Not owning a pair of youth waders I had Casey try on my size 12 hip waders and with a balled-up sock in both of the toes we were good to go. Dillon borrowed my extra pair (size 12) and we were set (he’s got big feet….). On paper, conditions looked outstanding for our DUK hunt with a high tide at 1527 hours (3.1 ft) and NOAA calling for light winds & an overcast sky. The high tide meant we could travel without too much concern about getting stranded with the falling tide. In reality however, upon arriving at our launch site 30 minutes prior to high tide, it was obvious that our plans would have to change a bit as there was no water. In conjunction with the 3 day post full moon and the 10 knot winds out of the north the water had been blown out. Traveling to our spot was still feasible with the jet foot jon but for the interior run I would stay outside the islands to avoid running aground on the numerous shallow oysters bars. We stopped to pickup our kayak (our DUK chaser) and loaded it into the boat.
Running out we saw a good number of bluebills and things were looking ducky. As we approached our area it was obvious that with only 1.5 feet of water we weren’t gonna be able to hunt that area as the tide had just begun chugging out. We back tracked a bit and went to an outside area where we had passed a fair amount of DUKS. The boys & I threw out the dekes (Casey loves this part) and I dropped them off so I could hide the jet. I paddled back and we took our places among the mangroves.
Casey & Dillon prior to setting up
While setting up I explained what would happen and the order of shooting under certain conditions. Casey was using a youth model Remington 870 20 gauge but it was still a bit big for him. Up to this point he had been dove hunting with a 410 but this was a heavier gun. The PLAN was to let Casey take his first DUK on the water after it landed in the dekes followed by Dillon shooting at any that took off after Casey shot or taking any that came in off the left (Dillon’s side of the blind). As we were discussing our plan a hen bluebill landed in the dekes but we weren’t quite prepared. A few minutes after she swam off we had a single and then a pair swing over the dekes but I had Dillon hold off as I was hoping they would land. They didn’t. Obviously, throughout this hunt Dillon was going to be handicapped by my holding him off shootable opportunities waiting for the DUKs to land in the dekes for Casey.
The site
In between DUKs we discussed the appropriate leads for various incoming DUK situations, worked through potential incoming DUK scenarios, and Casey practiced raising his gun and tracking the ubiquitous cormorants strafing us. Then a single dropped in the dekes and Casey took his shot but hit low in front of the lucky DUK. Dillon then took a shot but didn’t drop her. The next DUKs to come in was a pair and it was simply beautiful to follow them coming in from the south curving towards us, wings set, feet extended, and landing right among their plasticized “buddiesâ€
Showing the boys how to enjoy an experience that may or may not include harvesting game is something that will pay many dividends 
