For Mississippi hunters who live for chasing ducks throughout the state each winter, this weekend is the last hoorah. The season ends Sunday at sunset. While most hunters are preparing for the mourning stage, some are flat worn out. I’ll sadly admit I’m in the worn out phase.
Many of you who read this column are between the ages of 18 and 22. While I’m not much older than that, 30 young years to my credit, my surroundings and responsibilities have changed. Now, many of my friends and family that would argue my hunting habits haven’t changed a lick in the last decade. For the hours spent in the woods and waters, they would probably be right. I spend the majority of my time outside of school chasing some furry, feathered or finned game species.
But I have a wife (five months pregnant) and a 3-year-old daughter now. Half the time I spend hunting and fishing, I have that guilty pleasure feeling. As soon as I realize how much fun I’m having, I start thinking, “Should I be doing something else?”
Therefore, by the time the end of January rolls around, I’m emotionally and mentally beat. I do come close to shedding a tear on Feb. 1, but welcome the lift of the emotional strain.
For the opposite end of the hunting population, I can strongly identify as well. Up until my first child was born, my wife joined me on most every hunting outing I went on. And let me tell you, I had it made. The work I did (or didn’t do) allowed me lots of free time during late fall, and especially through winter. My wife taught school, so she had tons of free time around the holidays. A few years ago, I spent more than 100 days hunting deer or ducks between Oct. 1 and Jan. 31.
Back to the last weekend for ducks . they’re here! During the freeze last weekend, we had great success. The big water of a certain Delta oxbow lake stayed thawed, and the ducks liked that. From the reports I’ve gotten as of midweek, the ducks haven’t gone anywhere. There is great hunting action to be had right down the road on the Tenn-Tom waterways. Most of these places you will need a boat. I would suggest Mahannah for public opportunities that don’t necessarily require a boat.
This late in the season I would recommend smaller holes and smaller decoy spreads. It worked well last weekend. We shot 60 ducks, including lots of mallards, on four hunts.
Brandon Parker is a senior majoring in communication. He can be reached at [email protected].