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Growing up as an only child, my dad and I had a quintessential father-son outdoor-adventure relationship. He introduced me to fly fishing and hunting at a young age, and we connected in the outdoors for many years. We went on several trips centered around hunting or fishing and trained our dogs together. Best of all, we grew and evolved our relationship together through the outdoors.
Over time, I went to college, he retired, and our outdoor opportunities became scarcer as we both entered new chapters in our lives. We have connected in the outdoors every now and then in group settings, but it has been many years since we enjoyed the same experiences we had when I was a kid. That all changed during the 2023 duck season when we had a hunt I will never forget.
Setting Up
I had decided to try and hunt one of my favorite Rhode Island spots. It can produce birds throughout all the seasons Rhode Island has to offer. However, the spot is especially productive during the early season because it is situated near the loafing grounds of resident mallard populations.
That morning, I rolled out the red carpet. I crawled out of bed at 3 am to make sure my dad had a legitimate breakfast and coffee. After all, a retiree deserves all the special treatment he can get. I had everything packed and ready to go. All we had to do was load my dad and his black lab Amos and make the 40-minute drive down to our hunting location.
We met a friend of mine and his wife at our spot. My friend helped me with decoy setup and blind preparation. All my dad had to do was sit back, relax, and wait for the birds to fly in. Once everything was ready, we just had to wait for legal shooting hours.
The Hunt
I could tell that my dad was most excited to give his dog a chance to hunt. They live in Mexico, and so these opportunities come few and far between for Amos. As we neared legal shooting hours, we started to see a few pre-dawn birds flying, causing Amos to just about lose his mind. My dog Knox was just as excited, given that it was his first opportunity for a waterfowl hunt since the previous season. I don’t think anyone, human or canine alike, was prepared for what happened next.
After watching 10-15 pre-dawn ducks fly over us, we entered a lull for the first 10 minutes of legal shooting hours. That was the only downtime of the morning as all hell broke loose shortly after.
We had a mallard pair charge in and land directly in our decoy spread without hesitation. Just as I was working the dogs to complete a blind retrieve on the other side of the creek, it felt like every mallard group in Rhode Island flew over us. Next thing I knew, everyone was firing shots.
After the commotion ceased, we continued to receive a solid flight from numerous duck groups all day. We turned almost all of them, and about half committed to our decoy spread. Overall, the hunt was filled with action. The crowning moment came as my dad and I doubled on a mallard trio that entered our spread.
The Aftermath
My dad was quite satisfied after the hunt. He was very elated to see the progress I have made with Knox and watch Amos get back into water fowling.
As for me, I could not have been happier at the end of the day. Our hunt was filled with action and stories. At the risk of sounding cliché, our hunt was filled with each other.
The opportunity to do these types of activities together comes few and far between for my dad and me. As such, I try not to take for granted the times that we can spend together. Life comes at you fast, and you will go through many changes over time. The one factor that can remain constant is the people you choose to surround yourself with.
I am hopeful that as I become established in my adulthood and my dad continues his retirement, these opportunities will start to be less scarce. I am overly grateful for October 14th, 2023, and the renewed spirit and enthusiasm I have for getting outdoors with my dad. These experiences inspire my mentorship of interested hunters of all ages. I will always continually chase that mission.
