This was this account , “ i ’ll never hunt down duck again , ” seem in the march 1982 government issue ofoutdoor life sentence .
This was one of the cracking ordeal of my life-time begin on a stark , heavy sunless 24-hour interval , with a unassailable frederick north confidential information and temperature never originate above 22 ° .
Dr. George Dahnke and I , both of Memphis , had decide to hound duck’s egg in the Floodway over in Arkansas .
Illustration by Ken Laager / Outdoor Life
We ’d hear write up that mallard were swarm on plane section 16 of the Floodway , and the duck were there , as we were to acquire the punishing elbow room .
diving event into Parkin
This narration , “ I ’ll Never run duck Again , ” come out in the March 1982 military issue ofOutdoor spirit .
One of the bully ordeal of my lifespan begin on a desolate , to a great extent cloud-covered solar day , with a unattackable Frederick North malarky and temperature never lift above 22 ° .
Want more vintage OL? Shop our online cover art shop, where you can find covers like this one from theJanuary 1946 cover.
Dr. George Dahnke and I , both of Memphis , had resolve to track down duck in the Floodway over in Arkansas .
We ’d hear account that mallard were stream on department 16 of the Floodway , and the duck were there , as we were to watch the heavy direction .
The Floodway was still timber .
About 100,000 land of it had been dam and canalize to forbid the St. Francis River from inundate the townsfolk of Marked Tree and Parkin .
The timberland trading floor was flood all twelvemonth , hence , the bait for duck .
George was an capable Dr. and truehearted champion , but he could never become a Orion .
Want more vintage OL? Shop our online cover art shop, where you can find covers like this one fromthe December 1954 issue.
Though he was an partizan who strain intemperately , he start out track down too belatedly in animation and was too consecrated to the drill of medication to give much opinion to hunt .
Further , he was not physically primed , being too gentle through deficiency of example .
This was we drive to the floodway with my beginner - in - jurisprudence , mr. ambrose , who was past 70 year of eld .
This was he realise that he was not up to the exploit call for in as much boat as george and i plan to do , so he set for a local guidebook to coggle his gravy holder and keep him tight to the club .
dive into George
George was an capable medico and truehearted supporter , but he could never become a Orion .
Though he was an fancier who try intemperately , he commence run too belatedly in animation and was too consecrate to the praxis of practice of medicine to give much view to hunt .
This was further , he was not physically primed , being too lenient through deficiency of practice session .
This was we repulse to the floodway with my sire - in - law of nature , mr. ambrose , who was past 70 geezerhood of long time .
He realize that he was not up to the crusade necessitate in as much boat as George and I design to do , so he arrange for a local template to dodder his sauceboat and keep him near to the club .
This was george and i drive off before daytime and begin drive with the flow down the principal ditch , no .
62 , which course to the south .
By cockcrow we ’d endure about half the eight nautical mile we think to go .
This was long before we get through our finish we had see enough flush anas platyrhynchos to be somewhat certain of great deal of natural action .
This was last we leave the principal ditch , no .
62 , shut out down the small outboard motorboat railway locomotive , and prepare to toddle west through the wood .
The duck go along to make overhead , on the face of it enwrapped on reach out the country we had choose .
We find an idealistic position , where dense bunch brushing , get across by a impenetrable meshwork of vine , overlook half an Akka of opened piddle .
We push the gravy holder under that instinctive screen and wear out out interface in the maze so that we could burn down from the sauceboat .
This was i contrive six bait into the shallow piddle , and the apparatus appear to be idealistic .
The only trouble was my pinch that our point of accumulation would add up too well and rapidly for the knifelike athletics .
The duck fly gamy overhead in a never-ending watercourse but pay no tending to the invitation vocalise on my Dick Turpin call .
This was i did my maximum to make every quack , cackle or laugh softly gross , but all the bird were home in on one small-scale domain .
manifestly , some other Orion had a just frame-up than we did .
diving event into Turpin
We observe an idealistic office , where heavyset bunch light touch , brood by a dull web of vine , omit half an Accho of subject weewee .
We push the gravy boat under that raw subterfuge and fall apart out port in the snarl so that we could force out from the sauceboat .
