Very incriminating 'article'

[Anatidae]

I haven’t had a chance to read the 2 issues of ‘Wildfowl’ magazine that showed-up in the mailbox, last week. I let my subscription run-out (intentionally) and finally succumbed to the onslaught of ‘final offers’ to renew.

My wife asked me, “Have you read the one about the guy’s first goose hunt?” ”No, I’ve just thumbed through both issues, so far……’haven’t gotten around to reading anything, yet.”

She explained how the guy went hunting for three days and couldn’t really claim but one bird the whole time.

I finally read the article written by an associate editor of the magazine who readily admitted he was a novice…….and was the guest of some well-known waterfowling names. It may have been their way of breaking the ‘new’ guy in, but it’s pretty multi-incriminating testimony.

They hunted 3 days. At the end of the first day, the author (who, I’m sure deserves better treatment than he received) writes…..

”The remainder of the day consisted of a good mix of mallards and geese. There were plenty of opportunities for me to bag my first bird, but my lack of experience coupled with my inability to get my shotgun up quick enough, I never had a chance. I was left to watch everyone around me bag a limit of 21 geese and a one-shy limit of mallards.
As the gray sky turned dark, we decided to call it a day. I reflected on my first day of my first waterfowl hunt. I was sure I had never experienced anything like that before in my life, and even though I was unsuccessful, I was eager to give it another try the next day.”

Atta boy!!

His second day was summarized by……

”I had my chances, and I even hit a couple (they were already dropping dead from the sky with a body full of shot when I hit them), but yet again I was too slow with the shotgun. Every time I had a bead on a bird, it was already dropping. We eventually got our limit of 21 geese, but at the end of the day my game bag was still empty. I was beginning to think my 1,272-mile trip to North Dakota was going to be all for not.

......all for not?, …… associate editor?

Anyway......toward the end of third day of hunting, the poor guy has given-up on ever killing his first bird hunting with this group of 'game hogs', as he writes…..

”… I came to the conclusion that it was not my time to bag my first bird. I started telling myself that there were going to be other hunts, other opportunities to shine, more chances to prove myself a worthy waterfowler. I felt like packing it in and just enjoying the remainder of the hunt as a spectator. Maybe I would learn some crucial bit of information by just watching and not worrying about getting my first. I leaned my gun against the boat railing and sat down.

Poor guy……..Maybe that’s why he wrote the article, naming the fellas who he may have regarded as ‘veteran hunters’……..Barnie Calef, Ron Spomer, Rob Sirowy, L.P. Brenzy, Tom Long and Mike Capps………maybe someone’s ‘mentors’……..so that folks will read about how they shared the hunting ‘experience’ with a new guy………and showed him how little regard they had for picking shooting lanes, taking turns, letting the new guy get a clean shot, and not party shooting……shooting the poor guy’s limit for him. Somebody write them SCHMUCKS a ticket!!, will ya?

I’m glad he wrote the article……and despite the one glaring error (using ‘not’ in the place of ‘naught’), he’s a decent writer……..because it gives a novice’s view of a first hunt……AND a glimpse of the ‘greedy’ side of a few folks that are supposed to be sportsmen. Ah, the power of the media……. ‘Bet they didn’t think he’d actually write a story about it and leave it to the readership to decide for themselves.

Wildfowl Magazine June/ July 2004 issue…….”Novice in Nodak”

By the way, they finally quit party shooting long enough to let the guy kill one honker, outright. They're still SCHMUCKS!

[Anatidae]

Oh....to make matters worse.........

This is the clarification they printed in the very next issue, August 2004, page 30.....

Last issue's feature, "Novice in Nodak," confused the number of bird's shot per hunter. Copy that had been deleted to fit available space would have clarified that in close shooting quarters a number of inividual birds were shot by multiple guns, including that of the author, and should have stated that it wasn't until the final day that the author had the opportunity to cleanly kill a bird without other gunners participating. Birds were divided among each hunter accordingly to make legal limits, We apologize for the misunderstanding. - the Editor.

Who's confused? What misunderstanding? We understand perfectly......"that's called 'party' shooting, buddy!" .......and that's what is so upsetting about it.....especially for the 'new' guy.

BTW.......the Editor can't write or edit either, can he? .....

.....confused the number of bird's shot per hunter.

Uh, I know I'm from Mississippi, but why is the word, bird's.......possessive? DUH!!

'Sorry I re-nude my prescription, now. Where's Roger Sparks? You'z guys need to get you'z act together. (or is that acts?)

[Wingman]

LOL! I didn't read that whole article through.

It'll catch up with them sooner or later.

Wingman

[Wildfowler]

Ya, I love hunting with guys like that. Makes for some bruised shoulders though. But I wouldn't sign my name to a statement like that in a magazine like that guy did. Have a little sense about it.

What I don't understand is what is a guy who's never killed a bird before doing writing article for that magazine? Especially when there are guys like me who would love to have a writing job like that?

