Page 97 - South Mississippi Living - January, 2016

OPPOSITE PAGE: WYATT sits patiently, ready to retrieve. MIDDLE: DECOYS placed on the water to attract ducks for the hunters. BOTTOM LEFT: LUKE MATTHEWS sits with Wyatt. BOTTOM RIGHT: KYLE JOHNSON proudly presents his kills.
set up the blind, it all plays a part to having a successful hunt. By the time we got to the marina I had a pretty good idea what was going on and what to expect, or so I thought.
Saturday morning at four a.m. Luke’s voice was the first thing I heard. He yelled out, “Wake up! It’s four o’clock and time to shoot some ducks!” Big Mike, Luke, Jake, Wyatt, and I got set up in their blind. After I helped Big Mike get settled he started telling stories about Luke hunting
at such a young age. While deep in
conversation with Big Mike, out of nowhere, I heard: BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! I looked out over the water and saw three ducks falling out of the sky. Luke looked over at us and said, “Y’all better get in the game.”
After nailing my first duck with what they said was a good shot, Big Mike decided to put his gun up and watch us get our limit. Luke and I made quick work of 12 ducks then headed back to camp. The next day Luke and I got our limit again. My first time duck hunting was one of
the most memorable experiences of my life. From the camaraderie in the blind, to the shear fun of shooting shotguns all day, it’s one of the most exciting things I have ever done.
During the month of January when speckled trout might be a little hard to find, and the deer rut is pretty much over, just remember duck hunting is in full swing. Maybe it’s time to change things up a bit. I did and it turned out to be one of the most extraordinary weekends of my life.
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January 2016 • SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living 97