Thanks to an organization based in McDonald County, four local youth (selected in a random drawing), ages 7 to 13 and with little or no hunting experience, were given the opportunity to learn the basics of duck hunting. Young Outdoorsmen United hosted a two-day educational event with classroom instructions, outdoor hands-on participation, and culminating with an actual duck hunt.
The first-day classroom training at the Elk River Country Club in Noel covered rules and regulation, habitat and migration, plus specific duck identification. The kids also learned the use of decoys, retrieving dogs and camouflage concealment. Missouri regional Ducks Unlimited representative, Lendall Wilson, attended and gave the participants hats, posters and complimentary DU magazines. Each participant was also presented with a custom-made duck call, donated by Daniel Cowin Construction of Bella Vista, Ark.
After lunch, the class shifted locations to the banks of Elk River on Stauber Farms where an instructional duck call lesson took place and prompted 13-year-old participant Isaiah Roosa to ask, "Is it just me? or, are duck calls hard to blow?" After being told that practicing will improve his ability, he stated with confidence, "Oh, good, by morning I will sound like a pro!"
Following the calling lesson, two Labrador retrievers showcased their skills of marking downed birds, sense of smell, obedience to hand and voice commands and retrieving. The trained canines (River and Tucker) were handled by owners Josh Cerasale and Jason Bowman, respectively. The dog demonstrations were applauded by the audience.
Next, the youngsters were seated in a "mock" duck blind with multiple hidden automated clay target throwers tossing targets above them to simulate incoming ducks. The barrage of flying targets gave them the perfect experience to position themselves to aim at fast moving ducks.
The youngest attendee, Jake O'Brien, 7, who previously never shot at moving clay targets, was issued fist pumps when he broke a target. "I busted that real good!" he said.
The following morning, parents and kids began with an early 3 a.m. departure from Pineville to the hunting location near Muskogee, Okla. There, the group met up with guides from Southern Flight Outdoors (www.southernflightoutdoors.com) who provided the special youth hunt.
Upon arrival at the hunting location, the excited kids helped the guides transfer dozens of duck and geese decoys, plus all the needed gear, from a cargo trailer parked at the roadside gate onto a flatbed trailer towed by four-wheelers and through the darkness to a field pond. The eager kids pitched in and began to prepare for the hunt exactly the way they learned in the classroom the day before. With the aid of headlamps and flashlights, the tasks were completed a short time later. The kids, parents, guides and dogs were then seated comfortably at the crack of dawn in the freshly-constructed duck blind they had assembled.
Duck calls greeted the first glimpse of sunlight, followed by the chatter of arriving ducks within gun range. "KABANG! BAM! BOOM! BANG!" echoed the reports from the young hunters' shotguns, followed by the sound of smacking splashes on the surface of the pond's water and a thump out in the grassy field. The dogs were commanded to retrieve, and the first ducks of the hunt were brought to the kids so they could witness and examine their good aim.
"This one is a mallard," said Hunter Keith, 8, certain of his identification, saying, "just like on the poster we got yesterday."
As a light foggy drizzle came down, additional ducks passed over the deceptive decoys. The kids were encouraged to use their donated calls to hoodwink them close enough for more shooting. With each passing flight of ducks and a bushel of youthful patience, no luck was found. After numerous unsuccessful tries, the young hunters were polled, and they resolved to terminate the hunt. As part of the learning experience, the new duck hunters, without prompting, collectively obliged to gather the duck blind components, seating stools, decoys, plus guns and ammo back onto the flatbed trailer and return it to the cargo trailer and repack the equipment away.
Group photos, along with high-fives and handshakes were issued among the young hunters. Words of appreciation were exchanged by the kids and parents to John Hill, owner of Southern Flight Outdoors, Jason and Amber Bowman for coordinating the classroom training and outdoor seminar, and Josh Cerasale for his outstanding dog demonstration. All four volunteers accompanied and assisted the hunters on the duck hunt.
Bryan Lewis, 13, summed up his experience when he declared, "I was part of something special today; I am so thankful to be here!"
Though the number of ducks harvested may have been small, the young hunters got their limit of smiles, laughter and lifelong memories!
General News on 01/04/2018