It was a crisp and sunny day out at the farm. The trees outside the window were bright yellow with just a touch of green left over. Dad and I were sitting over morning coffee when he said;

“It was days like this that I would go hunting. I hunted a lot with Bill (Beeching) and Frank Howdle but I remember one time I was on my way alone to Wilke for some reason. I saw a flock of ducks land in a slough off the side of the road. Well, you can’t pass up a chance like that and I had my shotgun so I stopped at the side of the road and grabbed up my shotgun and headed across the field for the slough. Another group of ducks flew in and I took a shot. The bird landed close by at the edge of the bush beside the slough. I shot another one and it fell some distance away. I found the first duck but left it there to go and pick up the second. When I got back my first duck was missing. There was nobody else around to have removed It and I was sure it was dead so could not have gotten away on its own. Looking around I noticed a trail where the grass was pushed down with some blood spots along it. So, I followed that trail for some distance through the bush and after some distance there was my duck laying. A larger animal would not have needed to drag the duck so I presumed that some small animal had taken it and was frightened off when I got too close and dropped it. It could not have been a fox or anything bigger, but it was probably a weasel that had dragged it off.

There is always a lonely feeling when you are out by yourself like that and It was a creepy experience to find my duck was missing.

Another time Jack Herbert and I were traveling for work to the Allan Hills southeast of Saskatoon. Jack was known as a hunter and being hunting season we were carrying our guns. Almost to our destination, we came to a large slough with big flock of ducks on the water. Even though we were on a working trip we couldn’t  pass up the chance to do a little hunting. It was a really windy day, blowing from the west. We debated about our strategy, how we were going to get the best advantage of our hunt. Jack’s idea was that when the ducks rose off the water they would take off into the wind as they always do and we would be best to hunt on the west of the slough.  My idea was that the ducks would take off the water into the wind and then swing around with the wind. After debating a while I finally said I would go to the downwind end of the slough and scare up the ducks and give him the advantage. So we carried that out and the ducks took of into the wind, and then, just like I had said, swung with the wind and came right over me. I was able to shoot a number of them. We met up me with my ducks and Jack  empty handed. He said “ There; my theory is as good as my shooting”. On the trip home I ended up leaving some of my ducks with Jack’s mother in Saskatoon.

Earlier that same trip, while passing by Ridell, a coyote crossed the road and Jack had me stop. He had his rifle and took many shots and didn’t hit that coyote once.