Military Mallards

A Green Beret, a sailor, and Marine walk into a duck blind.

This isn’t the beginning of a bad joke, it’s the beginning of an epic duck hunt. 

Washington is one of the states that has taken advantage of the federal government’s rules allowing for an additional few days of waterfowl hunting for individuals who have served or are actively serving in our country’s military. 

I have had the honor of guiding groups of these heroes on some fantastic duck hunts over the past four years. The hunts are hosted by Pacific Wings Waterfowl Adventures and are done free of charge. The coordination of the hunt has been done through The Fallen Outdoors, a non-profit that helps introduce veterans, or keep veterans connected to outdoor recreation opportunities all over the country. Active-duty Green Beret Justin Boardman has been a driving force behind The Fallen Outdoors, and acts as point man to make sure this day is filled with hunters (retired, active duty, and disabled vets) that have earned it through their service and sacrifices to our country. We have even had a Congressional Medal of Honor winner on this hunt in the past. 

Pacific Wings manages and owns thousands of acres of prime duck hunting properties in Eastern Washington. They work all year to improve and enhance these properties, making this a more than full time endeavor for the father and son team of Mike and Justin Franklin. The Franklins also run a successful waterfowl hunting lodge/camp in Saskatchewan every Fall. This makes their season extremely long. The end of the season does offer them an opportunity for a bit of rest, but not until the final hunt has wrapped up. For the past four years, that has been the veteran’s hunt the Saturday after the regular season has closed. 

IN THE FIELD

Zero-dark-thirty (5:30 A.M.) on Saturday finds 16 hunters rallying at Pacific Wings Headquarters (24 other hunters are meeting at a different location at the same time).

Some of the active-duty soldiers had driven four hours through the night from Fort Lewis. All the hunters come fully equipped with anticipation, and all the tools of a duck hunter—waders, shotguns, and energy drinks. These colorful cans of caffeine laden liquid seem to have taken over for the old green Stanley Thermos full of gas station coffee with this crew. 

After a welcome message from the two Justins (Boardman and Franklin) and a safety talk, groups are divided up, assigned a guide, then take a short ride to one of the many deluxe blinds on the property. 

I’ve noticed over the four years of helping with this hunt, that these are not typical “clients.” Paying clients are there to be catered to, and they have that right. These types of hunts on private ground that are groomed, farmed, and managed for high quality duck hunting are not cheap. The vets on this hunt all want to jump in and set decoys, brush the blinds if needed, and just be a part of the operation. I’ve always welcomed the help, knowing that these guys are wired to work, and want to be part of a team.

---

Jax, our retriever, is in his dog hole, and everyone else is in their places as light starts to seep into the blind. Normally, the 10 minutes before shooting time is magic, anxious and frustrating for a duck hunter. Early birds hovering over and splashing into the decoys tease the occupants of the hide who are all counting down the final minutes till “go time.”

This year I could feel the anticipation from the hunters next to me, we had kicked a few hundred birds off the pond as we drove in. The anticipation was there for me and the other guides as well, as pressure to make sure the experience for these special guests was one they will remember. 

Our hunters had all heard the tales from previous years, 27 hunters, and 189 mallards a few years before, mixed bags of ducks, snow geese, and Canadas from the inaugural year of this hunt. These stories from past hunters set the bar high for those on their first veteran’s hunt, and the ducks did not disappoint. Groups of mallards started returning to the fog covered water right at shooting time. We were on the board quickly, and started chipping away at a 5 man, 35 duck limit. Plans to target an all-greenhead limit were scrapped eight ducks in when a hen was dropped during a four-bird volley. A quick adjustment to the plan and the group agreed to be patient and try and fill an all-mallard limit. With the exception of one pintail, that goal was met.

The hunt wrapped up a bit before noon, and after packing up and heading back to the shop, it was time for lunch. Pacific Wings also has been providing a great BBQ lunch at this hunt since it started. Tracy, a veteran himself and a hunter that has participated in previous years, has been volunteering to cook for everyone for the past few years. Smoked New York steaks, fellowship, and even a little trash talk about missed opportunities made me aware that this is as important a part of the day as the hunt itself. Conversations could be completed without being rudely interrupted by ducks entering the decoys.

TIES THAT BIND

Topics discussed throughout the day included future deployments, (some of them very soon,) expectant wives (also very soon,) upcoming weddings, and friends that couldn’t make the hunt for several reasons. These topics really put things into perspective for me. I try to consciously appreciate the freedom I enjoy daily, as do most of us, but life moves forward so fast that sometimes we are guilty of taking it for granted.

The graciousness expressed by all the heroes we get to host every year is heartfelt and sincere. The privilege and honor that those of us feel by getting the opportunity to host these folks is also sincere. They feel that they are lucky to get to come hunting with us, but we truly are the lucky ones. I am already looking forward to the hunt next year!