Duck Opener

         This upcoming Saturday, I, along with many others across the state, will be participating in something we have been waiting all year for.  On Saturday morning, I will be awake before five o’clock.  I will take very few minutes getting ready because all I need on is my camouflage.  My friends and I will be loading in the truck and gone before most people even consider waking up.  We will travel south for twenty minutes, get off back on an old gravel road, and drive until we see a beautiful little pond.  Before too long, we have to pond speckled with decoys, and we, we get to sit and wait.  Even though I will be facing west, at about 7:20, I will turn my head to see an amazing sunrise fall over the landscape.  To me, this is what duck opener is all about.

         Now duck opener is an activity that for some is everything, but now all of us are duck hunters.  Some don’t agree that there is all that much to duck hunting and that this is a senseless hobby.  No matter what your thoughts are about duck hunting, one can definitely see that bonuses of the picture I just illustrated.  To start off, one must think about passion.  I am definitely passionate about hunting, but I am also passionate about agriculture and my family.  Whether it’s getting up early to go to a pond or to feed our cattle, my passion is shown through my actions.  Also, it’s easy to see the beauty all around us.  I have never seen such beauty as a flock of Mallards flying low, landing within the decoys right as the sun rises over my back.  This isn’t a picture everybody gets to see in person, but a picture that is seen by most is a golden field of wheat or the picturesque rainfall of the landscape.  Duck hunting has shown me that it is important to stop and take a minute to realize what I actually have. 

         Every day we are given the opportunity to live in communities that are beautiful in their own way.  Whether that is in the northern part of Minnesota with large forests and beautiful wildlife, or the forever stretching crop lands of the south west, we are surrounded by beauty, especially the agricultural kind.  So whether you are out duck hunting this Saturday, or just going for a drive around the countryside, always remember to take a moment and realize the amazing things that surround you.

Stationed by the door,