I shot a double on gadwalls in the flooded timber of Central Arkansas for my first birds. It was my second duck hunt. I can still remember where they dipped over the trees, and the cypress bark tearing where my gun scraped it.
My uncle had moved to NE Arkansas, which is the second Stuttgart, and gotten into duck hunting. After hearing stories from him, and then talking to a friend at school, I knew I wanted to try it. Opening morning that year my buddy and his dad took me out.
The anticipation of the next flight of birds keeps my eyes to the sky.
For the past five years, I've averaged about 50 duck hunts every 60 day season. Haven't shot a duck in Texas yet.

My first duck hunt was in 1995 with some of my dad's friends that were duck hunting nuts. They had two of the biggest and coolest Golden Retrievers I had ever seen. They were littermates, Bubba and Bear. Watching the dogs work and watch the skies for incoming ducks is what got me hooked. My first duck was a green wing teal drake and since then I always get a rush when I hear that swoosh right above my head just before sunrise. I got away from it while in college and since then I have come back to it, started collecting gear, and last year got my first Retriever.

32 yrs. wonder how many hours I've spent that I could have been doing seething productive. Figure last yr alone was 300+ hrs easy.

Been at it about 28 years. Not 100% positive but I am pretty sure first duck was a wood duck. That's mostly all I shot until I could drive.

Bout 19 years now

I don't remember much about those first few hunts and can't say for sure what my first duck was, other than it was most likely a lesser scaup because the bottoms were dry that year and dad said we had to shoot blue bills on the lake if we wanted to shoot anything at all. That was 1973 and I was 13.

The next year he said the bottoms are flooded and full of mallards.
I have an old photo of me dated Dec.'74 holding my first mallards on a flooded green timber hunt that I will never forget. We wore em out that year.

Had'nt missed a year since, including the prairie drought years in the 80's, with the 3 bird limits.

Man, i've got some memories. Thanks dad, I miss you.

This will be my 13th season. I don't really remember my first bird in particular. I started hunting with my brothers on a private tank out by lake tawakoni. I started with a single shot 20ga. I don't think I ever hit anything with it.

Then one day only one of my brothers could go, so I got to use my other brothers' 12ga pump. We limited out in a matter of minutes. I do know it was mostly blackjacks and teal.. that was the last hunt we got out of that place some stuff hit the fan with the landowner and some tresspassers. Been on mostly public ever since.

What keeps me at it is the camaraderie with friends and the dogs.

I'm 52 years old and started jump shooting on pot holes, ponds, and creeks when I was 12 years old at home in Louisiana. It never really every got into my blood the way it has now until about 5 years ago when my son talked me into getting into the game because he wanted to try it. We bought decoys, calls, and a dog, and now have a boat. When you add all of those things to the game; especially the dog, it becomes addictive, we love it. I was a deer hunting/archery fanatic until I started doing this 5 years ago, I have all but given that up competely......

In 1978 I went with my uncle and cousin to Hamilton for my first dove hunt. Went back many times that year and several after that. It was in 1996 that I started duck hunting over decoys and some puddle jumping. My first duck was a three curl Mallard Drake. Still have him on my wall. Have hunted many times with my two sons and friends since.
Thanks for the stroll!

First hunt was in Fannin Co around 1974- me, my dad, gr uncle and another uncle. I suceeded in tripping on a tree root and filled my wader and dunked my shotgun.
First duck killed was a Widgeon in Mason Co, around 2001.
Got serious in 2008 in Comanche Co. This year will be the best of bothe worlds a lease with deer and ducks!

Started duck hunting last season (2011) over Thanksgiving Break. Cousin took me and my older brother out, he did all the calling and let me and my brother shoot....First duck was a Ringneck.... Been hooked ever since. Need to find some other hunting buddies in Lubbock/ North Texas area to go with. Trying to slowly build my gear up so I can go with my own stuff. Love seeing the birds fly in and land....something very calming about that for me!

First duck hunt was in 1965 in Bayou Meto area in flooded woods behind Holowell Reservoir West of Stuttart, AR. Killed a mallard drake with my first shot and have been hooked ever since.

My good friend was from Stuttgart and his dad knew the Wabbaseka scatters like the back of his hand. We hunted there when you could walk in and kill all the ducks you wanted in 30 minutes. Kinda hard to duplicate that anywhere now, but it hasn't dulled my desire to try.

Moved to TX in 1974 and learned to hunt praire and potholes. Still went back to AR during duck season for many years, but things have changed there now too.

Shot a 12 minute limit of teal last week and am looking forward to big duck season soon. Don't guess the fire will ever die until I do.

HPJ

November 2002, wood duck, one and only duck that came by that day, the water was so deep I had to wait until it floated to the back of the cove to fetch it.

Ive always liked bird hunting, out around Pleasant Farms we would spend all day chasing blues around and sometimes if my dad could afford it we would shoot some bobwhites around McCamey.

Dove hunting out there was setting up on a windmill pond and pick em off in ones or twos until we had our limits. I actually remember hitting a dove in flight with my pellet gun when I was to young to use a shotgun.

First duck was a Redhead in the east flats near Port Aransas. Hunting with my grandfather, father, and uncle. Would have been around 1992 or so. Been a mix over the years of chasing deer in south Texas and ducks along the coast. Years after college have brought me up to north Texas and a wife from Arkansas has taken me into the trees in recent years.

39 years. Best memories just this last couple years when I hunted with my Dad and son in the same blind. Although we had some unreal hunts growing up in La. Good times.

This will be my season #52 Started in 1960 in Illinois on the Illinois River at Beardstown. Worked my up to Savanna Il and pool 13 on the Mississippi. Been here 1979 go home most every year for the opener.

Great tradition.

been doing it for almost ten years. Got a few people into it now!

I started hunting when I was 5, but one day we were hunting Quail, and I started crying because my feet were cold, needless to say my dad was not happy, so he had to carry me back to the car, (it was cold though). I learned to dress up alot better and became the shell carrier/dead animal carrier. I first cleaned a squirrel when I was four,(lived in Tennessee)my dad would tell me "hold those legs up or your gonna get hair all over it" When I was 8 my dad let me skillet shoot a dove, by 5th grade I had on old Mossberg 410 bolt with a select-choke on it, and got pretty good at hitting doves. As for duck hunting we shot alot in the panhandle of Texas, I really peaked at duck hunting at 16,(all by jump shooting).
It was pintail.We had great places to hunt bobwhites and blues too. here's some Pict's when I was 13 hunting just east of Childress Texas. These dogs,(Beau and Belle) were great.Beau was the pointer and Belle was part Pointer part Brittany. She was a great Dog.