I went duck hunting with Marty Smith & his son Josh Smith this past weekend.  I showed up with only myself and a gun and Marty outfitted me with some waiters (which had a hole in them) and some bullets to shoot.  I was a little unprepared I guess you could say, but I did have both of my stamps!  
 
Marty?s property backs into a swamp which is a creek that is dammed up by some beavers.  It?s been there forever and I used to hunt there with Marty a lot when I was in middle school and high school.  Since college and going back and forth to Europe I hadn?t been able to go in a while, but now I?m back in the game so to speak. 

I arrived to the shed a little early and took some pictures of Marty?s duck hunting home base.  You scan see them below.  It?s an old shed that is just what you would imagine it is and is just right for duck hunting.  I like the feel of that shed...maybe because it throws me back to days when I was kid going hunting with the older guys or maybe because of the antique feel to it.  I've heard many stories told in this shed as we would get ready to go hunting and then talk about how we missed ducks after the hunts.  I assure you that no exaggerations have ever been made in this shed before!

Soon Marty and Josh arrived and we got our gear on and headed down to the swamp.  We got out there before daylight and crossed a few dams.  We had to get out a time or two and pull the boat over and then get back in.  Eventually we paddled up into some cattails and wedged the boat in there real tight.  He?s got some old burlap type of material in the boat that we use camouflage by draping it all over the boat.   We also bent the cattails over the edges of the boat too.  This really helped blend us into the swamp environment which is necessary because ducks eyes are so sharp that it?s critical to be well camouflaged.  

The day before Marty and Josh had shot a mallard, a wood duck, and a teal.  I was hopeful that we would get some similar, good action, but in the end there were only 2 ? 4 ducks that flew in that we could see, but yet they were too far away to get a good shot.  So I think I?m the ultimate jinx or something.  Maybe they'll be better luck next time.

Even though we didn?t get a good shot on a duck, it felt good to be out there in the swamp and to see some ducks fly again.  I?m sure in time we?ll have a blog entry with some ducks on it.  There is just something that is unique about being out their watching steam come off the water and hearing the distant call of a wood duck or a mallard.  It?s a different feel for hunting than you get in a deer stand.  One of those different feelings is the feeling of a wet sock when your waiters have a hole in them!  Having a wet feet in a swamp doesn?t help you stay warm!  Oh the joy, but it was a good experience and a good change of pace from sitting in a tree!

Anyway, I did shoot 2 videos that are up on our YouTube Channel and I have embedded them below. 
 

360 View of our duck blind setup

Marty Smith calling in some mallards

Some pics from the morning

Regards,

CBP 
 
 

Somewhere out there around the state there are some duck hunters getting prepared for this weekend!  Yeah that?s right, you all know who you are.  Make sure your waiters aren?t leaking and the reeds in your duck calls aren?t broken because the clock is ticking!

While I?m no pro at duck hunting, I do enjoy getting out in a swamp and watching the ducks fly in.  There?s just something neat about it, just like there is something neat about watching deer come through the woods? you just have to have more licenses/stamps to hunt them legally, thus incurring more expenses!

It has been a while since I?ve gone duck hunting, but I?m excited to get back out there.  When I was growing up we would go duck hunting in the morning before school.  There were days when we would go hunting with our English teacher and at 6:45 we were chasing ducks for him and then at 8:45 we were taking his tests!  It was quite the contrast and Justin Brooks and I have been known to get a truck ?stuck? in a swamp and show up late to school.  Those were the good ole? days though. 

So if you are a duck hunter, then speak it up on the site, message board, & post your images to the ?Post Your Visuals? page.  I/we are interested to see what you?ve got going on and any bands that you collect.  We are also thinking about having a duck calling competition on the site.  If you think that is a good idea, let us know.  If you are the ?Duck Commander? of South Carolina then prove it to us. 

This coming weekend I will be guided by the self-proclaimed legendary duck hunter Marty Smith along with his son Josh.  Marty has informed me that we may even get into some geese.  Hopefully we?ll get some decent images to show you.  We shall see and my future blog posts will tell the truth of what goes on!