Perrydale FarmsA Duck Hunting Club

Aug 5th Shotgunning: Why We Miss

by James Card

In 1969, the Swiss psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross published the five stages of grief, a process that people go through when faced with a terminal illness. Since then, the model is now applied to all of life’s troubles and trials. If these five stages were applied to a waterfowler experiencing a season of miserable shooting, the process might evolve as follows:

1. Denial: “My shooting is a little off today, but did you see how fast that duck was moving?”

2. Anger and Blame: “Aargh! Why am I missing? I can’t believe I bought this piece-of-junk shotgun.”

3. Bargaining “Just let me hit a duck, any duck, please … just one duck. Is that a coot over there?”

4. Depression: “I’m such a loser. I’m never going to hit anything. My shooting is so poor a mallard drake threw his loose change into my duck blind.”

5. Acceptance: “I’ve got to get some help. Practice more. Deal with my shooting so I can get back in the game.”

Chances are most waterfowlers have been through this process at some point in their hunting career and can easily fall back into denial, blame games, and the rankled dejection from missing familiar shots. If missing is like a chronic disease, then it’s prudent to practice some preventive medicine and see if you have any of the following symptoms that might be bringing your shooting down … and not the ducks.

A Case of the Gun Fits

“If the gun doesn’t fit you, you’re not going to shoot it well.”
“There is no alternative to proper gun fit,” says Gary Goodpaster, a retired DU regional director and lifelong wingshooter.

“If the gun doesn’t fit you, you’re not going to shoot it well. It’s as simple as that. You can overcome poor gun fit to some degree with practice, but you’re never going to be as good a shot as you could be.

“If the stock is too high for you, you will continually shoot over targets,” Goodpaster continues. “If the stock is too low, you’ll consistently shoot under targets. If the stock is too long, you’ll mount the gun incorrectly time after time. A good gunsmith can make most adjustments to stocks. Most stock adjustments on field guns entail changing the length of the stock or raising or lowering the comb. Most hunters should be able to find a gunsmith who will make these adjustments at a reasonable cost.”

Coming Unglued

Even with a properly fitted stock, some shooters fail to make the essential cheek-to-stock connection. “If you are missing chronically, then it’s a pretty good chance that you’re lifting your head,” Goodpaster says. “Raising your head is bad news and will almost guarantee a miss.

“There is a tremendous tendency for shooters to raise their head instead of keeping it glued to the stock,” he continues. “If you are keeping your head down, the shotgun will shoot where you’re looking. If you raise your head, you’ll shoot high. The proper way to mount a gun is to bring the gun up to your cheek, but most shooters bring their face down to the gun. It’s a common reason for missing. Many hunters are occasionally tempted to raise their head when they are looking at ducks over their gun barrel, but the best way to avoid the problem is to practice at the range.”

Flinching of the Subliminal Mind

Flinching is a subconscious behavior that can sneak up on an experienced wingshooter or plague a timid beginner. The traditional flinch is a mind-body connection that anticipates the punishing recoil of shoulder-bruising loads, but flinching may also result from purely mental causes such as performance anxiety or a fear of missing. Its manifestation can take the form of a twitch, blink, tremble, or a seizing of the nerves.

The problem with flinching is that it can be difficult to diagnose alone. “Being overstrained, mind and nerves go on a strike, quit temporarily, making no further records until after the discharge takes place,” wrote the legendary Charles Askins in his 1921 book The American Shotgun. “Of whatever happens during this interim the shooter has no knowledge, though another man standing near can observe perfectly and tell him, generally much to the gunner’s surprise and often little to his conviction.” One solution is to have a friend videotape a shooting session and later play it back as a slow motion reality check to determine if you are flinching.

“Flinching can cause stopping or slowing of the swing, closing of eyes, and at its worst, failure to pull the trigger,” says Ben Berka, shooting coach of Double A Shooting Instruction (aashooting.com). “Flinches are almost always associated with high-recoil guns and ammo. The solution is to shoot the lightest load possible that still gives you effective patterns. Use recoil-reduction devices or gas-operated semiautomatics, and then practice dry-firing the gun.”

