Early Season Pressure

After our slam-dunk of a duck shoot, there is always a desire to get back out and do it again in some fashion or another. As Dad and I had planned to return to that field, I received a text from a colleague wondering if Dad and I were going to hunt cover crop field we always used to, and invited us to go with him on a hunt out there as the landowner had granted him permission. Long story short, I was under the impression we had sole permission for that field...

I figured it was nice of him to invite us and inquired about the invitation. Apparently, he had SEVEN other guys going out with him on this field. Dad and I wanted nothing to do with those kinds of numbers and declined the invitation. I informed him that there would likely be another large group hunting that field as well and to just keep that in mind. Dad and I hunted the far side while they hunted the near side of the slough/road.

From the moment legal light hit, it was a barrage of shooting on the other side of the field. With our paltry spread, and bargain hunted decoys, it is hard to compete with the outfitter quality dekes the other group had.

Despite the competition, we were still able to find a few ducks, mostly teal.

Because of some gun malfunctions on Dad's part, he was using my gun for day and because of this, his shooting was, well, subpar. We managed birds, and enjoyed a nice morning out before Dad had to head back to Sioux Falls.

Stay Tuned