A strap of East Texas wood ducks, as well as some other puddlers. (Photo credit: Kevin Steele.)
October 15, 2024
By Kevin E. Steele
We waded in fog and darkness, our headlamps reflecting off the black surface of the brackish water as silent ripples marked our slow but steady progress. The trunks of flooded hardwoods emerged from the gloom, standing like silent sentinels, rough-surfaced and moss-encrusted, like grizzled three-day beards.
It was just before first light at the Skyfall Reserve, southeast of Dallas , as guide Tucker and I, along with my hunting partner Tim, made our way toward Tucker’s set of woodie decoys. The dekes floated gently within a tiny patch of open water just big enough to provide a safe landing zone for any passing wood ducks.
Hunting the flooded timber—a duck hunter's dream. One of the many highlights of visiting Skyfall Reserve. (Photo credit: Kevin Steele of Petersen's Hunting .) Tucker pointed me to a tree. As I screwed a hook into the trunk to hold my gear high and dry, I watched as Tucker and Tim waded off to my left. Their movement finally stopped, and I realized that Tim was at the “foot” of the open water while I was at its waist. In effect, we would have an “L” shaped field of fire on any ducks that dropped in. Tucker picked a spot between us from which he would call.
As time passed, the sky began to lighten, and I was able to see across the open water. We were in the middle of a tangle of trees; most were upright, their bare branches reaching toward the gray sky, while others lay in tangled blowdowns. Our visibility was limited. If any ducks showed up, it would be fast, reflexive shooting at its finest as the feathered rockets zoomed through the trees.
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An eerie stillness settled around us. We could hear some distant shooting from the lake, but so far we had neither seen nor heard any ducks. Tucker began to call as we waited expectantly.
Then, to my right, my peripheral vision caught sight of something small coming in low, streaking past the gray-trunked trees and racing toward our hidden pool. Without thought, my 20-bore Benelli Super Black Eagle 3 was on my shoulder and tracking the bogie, which zoomed straight and level like a Douglas Devastator on a torpedo run. But as it caught sight of my movement, it banked sharply right and then up and away. I tracked it with my muzzle and crushed the trigger.
Splash one!
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Hunting wood ducks in the timber is no easy task. They leave as quickly as they arrive, making the gunning equally challenging and entertaining. (Photo credit: Kevin Steele.) Without sufficient time to recover, the second woodie streaked past, and just as I began my swing, I watched it crumple as it flew straight into Tim’s on-coming shot string of Federal Black Cloud steel. The pair of wood ducks were ours.
Skyfall Reserve’s primary mission is to provide a first-rate hunting experience for the avid waterfowler. A private lake, flooded timber, and food plots are all designed to attract and hold the large numbers of waterfowl that reside around or migrate through the Trinity River/Cedar Creek Reservoir/Richland Creek Wildlife Management area. Skyfall also offers top-quality dove and whitetail deer hunts. All within an hour or so of downtown Dallas.
The 4,300-square-foot lodge is modern and extremely comfortable without being pretentious. Owner Steve Rokks doesn’t miss a single detail, from queen-sized beds to over-stuffed easy chairs in the sitting room. Skyfall retains a Head Chef who, with their staff, provides meals that one would expect from a top-end Dallas restaurant.
The famed lodge at Skyfall Reserve in Texas. (Photo credit: Kevin Steele.) My colleagues and I were the guests of Benelli and Fiocchi ammunition last January. In addition to hunting ducks, several of us also pursued whitetail deer. While I wasn’t successful, Duncan Grant’s efforts were, and he was rewarded with a beautiful eight-pointer.
In addition to the flooded timber wood ducks, we also did well shooting on the lake from blinds. A mixed bag of dabblers including mallard, gadwall, and teal, were also taken.
Skyfall is one of those places you come across that you hope someday to return to. I know that’s how I feel about it, and I urge you to check it out yourself .