Ryan Barnes for SPLIT REED
We all know him. We all know that one guy who kills his limits of birds day in and day out. The guy who seems to have the job with all the freedom, that allows him to hunt every day of the week, then he goes out and shoots a pile of honkers solo or with his buddies. Pile pic after pile pic seem to flood his social media page, and all you can think is, “why can’t that be me?”. The reality is it can. All you need to do is take it one step at a time.
As waterfowl hunters, there’s multiple steps we take to become more successful in our pursuit of ducks and geese. These steps are different for everybody. One person’s next step might be hunting out of state for the first time, while the next person’s next step might be buying a decoy spread. It all depends on the hunter. But either way, taking these steps are what allows you to become “the guy” who is constantly killing birds.
There’s three situations that force the steps we all have to take as hunters.
The first is location. Where you hunt dictates many of the steps you will take over a waterfowling career. Hunting certain flyways or certain geographic locations has big implications on what steps you need to take. They may be things such as boats, calls, decoys, leases, etc,. For instance, hunting in Missouri may require the step of acquiring a large spring snow goose spread, or buying into a duck club as you try to become a better waterfowl hunter. Whereas in Colorado, the steps you may need to take, based on location, could mean talking to a landowner into letting you place a pit into his field for the hunting season, or investing in an ice-eater for your favorite pond, or leading a stretch of river. All these are things that require taking steps that will allow you to find, hunt, and kill more birds.
The second is free time. Some guys are blessed with jobs that allow them to have enough free time to hunt multiple days a week. Others don’t have that luxury. This is one of those things that the truly dedicated waterfowl hunters seem to find control over. I’ve always found it interesting that when I talk to the most avid of hunters, not just waterfowlers, but hunters in general- they all have worked their way into positions at work, or have found lines of work that give them the free time they desire to be able to hunt as much as they can. For instance, the group of hunters I find myself chasing honkers with the most work as a fireplace salesman, a crop dusting pilot, a sod salesman, and a construction foreman. All jobs that they worked for and in doing so achieved a great amount of freedom. If you find yourself looking out the window at your office cubicle wishing you had the free time to hunt more, it might be time to push yourself to greater heights and shoot for a job that allows you to have that time.
Now, a word of caution. Please don’t misunderstand, you shouldn’t read this and then go ask your boss for a promotion with more PTO, or quit your job. What you should do is, over time, slowly take those steps that you feel comfortable with that will put you into positions to have more free time to hunt (if life and circumstances allow it).
Third, the biggest step for everyone- money. We can’t just ignore the fact that taking these steps takes money. Buying decoys takes money. New guns, money. Guides, money. Leases, money. Waterfowl hunting is a sport that can be very, very expensive. But you can’t let that stop you from taking the next steps needed from progressing in your waterfowling career. Take the time to identify what you need, then start saving. If you need a new motor for your boat, save for that. If you need a boat, you can save for that too. The point is, these things take time. So save your money, and buy what you need to take the steps to become “the man”.
As you keep hashing it out this waterfowl season, identify some of the next few steps you need to take to become a better waterfowler, and to kill more birds. Look at what the people around you are doing who are having success. Go hunt with people that are killing birds. Learn and soak in what they’re doing. Most importantly, get out of your comfort zone. It’s ok if it takes you a little time to do this, but remember, there’s no growth in a comfort zone, and if you want to become a top notch waterfowler, you have to grow and adapt.
If you take your time, and take things step by step as they come; sooner or later, you’ll realize that you’re “the man”, and people will be trying to mimic what you’re doing to kill ducks. So keep at it, one step at a time.
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