in preparation for the last day by 5:00am. I had brushed the blind in fairly well Friday, but I felt the blind could use a little more brush so I got to work. By 5:30am I was finished and now had almost two hours until shooting light so I decided to lean back in my chair and take a little nap. At approximately 6:30am, my nap was rudely interrupted by the splashing of ducks landing in the decoys. For the next 30 mins, duck after duck would land amongst my spread. I just sat there in pure amazement of what was happening. Was I really hearing what was going on? By shooting light, the ducks had taken off and left my spread. It was an extremely slow morning and I didn't kill my first duck until after 8:35am and then came the 25 mph sustained winds. The wind was so strong that I thought that the blind was going to blow to pieces. I prayed that the wind would die down just enough to be able to pull the winger without the wind interfering. My prayers were answered at 9:50am when the winds slowed to just 10-15mph. Just minutes later, I drilled a nice Wigeon as it locked up over the dekes and helped raise my confidence. About 10 minutes later, I saw 5 Wigeon come screaming through the decoys and watched as they drifted further away. I pulled the winger and they made the turn back towards me. They came and circled me twice and I probably should have taken them the second time, but I waited for a third time. The third time never came and I looked around out the windows of the blind but just couldn't figure out where they had gone when I heard them start whistling in the decoys. Due to the high winds, I had not heard them land. I stopped pulling the winger and stood to flush them and watched two drop as my gun rattled off two rounds. I went out and retrieved the birds and settled back into my seat just as two Pintail drakes flew over the blind. I started pulling the winger just as one came back by. It was as if it was in slow motion as I watched wings locked above the decoys. Seconds later I shot him and I had my fifth duck laying out on the water. With just two birds to go and it wasn't even noon, I felt pretty good about the rest of the day. At around noon, my phone beeped with a text message from the wife checking on my status. Instead of texting her back, I decided to call her and give her the update. After only being on the phone, I look up and here comes a drake Wigeon locked up. I set the phone down just in time to drop him before he landed. I picked the phone back up and told her that I needed only one more to end the season. I hadn't even finished the sentence when I told her to hold on again as two more came into the decoys. With only one duck to go, I picked out the drake and dropped him. I picked the phone back up and told her that season was complete and that I had limited. She started screaming in jubilation because she knew the season was finally over. She hasn't been this happy in awhile. It was an unforgettable season and I can't wait for next year.

[TheSkyBuster]

Good job on keeping the wife Happy.   

[seth30]

  Your wife and mine need to talk, my wife will be ready to divorce me now that im home every weekend   Great job on your hunting season

[timber_ghost]

Good job and great story! 

[stickbuck]

Seth, not to complicate the end of the season, but I just ordered a new Remington 11-87 Super Mag in waterfowl camo. Should I be worried that when I told her about it that she wasn't mad? 

[sebek556]

  never had any problems with mine, until she started hunting also... now we have schedule conflicts who gets what stand what day, I need new gear no I need new gear... count your blessings seth and looks like a great season stickbuck

[seth30]

Wow, good job on getting a new gun   Sebek I guess im lucky then my wife doenst hunt, I can barely afford my gear