Waterfowl Oath
By: Ron Hustvedt
As my brother-in-law Kevin DeLisle and I were discussing plans for an October duck-hunting trip, I remembered that he had been an Eagle Scout as a younger man. Having been a boy scout myself for a few years, I marveled at the work he went through to achieve such an honor. It got me thinking to the fact that as waterfowlers there are plenty of laws but not much of a code. I looked through my old scout manual and found the scout law which reads: “A scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.” With apologies to the Boy Scouts for stealing their material, here is a rewrite of the Boy Scout Law as it applies to waterfowling. Every good code contains moral and ethical elements but also some tactical pieces—if you have other suggestions or additions I encourage you to write the editor.
Trustworthy
If another hunter shows you his personal hot spot—don’t go back there without him or without his permission. It might not be your friend’s land and he might not be the only one who hunts there, but respect his request. Do not forget the trust that exists between a landowner and the people they are giving permission to hunt their land. If a farmer gives you permission to hunt, make sure he knows that you plan on digging holes for your blinds and yanking hay from his bales for cover if that’s part of your hunt. Treat the land as if it were your own and remember when you hunt public land it is owned by all of us so don’t mess it up either.
Loyal
Waterfowling has a rich tradition and each one of us has a duty to remain loyal to that tradition. This applies whether you are the first to duck and goose hunt in your family or if you have relatives who were some of the original market hunters in the Chesapeake Bay. That tradition includes protecting the resource, sharing it with others, honoring the waterfowling traditions of your past and creating traditions of your own.
Helpful
Hunters tend to be competitive by nature and that can sometimes mean holding back information about duck movement or quality hunting locations. Being reserved can keep those spots good for you, but when dealing with folks new to the sport, take a risk and give up some helpful information. This can also include taking inexperienced waterfowlers out to teach by example. The future of waterfowling depends on having more people out there hunting. The number of areas to hunt might be decreasing, but it will decrease faster if there are fewer people to complain and advocate for more hunting areas.
Friendly
When you put on that camouflage, throw those decoys in the truck and tow the swamp boat through town you are announcing to the world that you are a waterfowler. Put on a good face and represent the rest of us in a friendly manner. The same is true among others in the field and on the water. After a successful outing, be sure to share your kill with those who helped make it possible (especially that landowner who gave you permission). Speak well of your experiences because even when speaking with a group of hunters, there are plenty of nonhunters listening in as well. If they have a positive image of hunting, they will help defend our right to continue doing what we love.
Courteous
When duck populations are below average, there can become a lot of competition for field and water to hunt over. Waterfowlers who scout around end up competing with one another for the best locations. This is especially true in public hunting areas where you are in close proximity to other waterfowlers. The key to remember is being courteous of other hunters and following the rules benefits everybody. Everybody hates those people at boat landings in the summertime who take forever to launch their boat. The same annoyance factor exists in the fall so be ready to load and unload when there are others around.
Kind
If you scout out the perfect spot, only to find somebody beats you to it the day of your hunt, graciously give it up and find another one. If the shoe were on the other foot you wouldn’t want other hunters setting up in the area and ruining your hunt. Where there is enough room for your group and another try to talk with them ahead of time and agree on a few simple rules such as no skybusting and if a flock is working one spread, the other group should stop calling. Odds are you won’t be able to chat ahead of time so communicate these rules nonverbally and lead by example.
Obedient
It should go without saying that the waterfowling laws, rules and regulations should be read and followed. Most of us won’t be checked by a conservation officer this fall but do not forget that our character is measured by how we act when nobody else is around. Even the slightest “twisting” of a law can equal large fines and a loss of hunting privileges.This also applies to rules you set up amongst your hunting buddies and rules you make with your family. If you were “given permission” to hunt a particular weekend in exchange for chores on another weekend, honor that no matter how good the migration is moving that weekend (but do consider renegotiating the terms because when it’s on it is worth it!).
Cheerful
Even waterfowlers who spend the majority of the migration in the field have bad days. Sometimes the hunt doesn’t work out how you planned but stay positive. The best hunters learn from their mistakes and getting down on yourself only causes you to question your confidence.
Thrifty
Just because there is a limit doesn’t mean you should shoot a limit. Sure there are other hunters down the migration who might shoot that bird you passed on, but unless you only have one weekend to hunt during the entire season, consider passing on a few. Another spin to this is don’t always shoot the first birds that come into your spread. Often times these are immature birds and not the mature ones everybody loves bragging about bagging. Those greenheads with the beautiful curls don’t usually pile in first and if you make a mess of the first groups to come in you might miss out.
Brave
Be willing to try different locations, decoy spread, calls and tactics this waterfowling season. It’s easy to resort to the tried and true methods, especially when they are working, but be brave and try something new each season. When hunting areas with a lot of other hunters, be brave and abandon what you do if it mirrors those groups around you. If everybody has their decoys set up similarly the ducks will figure it out quickly so do something different like reduce the size of your spread, change their position or call less.
Clean
Make every effort to remove all your spent shell casings and never leave any garbage behind.
Being clean also means waiting for the ducks to be well within range and taking the best shots with the best loads possible for your gun. When cripples get away make every effort to pursue them.
Reverent
This means something different to each one of us but in also includes respecting the beliefs of others.
It is hard not to be a little bit reverent when setting up under a starry sky that gives way to a beautiful sunrise. It is even harder not to be reverent when you consider that you are out there hunting for the pure enjoyment of the experience rather than for basic survival. Thank whatever higher power you believe in for all that is around you and all that you have and if you don’t believe in a higher power then just thank the ducks.
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