WEBVTT - Ep. 171: THIS COUNTRY LIFE - Ducks, Trees, and Danger

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to this Country Life. I'm your host, Brent Reeves

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<v Speaker 1>from coon hunting to trot lining and just general country living.

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<v Speaker 1>I want you to stay a while as I share

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<v Speaker 1>my stories and the country skills that will help you

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<v Speaker 1>beat the system. This Country Life is proudly presented as

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<v Speaker 1>part of Meat Eaters Podcast Network, bringing you the best

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<v Speaker 1>outdoor podcast the airways have to offer. All right, friends,

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<v Speaker 1>pull you up a chair or drop that tailgate. I

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<v Speaker 1>think I got a thing or two. The teacher ducks,

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<v Speaker 1>trees and danger. A journey can start at any moment,

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<v Speaker 1>but a lifelong journey has to start pretty early in

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<v Speaker 1>a person's life. It was ducks for me, and I

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<v Speaker 1>took my first step on that trick at eleven. And

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<v Speaker 1>I'm going to tell you a lot about what went

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<v Speaker 1>on when I was chasing those critters around Arkansas. But

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<v Speaker 1>first I'm going to tell you the I had all started.

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<v Speaker 1>I had the pleasure of being invited to go on

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<v Speaker 1>a duck hunt last weekend with a group of friends

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<v Speaker 1>that I coon hunt with, and I have to say

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<v Speaker 1>I missed it more than I thought. After a twenty

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<v Speaker 1>six year marathon grind of guiding duck hunters every available day,

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<v Speaker 1>stressing about water, duck camp, maintenance, boat, motor, upkeep, leases,

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<v Speaker 1>no rest, little sleep, downward trend and duck numbers and

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<v Speaker 1>upward trend of duck shooters, and the collection of birthdays.

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<v Speaker 1>My brother and I quit. I hung up my calls

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<v Speaker 1>and did other things. A bowl hunted, a fly fished,

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<v Speaker 1>a coon hunted. But the main thing I did was

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<v Speaker 1>enjoy myself during hunting season. Duck season used to be

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<v Speaker 1>my reason for being. It was what I looked forward

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<v Speaker 1>to most. When it wasn't duck season, I thought about it.

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<v Speaker 1>I counted the days until it was now. My dad

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<v Speaker 1>wasn't a duck hunter, but my older brother Tim just

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<v Speaker 1>decided one day that he was. And if he was

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<v Speaker 1>doing it, you could bet that I was going to

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<v Speaker 1>try to do it too. For anyone that's new to

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<v Speaker 1>the podcast, I grew up in the country, and I

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<v Speaker 1>loved to hunt and fish and do just about anything

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<v Speaker 1>that's outside except for chores. Now being raised on a farm,

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<v Speaker 1>there was always something to be done, Something needed doctored

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<v Speaker 1>or stacked, split, loaded, unloaded, disked, raked, painted, planted, burned.

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<v Speaker 1>Then on was ain't gonna burn themselves, you know, toaded,

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<v Speaker 1>picked or a combination of any number of them. Now

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<v Speaker 1>I didn't really care for it. None of that has changed.

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<v Speaker 1>I got a four wheeler trailer sitting in my backyard

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<v Speaker 1>right now that I begrudgingly filled with limbs two springs

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<v Speaker 1>ago before the moving started. Now, this was all under

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<v Speaker 1>the direction of my workaholic wife Alexis, who lives by

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<v Speaker 1>the proverb that idle hands are the devil's workshop. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>that trailer is still sitting there full of limbs, and

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<v Speaker 1>when I have time, I'm going to haul them off.

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<v Speaker 1>But right now I'm busy being retired and thinking about

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<v Speaker 1>duck hunting again. I was eleven on my first duck

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<v Speaker 1>hunt in nineteen seventy seven. My brother Tim and Joe

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<v Speaker 1>Tyree took me to Star City, Arkansas, to a beaver

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<v Speaker 1>pond that was located behind a mena farm on Cane Creek.

