Feature Story
Hunting Teal with a Young Girl and an Old Lady
W
alking through tall grass on the side of a levy is challenging in the dark. Stepping in the wrong place could mean a broken ankle, compliments of a muskrat or beaver den. Then there is the possibility of stepping on a sliding mud bank that will carry you into the murky water. The trick is to walk slow and not complain when you fall. I complained! I was hunting with two veteran teal hunters from northwestern Missouri. Nicole “Nicky” Jeannin had just turned 18 while the old lady she hunted with, Mam-J, was considerably older in dog years. Both had seen countless teal, goose and duck hunts. I was the biggest amateur present, even though I shot my first teal in 1965. Nicky had the decoys set and everything ready while I was still walking down the bank. Youth, I thought, must be nice! We were dug down deep in the marsh grass as the dim first light started creeping over the water. I heard Mam-J whine as two teal whistled over our heads and were gone. We needed a bit more daylight for shooting to become legal and to see the teal coming from long distances, the only way you have time to shoot. We started talking about old friends and current events when another “whooshing” sound passed over our heads. I glanced up to watch the early sunbeams bounce off blue wing patches of six teal that quickly skirted the pool and made another pass behind our position. Nicky immediately made several mallard quacks on her call.
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CONSERVATION FEDERATION