Why Do We Do This to Ourselves...?

Posted on February 19, 2004 by Clay Hiett 

How many times have you asked yourself that very question... out loud even? I know I asked myself, my dog, my hunting buddies, my decoys, my boat motor, anyone or anything that would listen at least a dozen times. For us in the lower Mississippi flyway we have just finished what might be one of the most disappointing seasons in recent memory. Therefore I know we've all been the complainer or the complainee at some point. I know I asked Justin and he asked me about a hundred times over the past week alone. Why? Why don't we start a bowling league? Why don't we buy a couple of Harley's and just ride around? How about golf? Why don't we just waste our time on something more productive? Let's become yard work freaks and try to out do each other.

And we haven't even begun to get into the cost of this sport. How many times have you tallied up your overall cash outlay for waterfowl hunting? C'mon, it's fun. Add up the cost of your shotgun(s), decoys, calls, dogs, dog food, boat(s), boat motors, four wheelers, hunting lease(s), shells, license, stamps, truck, mud tires, camo clothing, waders, boots, dog boxes, and don't forget maintenance on all the above. This sport is not cheap. (I bet you didn't need me to tell you that either) So why? Why don't we all just give it up and start some fun winter projects around the house? Just sell all of that stuff that we spend all year storing and find something more productive and less expensive to spend our time doing? Why?

And let's not forget about the time. How many hours a year do you spend traveling to and from your favorite hunting grounds? How many hours do you spend training your dog or rigging your decoys or working on your boat motor or trailer or blind? How many hours a year do you spend at the sporting goods store or on hunting or fishing or training websites? On this website? How many hours have you put in scouitng before the season? How many spent on brushing blinds? And the big question; how much time do you spend away from work every duck season?

Oh, and by the way, all of this insanity is also very, very dangerous. I know that we all do as much as we can do be as safe as possible. I know this, but look at what we do. We go out well before daylight in some of the worst weather we can get ourselves into. We get on icy roads and get into icy boats on dangerous rivers and lakes and even the ocean. Throw in some shotguns for good measure and you and I are putting ourselves in harms way. Why do we do this year in and year out? Why?

The answer is really very simple..

Because there is still no feeling in the world like seeing the first ducks of the year respond to your call and really lock in on your spread.enjoying your first cup of coffee from a thermos in the duck boat.razzing your buddy when he air-balls his first easy shot on a big drake.the first new dirty jokes of the year told in the blind.staying up late and getting up early in some little hotel in Stuttgart, AR or Katy, TX or along the coast of Maine or in Wisconsin or Kentucky or California or New York or anywhere in between. Because nothing in the world tastes as good as a big breakfast after cold, cold morning of duck hunting. Because there are few things in the world as beautiful as a cold, clear sunrise over a place that you hold dear to your heart. Because there is no feeling like seeing the hours and hours of frustrating labor come to fruition when your dog makes her first real retrieve.and love it the whole way. Because nothing compares to the bond you create with your dad, grandfather, uncles, brothers and sisters, friends and most of all your dogs when you are in the field, the woods, the river, the marsh or the coastline.

Because there's simply nothing else like it in the world...