A Lapse in Judgment

“Misjudging yardage and calling the shot when the birds are not close enough,” Berka notes, “is another frequent cause of missing. Remember, once the shot is called, the birds will often flare as you rise to shoot and may gain distance and altitude before you can pull the trigger. Practice estimating yardage or use decoys on the perimeter of your spread to help judge when birds are in range. Know your maximum effective range and only take shots inside that range.”

Tom Knapp, the shotgunning virtuoso of Benelli fame (tomknapp.net), also thinks many hunters miss because they misjudge the distance to the target. He uses the shotgun’s sight as a measuring stick. “Place two life-size decoys at your closest and farthest expected shooting distances,” Knapp explains. “Then raise your gun and see the size relationship between the front bead and the decoy. On the closest decoy, perhaps 20 yards away, the bead may cover the decoy’s head, whereas on the farthest one, maybe 40 or 45 yards away, the bead may cover half the entire decoy,” Knapp says.

“Know your maximum effective range and only take shots inside that range.”

“On a bird over the closest decoy, simply aim at its head. The length of the bird’s neck will be enough lead. On a bird over the farthest decoy, your front bead will cover the lion’s share of the duck’s body, and you’ll know immediately to extend your lead. Importantly, if you miss, add more forward lead on the second try. All too often, hunters will miss three consecutive shots because they thought they had the correct lead on the first shot. Make sure to try something different on the subsequent shots.”

Mind Games of the Muzzle

Gil Ash of OSP Shooting School (ospschool.com) coaches more than 2,000 shotgunners a year, and the majority of them are wingshooters. He notices that many hunters miss at the brief moment when focusing on the target and mounting the gun. The problem is a combination of visual concentration, American history, and muscle memory.

“The most dreaded phrase in a duck blind is: ‘Okay, here’s a single – he’s all yours.’ The duck is spotted 300 yards out and you miss him, but on a dove hunt, your buddy yells at you suddenly with a dove flying over your head, and you instantly drop it,” Ash says. The difference between the two shots is that the shooter had too much time to stare down the barrel as the duck was coming in, and as a result, he choked.

“Excessive muzzle awareness causes everything to stop and makes people miss 99 percent of the time, and 99 percent of the people are trying to line everything up,” Ash says. He believes this problem results from America’s rifle-shooting heritage. Many American hunters grew up with air rifles and .22s and graduated to deer rifles. Ash believes this causes many American hunters to want to aim a shotgun like a rifle, but shooting a rifle and a shotgun are as different as casting dry flies and crankbaits.

Focus comes first. Ash once coached a hunter who was having trouble hitting fast-flying teal. There were plenty of birds, and they were flying everywhere. “His eyes were like ping-pong balls bouncing around in the back of a truck,” Ash recalls. The man was simply unable to focus on a single bird. Ash instructed him not to shoot but to watch one bird at a time, concentrating on that bird. After this lesson, the man said later that the teal weren’t flying as fast as he originally perceived them, and he proved it by shooting two doubles.

Much of what Ash advocates is to have complete focus on the target, which is then followed by a careful and controlled automatic gun mount. He cites studies that it takes 3,000 repetitions for an athletic motion to be ingrained in one’s subconscious mind. Consider how many times a professional basketball player practices free throws or a golfer repeats putts, and it’s not surprising that a seasonal shotgunner might have a less than perfect gun mount.
Ash recommends an indoor exercise that hunters can use to build muscle memory so the gun mount becomes automatic, confident, and fluid. All one needs is a small, tight-beamed flashlight that can be inserted into the barrel of an unloaded shotgun and taped around the muzzle. In a dimly lit room, imagine the seam of the wall and ceiling is the flight path of a crossing target. The goal is to smoothly mount the gun and swing the beam along the ceiling seam without it dipping over or under. “It doesn’t have to be fast, but it must be perfect,” Ash says.

