Finally!

Wow, it’s been a long time since my last field journal entry.  The reason for this is simply that there hasn’t been much to write about since my last entry on setting up stands.  To make a long story short, the beginning of my archery season has been poor.  The deer sightings on stand were low (2 deer up until the 24th) and there just wasn’t much happening.  That’s not to say I wasn’t hunting around deer.  There was plenty of sign and I had actually bumped deer on my way to stand a couple of times, but I just couldn’t seem to get close to them at the right time.  Well, finally that all changed.
To start the story, I have to go back to about the same time last year.  My cousin Jason hung a last minute stand on a hunch to intercept a buck traveling from his bedding area to a corn field along a thicket.  I was skeptical of this stand, but he was correct on his hunch and found himself within 5 yards of a nice 8 point.  His shot sailed a little high due to the extreme angle.  For the record, in my opinion, this is one of the toughest ethical shots in archery, but it was all he had and was all he was going to get.  We found his arrow.  There was no blood and a couple tiny chunks of flesh and streaks of fat on it.  We did find a few drops of blood on his trail but that was it.  We backed out and Jason spent the whole next morning and part of the afternoon looking for that deer.  It has always been our belief that no matter how “mild” the hit is, we try to exhaust all avenues to either recover the deer or know he will survive the ordeal.

My uncle who helped with the recovery - thanks Junior!

My father, who helped me look for this guy the night before - thanks Dad.

Now we fast forward to this fall.  We set a stand for my uncle about 5 yards off an apple tree between a swamp and a winter wheat/corn field.  The stand was very “tight” with visibility at about 15 yards max.  The furthest shot in that stand would be 12 yards max and that is just to the left side.  This stand would be tough to get a shot off, but the sign around the apple tree definitely made us feel it was worth setting up on.
Last week I hunted a morning in this same area but in a different spot.  As I was pulling off the road at my hunting spot, I saw a very nice 8 point feeding under an apple tree right beside my truck.  I was asking myself (and whining a little) why I couldn’t run into him with a bow in my hand during the daytime.   Little did I know my wish would come true.

This is where he lay - only 80 yards from the stand.

On October 24th, I was on my way to one of the areas we hunt and called my cousin as I usually do when he isn’t hunting with me.  I was thinking of going to another area, and Jason persisted I go to the apple tree stand.  We had talked about it before, but that stand was just a little too “tight” for my preferences.  Though the deer were hitting this apple tree hard, there were no good places to hang a stand where you could actually see.   I really didn’t have a better place to hunt and I halfheartedly agreed to hunt “the apple tree stand”.  As I was walking back to the stand, I was not the most confident hunter in PA.  I felt I had a good chance of seeing deer but felt luck had to be on my side to get a shot.  After sitting a few hours in my stand asking myself what I am doing here, prime time rolled around.  It was a beautiful evening with a light wind blowing back out to the field and at about 5:30 pm I saw him.  He was about 15 yards out in the brush heading toward the apple tree.  I drew my bow immediately, and he continued to the edge of the brush.  At about 8 yards he stopped and looked up.  He was standing at a very slight quarter and was doing the head bob... He had me pegged.

At this time I knew the gig was about up, so I found an opening to his chest, relaxed and let the arrow go.  I didn’t see the hit, but felt the shot was true.  He immediately bolted back into the brush crashing the whole way through the swamp.  I remember listening for the final crash and thrash, but he kept going full speed until I couldn’t hear him anymore.  I got down after about 15 minutes and looked for my arrow or any sign of a hit.  I couldn’t find any sign, so I backed out and got help from my father.  About 3 hours later we went back in with flashlights and tried to find any sign around where I shot the deer, but to no avail.  I felt we should back out, and I would continue the search at first light the next morning.  After a sleepless night, and doubting myself and what I had done, I met my uncle the next morning and we continued the search.  We started by trying, one final time, to find the arrow or sign around the shot sight, and then started to walk trails through the swamp looking for blood.  At this point, I went back to my stand and went directly to where I had last heard the buck crashing through the swamp.  We walked the swamp out to open woods which broke into a creek bottom.  I was looking up and down the creek and spotted his blood trail.  My uncle came over and we decided I’d better go back and get my bow.  I went back to get my bow and as I was returning my uncle called to me.  I knew what this meant and was pumped to see my buck laying stacked up at my uncles feet not 20 yards from where I saw the blood trail (I never looked up to see him laying there).  He ended up making it about 80 yards from the stand before falling.

