Last hunt of the season. Wife's first hunt ever.

[HighDesertDuck]

Decided I'd get my last hunt in a couple of weeks ago. I had been after the wife all year to join me so she could see her furry red boy work the river. I tried to talk her into an early season 50 degree afternoon. She passed and ended up coming out for a late season 12 degree morning hunt. She mooches my daughters thermals and my leaky spare waders.

Started out late from the house and getting in the blind right at LST. Nothing flying. I'm a little worried. It's forecasted to be a hard core New Mexico blue bird day. Normally on a cold morning like that the golden eyes start moving about 20 minutes before shooting time. But that day the ducks are not moving. Here, after years of trying to coax her out I am worried that nothing will fly and she will hate the experience. Well 10 minutes in and nothing moving. No quacking. Nothing flying. She asks me to pour a cup

[HighDesertDuck]

Damn tapatalk.

Decided I'd get my last hunt in a couple of weeks ago. I had been after the wife all year to join me so she could see her furry red boy work the river. I tried to talk her into an early season 50 degree afternoon. She passed and ended up coming out for a late season 12 degree morning hunt. She mooches my daughters thermals and my leaky spare waders.

Started out late from the house and getting in the blind right at LST. Nothing flying. I'm a little worried. It's forecasted to be a hard core New Mexico blue bird day. Normally on a cold morning like that the golden eyes start moving about 20 minutes before shooting time. But that day the ducks are not moving. Here, after years of trying to coax her out I am worried that nothing will fly and she will hate the experience. Well 10 minutes in and nothing moving. No quacking. Nothing flying. She asks me to pour a cup of coffee. I look around and nothing. As soon a a I lean the gun against the blind and grab the thermos. Bam. Two mallards buzz the blind at 15 feet. This happens a couple of more times me pouring coffee or looking the wrong way etc. and finally a duck splashes down in the dekes. Determined to make sure the dog gets a chance to show off I water swat a golden eye hen. The dog ( who has been getting worse about breaking as the season runs on) breaks and runs ankle deep in the water, turns around and gives me the " damn that's cold, I'm not sure your duck is worth dipping my junk in the cold cold river look. I've told her how he is a different dog when we hunt, a master water fowler and he repays me by balking. Well after playing rock-it dog and highlighting the duck floating down stream, he runs out fetches and returns the duck, dropping it at my feet. Well I hand her the gun, reach down to have the dog pick up my duck and…splash. Look up to see a mallard swimming in the decoys. Pandaemonium ensues as I try to get the gun, reload, and get a shot off. Needless to say, no duck. However a least Atlas brought me the first duck on his own and held it till I asked for it.

Finally just before I get ready to call it, a pair of buffies makes a low pass and I jump up empty the gun and… wing the drake. She asks how I know I hit it and I point out how the duck is gliding down to the river 200 yards down stream. At this point the dog and I are going to have to go and round up the cripple. She says she'll stay and pack up the blind. After 30 minutes of chasing the most lightly hit bird I have ever seen (he ended up flying off when i caught up after about 3/4 mile chase) I come back and find her enjoying the sun on the riverbank with everything but the dekes picked up. She proceeds to tell me how a flock of 4 mallards came in, wings cupped feet down into the decoys while she sat there, and the beaver that I have been trying to find the whole season swam by.

All in all we had a great time, and even though it was cold, and the hunt was a comedy of errors. She had a good time. She liked now quiet it was, the mist off the river, the sunrise, the excitement of the hunt. She was surprised how quiet the gun was when the ducks were coming in, and how the dog sat quietly when nothing was flying. I think she might even give a shot hunting with me next year.

[Flightstopper]

Glad she enjoyed it. My wife made three hunts this year. Is fun when they can get out and enjoy it as well.