River Float
Growing up I always knew my uncle duck hunted. It was obvious from walking into his house that he enjoyed waterfowl hunting. His living room specifically has, framed photos of hunting trips he had taken years ago, yet he could explain the trips in great detail like they were yesterday. I knew he still went duck hunting with friends, but not your normal blind hunts calling the birds in. Instead he floated down a river and hoped to jump the birds when he could. It was Thanksgiving weekend 2018 when I first went on a river float with my Uncle Jamey. I was 24 and he was 62.
He had an old Jon boat filled with debris and some pvc pipe painted and drilled on the sides wrapped in camo. The idea was to float down the south fork river in Lincolnton, NC and act as if we were debris.
I met him at his warehouse at 6am as we began to load up the truck with our essentials. Two shotguns with number 4 high brass shells, Jon boat, paddles, tree limbs, two cokes, and 4 country ham biscuits he had made for the morning. It was cold and windy that morning, but we dressed accordingly and set out. I was in the front of the boat and he was in the back as my personal guide. I was to look for ducks on the banks and he would slowly aim the boat in the right direction in hopes of getting close enough for a shot.
It was 15 minutes into the float before I saw my first two ducks. It was a male and female Wood Duck sitting on the right side of the river swimming across to the left. The sun was in my eyes and all I could see was two black figures, but I knew they were ducks. I whispered to Jamey and the stalking began. We were getting just in range and I was prepared to shoot when, two ducks we had not seen took flight from 9 o'clock. As a rookie would do, I took my eye off the two we were stalking and shot three shells at the other two ducks that had just jumped. Missing all three shots and letting all 4 birds fly high and far out of site.
It was this time I realized I had my turkey choke in the gun which projects shotgun pellets in a concentrated pattern. For ducks and larger waterfowl, you would want a different choke that spreads the pellets wider giving you a better chance of hitting the flying birds. Nonetheless, I was a little upset and worried we would not see another duck, but the thrill did get my heart pumping.
We continued to float and to my luck saw more ducks. We began to stalk and just as anticipated, they jumped and began to fly. I shot and sure enough a drake began to fall. My uncle screaming “hit him again, hit him again” so I continued to shoot. Jamey kept repeating “keep an eye on him because he might dive under the water”. Just as I shot the bird the wind picked up and started to move the boat the wrong way and we were brushed into some limbs. We finally paddled up to the duck and I picked him out of the water.
It was a beautiful wood duck with a bright colored head. I had never shot a wood duck and only seen them in paintings, but could not believe that just on its head there was such distinct colors like yellow, orange, red, black, white, purple, blue and green.
This ended up being the only duck I shot that day, but better to have one to throw on the grill then none. As we pulled the boat out of the water, 20 or more geese flew over the river right in our direction, but we were not prepared at all. While enjoying a coke and a country ham biscuit, Jamey told me of a hunt where he had just pulled the boat out and saw geese coming down the river. He ran to his gun and was able to put 1 shell in the gun and aim up. He pulled the trigger and a goose landed not 20 yards behind him. I thought that would have been a cool way to end a hunt. River Floating was a fun break from cold still hunting deer that year and being able to spend time with my uncle was enjoyable as well.
