Ducks?

I grew up in a place in rural Missouri where waterfowl hunting is a strange and foreign activity that no one understands, nor is particularly interested in, similar to Tai-Chi or football. If we saw a duck while boating down on the Gasconade River, we’d say, “Hey look, guys. There’s a duck!” and that’s about as far as it went.

But duck is on the menu, so duck I will pursue. The first thing to know about waterfowl hunting is that there is a lot you need to know. Consider this unedited excerpt from the waterfowl hunting procedure page on the Missouri Department of Conservation website:

“The Quick Draw System will allocate 80% of the available hunting spots; and the remaining 20% of the hunting spots will be allocated through the “poor line” drawing system. Hunters selected through the Quick Draw System are guaranteed an opportunity to go afield, but are not guaranteed the best locations. Hunters drawn through the Quick Draw system will know their “pill number” prior to arriving at the waterfowl area. Waiting list hunters trying their luck in the “poor line” drawing at Bob Brown, Columbia Bottom, Eagle Bluffs, Grand Pass, Marais Temps Clair, Otter Slough, and Ten Mile Pond Conservation Areas will be using the Every Member Draws (EMD) procedure…”

I would need a mentor. To establish this I once again tapped into Ann’s vast network of contacts, and was connected to Bill Ward. Apparently Bill is to ducks what Chris Morrow is to catfish (see my blog post from August 31, Big Fish on the Mighty Mississipp http://www.woodstofood.com/2011_08_01_archive.html.)

Bill told me what I need to bring (I’m glad he reminded me of the lead prohibition), and said he would see me at the draw on opening morning. The draw is at 5:15 a.m. on opening morning, and Bill said he always gets there at least an hour early. The time he actually gets up to go to the draw is irrelevant to his sleep.

“I can never sleep the night before opening day anyway; I’m too excited,” he said.

This excitement has not faded in Bill not missing a single duck season in the last 50 years. Fifty years! He’s not even 60 years old.

Ann’s Dad scored a pair of waders for me on a garage sale for $2.50, not bad considering new ones cost about $100 and go up (way up) from there. The boot size fits me perfectly, and the body size gives me ample room to pack something about the size of a couple bales of hay in my back pockets.

Considering that my previous waterfowl identification experience is limited to distinguishing between Donald and Daffy, I’m studying information about the fowl that I’m about to pursue. I have a fresh box of #3 steel shot (I didn’t know there was a #3 shot size), and I’m looking forward to what the next weekend has in store.