I wanted to try my hand at waterfowl hunting for a few years. Living in Massachusetts, procuring the appropriate paperwork to exercise the most mild form of my second amendment rights wasn’t the most expedient process. Add in a pandemic, and what I planned on doing in 2019 didn’t materialize until this fall.
This past week I finally got out. It was, as anticipated, excellent.
Immediately I began to think about all of the things I didn’t know about hunting ducks. For as often as I am in the woods fly fishing, hiking, and camping, I was now doing something completely different. Still, there were some points of continuity between my sporting pursuits that made me feel like I wasn’t starting at square one.
Whether it is hunting ducks or getting into another new outdoor activity, being familiar with fly fishing will reveal some deficiencies and also bring some advantages. Here are two things that I need to work on, and two things that fly fishing has prepared me for, as I get into waterfowl hunting:
I’m Working on my Skill
I’m not an expert marksman, but I break my fair share of clays. I also know that there is a big difference between yelling pull in controlled conditions and swinging through a bird that appears suddenly after swelling anticipation. And while there is a lot more that goes into hunting than being able to take a shot, it is an essential piece of the puzzle. Just like setting a hook is something that can’t be practiced until it is in play, pulling a trigger requires actual in the field experience. That takes time, patience, and consistency.
I’ve Worked on the Woods
If you spend your time outdoors, you probably take for granted the fact that you get how to be outside. Simple things like moving through the brush, navigating a game trail, or quickly assessing water depth are common sense actions that are actually developed over time. Walking and wading inconspicuously for fly fishing is a great first step for quietly and efficiently moving around for hunting. Being effective outdoors often means understanding where you are in relation to, and how you’re impacting, the natural world around you.
I’m Working on the Gear
Even with 25 years of browsing Cabela’s catalogs under my belt, I still don’t have a functional knowledge of duck hunting gear. My fascination with fly fishing equipment has me feeling totally uninitiated when it comes to calls, decoys, and even camo patterns. At the same time, I’ve fished (and accumulated) enough to know that there are truly “needs” and “wants.” This is informing the choices I’ll make as I buy (or don’t buy) the essentials that will keep me focused on the most important things for a beginner.
I’ve Worked on my Senses
Paying attention outdoors sharpens observational skills that will translate to whatever you’re doing. Training your eyes and ears to spot insects fluttering and hear trout rising inevitably means you’ll perceive more. You see currents when kayaking, hear critters in the underbrush while hiking, and sense what you need to sense while sporting. This means that I might not be able to quickly identify a duck species at first light, but I’ll see it coming against a dark background. I might not be where I should be, but if I hear wings behind me I can turn in the direction they’re heading.
*For those in the know: The Atlantic Flyway limits a hunter to one mallard hen a day. Only one of the ducks above is mine.
The LeTort was a seasonal stream growing up in Carlisle. Most think of it as a trout stream exclusively. I give that a hardy yes, and more. The fall brought duck, pheasant (when there was still an ample wild population to hunt) and dove hunting in and around the water. Many of the lush meadows thrived with Ringneck Pheasants or as they should be more aptly called, Chinese Pheasants. You can imagine my surprise when stationed in Korea in the mid 90s in seeing Ringnecks when we were completing field exercises! Doves need gravel for their crops to grind the food they eat and what better sources of gravel than areas in and around limestone quarries. After ingesting gravel and food, doves then head for a water source. Add to this the winter season, where trapping was a normal function on the multi-functional LeTort. Muskrats were the mainstay of our endeavor, but add an occasional raccoon or possum which were not big money makers but considered furbearers nonetheless.
Thanks for sharing!
I spent enough time around folks that were fishing, hunting, and trapping outside of Carlisle to hear all these stories. It was always fascinating, considering how narrow the options are today.