The First Hunt

Bird hunting has always been a part of my life.  My father introduced me to waterfowl hunting very early on.  I was around three years old when I went on my first hunt.  Dad took me to “the swamp” as we call it.  It was a small undeveloped portion of Legend Lake.  Legend Lake is located just north of Shawano, Wisconsin on the Menominee Reservation.  Our family has had a cottage on the lake since the 1970s.  Our swamp was just a quick boat ride down the lake from our cottage. The convenience of the spot made it a perfect place to introduce me to the duck hunting lifestyle I would grow to love.

That first hunt was a memorable one for sure.  We had the whole crew at the cottage that weekend including my uncles Bob and Yovan.  This is where I first began to see how incredible waterfowl hunting is for building relationships and the comradery that develops at duck camp.  Duck hunting is not easy and difficult things bring people closer together.  The shared struggle becomes the glue to the relationship.  We struggled together that first hunt.  Obviously, it was a long time ago, so my memory is not perfect, but I sure do remember the rain.  

We got up early and headed to the swamp.  The swamp is off the main lake along a channel.  It is accessible to anyone and isn’t very big so really only one group can hunt the area.  That day (and I think every time we have gone in the last 25 years) we were the only ones out there.  Usually the spot provides some great early season wood duck action.  That day did not turn out that way for us.  As I said earlier, we struggled that day.  I remember it pouring rain the entire time we were out there.  Yovan didn’t bring a rain jacket so I remember him huddled under a large pine tree to try and stay out the rain.  With the weather we were unable to harvest any birds, but looking back on that first hunt, it showed me how little that matters.

I might not have realized it that day or even later on as I grew up chasing ducks and geese, but it is definitely evident now.  Duck hunting is not about killing birds, it is about spending time with those you love. The early mornings, terrible weather, broken boats, sinking decoys, and whatever else we faced, we faced together. We grew together as a family and with friends, enjoying the outdoors.  Every hunt has and will be an adventure.