Make the Toughest Shot by Not Taking It

“I think for most people, the most difficult waterfowling shot is the incoming overhead,” Gary Goodpaster says. “It’s difficult because you lose sight of the target. You start behind the bird, and as you move the gun to the front of the bird, you lose sight of it. There’s a limit to how far you can move your body without falling over backwards, and it’s worse if the sun is in your eyes. What I do is turn around and take the bird as a high going-away shot, and that way, you don’t lose sight of him. All you do is put the sight underneath him as your lead, and you can still see the target.”

Aug 5th Leading Questions

By Wade Bourne

Many shooters don’t apply enough lead and consistently shoot behind their targets. A few use too much lead and shoot ahead of their targets. So how do shooters learn to use the right lead so their shot column and target simultaneously arrive at the same spot?

You can’t shoot often enough while to master how much to lead your target,” says Scott Robertson, who has been an exhibition shooter for Beretta for 16 years. “You have to learn proper lead on the shooting range. You must learn the right sight picture for various shot angles and speeds through good instruction and lots of practice.”

Robertson says an instructor will tell students if they are shooting ahead of or behind the target and make appropriate corrections. He will also help them learn proper leads on a variety of target angles, such as 90-degree crossing, 45-degree crossing, incoming/descending, and others. “After the lesson, the student must practice on his own before the next lesson,” Robertson says. “I try to pace my instruction so a student can shoot 300 to 400 shells between lessons.”

Robertson stresses that shooters shouldn’t avoid challenging shots. “To develop your game, you have to tackle those problem areas instead of avoiding them,” he says.

No Substitute for Game Birds

Besides instruction and practice on the sporting clays range, Robertson urges hunters to gain as much experience shooting game birds as possible. This should not be viewed as practice, however. Whether shooting doves, waterfowl, or other birds, hunters have an obligation to develop proficiency before shooting live birds. Still, doves offer a true shooting challenge, and dove hunting serves as a great tune-up for waterfowl seasons to follow.

“Clay targets won’t flare and dart,” he says. “They won’t change their flight paths quickly if you miss with the first shot. Live birds will do these things, and they will help shooters learn to adapt to changing speeds and flight paths.”

Aug 5th Chipotle Duck Burgers

By Scott Leysath

Chipotle peppers made a big splash on the national scene several years ago, and their popularity hasn’t slowed down a bit. For those who have been afraid to ask, a chipotle pepper is just an overripe jalapeño pepper that’s been smoked for several days until dry. You can make your own out of fresh jalapeño peppers, but it’s much easier to buy them either dried or canned.

The canned variety is usually packed in thick adobo sauce, which is a relatively mild sauce until you add the jalapeños. Then things heat up quite a bit, so go easy on the adobo sauce until you’ve figured out how much you can handle. Adding additional sauce after the initial taste test is simple. Toning down a too-hot burger will require more meat to tame the heat.

Making burgers out of trimmed, skinless duck breast fillets is easier than you might think. If you have a meat grinder, that’ll do. But all you really need is a food processor- or, in a pinch, a good sharp knife. Note that this recipe calls for ground pork added to the mix. You can make the burgers without the pork, but they will be drier and more likely to fall apart. Fatty ground beef (20 percent fat) can also be substituted for the pork, but it won’t taste quite as good, at least to me.

Resist the urge to make Flintstones-size burger patties. The bigger the burger, the better the chance that it’ll be burned on the outside before it’s medium-rare and juicy on the inside. If you must build a bigger burger, turn the heat down so that it cooks a little slower, giving the center a chance to cook before the outside is overcooked.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: Less than 10 minutes

Makes: 6 burgers, about 8 ounces each

Ingredients

3 cups (packed) skinless duck breast fillets, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 pound ground pork
1/3 cup yellow onion, finely diced
1/4 cup red bell pepper, seeded and minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 or 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/3 teaspoon table salt)
6 slices pepper jack cheese
6 hamburger buns
Lettuce, thick-sliced tomato, and sliced red onion

Directions

• Place cubed duck in a food processor and pulse a few times until the meat is roughly pea-sized. Be careful not to overprocess the meat. It should be a little lumpy.
• In a large bowl, combine processed duck with ground pork, onion, bell pepper, garlic, chipotle peppers, breadcrumbs, black pepper, and salt. Mix together well with your hands. Form into 6 equal-size balls and press them into patties about 1-inch thick.
• Place patties on a well-oiled medium-hot grill or in a skillet. Brown one side, about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip patties over; cook another 2 to 3 minutes. Top each with cheese and cook until cheese is melted and burger reaches desired doneness. Serve in buns with lettuce, tomato, and red onion.