I am much happier now with this guy in my hands!

Photo of the old wound from the year before

After looking him over, we found there was no exit hole, and the entrance was high on the rib cage due to the steep angle of the shot.  I’m not sure why the arrow didn’t pass through, but I can only speculate that I hit a little brush right in front of him.  This caused the lack of blood trail and was the reason we couldn’t find the arrow.  The broadhead took out both lungs and we figured the buck expired quickly.   This made me feel much better as I doubted myself many times throughout the night.  Also we found an old wound right on top of the bucks back, perfectly in line with his vitals.  There is little doubt this was the same deer my cousin hit last year.  Even though we knew the buck was fine, Jason was relieved to see that he was healthy and thrived for another year.
Again thanks to my uncle, father and cousin for making this a successful hunt.

Good luck and take care

Mike Bell

The Briar Patch Bruiser

Last Saturday, I headed to Clarion County for my last archery hunt of the ’07 season. It was my final hunt because, like several years past, I had plans to leave for Colorado for an elk hunt the first week of November and would miss the final two weeks of the season. It’s always a tough decision to leave the state during the peak of the rut, but I’ve always believed that I should never pass up a chance to hunt the western states if the opportunity arises. Even so, I had a harder time dealing with my upcoming departure this year due to several nice bucks that I had spotted in my hunting areas. Still, I realized that a shot opportunity could come at anytime, so I was optimistic about my last day in the treestand.

I knew that a lot of hunters would be in the woods for the opening of turkey season, so I got to my stand early so I would be well ahead of them. The stand I chose was situated along a thick funnel of briars between two bedding areas. I assumed that turkey hunters would be hunting the adjacent oak ridges, and I hoped that they might push deer into the thicket below. Plus, I thought the colder weather might get the bucks moving and figured they would travel through the funnel in search of does.

Despite my initial optimism, the gusting wind and steady rain dampened my spirits as I sat in the darkness pondering whether I could actually endure an entire day in the tree if the conditions didn’t improve. Not willing to give up my final chance at the nice bucks I’d been seeing, I covered my video camera with a Gore-tex hat and pulled my collar up around my ears.

Here’s a look at my video set-up, complete with a fluid head to help make panning shots smoother; An inquisitive squirrel came down my tree for a closer look.

The first hour of daylight brought nothing to my stand except an inquisitive squirrel who just couldn’t decide whether I was friend or foe. It came within about four feet of my head before going about its business of gathering a winter’s supply of acorns. The squirrel’s activities gave me hope that the deer might also be on the move.

Shortly after eight o’clock, the wind died down and the rain ended. I decided the calm period might be the perfect time to do some calling. I began with a few soft grunts, keeping a close eye on the thicket to my downwind side. After the grunts yielded no results, I pulled out my rattle bag. I rolled the fake tines together for about thirty seconds and followed up with more grunts. Then I picked up my bow and continued scanning the underbrush for movement.

I hadn’t finished searching the entire perimeter around my tree when I heard what I thought were several grunts behind me. I wasn’t positive, so I decided to grunt back to verify the noises. I let out a short grunt and was immediately answered by an unmistakable series of loud grunts. I mimicked the buck with several louder grunts of my own and slid the call back in my pocket. The buck began grunting continuously, and I could hear brush crashing as he approached. I finally caught sight of his huge gray body bounding through the briars toward my stand. I could also make out several thick, heavy tines smacking the brush has he closed the distance to about 40 yards. I came to full draw and waited for him to enter my shooting lane.

At a little over 30 yards, he stopped broadside in the opening, and I sent the arrow on its way. It entered high above the buck’s front shoulder and he bolted, trying to circle back the direction he had come. He staggered badly and after about 50 yards, he vanished in a dense patch of briars. I was convinced the hit was solid, but I wasn’t sure the buck was down for good.

That’s me trying my best to stay calm; I’m very glad I was harnessed to the tree!

I have to apologize to the PSP readers, because I was unable to capture this buck on video. His charging approach left me little time to draw and aim my bow, much less position and focus the camera. I did turn the camera on after the shot, but I’ll admit that most of that footage is filled with excited stuttering and a lot of rambling while I passed the time until I thought it was safe to pursue the buck.

Bright red blood in the wet leaves confirmed that I’d made a good lung hit.