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<v Speaker 1>The beavers had a large section of hardwoods flooded with backwater,

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<v Speaker 1>and Star City is on the edge of the Arkansas

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<v Speaker 1>River delta. With the river close and flooded rice fields closer,

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<v Speaker 1>that beaver pond was a natural resting spot for Mallard

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<v Speaker 1>ducks looking for a place to snag a few acrens,

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<v Speaker 1>take a nap and hunt up a gall to roll

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<v Speaker 1>back north with. When the time came, I was sporting

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<v Speaker 1>my first pair of uninsulated red ball waiters, an early

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<v Speaker 1>Christmas present from Tim and my sister in law, Barbajean.

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<v Speaker 1>The suspenders were green with several buckles, just like my brothers,

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<v Speaker 1>with two layers of socks, a red Union suit you

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<v Speaker 1>know the kind with the flap in the back for emergencies,

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<v Speaker 1>a flannel shirt, a green Army filled jacket, and a

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<v Speaker 1>brand new Ducks back canvas hat. I followed Tim and

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<v Speaker 1>Joe for the half mile walk to the flooded timber.

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<v Speaker 1>I didn't have a light, so I stuck close to Tim,

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<v Speaker 1>and when he pulled his foot out of a track,

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<v Speaker 1>I stuck mine in there. And that would be the

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<v Speaker 1>template that I would use for many years until he

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<v Speaker 1>encouraged me to go ahead and do my own thing,

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<v Speaker 1>and he even started following me some. That's a good thing.

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<v Speaker 1>That's how you evaluate the lessons getting passed down. Just

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<v Speaker 1>like our father and all the adults and the more

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<v Speaker 1>experienced folks that we looked up to had done for us,

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<v Speaker 1>and the ones that came before Dad had done for

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<v Speaker 1>him that's how it worked works, Tim said, be careful, Brent.

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<v Speaker 1>There's a big beaver. Run right here. Step extra long

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<v Speaker 1>so you hit the other side and don't fall in.

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<v Speaker 1>And it's deep, and if you get wet, you gonna

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<v Speaker 1>get cold because we ain't going back to the truck

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<v Speaker 1>until we're done hunting. Well, I stood in the spot

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<v Speaker 1>where he'd more or less jumped from, and the muddy

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<v Speaker 1>water was up to my behind, and I wondered, step

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<v Speaker 1>extra long? How long is that? He's like twice as

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<v Speaker 1>tall as me. I'm gonna fall in, but I don't

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<v Speaker 1>care because I'm going duck. And before I could finish

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<v Speaker 1>that thought, he reached and grabbed me by the hand

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<v Speaker 1>and said jump, and I did, and he snatched me

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<v Speaker 1>over that beaver built abyss and we waited on him

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<v Speaker 1>telling me where the logs and the sticks were that

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<v Speaker 1>I had to step over. He taught me on that

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<v Speaker 1>trip to slide my feet when I couldn't see the bottom,

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<v Speaker 1>and not to put my weight forward when walking until

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<v Speaker 1>I planted my foot firmly on solid ground. Now I

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<v Speaker 1>can't even begin to estimate how many I passed that

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<v Speaker 1>on to duck hutting clients. Some of them still dripping

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<v Speaker 1>wet from learning the hard way. It was still dark

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<v Speaker 1>when we got to the spot, and I could see

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<v Speaker 1>the stars shining through the opening in the trees, and

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<v Speaker 1>Tim let me help put the decoys out in the

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<v Speaker 1>water that was just above my knees. Me and you

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<v Speaker 1>will stand right here by this tree, and Joe will

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<v Speaker 1>be standing by that one. He pointed over to my

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<v Speaker 1>right with his flashlight, and I could already see Joe

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<v Speaker 1>propped up against that oak tree, shot gun hanging on

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<v Speaker 1>a nail, his hands in his pockets, he just waiting

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<v Speaker 1>on daylight. The wind was blowing from my right to

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<v Speaker 1>the left, and the sky was starting to turn pink

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<v Speaker 1>behind us. Tim poured some coffee out of his thermest

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<v Speaker 1>bottle and gave me the cup while he dug out

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<v Speaker 1>a cigarette and lit it. And that coffee smelled good

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<v Speaker 1>and the cup felt good in my cold hands. We

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<v Speaker 1>shared that cup back and forth and warmed our enters

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<v Speaker 1>as we talked about wearing when to shoot, and when

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<v Speaker 1>I could look at the working ducks, and when I couldn't.

