Oh, What a Night -- Sharing a Blind with the Kids

Nothing like a duck blind selfie!

Two happy spotters

Conditions were just too ideal not to get out in the marsh last night. Truthfully, it was even more ideal for the hunters than it was for the birds. Temps were in the low 50s, the sun was shining bright, and the colors were rich and vibrant in the marsh -- plus, our guys don't have school today, so a little later Sunday night was no problem.

This was literally just my second time out (regretfully) thus far this season. Not a single outing during teal season. Life has just been TOO CRAZY.

The good news: The kids and I enjoyed birds in the air more or less all night, and there definitely seemed to be a shift to more mallards flying than woodies (as compared to a week ago). Ducks are using the marsh. We always had something to watch, be it waterfowl, heron, eagle, or "Tweety bird" (anything that isn't a duck when we are duck hunting).

The bad news (at least from a hunting perspective): Very few individuals or groups responded to my calls or really decoyed in the slightest. I took one shot at a big greenhead that came in from directly behind us. One of those shots where you find yourself laughing as you pull the trigger because you know you don't have a snowball's chance. But man, was it a nice way to spend an evening. Lots of smiles, lots of laughs, tons of fun. Need to find more time for nights like last night. So blessed.

A decoy round-up is always a great way to wrap up a great evening in the marsh