When I finally got out of the tree, I was delighted to find plenty of bright red blood on the ground where the buck had been standing when I shot. I also recovered my arrow about 10 yards into the blood trail. It had passed completely through the buck, but the rear of the arrow didn’t make it out of the opposite shoulder, and the shaft had snapped right in front of the fletching. Knowing I had a low exit wound gave me added confidence, and I slowly crept toward the thick briar patch where the buck had disappeared.

The recovered arrow was missing its fletching and nock; The fixed blades held up well on the big whitetail despite exiting through the opposite shoulder blade.

I kept my bow at the ready just in case the buck hadn’t expired, but as I neared the dense green thicket, I caught sight of two tall tines and a heavy beam sticking up from the forest floor. The buck was down for good! I was overcome with joy and relief that I’d made a good shot despite having to shoot so quickly.

The blood trail was heavy where the buck crossed a small creek; The downed buck in a thick blackberry patch.

As I finally stood over the buck, I was amazed at his body size. He was easily twice as big as any deer I’d harvested before. The smell of his pungent tarsal glands was heavy in the humid air. I wrestled him from the tangle of briars to get a better look at his thick antlers. The right beam contained a unique triple fork that was palmated at the base. I was ecstatic, but I was also concerned about getting the giant whitetail to my truck, which was about a half mile away. I started making phone calls to see if any of my friends could give me a hand if they weren’t out hunting themselves.

A view of the palmated right beam

I was a very happy hunter after finally getting to hold the heavy antlers.

As luck would have it, my friend Jake had harvested a turkey earlier in the morning and said he could meet me in a few minutes. A couple of cell phone messages including a photo of the buck’s heavy antlers prompted two more of my buddies to volunteer their help. When the drag crew got a look at the buck, everyone decided that we should find out the live weight of the brute, so we postponed field dressing it until we could weigh it on Jake’s scales. I didn’t keep track, but I’m guessing it took the four of us about an hour to get the buck out of the creek bottom.

The creaking scale stopped just shy of 255lbs; The drag crew was glad to have the bruiser out of the woods…I owe you one, guys!

Back at Jake’s house, everyone offered their best guess of how heavy the buck would be as we excitedly hoisted it out of the truck. I stood in disbelief as the scale settled at 253lbs! After we skinned the buck, his neck measured 25 ½” at the smallest point. I hadn’t really considered it before, but the guys convinced me to get him mounted since he was so heavy and had a unique rack.

You couldn’t have removed that smile with a 2x4!

The events of that day are still running through my mind, and I almost can’t believe how they unfolded. Sometimes it’s just a matter of being in the right place at the right time, and a little luck goes a long way. I’m leaving for Colorado in the morning and I can only hope that my good fortune might continue with the elk in the mountains. I know, I’m asking an awful lot. I just pinched myself and I’m still awake. Good luck to everyone during the rut and I can’t wait to hear how you all did when I get back. Hopefully, I’ll have some good photos and stories to share too. Watch your top knots!

Prepare for the Unexpected...

You can never be too prepared for the unexpected.

Along with our yellow lab, Drake, we have a 5 year old German Shorthair Pointer named Molly. Molly loves to upland bird hunt and her athletic ability and nose are astounding!

With the PA season opener of pheasant approaching we wanted to get Molly out a little more and decided to take her waterfowl hunting with us the week of duck season. As every dog owner knows the best training for a dog is in the field. Plus it helps with stamina and exposure. On this particular day, it became one of a dog owner’s worst-case scenarios. An injury in the field can be devastating to you as an owner and to the dog who is all heart, loves what they do, and can’t understand why they aren’t able to continue their run, chase or retrieve.

Molly was chasing down a wood duck that Don’s son had shot. On her way back we noticed her limping. We thought perhaps she hyper-extended her leg on a rock. A close inspection revealed that she had a laceration on the front left pad of her foot. The cold water did help contain some of the bleeding but our hunt for the day ended in order to return home and take care of one of our devoted and loved hunting companions. We returned home and washed the laceration out with iodine and water. Then applied an antibiotic ointment.

Molly training at the Lake.