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<v Speaker 1>Now I'm glad he's quit smoking many years ago, but

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<v Speaker 1>I'll catch a whilf of a cigarette smoke occasionally, and

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<v Speaker 1>it'll remind me of similar times. Coffee does the same thing.

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<v Speaker 1>It's funny how smell and all that is connected with memories.

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<v Speaker 1>It seemed like forever, But eventually I could look over

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<v Speaker 1>at Joe and I could see his outline. He hadn't

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<v Speaker 1>moved an inch, and I could see the silhouettes of

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<v Speaker 1>the decoys as they moved back and forth in the

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<v Speaker 1>hole where we'd set them. We heard duck wings whistling

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<v Speaker 1>overhead and ducks quacking out in the timber. I'm not

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<v Speaker 1>sure I even blinked. I was about to pee in

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<v Speaker 1>my breeches, and not just from excitement. I hadn't drink

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of coffee up to that part of my life,

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<v Speaker 1>and it was making short work about dixie cup sized bladder. Tim,

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<v Speaker 1>I got a pee right now? Yes, he said, Well,

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<v Speaker 1>get over you uder and get it done, shooting irises

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<v Speaker 1>in five minutes. Well I got it done. Once I

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<v Speaker 1>was back by the tree, Tim gave me a handful

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<v Speaker 1>of shells to put in my pocket, told me to

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<v Speaker 1>load up. That's what I was waiting to hear. I

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<v Speaker 1>checked the safety and I put three of them in

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<v Speaker 1>that remyton eleven hundred checked the safety again, and I waited.

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<v Speaker 1>The ducks started flying in big groups and were bypassing

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<v Speaker 1>our little spot. I was getting discouraged, but Tim told

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<v Speaker 1>me to be patient. Soon the sun was high enough

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<v Speaker 1>for the decoys to be seen, and the ducks started

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<v Speaker 1>acting interested. Tim was calling to one group that was

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<v Speaker 1>circling when four or five dropped in that we never

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<v Speaker 1>saw coming, and Tim and Joe each shot one as

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<v Speaker 1>they hovered over the decoys. Well, I was peeking at

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<v Speaker 1>the group that was still circling when they shot, and

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<v Speaker 1>it scared the fire out of me. It's a good

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<v Speaker 1>thing i'd gotten rid of that coffee earlier, but they

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<v Speaker 1>might have scared the pee out of me too. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>you got to be ready. I'm gonna tell you when

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<v Speaker 1>to shoot, But sometimes they slip in on us, Tim

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<v Speaker 1>told me. He said, so when they do, you gotta

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<v Speaker 1>be quick. Well, I was listening intently and watching the

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<v Speaker 1>sky when a big, old fat mall of drake started

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<v Speaker 1>making tie eight circles and losing altitude as he burned

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<v Speaker 1>off speeding. Tim continued his lesson. I said, no matter

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<v Speaker 1>how many come in, just pick out one and forget

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<v Speaker 1>all the rest. Of them. Now. I guess he saw

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<v Speaker 1>my eyes following that duck that was dropping in, and

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<v Speaker 1>as he was looking up to see what I was saying,

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<v Speaker 1>he continued his lecture with be sure to give him

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<v Speaker 1>some lead, and then give him the lead. At that moment,

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<v Speaker 1>that drake looked as big as a wing shehutling pony,

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<v Speaker 1>and he was inside the trees in front of me,

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<v Speaker 1>about fifteen feet above the decoys. Went. To Tim's surprise,

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<v Speaker 1>I showed her that eleven hundred punched off the safety

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<v Speaker 1>and put him belly button up in the decoys. Tim

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<v Speaker 1>calmly finished his lessons with just like that man alive,

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<v Speaker 1>that was number one Numero uno and the match that

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<v Speaker 1>lit my fuse. I handed in my shotgun and I

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<v Speaker 1>waited out amongst the decoys to retrieve my prize. And

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<v Speaker 1>I couldn't have been more proud, And Nita contemn. I

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<v Speaker 1>hung onto those curly tail feathers for years and years

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<v Speaker 1>until they got lost. Like things like that do. My

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<v Speaker 1>mama made a big batch of duck and rice out

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<v Speaker 1>of that rascal and some others that we brought home