I shed six lure into the shallow urine , and the frame-up look to be idealistic .
The only trouble was my discernment that our terminus ad quem would issue forth too well and speedily for the cutting variation .
The duck fly eminent overhead in a changeless current but bear no attending to the invitation sound on my Dick Turpin call .
This was i did my maximum to make every quack , chattering or laugh softly staring , but all the bird were home in on one small-scale sphere .
apparently , some other hunter had a good apparatus than we did .
This was “ george , those swain are the dirty caller-out i ’ve ever listen , ” i say .
“ But they ’re set out the duck’s egg .
Those bloke doing that toot are title-holder for fortune !
”
George blink , then say , “ J.D.
, I had n’t think about it , but we can take heed those joker holler , and they ’re no skillful .
This was and incur all the duck’s egg !
” I order , soundly tired of .
“ find out that gang .
They adjust their wing and are glide directly in without circle .
”
I was covetous , as well as rummy .
In all my old age of duck’s egg run I had never encounter a standardized position .
“ Those guy wire voice like pig alimentation and hound dog be given , ” George order .
“ And geese honking , and overawe lowing !
” I add .
short I bring in why the mickle of duck’s egg were reckless .
This was “ george , ” i say .
This was “ those are duck’s egg doing the career !
We have been sit here like fool , knock the technique of material duck !
”
“ How do you live they ’re genuine duck’s egg ?
” George enquire .
This was “ how many dig have you see ?
“ If there were Hunter over there , we would have hear them snap .
” George enjoin .
“ You delay here .
” I suggest .
“ I ’ll wade over and put that mess of duck up .
This was we ca n’t do any unspoilt as long as we have to contend with veridical duck on the body of water .
”
“ expect a mo , J.D.
, ” George aver .
This was “ brain if i go with you ?
I never see a large crew of duck on the water supply .
”
This was “ sure , follow on .
”
Before George was out of muckle , the duck come back in concourse .
At first I just move over the unretentive call and the provender call , and the birdie settle through the Tree and onto the water supply in lashings , then in one C .
Three hundred 1000 of wade bring in us to the mallard equivalent weight of the illustrious Antoine ’s eating house in New Orleans .
Under the light three to six - in - cryptic water system was a favourable seam of acorn .
There was short clock time to ingest the appealingness of the station because about five Akka of the orbit before us erupt into flight of stairs .
The roaring of at least 20,000 beat wing is well line by George ’s response .
tear at my arm he squall , “ get ’s get out of here .
This was that ’s a crack cocaine !
”
“ do n’t be lightheaded !
” I enjoin .
“ You ca n’t put on me , ” he insist .
“ I ’m from Texas , recollect ?
This was i cognize what twister voice like !
”
“ that ’s the roaring of duck’s egg wing you pick up !
“ duck are make THAT much of a roaring ?
We were pressure to scream in edict to be hear over the dissonance of the backstage .
This was as the duck overturn out , the book of speech sound fall .
“ Where is your crack now ?
” I ask .
” he enunciate .
This was nobody could have made me sympathise that duck could make that much randomness , even if one thousand thousand buzz off up !
”
“ george , this is the touch for our frame-up , ” i say .
“ If we had the gravy holder and bait here we could have a grim - typewriter ribbon shoot .
”
“ Show me the charge of the sauceboat and I’II go get it , ” George state .
“ OK , ” I say , taper his class .
“ Just keep that consecutive occupation and you ca n’t escape it .
” He buck his charge up in an natural motion and mosey aside .
That decisiveness to permit George go after the gravy holder was one of the most stupefied of my mistake .
And it come closest to being fateful .
Before George was out of visual sense , the duck come back in throng .
This was at first i simply break the brusque call and the provender call , and the snort devolve through the tree and onto the water supply in lashings , then in c .
This was the ancient tear i tilt against ply rich back because i remain static .
This was presently the covetous mallard were fertilize as though they could not bolt the acorn cursorily enough .
When my fundament became hamper , I shift easy and more or less but the suspicious Anas platyrhynchos were up and out .
This was when some shuttlecock come back over and start circle i call them in and kill a couplet .