Prior to this I had discussed with Don that we should have or make up a first aid kit for the dogs and us for that matter in case of an emergency in the field. Perhaps we would not have to use it but I would rather be prepared and not use it than not be perpared and need it. Well, I never got around to it before the injury occurred to Molly. Needless to say we now have a first aid kit that is carried in our vehicle.I got on line that day and ordered a kit from Cabela’s. The “Sporting Dog First Aid Kit”. Not only does this kit include items directed specifically for our canine companions, but it can be beneficial for us as well. The kit includes:

• A first aid book for dogs, Skin staple gun


• Cold pack, Hydrogen peroxide


• Eye wash, Thermometer


• Flexible cohesive wrap


• Alcohol prep pads


• Gauze pads & 3 ply towels


• Iodine solution, Saline solution


• Stainless steel scissors & Forceps


• Surgical scrub brush & syringe


• Hydrocortisone cream & first aid ointment


• Cotton swabs & cotton balls


• Latex gloves and Iodine pads

Footpad injuries can be very serious for dogs. Especially if not treated properly. Depending on the severity, it may be necessary to seek Veterinary care. Whether the cut is mild or severe they should be taken care of immediately. Cleaning and bandaging to stop the bleeding is foremost. Down time, although is both hard for your dog and you not to have them tag along in the field, is probably the MOST important of all treatments. Should the pad not heal correctly, it can cause prolonged downtime and a list of other trickle down effects as serious as tendon and ligament problems. As a dog’s downtime is extended so is the conditioning which can impede performance. A pad that is not healed fully can reopen, become deeper, infected or even worse, and NEVER heal correctly.

Unfortunately, Molly missed the opening day of pheasant season this year. She is recovering with an ointment salve and very limited activity. Her pad is healing up pretty good but still is a little sore. We would love to have her out in the field this Fall for pheasants but at the same time don’t want to cause any serious damage or have her re-injure her foot. We would rather be safe than sorry, so we may have to wait until January to take her out for grouse.

So, do yourself a favor...if you don’t have a first aid kit, you owe it to yourself and you’re canine to be prepared for the unexpected. Fortunately this incident wasn’t life threatening for Molly. But a kit could help save your dog’s life or even your own.

Until next time! Teresa

Molly and I on a previous pheasant hunt.

Second Week Success! (Includes Video)

I’m sure most of you will agree that the cooler weather at the end of last week was a welcome change from the scorching heat of opening week. Lately, the temperatures have started to feel like it’s actually October instead of July. The cold nights have deer activity on the rise, and in my neck of the woods, rubs and scrapes have been popping up everywhere.

Last Wednesday, I was a little late leaving the office and I debated the wisdom of rushing out to the treestand and possibly spooking deer that had already left their beds to feed. I’ve been carrying my video camera with me on most of my hunts, so it takes a little longer for me to get set up than most hunters. Not wanting to pass up the optimum weather conditions, I opted to check out a white oak stand near my house where I could sneak in quickly.

Click here to watch the video of this hunt


The steady west wind was perfect for my stand location along the eastern edge of the oaks. I climbed the tree and attached my video camera to the custom mounting arm I built from a Realtree EZ hanger and an old tripod head. My camera only weighs about a pound, and this system supports it well and is small enough that I can carry it in a large coat pocket.

I hadn’t been on stand long when I caught movement in the brush to the east. A lone doe was approaching from my downwind side. I muttered to myself in disgust. Not because I wasn’t happy to see the doe, but annoyed that I always seem to find myself upwind from the deer. However, my Medalist gear did its job and the doe continued to feed on acorns as she neared my stand.

The doe feeding on the plentiful white oak acorns; At about 20 yards, she turned and walked straight toward my stand.

Initially, I concentrated on getting good video footage of the doe. But at 20 yards, it was apparent that I needed to let go of the camera and pick up my bow. This transition was not a smooth one and did not go unnoticed by the doe. I froze and did my best impression of an old sugar maple. The doe must have decided my movements came from one of the many squirrels that were bounding through the treetops, because she went back to feeding and continued toward me.

At 10 yards, I knew the doe had walked out of the camera’s sight window. I slowly reached over and adjusted it until she came back into the viewfinder. When I looked up from the camera, my eyes met squarely with the doe’s and I knew she had realized I was no squirrel. She turned and took several quick steps away from me. I came to full draw, hoping that she would stop and turn broadside for a shot. Luckily she did just that, but once again, I couldn’t see her in the camera. Not wanting to let the bow down, I carefully leaned over to the camera arm and clenched the handle in my teeth. I managed to push it just enough to find the doe again in the viewfinder.

