We are six blocks from Aransas Bay. In the early morning, just at daybreak, I can hear the blasts of shotguns, though they are several miles away. I am reminded of the fun it used to be hunting ducks on the bay.
To duck hunt one must have a license and federal stamp. He needs a shallow draft boat. He needs a pair of waders that do not have little water holes in them. Bay water can be really cold in winter. He needs a camouflaged jacket and hat. He needs a shotgun that can fire 3 inch shells or better. He needs decoys. The more the better. Three to five dozen are not too many. They must have a line and weights tied to them. He needs to scout out an area and then construct a blind. The blind must have a wooden platform and then be covered with brush. All of this must be transported to the place. Obviously, this is before season opens.He must have a good duck- calling device to call them in, or scare them off, as the case may be.
On the day of the hunt he must have a dependable alarm clock that will awaken the hunter. He must have a thermos and something energizing to eat. He must head out in total darkness to the chosen place and slosh around in the shallow bay water putting out his spread of decoys. He COULD do that the day before, but decoys have a way of soaring away when left alone in the bay.
The hunter now goes to the blind and takes a sip of well-deserved coffee. He looks at his watch and checks again at the official time to fire the first shot. As the moment approaches he hears the sweet sound of ducks landing near the decoys. Wow! This is going to be a great hunt!
Finally shooting time arrives. The ducks that lit earlier are taking to the skies. He takes aim at the first ones. Now, he is thinking about what is legal and what is not. Here is how it reads: Daily bag limit SIX. No more than five mallards of which only two may be hens. Three wood ducks. Two scaup. Two redheads. Two pintails. One canvasback. One dusky duck. The daily limit for mergansers is five, but no more than two hooded mergansers. All the other species not listed the limit is SIX. That would be teal, etc. He remembers the fine for plugging
an extra canvasback. What if a scatter-shot brings down three pintails? How do you tell a redhead from a lesser scaup in half light? Is that a Game Warden's skiff off in the distance? He is not fishing, whoever he is. He has no shotgun. He appears to be looking through binoculars in my direction. It is a bit early in the morning for birdwatchers. He is dressed in green.
The first flight of birds are gone. Not a shot is fired. The sun wakes up and the sky is light. Now the birdwatcher is moving out in his boat and heading across the bay. I can make out a circle and what appears to be a star on the side of the boat. I am relieved and can get back to the task at hand. I see a flight of several birds heading my way. The duck caller comes alive in my lips. They veer and head another direction. Time after time this happens. Now, nothing. I have not fired a single shot. It is warming up and I shed the coat. Off in the distance a lone duck heads my way. His wings set and he heads for the nearest decoys. He is a dark duck but it matters little for I have no ducks against my limit. One blast and that lone quacker drops like a rock. The gentle breeze of the bay pushes his limp body toward me. I slip out of the blind and slosh through the muddy bottom to retrieve my prize. A beautiful black COOT. The limit for COOTS is fifteen! For table fare they are almost inedible. The decoys are gathered and loaded on the boat. The motor will NOT start. I begin the five-mile poling jaunt across the bay to a boat launch. The Game Warden is waiting there. He wants to see my take. I see a smirky smile as he says, "O.K. you are free to go. Enjoy the mudhen!" This is so much fun!!!