Aug 5th Retriever Training – Retrieving to Hand

By Gary Koehler

Having trained his first retriever some 40 years ago, Mike Stewart knows dogs. He follows a specific training regimen while raising and handling British Labradors at Wildrose Kennels (uklabs.com) near Oxford, Mississippi. Some of his methods differ from techniques employed by other dog trainers, but they work for him. Proof is in the finished product. Included among his long list of fine retrievers are Ducks Unlimited mascots Drake and Deke.

Stewart strives to produce what he calls “gentlemen’s gun dogs.” But do not misinterpret that description. His Labs are full of get-up-and-go and are always ready to get down and dirty when in the field. He eschews the use of shock collars and does not submit his retrievers to the rigors of force-fetching. Applying little pressure, he nurtures their education in a controlled and positive environment.

When asked how to handle a retriever that stops short during a retrieve, or dillydallies after picking up the bird, Stewart has some sage advice. “When I hear from people that their dog is not completing the delivery, one of the first things I ask is what’s going on at home,” Stewart says. “If they’re playing games with the dog, like tug-of-war, or giving them toys to play with, I tell them to pick that stuff up and take those things away.

“Dogs can become very possessive. Toys and chew things promote possessiveness,” he adds. “You don’t want to get that started in a pup. Once the pup gets older and you start hunting him, he just might figure that the bird he goes out to retrieve is his, not yours.”

The only chewable objects Stewart provides his pups are those approved for dental care-and only when the dog is in its crate. Indiscriminate chewing, he says, may also lead to “hard mouth,” a related problem that sometimes results in chewed-up birds.

“I always look at everything that cuts across the board,” Stewart says. “You can’t have dogs doing one thing in one spot and expect them to do something else in another. Dogs are creatures of habit. If they are chewing or mouthing while in training, I say let’s fix it here, not in the field.”

The size and texture of training bumpers are important factors to consider when introducing dogs to retrieving. Stewart uses natural-textured canvas or fire hose and cork bumpers. “These have the feel of a bird when picked up,” he says. “I start with larger bumpers, because these are not so enticing to chew, and they add volume to the carry. Plastic bumpers are easier for dogs to chew on and are unnatural.”

Stewart also puts game bird feathers-chukar, pheasant, or duck-on the bumper. The feathers are attached to one side of the bumper with a strand of tape around the middle. When the dog picks up the bumper, he has feathers in his mouth, so he starts getting used to feathers.

Stewart gradually switches to smaller bumpers and adds feathers accordingly, but never too many too soon. This way, the dog becomes accustomed to the feathers, does not chew them, and learns that this feathery object is to be brought to the handler. The transition to actual birds (including frozen fowl used during training) becomes that much easier.

The dog is then conditioned to hold objects. Stewart places the dog on an elevated platform and uses pressure-point manipulation-a massage, if you will-to relax the animal. A wooden dowel is gently placed in the dog’s mouth and the “hold” command is given.

“It’s all done using a positive technique,” says Stewart, who this fall will introduce a new training book (Sporting Dog and Retriever Training the Wildrose Way). “It’s easy to apply once you know where the points are that get the dog to relax. The dog will hold the dowel all day. We’ll reinforce this skill when the dog is seated on the ground, condition him to hold the dowel while heeling, and eventually move to water.”

When the conditioning is done properly, “hold” means hold, and the bird is delivered to the handler. No more dallying. No more stopping short. Mission accomplished.

Aug 5th Get Ready for Duck Season

(Reprinted from Ducks Unlimited)

When the early morning sun burns white-hot, it’s hard to imagine there will ever be an end to summer. In the thick of it, the humid days drone on as relentlessly as the cicadas, but somewhere beyond the northern horizon lies the promise of a new season. A new autumn. A first cold front. Another opening day.

