What else can get a 13 year old boy up at 3 a.m. besides hunting?  I am amazed at just how our sleepy-headed boy turns into a bright eyed, bushy tailed young man when he's getting up to go hunting!

Our neighbor across the street invited him to go duck hunting for the first time the other day.  I've never been duck hunting, but from what I've heard about it, it's cold. Very cold.  And there isn't a lot of meat on a duck. (Why bother really?)  And let's not even dwell on all of the gear a guy needs to duck hunt in comfort.  Joe was pretty well bundled with thermal underwear, coveralls, tall boots to wade through the water, super duper gloves & hat, handwarmers and special thick socks, but even with all of that he still had to borrow a neck gaitor to keep the wind off of his face. 

Anyway.......

They saw one duck and Joe took it down.(After days of working on the duck blind and driving 4 hours round trip each time.)  It was a pretty green headed mallard.  Like this one.  Unfortunately my digital camera is broken so I can't give you an actual picture. I asked if we were going to eat it, but he's hoping to get it taxidermied.  He has it all planned out.  He even wants to put the shell he used to shoot it on the plaque so he can hang his duck call on it.  Who says that boys aren't sentimental?

So Joe is a pretty happy hunter.  He had to bring his dead duck inside for me to admire it.  What a big kid!  He was making it talk like a puppet.  I just don't enjoy dead animal humor though and now Mr. Duck is safely stashed out in our freezer until he gets an appointment at a taxidermist. 

So if you have a problem with too many ducks, just give Joe a call.  He'll happily get up in the wee hours of the morning to sit out in the cold and thin them out for you.