WiiFM

All too often I find myself getting sick to my stomach these days. Too much gas station coffee, jerky, and hot dogs that have been on the roasting rack for 12 hours will do that to a guy scrounging for a meal during late hunting season I suppose. But that’s not the reason I’m referring to in this particular instance. Like most of you, I partake in social media. I was extremely late to the game and still have a hard time embracing it but I use it.....Sparingly I might add. I’ve joined groups on facebook to mingle with like minded quack addicts to help pass the time in the spring and fall, or get a deal on a handful of decoys, or even an old heirloom type duck or goose call that has some mystical appeal to me as I imagine all the wonderful little pot holes that beat up piece of wood has seen. But just the other day it dawned on me just how free the information about anything in regards to waterfowling is found and exchanged. Posts about how to do this or what’s everyone’s opinion on such and such to “has anyone see ducks in.......” and it makes me sick.

You see, when I first started waterfowl hunting I didn’t know much about it. I was thrust into the sport while living on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, a place well know for its majestic flights of Canadian Geese, Canvasbacks, Mallards, Black ducks and Brant. When I decided to give it a whirl I was actually at the local Walmart picking up supplies to change the oil in my truck. I picked up a cheap duck call, a box of shells, and a dozen Flambeau Mallard decoys that were already strung for $19.99. I then headed to the most knowledgable duck hunter I knew who could give me a few tips & tricks, my barber. Jim was a wise old man who spent his free time driving around looking for ducks or geese year round or looking for a good deal on some hunting gear which always included guns. His shop was adorned with old wooden and cork decoys, empty boxes of shotgun shells, and a handful of old calls. When I told him I wanted to give duck hunting a try he laughed and said “Are you married?” I replied "No sir". He chuckled again with his follow on question, “You got a girl friend?” Now completely perplexed I replied ”No sir“. As he was sharpening the straight razor on the leather strap next to the chair he chuckled again and said "Well, it sounds like you have the biggest obstacle out of the way." Being only 19 years old at the time I didn’t quite understand what he meant by that. He told me all I needed was a dozen decoys, a box of shells, and a duck call. Feeling already ahead of the game from my recent Walmart excursion I informed him I had everything I needed. That day was the best $10 I ever spent for a haircut as he was eager to share his knowledge with me and gave me some basic tips and tricks that I ended up writing down on an envelope when I got back to my truck. I started putting in the hours and the miles after that and when I had found a good spot where I’d seen plenty of birds flying I devised a plan to set up in between where they were sleeping and the corn field where they were feeding which was by a little muddy creek. I borrowed a red canoe from a friend, grabbed my Mossberg 20 gauge pump, my best deer hunting camouflage and off I went....... in a red canoe......at lunch time...... on a beautiful sunny day.......with the plan to sit until dark. After hours of seeing nothing but sea gulls and crows I was getting quite bored so I decided I’d get ready to pick up my decoys and paddle back to my truck. Just as I was pulling the canoe out of the reeds two drake mallards came flying in on their way up the creek. Boom, Boom, Boom and they continued up the creek. That amazing fall afternoon set the stage for my favorite pastime and kept me yearning for more. I put in more hours scouting, more hours sitting and listening to ducks, more hours practicing with my duck call and more and more money came flying out of my wallet. But as Waterfowlers that’s what we do, we drive, we watch, we pattern, we study, and we put ourselves in the best place possible to get the ducks. I learned it all on my own through trial and error and reading magazine articles. I refined my craft throughout the years by picking up a little from this guy or that guy or eavesdropping on a conversation while sitting at the bar from some of the local legends. Here’s what I didn’t have, You Tube, Facebook, Instagram, Google, and whatever else there is out there in the world. You see friends, I couldn't make a post in a group asking if anyone had seen ducks on lake what-cha-ma-call-it because I was too lazy or couldn't make time in my already busy schedule to drive to the lake, launch my boat and look for myself. Technology and information are at our finger tips (literally) this day in age and because of that we as hunters have lost our edge when it comes to figuring stuff out on our own. Moreover, hunters seem reluctant to help each other anymore and everyone is always out there asking themselves What’s In It For Me (WiiFM)?

I'm not saying I'm better than anyone else because trust me friends, if you've ever hunted with me you'd know I'm a disaster waiting to happen. I launch my boat and forget the fuel tank, forget the keys to my boat, hell I've even got in the blind while my shotgun was still at home sleeping. It just really saddens me that some of us hunters don't know how to go out and do the "work" anymore because we resort to just asking for all the information we need. I recently heard of a guy that had put in all the hard work, patterning the birds, observing the flight paths and had the perfect set up. He had several amazing hunts in a row in this new little spot he stumbled upon. On the 5th day of calling in sick to work some younger guys were set up in his spot. He recognized them as some local boys that also hunted the same area but had decided to move in on his spot. Now, it's not "HIS" spot on public land we all know that but they admitted to seeing him crushing birds there and moved in. The worst part of the whole ordeal was when he asked to hunt with them because there were more than enough birds in the area, they called the warden for hunter harassment. NOW COME ON! Friends, it's time to change our approach in how we interact with each other and it's time to put the work in. Now most of us are out there burning through the fuel in our trucks or our boats. Most of us do take the long way home from work to pass a few spots we know hold birds but that’s not what everyone does. What ever happened to going out, shooting a pair of birds and just being happy with the whole adventure? I’ll tell you what happened, you can’t post a picture of a massive pile of birds if your only getting a few at a time. Oh wait yes you can!! You freeze all the ones you shot for the year and then thaw them out all at once so you can update your profile picture so you look like most epic waterfowl hunter EVER!

The next time you go out hunting, think about the adventure and be happy you are able to be out there in the first place. Do the work yourself or network with your closest hunting companions. Let's get back to our roots, stop and talk to some folks at the boat ramp or talk to the fella next to you at the bar with the camo hat on during happy hour. I guarantee you'll be happier with your results day in and day out because YOU put in the sweat equity. That pair of birds that you go home with after a morning hunt will be so much sweeter when you worked extra hard for them. Stay safe out there.