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<v Speaker 1>that day. I can smell it cooking right now, and

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<v Speaker 1>see how that whole hunt played out in my head

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<v Speaker 1>like it like it happened this morning. That's the thing

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<v Speaker 1>about memories. They're the little movies that played in your

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<v Speaker 1>head anytime you want them to. And that one, well,

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<v Speaker 1>I was reminded of it a few days ago when

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<v Speaker 1>I was watching ducks swinging around after we called to

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<v Speaker 1>them and dropping into decoys, just like I'd seen a

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<v Speaker 1>million times before. It was a tail. I thought I

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<v Speaker 1>was done with. But me and duck hunting never officially

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<v Speaker 1>broke up. We just took a three year vacation. And

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<v Speaker 1>that's just how it happened and how it all started.

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<v Speaker 1>Now here's a duck story that happened twelve years after

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<v Speaker 1>my duck hunting journey started, and believe it or not,

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<v Speaker 1>it was within a half a mile of that very spot,

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<v Speaker 1>in the same flooded timber, but under extremely different circumstances.

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<v Speaker 1>This is the time my journey nearly came to an

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<v Speaker 1>abrupt and violent halt. So gather the young'uns, and y'all

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<v Speaker 1>listen up. The reeves boys are out doing dumb stuff again.

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<v Speaker 1>Remember Cane Creek, like from ten minutes ago, the creek

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<v Speaker 1>that the beavers had dammed up and created the pond

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<v Speaker 1>and the flooded timber where I shot my first mount

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<v Speaker 1>of duck. Remember well, fast forward twelve years and it's

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<v Speaker 1>now a one thousand, six hundred and seventy five acre

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<v Speaker 1>lake within the two thousand and fifty three acre Cane

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<v Speaker 1>Creek State Park. It's a beautiful park in the lake

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<v Speaker 1>in it so it's approving great fishery under the care

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<v Speaker 1>of the Arkansas State Parks and the Arkansas Gaming Fish Commission,

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<v Speaker 1>and it's all there for the public. When all the

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<v Speaker 1>land was purchased, construction began and a big levee was built.

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<v Speaker 1>It took a while, but the lake area flooded and

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<v Speaker 1>as a result of the timber inside eventually died, leaving

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<v Speaker 1>standing snags that would fall and be reclaimed by Mother

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<v Speaker 1>Earth and all her witness. Now, during that time, we

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<v Speaker 1>took full advantage of the water and for several years

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<v Speaker 1>we put a pretty good smashing on the ducks. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>this was still a few years before we started our

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<v Speaker 1>guiding business, and on this day it was me Tim

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<v Speaker 1>and our good friend Andy Johnson. Andy and I had

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<v Speaker 1>worked together at a forester consulting business, and he liked

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<v Speaker 1>a duck hut as much as we did. By the

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<v Speaker 1>time of this hunt, most of the timber had fallen down,

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<v Speaker 1>so just traveling around the lake was pretty risky. You

0:13:01.960 --> 0:13:04.400
<v Speaker 1>had to go slow and pick your way around the

0:13:04.440 --> 0:13:07.760
<v Speaker 1>boat lanes and watching for logs that had drifted into

0:13:07.760 --> 0:13:09.880
<v Speaker 1>the routes that were cut out, and you had to

0:13:09.880 --> 0:13:11.640
<v Speaker 1>make sure you didn't hit a stump if you had

0:13:11.679 --> 0:13:15.600
<v Speaker 1>to go around one that did. The timber having nearly

0:13:15.720 --> 0:13:19.560
<v Speaker 1>all fallen presented another challenge as well. Where you're going

0:13:19.640 --> 0:13:22.640
<v Speaker 1>to hide? Now, none of us like hunting out of

0:13:22.640 --> 0:13:25.440
<v Speaker 1>a boat, even though that was a very productive and

0:13:25.760 --> 0:13:28.439
<v Speaker 1>a safe way to shoot ducks in those conditions. No,

0:13:29.360 --> 0:13:32.599
<v Speaker 1>we were purist, and you duck hunt standing beside a

0:13:32.640 --> 0:13:35.040
<v Speaker 1>tree and knee deep water, just like folks in the