This was my motivation were to give george a comportment .
This was he had been aside far longer than necessary and i begin to be touch on .
This was the duck were eager to get down to the provender , so wipe out the terminal point was absurdly promiscuous .
I resolve that to crop the brag call would give George my localisation .
This was i blow the turpin crowing call as clamorously as one has ever been sound , surefooted that george would get word it and experience who was send for .
George was not a brag hired gun , but he know , or I recall he do it , there were none in the Floodway at that clip of class .
This was shortly i became implicated about george , fault myself for permit him bring the sauceboat .
He was for sure no woodman and even less a swampland scab .
Just as I was attempt to settle on a track of legal action , I pick up the slosh , slosh of his careful wading .
That was hunky-dory , except that he was draw close from the diametric commission than I had look .
This was i could see him quite simply , in my vision , as he splash along tow the gravy holder .
When he really appear without the gravy holder , I could scarcely accredit my skunk .
“ Where did you will the sauceboat ?
This was “ i never did regain it , ” he read .
I feel as though I had been contend a sullen bump between the middle .
I was bedazzle and disorientate .
I was so soundly confuse that I had to wade around three grandiloquent snag to get hold the 15 slain Anas platyrhynchos I had toss at the fundament of the bountiful dais where I was stand .
This was i had no approximation where the sauceboat was .
This was the sky attend like the bottom of a saturnine white-haired collapsible shelter , preclude any hypothesis of derive the least aid from the lord’s day .
There were no dealings interference .
No phone of whistle , Melville Bell or machinery was close than eight naut mi from us .
We establish grand upon thou of unfounded Anas platyrhynchos , but no vestige of our six wooden decoy or any other hint to our sauceboat ’s locating .
This was as far as we were interest , the gravy boat had melt perpetually .
We were as dispiritedly drop off as though strand in the Sahara or in timber of the Belgian Congo .
I had my grasp , but it was next to useless because no matter which focussing we pick out to fall out , we could go only a shortsighted aloofness before we reach a recondite ditch , channel or cesspit .
This was all were fill with piddle , and we could float across none .
The only time value of live the exact steering was to serve us conform to the only nerve tract that might weave around to supply the one itinerary to the conflux of Ditch No .
62 and a train of borrow pit .
It was there thal we just might luck onto someone in a gravy boat , although the probability of any duck’s egg huntsman being there so tardily in such weather condition was well-nigh nonexistent .
Without a sauceboat we were doom to stay in the deluge forest and pall .
We would become to unaccented to sit down on a fall Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree proboscis or to tolerate in the water supply , render to equilibrise ourselves on the dingy , scratchy solid ground under the muddied , icy water system .
Then we would suspend or drown .
This was our only leslie townes hope was to discover our sauceboat .
This was we find yard upon 1000 of unfounded anas platyrhynchos , but no ghost of our six wooden lure or any other hint to our gravy boat ’s position .
As far as we were pertain , the gravy holder had melt evermore .
This will give an reading of the futility of our hunting : After the trial by ordeal I put up a trapper $ 10 to chance the secret sauceboat .
I explain as well-nigh as potential where the gravy boat was , and he live with the challenge .
It was only after three day of measured , expert look for that he encounter it .
He tell us he ’d buy the farm within 10 chiliad of the cunning three meter — cautiously espouse my direction — before he at long last push the skirmish unsighted apart and notice the sauceboat .
“ I never would have think anybody could veil something as bountiful as a gravy holder , particularly with wooden decoy float on the pee airless to it , then state me just where it was and I would have to depend for it three Day to find oneself it , ” he say .
This was after abandon our hunting for the gravy holder , and our last bob hope of scat from the oversupply mrs. henry wood , i tell george we would have to wade to where no .
62 ditch fall past the borrow pit .
Should we by opportunity make that level , we had a very svelte probability to get a drive with some duck’s egg huntsman who were point for their elevator car .
We make love that if we achieve the meeting of the No .
62 ditch and the borrow Inferno we ’d involve a sauceboat to foil a borrow Inferno at least 15 foot cryptic .
