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How To Hunt The Duck
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We became expert duck hunters in our younger years.
This poem details how we hunted the ducks out there.
In the Texas Panhandle at Lake Meredith near Amarillo.
Try these methods and you too will do well, I know it’s so.
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Dedicated to my brother Craig who hunted with me.
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How To Hunt The Duck
To build a blind you must use natural vegetation,
So things look so normal with no duck agitation.
So clear a space for hunters to sit to hunt in there,
In deep weeds growing close to the water so near.
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We took a board and blocks to set inside the blind
To keep us off the damp ground to keep dry hinds.
After placing the seat inside, we looked for cover
To hide us well when the ducks did fly right over.
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Loose tumbleweeds were plentiful there by the lake.
So we piled them high in the front and back to make,
The perfect hiding place to hunt ducks, a fine blind.
We built the blind before sunup, a very fine design.
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You can’t see us behind those tumbleweeds can you?
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We unbagged the decoys and waded out to place them,
Putting them in a tight vee facing directly into the wind.
The water was not deep so we could retrieve our ducks,
We were now about ready to try our duck hunting luck.
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This is the decoy set we used hunting Lake Meredith.
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With our special over and under 12 gauge shot guns,
And number 6 shot shells, we sat and waited for the sun.
We were all set up and ready to have some real fun.
The natural blind was cozy as the cold wind it did shun.
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The sun is breaking over the hill behind us feeling warm,
The sky is orange as we wait for the ducks to swarm.
The duck call is ready with the rubber tube on the end,
To warm up I quack a few times our hunting day to begin.
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The shaker duck call we used to call them on into to the decoys.
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Quaaaaaaaaak, quack, quack, quack, quack, quack,
The mallard drake call sounds good here in the out back.
I shake the hose to mimic the mallard duck’s feeding call.
So I keep it going with that special southern duck drawl.
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We see ducks flying a mile high in the gray cloudy sky,
They hear the calls and start to spiral down as they fly.
It’s a big group of about 20 and they’re coming on in,
I soften the calls as they get close so I don’t scare them.
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The Mallards heading on in, get ready, they are here.
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We pick up our shotguns and get ready at this sight.
I say, “you take the ones on the left and I’ll take the right.”
They break their wings on the decoys and we both fire.
Four shots ring out and four mallard drakes were retired.
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You get the ducks on the left and I’ll get the ones on the right.
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As we start to get out of the blind to pick up our duck kill,
Another large group is down from high above the big hill.
I get the call going again and we reload on the fast run,
I can tell these are the fast moving teal, it will be so fun.
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Get ready, here come the teal swooping on in.
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They drop in so fast and swoop right on in to the decoys,
As we rise fast and once more our shotguns do deploy.
Six of the teal fall from the sky right near to our blind.
What a natural high we were feeling there in our minds.
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We had hunted one hour and already had all our ducks
So we packed up and headed on in and loaded the truck.
Those times we had then will always be so special to me.
One of the very favorite of all my golden old memories.
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Try these methods and you too will do well duck hunting,
It’s so much better than just going out there and punting.
You must be on a lake that’s on a major waterfowl flyway.
And must be well hidden with tools to lure them your way
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By Bill
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Thanks for reading How To Hunt The Duck,
Bill