0:13:35.040 --> 0:13:39.199
<v Speaker 1>Bible did. Well, we figured they did anyway, So we'd

0:13:39.200 --> 0:13:42.240
<v Speaker 1>make the treacherous trek, dodging snags and blowdowns out to

0:13:42.280 --> 0:13:45.400
<v Speaker 1>a spot that when the timber was alive, it was

0:13:45.520 --> 0:13:48.880
<v Speaker 1>tailor made for duck hunting. It was a hole about

0:13:48.920 --> 0:13:53.400
<v Speaker 1>forty yards wide and ringed with material trees. The water

0:13:53.440 --> 0:13:55.439
<v Speaker 1>was knee deep in there at that stage of the

0:13:55.520 --> 0:13:58.560
<v Speaker 1>lake's progression, and the ground was mostly solid with a

0:13:58.600 --> 0:14:02.839
<v Speaker 1>few old stump holes here there. The stump holes had

0:14:02.880 --> 0:14:05.600
<v Speaker 1>silted in and looked solid from above the water. But

0:14:06.120 --> 0:14:08.280
<v Speaker 1>if you stepped in one, you'd sink up to your

0:14:08.320 --> 0:14:10.040
<v Speaker 1>straddle and you'd think you were headed to the other

0:14:10.080 --> 0:14:13.360
<v Speaker 1>side of the planet. Because you'd rarely ever touch the bottom,

0:14:14.360 --> 0:14:16.559
<v Speaker 1>you'd get wet, and someone would usually had to come

0:14:16.600 --> 0:14:20.120
<v Speaker 1>help you get out. That was what we worried about,

0:14:20.400 --> 0:14:23.800
<v Speaker 1>stepping in a hole or snagging a limb causing you

0:14:24.040 --> 0:14:26.360
<v Speaker 1>a leak in your waiters. While we walked around putting

0:14:26.360 --> 0:14:29.440
<v Speaker 1>out decoys or picking up ducks, or just traveling from

0:14:29.480 --> 0:14:32.480
<v Speaker 1>one spot to another. The thought of being driven in

0:14:32.520 --> 0:14:35.920
<v Speaker 1>the ground like a tent peg never crossed our minds.

0:14:36.680 --> 0:14:39.120
<v Speaker 1>And it was cold and crisp and a blue bird day.

0:14:39.480 --> 0:14:41.960
<v Speaker 1>The only thing missing was when, which if it had

0:14:42.000 --> 0:14:44.200
<v Speaker 1>been blowing, we wouldn't have been hunting in that spot

0:14:44.240 --> 0:14:47.480
<v Speaker 1>because of all the dead timber. We would have been

0:14:47.520 --> 0:14:51.600
<v Speaker 1>on the bank somewhere and relatively safety hidden among the

0:14:51.680 --> 0:14:53.720
<v Speaker 1>live trees on the edge of the lake, where there

0:14:53.760 --> 0:14:56.480
<v Speaker 1>was no threat to our health and safety. But like

0:14:56.560 --> 0:15:00.280
<v Speaker 1>hunting from a boat, that wasn't what real duck hunters did.

0:15:01.200 --> 0:15:03.080
<v Speaker 1>Real duck hunters got out in the middle of the

0:15:03.120 --> 0:15:08.720
<v Speaker 1>hardship and embraced the struggle. I'm glad, I'm over that foolishness,

0:15:08.880 --> 0:15:11.440
<v Speaker 1>but on this day I was still very much in

0:15:11.520 --> 0:15:15.480
<v Speaker 1>that frame of mind. We got in that spot way

0:15:15.520 --> 0:15:19.080
<v Speaker 1>before daylight, put out the decoys, and everyone picked out

0:15:19.120 --> 0:15:22.520
<v Speaker 1>their place to stand. Tim and Andy were about fifteen

0:15:22.600 --> 0:15:26.360
<v Speaker 1>yards apart, standing by medium size standing snags, and I

0:15:26.440 --> 0:15:28.960
<v Speaker 1>was kind of quartered across the hole, not in the

0:15:29.000 --> 0:15:32.160
<v Speaker 1>line of fire by any means, but standing by the

0:15:32.160 --> 0:15:35.240
<v Speaker 1>biggest oak snag in the whole area. Now, we set