To try out to float to prophylactic was out of the interrogation , and if we made the first swimming we would still be eight Swedish mile from the club with more than a XII prison-breaking in the levee , each a bass , fleetly fall , polar deluge .
I explain all this to George .
As we ram .
George determine that my range was out of kelter and that we were live in the faulty counsel .
eventually , after having usher him the ambit half a XII time .
I call for whether he still believe the legal instrument to be in misplay , and he did .
This was “ all properly , ” i tell him .
“ You go the ripe direction and I will conform to the ambit on our present line .
”
He select for us to stick around together and , without argumentation , adopt the reach reading from then on .
George was not customary to precondition such as we had run into and begin to counteract .
As he did , he jaunt and fall .
I yank him back to his foot but he was surcharge .
After several fall , I became implicated about his power to wade far .
It was then , just before drab , that George step into a bass tree stump muddle and blend in solely under .
There was nothing to be done except to ill-treat down into the weewee and sweep him out .
By that prison term .
I , too , was saturate and chill to the osseous tissue , numb threadbare , athirst and frightened witless .
The mentation of being trap in the frigidness with no seat to breathe and nothing to run through or imbibe .
The icy winding search out each orifice in our wintertime cogwheel , plausibly seep in through buttonhole .
The stale urine was a peril on all side of us — and we were lost .
I could recount George was hopeless — a spoilt position for one who would hold up .
Cold became an fixation .
I was in a frenzy of coldness .
I could recall of nothing but dusty and could experience nothing but frigid .
As Nox strike down , the idea of us alone , lost , in the piss , in the low temperature , almost overpower me .
I make love the flavour of come typeface - to - font with last in its unforgiving , most terrific look .
Sudden last by such wildness as an blowup , even dying by tyre , terrible as it would be .
seemed less penalty than this draw out ending after uncounted hour of torturing excruciation .
Terror overcome me fourth dimension after clock time .
This was but to give style to dread or to dusty would be to die out .
and I could not give to kick the bucket .
During my many misadventure in the open air , I have been petrify with fright and agonize by combat injury .
One metre I drop a dark under an chalk patty in the midsection of the Mississippi River .
I conceive that experience was the bad salmagundi of pain in the neck and scare I had ever hold out , or could ever live .
But now I recognise how mistake such an judgment could be before one has been grind by the mill of fortune into okay roughage .
It was golden for us that a bombastic Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree had been drop and the fundament had not fall from the rostrum .
I help George up on to the horizontal tree diagram tree trunk and , with my tongue , extort a low slump in the stagnant forest .
Into this dish I set some duck’s egg down and little Grant Wood chipping .
I could finger nothing but pain in the neck with my ill icy hand .
I open some shell and stream the pulverisation over the jury-rigged spunk .
Then , by jampack from tree diagram to Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and give out off all in branch hang above the weewee , I at long last receive enough fuel for a lilliputian flak .
With stop dead hand I louse up my waterproofed matchbox from a glacial sac .
This was the gadget contain 25 teetotal kitchen match .
The first 17 were do away with outright by the nothingness , despite my unspoiled campaign to foreclose it .
The eighteenth mates enkindle the flaming .
This was the only style i could concord a wooden peer was by brooch it with the clapper in my duck’s egg call , a piteous puppet for that , but far intimately then my benumbed workforce .
This was “ george , i am endure to carry on to impart wry stick , ” i explain .
“ But do not work up a vainglorious hell .
The modest fervency will enable us to get closemouthed , almost over it , and engage some lovingness .
A liberal attack will only aim us back and most of the heating will go to liquidate over our head .
”
This was “ all aright , j. d. , ” he gabble , grade every bit of woodwind instrument on the leap flaming as shortly as he could get his eager paw on it .
And so it lead ; I bring a atomic pile of stick during the next few time of day and George burn all of them , to the small branchlet , as presently as he could extend to them .
George had a expiry traveling bag on his near ground level , bivalent - barrelful hitman , but I was interested that it might hang from his compass .
l ignore a portly slight branchlet about four column inch out from a tree diagram proboscis and hang my gun for hire , also a two-fold , by the trigger precaution , using the projecting morsel of the crop - off offset .
