The boys had the bragging rights on Saturday, out-shooting their dads big time in the duck blind.
While the youngsters' shotguns popped, their fathers never touched a trigger. That's the way it is on youth waterfowl weekend, when adults may take kids duck hunting but only the youngsters are allowed to shoot. Arkansas' youth waterfowl hunt is held annually the weekend after the regular duck season closes.
Go For Geese
A Light Goose Conservation Order is in effect across Arkansas through April 25. The order is designed to reduce the number of blue, snow and Ross’s geese. Hunters must call 800-364-4263 to register before hunting.
There is no bag limit or possession limit on blue, snow or Ross’s geese. Hunters may use unplugged shotguns and electric calls. Hunters must carry a hunting license, but no federal or state waterfowl stamp is required.
Shooting hours are 30 minutes before sunset to 30 minutes after sunset.
— Arkansas Game & Fish Commission
Headlamp breams sliced the darkness before dawn on Saturday where a half-dozen boys and their dads gathered at a private farm in Centerton. This edge of night hid a 1.5-acre pond behind them and a plush, new duck blind a bunch of the dads built last summer.
The young hunters were bundles of energy at 6 a.m., running, not walking, to find their warm jackets, gloves and snacks for the blind.
"Let's get going. Shooting hours start in 10 minutes," said Joe Falcon of Bentonville, leader of last Saturday's adventure.
Our wader-clad army marched through pasture grass, muck and cow pies to the waterside blind. Falcon and his friend, Travis Scantling, opened the blind's wooden door and ushered the boys to a long bench seat at the front of the blind. Falcon and Scantling are both Bentonville police officers and take boys and girls duck hunting through the regular season and on youth-hunt weekend.
This season Falcon, Scantling and other dads have taken 61 kids from 21 different families duck hunting at the farm a few miles west of Bentonville.The landowner is happy to have them.
"It's a great ministry for these kids," said Falcon. Youngsters get to spend time outdoors with their fathers or other men who are good role models, he added. It's the first time for a lot of the kids to hunt or shoot a shotgun.
Keith Smith of Bentonville brought seven boys from their Trail Life USA troop to the Saturday duck hunt.
"What a great bunch of dads these are," he said. "Such a great thing for these kids to go hunting. Not every kid gets that experience," Smith said.
Before hiking to the blind, the party prayed for a safe hunt and for a fun, productive day. Later, the kids and dads gave thanks for the two ducks the kids bagged.
Clouds hid the sunrise when a group of 15 ringneck ducks circled on whistling wings and splashed down. When Falcon gave the OK, each of the four boys leaned forward, picked up a 20 gauge and pointed the barrels. Trouble was, the boys were so excited the ducks flew off before the hunters were ready to shoot.
A single duck flew back to the blind and blam! "Good shooting men! Good shooting!," Falcon hollered. "OK, gun safties on."
High fives followed, then Falcon's Labrador retriever, Magnum, jumped into the icy water to retrieve the day's first duck.
A couple of the boys left for the campfire so others would have a chance to hunt. This new group downed a beautiful gadwall duck that Magnum artfully retrieved.
The boys took a shine to this duck-hunting sport.
"It feels good to shoot a shotgun," piped young hunter Michael Coller. "It's like 'boom!'"
"Seeing that first flock of ducks fly to the pond, that was exciting," Caleb Hallam added.
Falcon, a meticulous keeper of hunting notes, rattled off some numbers.
"That was Magnun's 332nd retrieve," Falcon said proudly. "He's six and this is his fifth duck season."
"We shot 125 ducks out of this blind last year and 91 this year. We just haven't had the cold weather we had last year," Falcon said. The average harvest is four to six ducks per hunt.
The dads will have their day when duck season rolls around again next fall. But at this little duck paradise, it's all about the kids.
Flip Putthoff can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWAFlip
Sports on 02/05/2015