0:15:35.280 --> 0:15:37.880
<v Speaker 1>the decoys where the ducks had to land out away

0:15:37.920 --> 0:15:40.640
<v Speaker 1>from where we were all stationed, and had a hard

0:15:40.760 --> 0:15:43.160
<v Speaker 1>rule that no one shoots below the limb on a

0:15:43.240 --> 0:15:46.600
<v Speaker 1>snag at the shooting end of the hole. Cripples were

0:15:46.640 --> 0:15:50.240
<v Speaker 1>dispatched by who was closest and always in a direction

0:15:50.400 --> 0:15:54.640
<v Speaker 1>away from everyone, and only after making sure where everyone

0:15:54.680 --> 0:15:57.720
<v Speaker 1>was and that we all knew someone was about to

0:15:57.720 --> 0:16:01.400
<v Speaker 1>shoot on the water safety something we took very seriously.

0:16:01.400 --> 0:16:05.160
<v Speaker 1>It's rule one, and it still is. We started scratching

0:16:05.160 --> 0:16:06.840
<v Speaker 1>out a few ducks out of the groups that worked

0:16:06.880 --> 0:16:09.320
<v Speaker 1>in that hole, and only liked one or two each

0:16:09.400 --> 0:16:12.920
<v Speaker 1>for a limit. When the mid morning Love came around. Now,

0:16:12.920 --> 0:16:15.760
<v Speaker 1>every duck hunter's familiar with that, and this one rolled

0:16:15.800 --> 0:16:19.040
<v Speaker 1>in around ten am. If you're not familiar with it,

0:16:19.040 --> 0:16:21.240
<v Speaker 1>it's when the ducks just all of a sudden quit

0:16:21.280 --> 0:16:25.800
<v Speaker 1>flying before eventually starting to get up and stir around

0:16:25.840 --> 0:16:29.560
<v Speaker 1>a little bit more. Now we could have left with

0:16:29.680 --> 0:16:31.880
<v Speaker 1>a good mess of ducks already, but that ain't what

0:16:31.960 --> 0:16:34.680
<v Speaker 1>duck hunters do. Come on, man, you got to stay

0:16:34.760 --> 0:16:38.640
<v Speaker 1>until you get all the law allows. Anyway, the mid

0:16:38.680 --> 0:16:42.560
<v Speaker 1>morning Love, the conversation amongst all of us had died

0:16:42.600 --> 0:16:44.640
<v Speaker 1>down to nothing. We were just all kind of just

0:16:44.680 --> 0:16:49.560
<v Speaker 1>standing there, lost in our thoughts. No birds were singing,

0:16:50.000 --> 0:16:53.560
<v Speaker 1>There was not one sound to anything. I looked up

0:16:53.600 --> 0:16:56.440
<v Speaker 1>that tiring snag that I was standing beside, and I

0:16:56.520 --> 0:16:59.480
<v Speaker 1>marveled at how big and straight he was. It would

0:16:59.480 --> 0:17:01.400
<v Speaker 1>have took all three of us to reach around it.

0:17:02.320 --> 0:17:04.440
<v Speaker 1>There was three big limbs that had grown out from

0:17:04.480 --> 0:17:06.679
<v Speaker 1>the trunk, and the lowest one was about I don't know,

0:17:06.800 --> 0:17:09.720
<v Speaker 1>twenty five feet above my head. They were all on

0:17:09.720 --> 0:17:12.440
<v Speaker 1>the opposite sides of each other and had broken off

0:17:12.480 --> 0:17:15.400
<v Speaker 1>at about the same distance from where they sprouted. Back

0:17:15.440 --> 0:17:18.040
<v Speaker 1>when that tree and the ground that grew on was

0:17:18.080 --> 0:17:21.480
<v Speaker 1>claimed by those cats and friends. It was a big

0:17:21.520 --> 0:17:25.080
<v Speaker 1>tree and it had been there a long long time.

0:17:26.040 --> 0:17:28.080
<v Speaker 1>I remember looking back over at Tim and Andy and

0:17:28.119 --> 0:17:30.760
<v Speaker 1>they were looking at me. No one said a word,

0:17:31.720 --> 0:17:36.560
<v Speaker 1>and then a loud pop broke the silence. That wasn't

0:17:36.600 --> 0:17:39.840
<v Speaker 1>like a firecracker or a kid's cork gun going off.