Though we can’t see it coming for the summer haze, another duck season is fast approaching. There’s much to be decided, and much work to be done. Blinds, decoys, calls, boats, dogs-all must be in top form by opening morning. It’s no easy task, but nothing worthwhile ever is. In that spirit, here are a few suggestions, or more likely reminders, to help with all the planning and preparations. Surely, you have some preseason rituals of your own to add to our list as well.

Enjoy the work, or at least go at it with joyful determination. You’ll know it was worth every bit of sweat and worry when that first flock banks to your call, and the season begins.

1. Make a Plan for the Season

For many of the key components of our lives, we have a plan. We plan a career, plan our family’s financial stability, and ultimately plan the disposition of our wealth and possessions after we have hopefully moved on to an eternity of autumn winds and cupped wings. Successful duck hunting-certainly a key component of life-also requires a plan. A good one, thoughtfully devised.

Last season is the best starting point for planning this season. If you keep a waterfowling journal, review last duck season objectively. Try to determine which hunting spots produced under what weather conditions. Which spot is best on a storm front, and, conversely, where should you be when the weather is clear and calm? Which option is best when it rains, snows, or freezes?

What is the river stage reading that correlates with good hunting in your bottomland hardwood flat? Factor in all the variables, and you’ll have a plan that will put you in the right spot at the right time most mornings during duck season.

If you have only one hunting spot, know the conditions under which it is most productive, and resolve to be there on those days. The goal of your preseason planning should be to maximize hunting opportunities as weather and water conditions change.

2. Dust Off Your Duck Call

At the end of last season, your calling never sounded better, and the birds responded as if mesmerized-at least, that’s the way you remember it. To pick up just where you left off last winter, you’ll need some practice prior to opening day.

As a starting point, clean your calls and inspect the reed. If you hunt three or four days a week, consider starting each season with a fresh reed or reed set. Expensive calls should be sent back to the call maker for new reeds. Otherwise, try installing and tuning the new reeds yourself (see “On Call” in the March/April 2000 issue of Ducks Unlimited). If you intend to buy a new duck call from one of the major mail-order catalogs, place your order as early as possible; a backorder notice holds little value on opening morning.

With your old or new call now tuned to perfection, practice as often as you can prior to duck season. A good approach is to find a place outdoors where you can practice calling at normal volume levels and then tape yourself, comparing your calling to recordings of live ducks (Nature’s Call, 888-254-7000; Game Call Technology, 800-801-0911).

When you practice, do so with purpose. Don’t just call randomly. Instead, make your practice sessions as realistic as possible by calling as if you are working a flock of ducks. Imagine the birds turning to your highballs, locking up on your greeting calls and feeding chatter, veering off but turning back to a comeback series. Practice with a purpose, and you’ll be more effective on opening day.

3. Give Your Shotgun a Checkup

At season’s end, most waterfowlers break out their best gun cleaning supplies-a rag and spray bottle of gun oil-and treat their loyal duck guns to a good rub down before retiring them to the cabinet. By the end of duck season, however, most shotguns have endured considerable abuse and are due for a serious checkup.

A first step, of course, is a thorough cleaning. If you have access to a small compressed air tank, use it to blow powder residue and other grime out of the trigger assembly and receiver. Then treat all metal surfaces with a light coating of high-quality gun lubricant. (Some shotguns with complex mechanisms-the A5 and BPS immediately come to mind-should be fully disassembled and cleaned only by a gunsmith.)

While your shotgun is disassembled, check for excessively worn or damaged parts, and have them replaced by a gunsmith. If your autoloader’s stock spent a considerable amount of time in water last season, ask a gunsmith to check the action spring for rust. A rusty, gummed-up action spring will cause some autoloaders to cycle slowly or malfunction in cold weather.

Lastly, before opening day, double-check to be certain your gun’s factory magazine plug is installed, and if you have had repair work done, test fire your shotgun to verify that it is cycling properly.

