BENTONVILLE — The pops of shotguns sounding from a duck blind on Saturday weren’t fired by hunters with years of experience under their waders. Saturday was all about the youngsters during the Arkansas youth waterfowl hunt held Saturday and Sunday.

Adults can set out decoys and call in ducks, but only kids under 16 are allowed to shoot during youth waterfowl weekend.

A makeshift blind on a farm pond near Bentonville was home, sweet home for a flock of young duck hunters and their dads.

When a duck was down, Magnum, a black Labrador retriever, jumped paws first into the pond that was partially iced over. Magnum brought the kids’ trophies to hand.

Last weekend was the official statewide youth hunt, but every weekend is youth weekend at the pond where Joe Falcon of Bentonville has permission to hunt. He’s invited groups of youngsters and their dads to the pond for duck hunting nearly every weekend since duck season opened in November.

“We’ve harvested 121 ducks here this season and almost all of them have been by kids between age 7 and 11,” said Falcon, a Bentonville police off cer. Magnum has retrieved each and every duck.

Seeing kids get excited about duck hunting is the thrill for Falcon. Their smiles are priceless, but Falcon said it’s the dads who wear the widest grins.

Duck hunting is excellent at the pond, thanks in part to a pair of cut cornfields that attract assorted ducks and geese. It’s waterfowl that brings the dads and their kids outdoors, but there’s more to this Saturday fun than hunting.

It’s all about getting fathers and sons doing things together outdoors.

“You can’t replace time spent with your children,” Falcon said. “Unfortunately, it’s been my experience as a police officer to see that the role of a father is changing. Now it’s more about being a provider. Obviously you have to provide for your family, but we’re losing sight about raising our kids. I can’t think of a better place to be with your children than out here in God’s creation.”

DARK’S EARLY LIGHT

Six of the young hunters stood next to their dads in the glow of lantern way before daylight on Saturday morning. A steady mist bordered on freezing. “Fifteen minutes until shooting time,” Falcon announced. He led the first group on a walk to the waterside blind built of wire fence panels, a camoufl age tarp and branches. They’d hunt for awhile, then other hunters would take their turn.

Saturday was moist, cold and ideal weather in the world of duck hunting. It may not have been flying weather for the ducks and geese Falcon hoped to see. Action was slow in the drizzle and chill. Snacks and occasional play time with Magnum kept the kids amused.

“When it’s slow like this, sometimes we have the kids and dad make a stalk to another pond behind us. It’s a smaller pond, but a lot of times it has ducks,” Falcon coached.

Travis Scantling and his son, Brigham, were among the first group and took Falconup on his advice. Finally, the morning was light enough to see. The two slipped out of the blind and crept across the cornfield to the smaller pond. Travis peeked over the edge of the pond bank, Eight mallards were on the water. Nine-yearold Brigham was about to bag the first mallard of his life.

His dad gave him the high sign. Young Brigham stood up slowly, pointed his kid-sized 20-gauge and fi red.

At the shot, Magnum bolted from the blind and headed to the pond where Brigham’s duck lay in the water. Orange feet on the mallard drake pointed toward the sky.

The black lab ran from the water with the duck in its maw and pranced around our group, proud-like. “That’s retrieve No. 122 for Magnum” Falcon hollered. At his owner’s command, Magnum dropped Brigham’s mallard at the youngster’s feet.

Back in the blind, Brigham said that, yes sir, he likes this duck hunting.

“You get excited when you see a duck,” he said. “And you have fun and you get to talk.”

His dad chuckled. “He gets that from the times I’ve taken him deer hunting,” Travis said.

Matthew Shepard, 10, bagged a ringneck duck from the blind on Saturday. A prize for Matthew and retrieve No. 123 for Magnum.

“I like the thrill of it,” he said. “It’s worth waiting to see some ducks because when they come in you get so excited,” Matthew said.

Later in the morning, Ray Shastid and his boys, Colby and Jacob, made up the second group. They’d been in the blind before during the regular duck season.

“This is their first year, Ray said. “I wasn’t sure how they were going to do but they thoroughly enjoyed it.”

There were ducks to hunt, but the dads had more activities for their sons on this youth waterfowl weekend. The dads built a fine campfire and thekids roasted hot dogs on sticks they cut and sharpened themselves. They shot targets with a pellet gun and one youngster brought a toy bow and arrow.

“The kids have as much fun tromping around in the woods as they do shooting ducks,” Falcon said.

The kids would have a tough time out-tromping Falcon, who ran track and cross country for the Razorbacks under national championship coach John McDonnell. Falcon ran the 1,500 meters in the 1992 Summer Olympics.

SEASON SUCCESS

It’s the first year Falcon has had permission to hunt on the pond. His thanks go out to the generous landowner, who has already given his blessings for next year. This Saturday is a work day at the pond, Falcon said. The blind will be taken down and the bank groomedback to it’s original condition.

“We do that so we’ll be good stewards of this property,” Falcon explained to the young hunters on Saturday.

Eighteen kids and their dadsgot a chance to hunt with Falcon this season. Hopefully more can join him next duck season, all the way through another youth waterfowl weekend.

Outdoor, Pages 6 on 02/06/2014