The doe made several zigzags trying to identify the source of movement in the forest canopy.

The doe stood motionless, staring intently back at me. My top sight pin automatically settled behind her front shoulder and I let the arrow fly. The broadhead found its mark, as it passed completely through the doe and stuck in the ground behind her. She bolted to the east, and I thought I could hear a crash in the leaves a few seconds later. I tried to regain my composure and double-checked to see if the camera was still recording.

The lighted nock shows the path of the arrow as it left my bow (check out the oscillation!)

The arrow entered slightly to the right of my aiming point.

I thought the hit was good, but it seemed slightly farther back from the shoulder than I would have liked. I remembered being aware of the tree along the left side of my sight window and figured that I’d subconsciously tried to avoid it and pulled the shot a bit to the right. With darkness approaching, I decided to check my arrow, whose lighted nock was beaming back at me from the forest floor. Upon investigation, I discovered that the arrow was covered in bright red blood from a solid lung hit. The heavy blood trail led me about 50 yards to the expired doe. Closer inspection revealed that due to the doe’s slight quartering angle, the arrow had exited just behind the opposite shoulder, and the hit was better than I’d originally thought.

Bright crimson fletchings assured me of a good lung hit

A view of the exit wound that provided an excellent blood trail

I was very glad that this hunt had a happy ending and even more thrilled that I’d managed to record it on film. I couldn’t wait to get home and watch the raw footage to see if the camera was able to capture the flight of the lighted arrow nock. I’m pretty pleased with the results of my solo hunt, but I’ve learned a couple of things from the experience. The first is that I need to invest in a quality tripod head so my camera panning will be a lot smoother. The second is that I need to get AJ behind the camera one of these days. Happy hunting!

I couldn’t ask for a better start to the ’07 season!

Opening Week Meltdown (Includes Video)

The title of this journal entry is appropriate for a couple of reasons. First, and foremost, the opening week of the 2007 archery season was WICKED HOT! As most of you know, it was almost impossible to do any hunting without working up a major sweat. Over the past week, I spent most of my time afield perched near a woodland pond close to some white oaks that were dropping heavily. I was hoping to catch the deer heading to the pond for a drink before they fed on the abundant acorns.

This is the pond near my treestand location for opening week.

My plan worked pretty well and I saw deer on almost all of my hunts. The problem was that they weren’t moving until dusk and shot opportunities were limited. One evening, I saw a good buck just before quitting time, but he was about 50 yards away and the fading light and a lot of brush kept me from seeing just how good he really was. Another night, I actually had a small 6-point bed down about 10 yards from my tree after he filled up on acorns. With the direction of the wind and the amount of sweat pouring off of me, I was surprised that he never caught my scent. I have to say I’m becoming more and more impressed with the performance of the new Medalist gear I’ve been testing this season.

Here’s a big track I found along the edge of the pond; A sunrise view from my treestand on opening morning


A few other items of interest from opening week included my friend, Jake, harvesting a 7-point at 7:10am on opening day. The buck was taken in Clarion County in management unit 2D. Jake made a fine shot and the deer only traveled 50 yards before expiring.

A couple of photos of Jake’s 7-point - one from the harvest site and another from his new, freshly seeded yard.

My hunting partner, AJ, and I also decided to put our trail cameras up on some travel routes a safe distance from where we planned to hunt during the first few weeks of the season. I don’t think the cameras scare deer, but the increased human activity around the cameras wasn’t something we wanted in our core hunting areas. After checking them last week, we were pleased to capture a couple of photos of critters other than deer. A red fox and black bear had both passed by the camera while walking on the same log.

A nice photo of a red fox captured by the trail camera; A black bear decided to walk along the same log that the fox had traveled a couple of weeks earlier.

The other reason for the ‘Meltdown’ title comes from my experience on the opening evening’s hunt with AJ while we attempted to capture footage from one of our video setups. If you read my “Views of Velvet and Antlers Abound” journal entry back in August, you might remember the set of double stands we hung over a well-used stream crossing. This is the spot we were hunting, and it provided some exciting and humorous action.

The pair of stands we set up for filming hunts; AJ predicts the direction the deer would travel.

To fully appreciate the events of this hunt, you have to understand that there aren’t many folks who practice shooting more than AJ. This includes year-round target sessions, winter indoor leagues, and lots of rounds on the summer 3D courses. As a result, he’s a very skilled archer and usually drills any shot out to about 40 yards. That’s why when his arrow fell short of a doe quartering away at 32 yards (we later ranged the distance), we were both a little shocked and couldn’t help but chuckle a bit.