4. Hone Your Shooting Skills

Once your shotgun has a clean bill of health, you should put it to good use before the season starts. For duck hunters, sporting clays is a godsend, offering much more realistic targets than either trap or skeet. At many courses, a round of sporting clays or five-stand isn’t cheap, but it makes for an entertaining afternoon with friends and will definitely improve your shooting skills.

If possible, try to shoot sporting clays with your duck gun. Remember, you’re not shooting for a high score here; the idea is simply to get back on target. Also, let the range operator know if you are not an avid sporting clays shooter. Many facilities have different shooting stands at each station for novice, intermediate, and advanced shooters.

Practicing range estimation will also improve your wingshooting efficiency this fall. One easy way to practice involves taking a range finder with you while fishing or hiking.

Practice judging the distance of trees at typical shooting ranges, and check your accuracy with the range finder. A coincidence range finder, which costs as little as $40, is all you need for this exercise; laser range finders are a little easier to use, but more expensive.

5. Touch Up the Rig

When it comes to decoys, duck hunters fall into two categories: those who enjoy repairing and repainting decoys, and those who simply buy new ones to replace the shabby or sinking decoys in their rig at the end of the season. Whichever camp you fall into, now is the time to get your decoys in working order.

If you’re in the “buy new” category, place your order as early as possible; the big catalog companies sometimes sell out of decoys quickly and have trouble getting more in stock.

Hunters who repair and repaint plastic decoys should first remove weathered paint with a stiff brush. Then seal any pellet holes with epoxy, and paint the decoy with a good primer. Herter’s sells decoy paint kits for most species, and Wing Supply (800-388-9464) offers Parker decoy paints, an old favorite of many waterfowlers.

In addition, be sure to inspect your existing rig for dry-rotted or frayed anchor lines. With new decoys, buy top quality decoy cord and take care in tying your knots. Some hunters prefer tying the cord to large snap swivels and then attaching them to the keel and anchor. With plastic decoy lines such as Tanglefree (800-982-4868), tie to the keel using a tight double overhand knot, or try the company’s special plastic clips designed for this use.
6. Revive Your Retriever
Hard to imagine that same yellow dog sprawled on your kitchen floor was just months ago an awesome force in the duck marsh. He will be this season, too, with just a little summertime work.

A primary concern should be getting your pup in peak physical condition. Long walks and lots of water retrieves will help keep him toned up through the summer. Water work not only serves as excellent exercise, but also keeps your dog enthusiastic about retrieving.

During hot weather, land drills are best done late in the evening. If you are working a trained, experienced retriever, focus on drills that reinforce steadying, lining, hand signals, and multiple retrieves. Try to build up the time you spend on land drills gradually; too much at once can dampen a dog’s fervor for his work. Just 30 minutes of drills every evening are enough to put most retrievers back on the road to glory.

In many states, September seasons for doves, teal, and resident Canada geese offer great early opportunities for your retriever to get back in action. Summer temperatures often prevail well into September, so remember to take plenty of fresh water afield for your dog, and to allow him to cool off in the water or shade occasionally.

7. Whatever Floats Your Boat

In duck hunting, there’s no such thing as a free ride. The fare for safe passage to your blind this season is a Saturday afternoon devoted to routine maintenance on your boat, motor, and trailer. First on your list should be an inspection of the boat. If the hull is aluminum, check it for stress damage near welds or rivets and for wear spots on the chines and bottom.

If your johnboat doesn’t have plywood flooring, you may have to paint the deck every few years. When the paint wears off, the deck’s bare aluminum will gleam in the sunlight, possibly flaring ducks. Some duck hunters are using the new polyurethane spray-on bedliners for this job. These products, available at auto parts stores, produce a textured, non-slip surface that is waterproof and helps dampen noise.

Run your outboard well before the duck season to assess if major repairs are needed. If it is running poorly, have a qualified mechanic service your motor. Otherwise, you can do much of the routine maintenance yourself. First, buy a flush kit from a marine dealer and flush out your motor. Then, drain and refill the lubricant in the lower unit. Install a new set of spark plugs, and lubricate fittings and moving parts.

