To my loyal, maybe six, readers I would like to apologize for the delay. It is that time of year again and I am as busy as can be. Between my marketing job for the SCSU Campus Rec department and my Husky PR Coordinator position I have my work cut out for me this year. This is all on top of the routine 15 credits of upper level classes. Anyway, that is enough complaining.
This is truly the best time of year. Aside from this being my birthday month, the end of September introduces a season that surpasses all the others. Duck season. With Minnesota duck opener starting a couple of weeks early this year, I am even more restless than ever. One week from Friday I will pack up my hunting gear and depart for the ever so small, but wonderful land of Faribault, Minnesota. Here lies some of the best waterfowl hunting a college guy could ask for in Southern Minnesota.
Since I can remember, the allowed shooting time on the day of duck opener has been a half hour AFTER sunrise. My best friends and I will row the canoe through the pitch-dark waters of a private duck pond. This is not any regular duck pond. This small body of water is located in the backyard of my friend’s home. You are probably asking yourself, “What could be better than that?” The answer is nothing. This is simply a waterfowl hunter’s paradise. Here, you will find no parking spaces, no speed limits, no regulations on having to actually take your decoys out after each day of blasting, and mostly, no early morning race to the best spot. The blinds are carefully and strategically placed along the edge of this beautiful and peaceful duck and goose honey hole.
Like I was saying, this year Minnesota has bumped up the shooting time to the normal shooting time of a half hour before sunrise. No longer will we sit and watch as 15 ducks swoop into our perfect decoy layout as we curse the shooting time on this glorious morning. We will be blasting before light even touches the top of the horizon. Fire will explode out of our barrels as we rise from our sitting positions and pump 12 gauge double BB shells into any duck or goose that dares to approach our setup. We will be slapping high fives and doing the sacred “duck dance” even earlier than normal. It will truly be great.
Yes, just like any other hunter on opening morning, we will be a little rusty. We have been known to unload our guns at flocks of birds and see nothing drop. This is just a part of the sport. Perhaps it has to do with the lack of practice in the off-season, or the absence of sleep the night before, but who knows? Over the past four years that I have been fortunate enough to hunt with these fine gentlemen, we have never walked away from opening day skunked. We will row back on to shore and walk a total of 100 paces up to the garage and clean our birds. We will remain in the same clothes and sit on the porch and toast a hardy beer to our successful day in action.
Oh, what a wonderful season this is.
Stay tuned for the many updates and stories to come. Until Next time..
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