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Dave Tuttle

Mississippi Mourning

By: Dave Tuttle



I miss you Mississippi. I miss everything about you. I don't think you get the credit you deserve. I didn't know that much about you until Beavertail approached me about doing a duck hunting video shoot in your fine state. Don't get me wrong, I had heard stories about you. Duck hunting immortality. A duck hunters paradise. You and your two neighbors to the west always said your claim to fame was the fantastic duck hunting you offered. I refused to believe it until you were kind enough to welcome me into your home. You were right and I was wrong. You make duck hunting in Minnesota look pathetic and ordinary on it's best day. You showed me what real duck hunting is all about. I always dreamed of what a waterfowl wonderland might look like. You took me by the hand and showed me. Our flight from Minneapolis to Memphis was uneventful. The flight on the twin prop plane from Memphis to the Golden Triangle airport in Mississippi was extremely eventful. A tiny and compact plane, it makes sure you feel every ounce of turbulence the sky is willing to offer. It's like riding a rollercoaster for sixty minutes. Each air pocket seemed to send that plane into a tailspin. It took everything I had not to kneel down and kiss the tarmac as we touched down in the Magnolia state. The drive from the airport to Lifetime Hunts, L.L.C. in Macon is roughly an hour. It was evident to me on that drive how rich in it's heritage and history Mississippi is. They are a proud people and rightly so. So much of the Civil Rights Movement and Civil War history belong to the state and it's people.

Lifetime Hunts, L.L.C. is located on the Brookson Plantation and has 9,000 acres of some of the best hunting you will ever experience. Deer, wild boar, turkey and waterfowl congregate here by the thousands along with small game and predators. You literally have to see it for yourself to believe it. The staff at Lifetime Hunts, led by Terry Knight , welcomed us with open arms and made sure they put us on the birds and the game. Torrey Harris of LT Productions, who I am proud to call my friend and my mentor, led the charge in the swamps and marshes and was the mastermind on the waterowl hunts. He had us in the right spots each and every time without fail and his crew captured some great footage. I learned a very valuable lesson early on in Mississippi. When you are hunting and you are surrounded by a video crew do not whip out your digital camera as the sun is coming up and the ducks are coming in. The ducks see the flash of the camera and flare well before they get within shooting range. I tried it once. Once. Never again. My antics left the camera crew shaking their heads and I got a friendly verbal beatdown from Torrey. I decided it might be in my best interest to leave the digital camera back at the lodge after that. Hunting the swamps and flooded timber of Mississippi and Arkansas is a whole different ballgame compared to the way we hunt up here. I've gone a whole day without seeing a duck here. Not so down there.

 

They tornado in by the thousands and all fight for a small piece of property on the water. At times it was hard for me to take a shot because I was in awe of what I was watching. I remember the first morning walking through the swamp and leaning on a tree waiting for the show to begin. It was still dark but the sun was starting to break. The wood ducks weaved in and out of those trees with the greatest of ease, some of them coming close to knocking me off my feet because they were flying so low and close to me. It's a sound and a spectacle that one never forgets. The only thing that made me somewhat uneasy were the snakes. They love the swamps and you have to keep a watchful eye on your surroundings at all times. One bite and your hunting trip could come to a tragic end. The boar hunts were amazing as were the deer hunts, but I will forever remember my time hunting Mississippi for the waterfowl. It was breathtaking and everything they always said it would be.

On the plane ride back home it got me thinking. I could pick and choose my shots in Mississippi. They were coming in fast and furious at all times and from all different directions. I passed on many because I knew there were better ones on the way. I knew if I wanted to let one flock pass I could count on another flock shortly after. Rarely does that happen in Minnesota. I would be crazy to pass on a shot here, it might be the only one I get all day. Last year if I saw a flock of twelve mallards come into my decoy spread I would consider myself lucky and fortunate. They would call that abysmal and unacceptable in Mississippi. The numbers just are not here like they are down there and it's unfortunate. I know our geese numbers will always be strong here in Minnesota, but I would be lying to you if I told you the same in regards to the ducks. It worries me.

Thanks to Terry Knight and the crew at Lifetime Hunts in Macon, Mississippi for opening my eyes and showing me what a real duck hunt is all about. Wow! Thanks to my mentor and good friend Torrey Harris and LT Productions for having the courage to put my mug on your dvd's. I hope I gave you something to work with. I like to think us northern boys held our own down there. Thanks to Cody Alberson of www.arkansasduckguide.com. You take a backseat to nobody when it comes to being on fire for waterfowl hunting. Your passion for the sport we both love and cherish amazes me. Thanks to Mike Lambeth for pulling all nighters with me and talking outdoor writing. I admire and respect your work and I appreciate your support and encouragement. Thanks for pushing me to continue writing. It's nice to know I have you in my corner as I continue on this writing journey. Last but certainly not least thanks to Beavertail. We went down there and showed those southern boys that we can shoot ducks too! It was a blast and thanks for inviting me.

I think about you everyday, Mississippi. I miss you more than words can say. I will be back with you eventually, have no doubts about that. I can't get back to you quick enough. Leave the front door of the lodge open for me at Lifetime Hunts. Just in case I get to you sooner than you expect.

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