Indholdsfortegnelse for December/January 2024-25 i Wildfowl

WHAT WATERFOWLERS DO as a subspecies compared to more civilized hominids is cram an amazing amount of living into a lifetime…and if they are lucky, into those around them, as well. We launched the season chasing Deep South teal, but for once, instead of daddy leaving home for “work,” I got to take my ducklings (the whole K-Team, ages 7, 10 and 12 ) on this trip to the famed Oak Grove Hunting Club out of Creole, Louisiana. Watching the faces of kids taking their first nighttime mud motor run through sloughs with so much vegetation you can’t see the water (invasive Salvinia molesta, sadly), with birds lifting into the air in the dark in droves was priceless. Seeing it through their eyes made it all new again to me,…

IN THIS ISSUE, our image is of a pair of Barnegat Bay sneak boxes, circa 1920-30. As iconic to waterfowling history as the Susquehanna Flats sinkbox, the sneak box design is an enduring symbol of the hunters’ adaptability to their local conditions. Those conditions, on the coast of New Jersey, could be brutal. The vessels originated in 1836, some 25 years before the Civil War. The design is credited to New Jersey boat builder Hazelton Seaman, who lived in one of the “lonely villages that lined the sedgy shores” of Barnegat Bay, a narrow estuary separated by a barrier island from the Atlantic Ocean. Fringed by cordgrass “salt-hay meadows,” the bay’s tidal marshes and eelgrass flats were ideal for black ducks, diving ducks, swans, geese, and brant. The boat’s name…

IN 1960, LEGENDARY OUTDOOR SCRIBE Ted Trueblood penned a story about duck hunting that was so good that it made the Ducks Unlimited Autumn Passages anthology celebrating some of the 20th Century’s best writing on hunting waterfowl. Trueblood wrote about a mallard hunt on a sparkling winter day with fresh snow on the ground; one that took place on Dec. 25, after the presents had been opened and the Yuletide dinner had been served by his parents to the visiting Dr. and Mrs. Hopper. “After dinner the grownups sat and talked,” wrote Trueblood. “Burtt and I were outside playing when I noticed that ducks were flying to the barley stubble across a forty behind the house. I hurried in and asked if I could go hunting. I wasn’t allowed to…

IN THE LATE EIGHTIES, when Americans began to be more interested in leaner cuts of meat, the Pork Board was looking to solve how best to sell the largest, fattiest part of the pig—its belly. They eventually partnered with various fast-food chains to market bacon via various new greasy-yet-mouth-watering menu items. Ever since, bacon—despite all the health risks—has remained a pop-culture phenomenon. Good news for waterfowlers: We don’t need pigs to make bacon, and the kind of bacon that comes from ducks and geese is far healthier as it is lower in saturated fats compared to pork. In the past, we have talked about how duck and goose skin is the bacon of waterfowl and, therefore, if you can afford to take the time to pluck at least the breasts,…

WHEN I GROW UP, I want to be an old duck hunter. Not just an aged duck hunter; that’s inevitable. An old duck hunter. That is because old duck hunters are the happiest life forms on the planet. I know, I know—they release those “happiness” surveys every year which list some convent of nuns on the Danish coast as the world’s happiest people. Baloney. Put one of those Scandinavian sisters side-by-side with your Uncle Herb on a plywood bench in a flooded tupelo hollow and her bliss will sputter like a birthday candle beside an atomic furnace. And that’s before the birds start flying. So why are old duck hunters so happy? Well, as a crusty old coot named Fred Zurn once explained as we watched the sky above muddy…

G&H DECOYS RELOCATING TO ARKANSAS For many years, Henrietta, Oklahoma, was known as the home of G&H Decoys. Now, the iconic decoy brand is moving to Arkansas. According to spokesmen, “G&H Decoys has relocated its headquarters and manufacturing operations to Corning, Arkansas, with plans to create 77 new jobs in the region. The company is investing more than $2.1 million to relocate and establish its new manufacturing facility.” FAMED VERMONT TROUT STREAM RECEIVES DUCK HABITAT HELP Vermont recently needed conservation help to protect a trout stream that also serves as a duck haven. Such help came to the famed Battenkill River from Ducks Unlimited via the organization’s Vermont In-Lieu-Fee program enabling the purchase and protection of 126 acres in the state. “The Battenkill properties DU acquired were due to the…

THE EARLY SEASON HEAT and humidity seems like a long time ago, doesn’t it? A lot has changed in those four short months, and when the north winds blow, here comes the snow. Freezing temperatures create frigid weather and that’s always a day for ducks. There’s only a short time left in the season, and a strong end makes the next season seem like it’s nearly here. In the past 41 duck seasons, Chris Akin, the owner of Webb Footed Kennels in Jonesboro, Arkansas, has missed only one day. “That was the day my son was born so I was in the hospital delivery room,” he said. “Turns out he was born in the afternoon so I really could have squeezed in a morning hunt. It’s ok, though, for on…

❚ SPANDAU ARMS S2 Built using a rock-solid inertia system, Spandau’s S2 is a dream to shoot while remaining light as a feather at just under seven pounds. Available in either matte black or two different Realtree camouflage patterns (APX and Max-7,) the S2 uses the Benelli/ Mobile pattern choke system, and it can be outfitted with any add-ons or hardware that fit Benelli M2 shotguns! This baby can handle the lightest 2 ¾” loads and the best booming 3-inchers with ease and comes standard with a smooth-swingin’ 28-inch vent rib barrel ensuring you should never miss. Starting at $400 | spandauarms.com ❚ KENT CARTRIDGE BAYOU BLEND A 3x5 layered duplex load, Kent Cartridge Bayou Blend is the answer for hunts that can shift from mallards one moment to honkers…

IT’S REASONABLE TO EXPECT our retrievers to put in a tough day’s work during bitter cold, late-season hunts. After all, this is what retrievers have been bred for. It’s amazing to see a hard-charging Lab plow its way through a layer of skim ice, make a retrieve on a fat, orange-legged mallard and then come back in, tail wagging and wanting more. It’s so cold that you can’t feel your fingers, but your dog is happy. When I say amazing, it’s only because we tend to compare ourselves to our dogs, even when that doesn’t make sense. Your retriever might not hesitate to plunge into that 34 degree water, because that’s what its body is outfitted for, but if you or I tried it, we wouldn’t be long for this…