->What is your strongest hunting quality?
Answer:
I would say my best hunting quality is that I can keep up with the boys! I am patient, determined, and can usually sit for hours at a time, just waiting on the birds to fly. I love being out there and spending time away from the craziness of life.
->What is your best piece of hunting advice?
Answer:
Don't be afraid to try something new! (That goes for brand new hunters, or for us that have been out there time and time again trying to perfect our strategies.) If there is something you want to try with a new spread, perhaps going out at different times of the day, or even a new area you think the birds are flocking to don't be scared you'll mess up try it and if it doesn't work, you can always go back to the old way of doing things!
->What is your favorite piece of gear (not the most necessary)?
Answer:
I love my under armor and get totally pumped when I put it on! I feel invincible and I'm ready to take on the elements.
->What is the biggest sacrifice you have made to go hunting?
Answer:
I'm not sure I can think of anything specifically here. But when it comes to friends and family, they know I'm very serious about my hunting and wouldn't miss it for much of anything. That includes, but not limited to, birthday parties, showers, barbeques, etc. sorry guys, it's duck season!
->Who got you started in waterfowl hunting (Or how did you get started)?
Answer:
My dad. Owning a duck call business and being totally obsessed with the sport himself, as luck had it, he had two daughters. Me, being the oldest, I was the first "guinea pig" to be taken out on a hunting trip. Maybe he could make a duck hunter out of his daughter? My first duck hunt I believe I was 10 or so. After shooting my brand new 12 gauge browning pump, I fell over. My waders were full of water. That was it, I was hooked.
->What is your favorite part about Duck Junkies?
Answer:
I love what Duck Junkies does for the average hunter. The fact that anyone can be included, first time hunters to the experts, is what waterfowl hunting is all about. Hunting, as well as the outdoors, is a constant learning and trial and error process. Duck Junkies provides a FREE community in which hunters all around the nation can ask questions, collaborate, and swap ideas without the cost of a membership; I think that's fantastic. Who knows, Duck Junkies could be the link between someone deciding whether or not to begin a new hobby of taking on some fowl!
->Final Thoughts:
Growing up around hunting waterfowl and the outdoors, my life wouldn't make much sense without it. I'm glad to be part of the Duck Junkies Pro-Staff and to offer what I know as well as personal experiences in the best ways I can! Happy Hunting to all the waterfowlers out there!
Emily Bucher
Kansas Duck Junkies Pro-Staff
You ever catch yourself sniffing empty shotgun shells? In the heat of battle most of my spent twelve gauges hit the bottom of the duck boat. Exceptions to the rule occur, and those are the three inch mags that I tuck in my pocket after poking at Canadian honkers. My hands shake so bad after honkers I always slowly unload the tubes and vibrate the empties into my bulging shell pockets.
It's the slow burn in a shot of whiskey that sets my mind to rewind. I raise the glass to the mutt. Then I play the same old, in my head movie, over and over. I smell the day. I feel the wind. I see the clouds. I think of the sound of roaring wings.