A Life in Waders: October

October is my favorite month of the year. Autumn is in full swing. The leaves are turning and the air is cooling off. Fall fishing remains good, deer season continues, and best of all duck season begins. While I enjoy all of the outdoor activities I write about, duck hunting is by far my favorite. From now until January my life will pretty much revolve around it. Fortunately I have met a great group of friends who think the same way and share the passion I do. We have worked the rest of the year til this point so that we can spend as much time chasing ducks as possible. From the outside looking in, I'm sure our obsession with hunting ducks seems odd and unhealthy, but to us there's no other way. I can't say there is anything I would trade for the lack if sleep, the bitter cold mornings, the stress, and the amount of money spent that will all happen in the coming months, and all of this for a few ducks!
Early duck season begins each year in early or mid-October. It stays open for a short time (four days in RI and 10 in CT) before closing again and re-opening in November. The first duck season usually consists of hunting in rivers, swamps, and beaver ponds for wood ducks, teal, and mallards. This short season is the best time to take wood ducks as they are among the first birds to migrate south for the winter, by November the majority will be gone. The male wood duck is a strikingly beautiful bird, and although they are abundant, most people never get to see one in the wild. Their call is a loud screeching whistle which is hard to mistake. It fills the air most mornings during the October season. The window for these birds is brief so we take advantage when we can. As far as table fare goes, wood ducks are about the best tasting duck there is. (it's a close tie with teal)
Our early season was slow (keeping the trend), but as always it's good to get out with friends and take a few birds.

A pair of wood ducks: The drake (male) is one of the best looking birds around in my opinion.