Wood Duck Hunting in Virginia

       Since I was exempt from an exam this morning, I biked a couple decoys down to the North Fork of the Rivanna for a duck/goose hunt. I was mainly targeting geese but had duck decoys just in case. I had 8 or 10 woodies buzz over around 60 yards away at around 7:20, they sat down 150 or so yards up stream... THE PLACE I CONTEMPLATED HUNTING! Ugh, can't win every battle. I also could hear mallards or black ducks talking a little at the SAME PLACE! I waited till after 8:30, when the geese usually fly, with no success, today they must have roosted somewhere else. I headed upriver to see if I could jump shoot a duck or two, and walked up on 2 black ducks at about 55 yards, too far for me. Another got up at 40 yards and I took a poke at him, he ate a couple pellets but kept on cooking, and my second shot was pointless, he was 50 or 60 yards away by then, too far unless I got a pellet in the head (thank you steel shot...ugh). About 70 yards upriver, I spotted a drake wood duck sitting on the river, and pulled the gun up and shot him at 40 or 45 yards. He began flapping wildly and I knew I got him, until he realized the gravity of the situation and got his wings under him (thanks again steel shot) and headed up river. As I stepped out to see if I plucked off any feathers, 8 or 10 other woodies got up a mere 10 yards upstream from where the other duck sat! Just a little too far to shoot. I charged wildly up the river in my bulky waders, for the next 100 yards, hoping to recover the woodie before he got hidden in the brush, but no luck. I knew he was hit well, so I kept walking until I reached a pool 1/4 mile away from my first shot. I peeked my head over the brush and saw a lone drake woodie swimming down river towards me. I lied down in the mud, hoping he wouldn't see me, and waited till he swam within 25 yards... I raised up and drew a bead, he didn't get up! At this range it meant he was definitely the bird I had wounded. I shot and killed him, more satisfied that I recovered my wounded bird than I would've been with a new one, knowing in the back of my mind that there was a wounded bird suffering up under some brush somewhere. I checked all the areas my black duck could be hiding in on the way back, but didn't see him, so I am hopeful that he didn't get hit too hard and will recover. Thanks for reading!  

 

Had to pull his head off, but it was much more humane than letting him flop and suffer.