Why I Hunt

My introduction to the waterfowler’s world began when I was in high school, and it has been a part of my life even more so for the past 20 years. Overall, pursuing ducks and geese is something I enjoy, and having a hunting dog along makes the sport more complete.

I have worked with both of my two-year-old labrador retrievers as much as possible to train them for hunting tests and actual duck and goose hunts. Originally, my dog, Dawn, was to be my hunting partner, but having my late mother’s lab Violet around, I wanted to see how she’d turn out. They each have their strengths and weaknesses, and with some training behind them, I’ve been determined to put them to work in the field.

One example is a hunt with a couple of friends from work. We scheduled a day-lease for a blind near Hornersville, Mo., and had Clay Boyd of Feathered Pursuit Guide Service set us up. We stayed nearby at Bootheel Lodging in Holland, Mo., a place I had stayed at a couple of times last season. Owner Dereck Turner has put a lot of effort into making the fairly new lodge dog- and human-friendly. Travelers from Arkansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and elsewhere stay at the lodge while going on guided and self-guided waterfowl hunts, among other activities.

It had been a particularly slow day for us in the blind last December, as the weather had been unseasonably warm. Guides can make every effort to accommodate their clients, but they cannot control the weather or the birds’ migration patterns. While we were scanning east for birds, I happened to notice a Ross’s goose attempting to land in the goose decoys behind the blind, and fearing the bird would flare and leave, I went ahead and took a shot. The bird fell perhaps 40 yards behind the blind.

While Violet was able to retrieve two white-fronted geese for me last year and though she was also on this hunt, this time would be Dawn’s first goose. A Ross’s goose looks just like your typical snow goose but is smaller — weighing approximately four pounds — just barely larger than a drake mallard duck. Dawn gets a bit high-strung when a bird is down, so it took me a bit to get her lined out on the goose, but once I released her and she found the bird, she came back as proud as ever holding the snow-white bird. In an effort to honor the bird and to remember Dawn’s retrieve, I’ll be having the bird mounted, which will go on the wall with other birds the dogs and I have picked up over the years — black duck, white-fronted goose, green-winged teal, two blue-winged teal, drake and hen wood duck, and two drake mallards.

Having hunting dogs and pursuing waterfowl gets a bit expensive — vet bills, dog food, duck decoys, waders, dog crates, shotgun, shells, licenses, guide fees, travel expenses and sleep deprivation — but for me, this is my entertainment. The dogs and our hunts replace having satellite television, gaming consoles, baseball tickets or Netflix. There is an inexpressible bond between a hunter and his canine companion, and so long as I am capable, I’ll continue to have my four-legged hunting partners along to retrieve the game they were trained to find. Seeing a retriever bring back a bird such as Dawn’s goose does much to warm the heart.