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Ducking for Cover

No matter one’s position on the organization, it’s impossible to deny that Ducks Unlimited has done a tremendous amount of good for waterfowl, and hunters who pursue them, across the North American continent.[…]

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Getting Goosed

A near perfect day for goose hunting was seemingly in store for us as we watched the Johnson grass buck in the stiff northerly wind. We were following the truck of one of Clint Matthew’s guides through the vast fields of long-ago harvested rice fields, almost tailgating so as not to lose him on the unfamiliar highways of the area around Kaplan.[…]

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It Ain’t Rocket Science

Twelve-year-old Louis Rossignol Jr. hadn’t been in his box stand overlooking the foodplot for 10 minutes, and his heart was already in his throat. His eyes bugged. He didn’t breath; he gasped. His father — tense, eyes riveted — looked over his son’s shoulder.[…]

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Papa’s Ponds

On the chilly, early morning boat ride into the Lafitte marsh it dawned on me that summer was really over. I realized then that it was time to put away the shorts and T-shirts until next year, and break out the long sleeve shirts and jeans.[…]

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Plenty of Pressure

The sound was almost frightening. A dark, crisp December morning suddenly shaken by a too-close neighbor blasting the air waves with a duck call. How in the world he got there in the first place without you noticing was bad enough, but now the hideous sounds of his amateurish calling guarantee that no birds will be taken here.[…]