[DuckyDan]

Ain't that the truth!

[RedEyed Duck]

Anat,

Just in case you travel up this way anytime soon. The words "act", "acts" and "ax" can all be used in place of the word "ask."

[RebelYelp]

not just up there red, i think it's the whole south now

we be's callin it ebonics and dey be's wantin to teach it to us chilrens up in da school house

[Anatidae]

Yeah, Kelly.......I thought about that when I typed it.

'Wildfowler' I thought the same thing about the guy being an associate editor of a waterfowling magazine.....and has never been waterfowl hunting. But he prefaced the article by stating that it probably would seem unusual to most folks. But he was very humble and forthright about his lack of experience. I'd rather somebody just come-out and admit that, instead of trying to pass as something they aren't. After all......not everybody can become the 'hunting machine' that many of these hunting 'celebs' would have you think, overnight.

It was well-written and was a refreshing view from a novice.........and actually (whether intentional or not) sends a strong message about greed among hunters. Personally, I don't care to hunt with folks that are out to 'prove' anything. I just want to do my thing and have a good time.

It coulda been a joke....like when 'Travis' stuck his brother-in-law in the middle seat of a pit blind while he and the guy on the other end teamed-up and shot all the ducks straight-out in front of the b-in-law........now that's funny.......but you'd have to expect something like that from Travis.

[GordonGekko]

Ya know, I guess I got lucky on my first hunt, I remember cleanly missing an opportunity for my limit duck on my first real (i.e. not wood ducks in a Ga. slough) hunt and having to sit there for 30 more minutes (while listentiing to my father-in-law moan about me missin' a gimme) for another duck to duck to decoy in so I could finish my limit. The memory of that is so powerfu,l it got me hooked that day. Too bad everyone can't have a first hunt like that.

Now messin' with someone is a different story, sittin' next to my Dad in a blind on his first duck hunt last year, I was shootin' cleanup (after he shot once and missed I was shootin' the bird) just to mess with him a little. He shot his first Greenhead the second time he pulled the trigger, but I killed the next two he shot at heheee!!!

I gotta wonder though, considering I hardly ever read anything negative in any of the hunting rags, I wonder if this fella's hosts actually thought he'd tell on 'em? They probably figured he'd gust give a glowing review and leave out all the game hoggin'.

Gordon

[RedEyed Duck]

I do feel for the guy. I grew up hunting with family (dad, uncle and cousin). When I started to venture out and hunt with my friends and their older brothers, shots were hard to come by the first few trips, as I went from being allowed to shoot first to struggling to find a bird that was not already crippled. I talked to dad about it after getting rather frustrated and learned to shoot at the birds in the back of the group rather than the green head right there in the front. Worked out good in the long run.

[MSDuckmen]

This article is exactly how 90% of the people that go to the field to duck hunt act.
I can remember trips with new hunters where I never pulled the trigger. Heck for that matter I never pulled my gun from its case.
Many so called hunters of today base success only on the amount of birds they get, regardless of who shot. When we hunt as a group we always take turns and if it is a new person to the sport we will always allow them the opportunity to shoot first if we shoot at all.
Reading the article leads me to believe the man enjoyed the outing but was left with a sense of loss due to the fact that he was continually outgunned by seasoned hunters. Sad part of all this is the guys that were there apparently never noticed the fact that the new person had not had opportunity. That is what happens when greed takes precedence over heritage.
Sad thing about this is that if this new hunter sticks with it long enough he will likely turn into exactly what he is writing about. Funny how people forget what it was like in the beginning.
Not me, each time out is like the first time. I love the hunt more than the kill.


Good post Ant..

[GulfCoast]

I thought that you were really in it for all the sausage and bisquits......

[MSDuckmen]

Glad to have you back Gulfcoast.

[Po Monkey Lounger]

With regard to the writer being a novice duck hunter, it is not necessarily a bad thing to read an article from the perspective of a beginner ---after all, we were all, at one time, beginners. And, not all of us ----except for most of the posters on this board ---are so-called "expert" duck hunters. I fall into the category of admitted non-expert, with still much to learn and looking forward to the experience. Thus, I have no problem with the fact that this writer for Wildfowl has little duck hunting experience.

I think many of us have experienced the thrill of having a newcomer to the sport in the blind with us. And, I think most folks do try to let the newcomer take the first shots and make sure there is a fair distribution of shooting within the group. However, in my past experiences, there have been times when the newcomers have been reluctant to pull the trigger when the shot is called for them. After this scenario has been repeated about three straight times on incoming birds, without a shot being fired, then it becomes the duty of the veterans of the group to initiate the newcomer in the fine art of "take em".

[GulfCoast]

After this scenario has been repeated about three straight times on incoming birds, without a shot being fired, then it becomes the duty of the veterans of the group to initiate the newcomer in the fine art of "take em".

And after the hunt, an introduction into the fine art of cleaning ducks, right Webfoot............

WEBFOOT?

HELLLOOOOOOO......................