Youth Waterfowl Day

This past weekend was youth waterfowl hunting day in Idaho, during which kids under 16 years of age get the rivers, sloughs and marshes to themselves in an attempt to harvest ducks without the pressure and competition of adult hunters. I took the opportunity to do a little pre-season scouting, and offered my friends' kid the chance to shoot a few ducks.

As a little side note, I'm sorry I didn't take any pictures. My camera is still at the Canon repair center, and I still haven't decided if I want to spend the $100 to get it fixed, or $150 on an upgrade for a refurbished camera.

Anyway, Tristan, Heidi and Danny's 12 year old son took me up on my offer. Danny and Heidi both work Sundays, so Tristan and I were on our own. He bought a new 20 gauge pump Remington this summer and was anxious to try it out on live birds. He even shot some clays last week, and I'm told he did pretty well.

He was the model kid and hunter with me all day yesterday. He did what he was told, was respectful of both myself and the wild life, never complained, and was always safe and aware of what was going on around him. He was also very willing to learn about the sport instead of just going along for the ride. I think also that he was surprised to learn that a trip to the duck blind is much more than just a hunt. He learned he had the opportunity to experience all kinds of non game wildlife (which he expressly appreciated) and the ecosystem. We saw many species of waterfowl, pelicans, hawks, snakes, muskrats, and birds of all sorts. He was quick to point out new things and was very curious about them.

I was concerned about the shooting part. I know that Tristan can be a very intense kid, and I hoped he wouldn't get upset if he wasn't "getting it" right away. He is very athletic and his parents have him in EVERYTHING: football, baseball, skiing, horse 4H (Tristan is an excellent rider and horseman in his own right), pig 4H, ranch horse 4H, and who knows what else. He is very competitive and can take failure hard. I was curious to see how he would handle wing shooting, as it can be very hard and frustrating. Especially with a 20 gauge.

By the time we got to the spot and set up the decoys and blind, it was light and we were covered up with birds. I did not want to start at first light with a new hunter, so it worked out well. Of course the first few shots he missed. The hardest part for him was making the transition from a single shot gun (which he passed onto his sister) to a pump. He had a hard time with the pump action, and sometimes had to be reminded to pump and to reload the gun. Heck, I still sometimes forget to reload and find that "click" when I go to squeeze off a shot at a nice green head. He didn't take any of it hard, and understood that a shotgun was a tool just like any other that takes time to learn how to use effectively and efficiently.

Before too long, that first duck was out of the way! And then another. And then another. Another thing I was pressing on him was how important duck identification is. With split limits and closed seasons on some birds, you'd better know what you are shooting at or you could be looking at a hefty fine. The first two ducks I ID'd for him. Then on the third I pulled out my Le Master Method Waterfowl ID book and told him to go at it and tell me what he had shot. He had a fun time learning how to not only ID ducks based on their physical characteristics (bill size and color, feathers, head shape, wing patterns, feet, etc.) but their flight characteristics and calls. Out on Mud Lake, a hunter can see many species of ducks. Duck ID skills are especially useful on such a place.

Tristan also learned about hawks and raptors, and that there are protected birds that are not to be shot. He learned how to sit still, keep his head down, when to shoot, and most important he really had a feel for the effective range of his gun and did not waste out of range shots. A few things he did naturally really surprised me, like knowing how to focus on a single bird instead of flock shooting, and how to shoot at the head.

In all, he shot a limit of 7 birds on his first ever bird hunt, and came away with 5. Out of the two lost, one was wounded and was a lost cause, and the other I simply just couldn't find in the rushes. Out of the 5 he brought home, he had shot a mallard, a pin tail, a gadwall, and two wigeon. It's really an excellent record for a first hunt, and he only spent two boxes of shells doing it. And yes, I was bird dog all day because I had the waders. It was good exercise for me.

I had fun reconnecting with the lake. I always enjoy a boat ride. And I had a good time with Tristan. I was glad he had a good time and was successful. Hopefully he'll want to go back out for more!