0:17:40.800 --> 0:17:43.720
<v Speaker 1>It didn't sound like Dracula opening up his coffin lid. No,

0:17:44.320 --> 0:17:47.480
<v Speaker 1>it was quick, it was heavy, and it was a

0:17:47.640 --> 0:17:51.040
<v Speaker 1>thick sound, like the sound of a humongous tree top

0:17:51.119 --> 0:17:54.680
<v Speaker 1>breaking away from its base and plunging toward Earth at

0:17:54.800 --> 0:17:59.040
<v Speaker 1>terminal velocity. Now I knew exactly what it was, even

0:17:59.119 --> 0:18:02.800
<v Speaker 1>though I had never heard that exact sound before my life.

0:18:03.920 --> 0:18:07.480
<v Speaker 1>Now you want to talk about time standing still, it did.

0:18:08.560 --> 0:18:10.479
<v Speaker 1>I was looking at Tim when it popped, and I

0:18:10.480 --> 0:18:13.240
<v Speaker 1>saw his eyes get wide and his face loose all

0:18:13.280 --> 0:18:17.200
<v Speaker 1>its color, his expression going from indifferent to absolute horror

0:18:17.480 --> 0:18:21.320
<v Speaker 1>in an instant. Now, during that same instant, I took off,

0:18:21.400 --> 0:18:23.840
<v Speaker 1>running as hard and fast as I could in the

0:18:23.920 --> 0:18:27.639
<v Speaker 1>knee deep water, and I was instinctively running toward my brother.

0:18:28.440 --> 0:18:31.080
<v Speaker 1>He was my protector, just like always, and he'd save

0:18:31.240 --> 0:18:34.080
<v Speaker 1>and protect me again. I just had to get to him,

0:18:34.640 --> 0:18:37.000
<v Speaker 1>and I was running to him like my life depended

0:18:37.080 --> 0:18:41.280
<v Speaker 1>on it, because it actually did. I taken four or

0:18:41.320 --> 0:18:44.119
<v Speaker 1>five strides toward him, putting as much distance as I

0:18:44.160 --> 0:18:47.240
<v Speaker 1>could between me and the base of that tree, solely

0:18:47.280 --> 0:18:51.560
<v Speaker 1>focused on him. Having never looked up. He started screaming

0:18:51.600 --> 0:18:57.280
<v Speaker 1>wrong way, wrong way, wrong way, perfect three hundred and

0:18:57.320 --> 0:19:00.400
<v Speaker 1>sixty degrees on the compass, and I choose the one

0:19:00.480 --> 0:19:02.800
<v Speaker 1>direction that was going to get me pounded like one

0:19:02.800 --> 0:19:06.800
<v Speaker 1>of John Henry's railroad spikes. I hadn't had kids yet,

0:19:07.520 --> 0:19:10.720
<v Speaker 1>I hadn't ever bought a house or ridden a motorcycle.

0:19:11.480 --> 0:19:13.960
<v Speaker 1>The motorcycle thing was really bothering me because I was

0:19:14.000 --> 0:19:16.040
<v Speaker 1>wishing I was on one at that exact time and

0:19:16.119 --> 0:19:19.679
<v Speaker 1>riding it away from that tree. Well. I stopped, and

0:19:19.720 --> 0:19:21.800
<v Speaker 1>I turned to go back the way I came when

0:19:21.840 --> 0:19:24.560
<v Speaker 1>I heard the rush of wind that that tree top

0:19:24.680 --> 0:19:29.840
<v Speaker 1>was making as it fell, and I felt the areas

0:19:29.880 --> 0:19:32.760
<v Speaker 1>that went by my shoulder, landing flat in the water

0:19:32.880 --> 0:19:34.919
<v Speaker 1>less than a foot from where I had turned to

0:19:34.960 --> 0:19:38.840
<v Speaker 1>make my retreat. My shoulders were hunched up and my

0:19:38.920 --> 0:19:41.359
<v Speaker 1>eyes were closed, and I turned away from that wooden

0:19:41.400 --> 0:19:43.399
<v Speaker 1>buzz bomb that was about to hit me. When a

0:19:43.480 --> 0:19:49.639
<v Speaker 1>wall of water came crashing down on me. Tim and

0:19:49.640 --> 0:19:52.639
<v Speaker 1>Andy said I completely disappeared behind the water, and they

0:19:52.680 --> 0:19:54.840
<v Speaker 1>didn't know if I'd been hammered in the ground or not.

