Gotta tell y'all my ONE live decoy story.....

I went hunting one morning before work. I'm a CPA, and brought a couple of the partners hunting with me (I was like 25 at the time). We killed a few mallards for a quick morning shoot, but one guy shot one (mallard hen), and it fell right in the middle of this bald open/recently cut hay field, and I COULD NOT FIND IT.

I mean, I had no idea where this duck went. It was RIGHT THERE.

Anyway, big front moves in that day, so I decide to go back there that afternoon, and see if any new ducks got sent down. This was a place where you could literally drive your truck much closer than you wanted it. Just a field where Red River water backed up into it.

Anyway, I get there, just have on jeans and a sweatshirt/jacket, and as soon as I pull up, man, I see V and V of new mallard ducks.

When we hunting this place, we typically hunted it out of a boat blind. I had brought the boat/blind that morning, but didn't even bother that afternoon, as it was just a scouting mission.

So, I see all these ducks, and start frantically scrambling trying to grab enough brush to cover myself up (was going to just lay on the ground, covered up), and use what few ragged decoys I had in the back of my truck.

There's ONE stump in this hayfield, covered with some type of vine. I start ripping vine from this stump, and this mallard hen HAULS arse OUT OF THERE. I chase her down, tie about 8 decoy weights to one of her legs, and fling her as far as I could into this flooded field, right.

Man, she's making a racket like you ain't seen lately. And every duck in that part of the country starts circling this hole. I mean, they see me, barely covered up, but they know they are looking at a live duck down there right?

Anyway, I'd only been there about 5 minutes, when I heard a boat coming down the oxbow, and stop right where I was. So, I shoot the damn decoy.

Turns out, it was one old dude that fished out there. I didn't see his truck (it was "down the bluff", at the little tractor made launch we had).

Man, I was pissed. I really do think I could have gotten a mallard in there with that one live decoy, even "unhid".

CSB.