Also, remember to inspect the gas tank for rust or leaks, and check the gas line and fittings for leaks. Make sure you start the season with fresh fuel. Try out your running lights and other safety equipment. Buy new life vests if yours are badly weathered. Test your trailer lights, lubricate your Bearing Buddies, and replace the winch line if it is frayed or damaged.

8. Secure Your Hunting Spots

At the end of every season, smart private-land duck hunters lay the groundwork for next season. They find an appropriate way to show their thanks to landowners, and let them know whether they hope to hunt on their property again next duck season.

Some finalize the details then; others wait until summer. Either way, it’s important to keep in touch with the landowner throughout the spring and summer, not only to maintain a positive relationship, but also to keep informed of any land management or farming changes that might impact your hunting spot.

Say, for instance, one of your best spots, a beaver pond, sits in a large tract of hardwoods. During the summer, the landowner decides to harvest all the timber on one side of the pond. Ducks may not be attracted to the pond anymore, so spending some time over the summer investigating other beaver ponds might be wise. The sooner you know about land-use changes that could impact existing hunting spots, the more time you’ll have to explore other options.

In some states, permanent blinds must be licensed before each duck season. Existing blinds generally receive priority status, but only if the hunter buys and displays the appropriate license by a certain deadline. Obviously, this is one deadline you don’t want to miss. Put a reminder in your day planner, or affix a note to your refrigerator.

9. Spruce Up Your Duck Blind

Building a better duck blind is all about having the right perspective-that of a duck in flight rather than your own earthbound view. Think back over last season. If circling ducks frequently appeared to shy away from your blind, you may want to make some changes.

If, for instance, birds often landed wide of your blind, maybe you should rethink your brushing strategy, modify the width of the shooting box, lower the overall height of the blind, or possibly even relocate it. (Sometimes ducks land around the next bend in the creek simply because that particular spot-even though only 80 yards from your decoys-naturally appeals to them.) Now is the time to decide what, if any, changes should be made, and to get on with the work.

If you hunt from a boat blind like the Avery Quick Set (800-333-5119), be sure to inspect the camouflage panels for damage, leaving enough time before opening day to purchase new ones. If stored properly after each duck season, these camo panels should provide many years of use.

10. Get in a Duck Hunting State of Mind

As the hot summer days grow a little shorter, a subtle crispness in the night air pushes your thoughts northward-to the pothole country. You imagine mallards by the thousands feeding in the barley, fattening up for the journey soon to come.

It seems an eternity ago when you watched the sun set on another duck season, but now the dawn of a new one is close at hand. And, just like last year, you’re thankful to be a part of this again, waiting on the first cold fronts, anticipating the first flock-wings cupped, greenheads colorful as autumn-dropping into the decoys.

Slowly, you are returning to a duck hunting state of mind. Here are some suggestions to make the anticipation all the sweeter.

• Reread your favorite waterfowling stories. Gordon MacQuarrie, Gene Hill, Nash Buckingham, Norm Strung-they (and others) will refuel your passion for birds, decoys, dogs, and all things waterfowling. A few personal favorites: Strung’s “Bayman’s Solstice”; MacQuarrie’s “Nervous Breakdown,” “Pothole Guys, Friz Out,” and “Make Mine Bluebills”; Hill’s “Geese and Men” and “Martin”; and Buckingham’s “What Rarer Day.”

• Get involved in your local DU community. Ask the committee chairman how you might play a role in making this year’s event the most successful ever. Volunteering your time and skills for the benefit of the resource not only engenders great personal satisfaction, but also opens the door to new friendships with others who enjoy the outdoors.

• One final way to get in a duck hunting frame of mind: Watch great waterfowling action in classic North American settings on DU TV. Of course, most of us will be working on duck blinds (or fishing), training retrievers (or fishing), or searching for new hunting spots (or fishing) on Saturday mornings over the next few weeks, so this might be a good time for the kids to explain how to program the VCR.

Posted in Hunting News by perrydale