0:19:55.760 --> 0:19:58.200
<v Speaker 1>But before that water had a chance to run off

0:19:58.240 --> 0:20:00.840
<v Speaker 1>of me, Tim was standing beside me and checking to

0:20:00.840 --> 0:20:04.200
<v Speaker 1>see if I was all there. I got my first

0:20:04.200 --> 0:20:07.119
<v Speaker 1>look at that tree top. It was enormous, and it

0:20:07.160 --> 0:20:09.840
<v Speaker 1>would have easily sent me to the happy hunting grounds

0:20:09.840 --> 0:20:14.720
<v Speaker 1>that it hit me. Two hunts in the same area

0:20:14.840 --> 0:20:18.480
<v Speaker 1>twelve years apart. One lit the candle and the other

0:20:18.560 --> 0:20:23.200
<v Speaker 1>one dang near blew it out. Contrasting stories, to be sure,

0:20:23.280 --> 0:20:26.960
<v Speaker 1>but both very important in my continued growth as a human.

0:20:28.080 --> 0:20:30.720
<v Speaker 1>We didn't hunt that place anymore. I remember going back

0:20:30.760 --> 0:20:34.200
<v Speaker 1>after all the timber had fallen, but not many times

0:20:34.240 --> 0:20:38.040
<v Speaker 1>before it all did. We found other places and other

0:20:38.080 --> 0:20:41.959
<v Speaker 1>opportunities to maim and kill ourselves. But that's a story

0:20:42.000 --> 0:20:46.480
<v Speaker 1>for another day. But I missed duck hunting more than

0:20:46.520 --> 0:20:49.840
<v Speaker 1>I thought, a whole lot more. And it's not the

0:20:49.960 --> 0:20:54.199
<v Speaker 1>duck hunt so much as it is the fellowship, sharing

0:20:54.240 --> 0:20:56.760
<v Speaker 1>the sights and the sounds of ducks as they respond

0:20:56.800 --> 0:21:00.000
<v Speaker 1>to a call, and pitching the decoys after circling around

0:21:00.240 --> 0:21:02.639
<v Speaker 1>and shining in the sun like feathered emeralds is a

0:21:02.720 --> 0:21:06.639
<v Speaker 1>sight to behold. I sat on the bench in that

0:21:06.720 --> 0:21:09.920
<v Speaker 1>blind the other day beside my host and we talked

0:21:09.960 --> 0:21:14.120
<v Speaker 1>about old times and places we'd been to while our

0:21:14.160 --> 0:21:16.640
<v Speaker 1>other friends were shooting ducks, and I was okay with that,

0:21:18.040 --> 0:21:26.720
<v Speaker 1>so was he. Thank y'all so much for listen. I

0:21:26.720 --> 0:21:29.840
<v Speaker 1>really enjoy telling these stories, and from the responses we're getting,

0:21:29.840 --> 0:21:33.439
<v Speaker 1>apparently you folks enjoy hearing there's more duck hunting to

0:21:33.480 --> 0:21:36.840
<v Speaker 1>come along with the everyday common household buffoonery you've grown

0:21:36.880 --> 0:21:40.720
<v Speaker 1>accustomed to, which reminds me of something my friend Michael

0:21:40.800 --> 0:21:44.440
<v Speaker 1>Roseman told me the other day we were going coon hunting,

0:21:44.440 --> 0:21:47.120
<v Speaker 1>and he said that when they're listening in and shopping

0:21:47.200 --> 0:21:51.479
<v Speaker 1>building lights that he hears that acoustic guitar music start playing,

0:21:51.520 --> 0:21:55.640
<v Speaker 1>someone will say, brins fixing to do something dumb. Don't

0:21:55.680 --> 0:22:00.840
<v Speaker 1>play cards with them, folks, they're pretty sharp. Until next week.

0:22:01.280 --> 0:22:04.760
<v Speaker 1>This is Brent Reeves sign, and all y'all be careful