Humble Beginnings

I started hunting ducks when I was 35 years old. I’m the first in my family to do so. My parents never hunted; neither did my friends, or my brother. I’d never owned a gun, let alone pointed one at a living thing.

I got my first taste of waterfowl hunting the year before, on a guided goose trip put together by some guys from the office. I remember the fascination of watching those guides at work and the thrill of that first flight. The calling especially was remarkable. The way the birds circled and circled, then worked down to the decoys, all the while the guides coaxing them closer, closer, closer.

When the morning was over and we’d done what we came there to do, I knew I wanted to create that same thrill for myself, by my own hand. In that moment, while driving out of that bean field near Royal City, it was impossible to know that I would quickly and totally fall head-over-heels in love with the pursuit of wild birds. Coupling that passion with a sewing machine has made the experience even more rewarding.