duck tagged posts

By Carleen Soule

Google “single moms hunting with kids” sometime, and you’ll find tips on job hunting, apartment hunting (not house; just apartment), vulgar hook-up advice, and the laughable “wives become ‘single moms’ during hunting season” snivel, but what is missing from the search results are pages for mothers who happen to be single and also happen to be hunters. I found advice for creating scavenger hunts, treasure hunts, Easter egg hunts (which I will probably never do again after scrolling through several pages of that mindless drivel), and hunting bargains, but nothing on deer hunting, duck hunting, shotgunning, or bowhunting from a single mom’s perspective...

When it comes to developing a good duck decoy spread you’ll often need a well thought out strategy and a bit of luck. Although duck hunting season is primarily over, it is never too early to discuss effective strategies. And when it comes to decoy spreads, strategies can become quite complex and contradict each other. For instance is it best to have a large spread or small spread? This answer will change from hunter to hunter and will vary from location to location. While there is no distinct way to set up a spread, the best rule of thumb is to imagine you are the duck and to decide what the duck wants to see in a spread. Here is a list of some of the most important things to consider when developing a decoy spread.

Observe the Area

When setting up the decoys, try to use decoys that rese...

Growing up in a small town in central Minnesota I was raised by a family who loved the outdoors.  My mom and dad took both my brother and I hunting for as long as I can remember and really went the extra mile to include us in everything they did.  I truly believe this was the main reason I fell in love with hunting and the outdoors.  At a young age I realized how important hunting was not only as a food source for our family, but also as a way we could all enjoy something together.

As we grew older, hunting was still a big part of our lives all through high school and into college.  This was when I decided I loved it too much and wanted to find a way to make a career out of it...

If you’re contemplating starting to hunt, step one is to complete your state-approved hunter education. Summer is a great time to take the course so you’ll be ready for hunting season, which is coming right up!

Many states allow, or even require, you to take a portion of your hunter education online. Other courses include a classroom course and other require a “field day” to demonstrate hands-on safety skills. Check with your local Department of Natural Resources or Fish & Game to find out your state’s requirements – or your local sporting goods store will likely be able to point you in the right direction if you’re not sure who to call.

If you can (or are required) to take an online portion of hunter education, there are a lot of options to choose from. Here are a couple to check out:

• Hu...

Hunting is a way of life in much of rural Georgia – something that is passed down from generation to generation.  Some of my earliest memories are being in the woods deer hunting with my daddy, and whether we were hunting deer or dove, he always taught my brother and me to appreciate the animals that we harvested, and to eat what you kill.  While I don’t hunt as often as I did when I was a child, my fiancé is quite the avid sportsman, and loves to bring home things for me to cook. 

Rachel’s fiance Trevor with two beautiful Wood Ducks

After a wood duck hunt last October, my fiancé brought home his birds for me – wood ducks are much smaller than most ducks, but are full of amazing flavor due to their unique diet of acorns and nuts...