The doe stepping into AJ’s shooting lane just before his arrow sailed low under her belly; AJ just had to laugh after the botched shot.

AJ was a great sport about the ordeal and gave me permission to share the hunt with the PSP readers. In the end, we concluded that the misplaced shot was a result of AJ using his 20 yard sight pin and also a few nervous jitters while being filmed for the first time on an archery hunt. We recovered his arrow and, fortunately, the shot was a clean miss and the deer was unscathed. I think the take home message of this experience is that no matter how much time you spend practicing or visualizing hunting scenarios in your head, maintaining your focus at the moment of truth can be very challenging. There are a lot of little things that need to go right in order to harvest a whitetail, and any small mistake can foil a hunt. The best you can do is eliminate as many potential sources of error as possible and hope for the best. Good luck archers, and may all of your shots find their target!

2007 Youth Waterfowl Day

Like always, our hunting crew had been anxiously awaiting this year’s Youth Waterfowl Day on September 22nd. Word of our annual hunt spread around the neighborhood and lots of folks were interested in attending. At 4:00am, eleven hunters (5 kids and 6 adults) piled into the trucks and headed for our spot near Geneva Swamp in Crawford County. For this trip, we were fortunate to have access to a private parcel of land along a small creek not far from the swamp.

We set out a bunch of floating decoys in the creek channel including woodies, teal, mallards, and a few geese.

We arrived at our destination before dawn and began the chores of setting out the decoys and getting all of the youngsters positioned in makeshift blinds along the creek. This took a good deal of time, but somehow, we were all situated just as the sky began brightening in the east. The anticipation was at its peak, and I’m not sure who was more excited, the kids or the grown-ups!

The girls get ready as a flock of ducks approaches on the horizon; Four wood ducks glide over the treetops.

Soon we heard a distant volley of shotguns from the adjacent swamp. And like we’d hoped, a flock of ducks appeared above the trees headed in our direction. The ducks’ course along the creek and our decoys guided them straight to our hiding spot. At our signal, the kids opened fire and the ducks flared into the streamside timber unscathed. A great deal of chatter and giggling ensued.

Buck is new to duck calling, but what he lacks in ability, he makes up with enthusiasm; Morgan looks unimpressed, either by Buck’s calling or me taking her picture.

More flocks were on the horizon, and the youngsters reloaded as the veteran hunters did some calling. Another group of ducks descended on our spread, and this time, the young hunters were on the mark as they sent two splashing into the creek. We retrieved the colorful pair of drake woodies and congratulated the successful wingshooters.

Brittany and Garret show off some nice wood ducks they harvested; Sara seems pretty content at her post overlooking the water.

At this point, it will be helpful for me to explain to the readers that our hunting gang is notorious for practical jokes and engaging in a variety of mischievous antics. And much to his dismay, Chuck always seems to be the target of our pranks. You see, Chuck has been known to nod off on more than a few hunting trips, and this one was no exception. So, it didn’t go unnoticed to the rest of the crew that he had fallen asleep while precariously perched on his folding stool. A few loud quacks in his ear from AJ on a mallard call were enough to topple him from the stool and sent him rolling into the cockle burrs. After he picked himself up amid our hysterical laughter, he promptly sent the stool sailing into the creek. It was then that he noticed I’d been filming the entire event. I have to give him credit for being a good sport, but he spent the rest of the morning firmly seated on the ground so it couldn’t happen again.

AJ treats Chuck to a rude awakening from a mallard call; Chuck sends his folding stool into the creek.

All jokes aside, the kids enjoyed an excellent morning of wingshooting, and I know the older hunters took pleasure in seeing the youngsters experience their first duck hunt. Some lasting memories were made, and I’ve already had several inquiries about the opening of the regular duck season in a couple of weeks. I’m looking forward to another waterfowl outing and hope everyone will be able to join me. Although I’ll be able to carry my shotgun on our next trip, I won’t mind if I spend most of my time retrieving ducks for the junior hunters and watching them slingin’ steel. Good luck waterfowlers!

Our hunting party for the Youth Waterfowl Day (from left to right) included me, Chuck, Sara, Jake, Samantha, Buck, Morgan, AJ, Brittany, Kurt, and Garret.