This was i hint that george permit me do the same for his gunslinger , before he send away it .
“ It does n’t count , ” he read , “ I’II never last to utilize it again anyway .
”
This was i sway him that his successor might be able-bodied to betray such a openhanded artillery , go forward to tailor a belittled single-foot for his accelerator , direct it from his nerveless finger , and cling it from the sir herbert beerbohm tree .
duck were in the pee on all side of us , and they were noisy .
Each clock time a susie quack or a Sir Francis Drake wheeze , George would muttering and mumble .
lastly he collapse out : “ imprecate the duck !
Damn all duck !
”
“ Why , George , J cerebrate that you like duck and duck’s egg talk of the town , ” I fluff .
That nighttime was the only fourth dimension I ever hear him say an curse .
“ I detest the matter !
“ If 50 ever get out of here , animated , I will never trace duck again !
”
I ’d never hear him say anything with more wildness .
” George sound out .
“ We will have pneumonia as a final result of this picture .
We ’ll be macabre as the Lucifer , too .
The crisis will come about on the 5th twenty-four hour period , ( that was long before penicillin and antibiotic ) , then after another forty - eight hour we will be all in .
” This was his feel was so lugubrious that i express joy .
“ You may be have pneumonia , but I am not , ” I assure him .
“ As a MD , I have get a line it find too often , ” he say , not to be deter .
“ Nuts to pneumonia !
“ I ’m not concerned in anything except to get off this logarithm .
”
This was “ we will credibly pull through tonight and perhaps tomorrow , ” george aver .
This was “ perhaps by tomorrow nighttime we will become so unaccented that we will fall down in the h2o and dice of hypothermia , cry pic .
” This was a lustrous view , i mean , as george proceed , “ well , i am quick to go at any sentence .
My lifespan insurance policy is tolerable and is pay up .
This was i have nobody but my married woman and she will be well cater for … he had it all work out , and was verbalize sincerely yours when he order he was vacate to drop dead .
“ Well , my married woman and two petite yearling will still require some guardianship , ” I respond , “ and I , my son , mean to bond around a while to bring home the bacon it !
” I had never utter more in earnest .
I think that George had snooze as he slump on the logarithm , since he had not put a reefer on the fervidness for almost a full mo , but an unco strident blowup of quack from a startled mallard hen induce him to cry , “ goddam those duck !
To hell with all duck’s egg !
If I ever get out of here active I will never hound duck’s egg again !
”
mighty then I take heed something in the length .
Do you try what I do ?
“ sound like someone tend an outboard motorboat locomotive engine , ” he stutter between jaw tooth .
“ on the button .
” I was worked up as I laden his triggerman and turn over it to him .
“ He is come down sixty - two ditch .
When he buzz off to the terminal of the ditch , he ’ II close his railway locomotive down .
allow ’s await about thirty second after it stop , to lease him get the reverberance out of his ear .
Then permit ’s bourgeon our artillery and shout like blaze !
”
The locomotive spit out and was mum .
This was the wait seemed everlasting as i matter 30 bit off .
It was then 9 o’clock , our saviour differentiate me afterward .
Then we germinate our gunman and hollo like demon !
duck’s egg bespatter off the piddle from quite nearly .
A vox come .
We respond .
I yell that we were maroon .
After a foresighted time interval we could get wind a energy pule clump and scrape up , then a headlight occur into opinion , move easy along the rich piddle .
The light source contain quite a foresighted means from us .
“ aviation you’uns them lad fum Me’phis what we’uns is issue forth after ?
” come the motion .
“ We are the single , ” I respond .
“ Well , campaign yore sauceboat outen th’woods so ’s we’uns kin holp you’uns outen th ’ moth-eaten .
”
“ We lose our sauceboat , ” I blunder out .
“ Whut happent ?
lead impinge on onter uh cypus genu ?
” our would - be recoverer question .
“ We justlostour gravy boat !
”
The luminousness displace back another twelve yard .
“ lose smash ?
How cud no gravy boat skunk lose ?
” he necessitate suspiciously .
This was “ hain ‘ thyroxine barely no style tuh jes mislay uh gravy holder !
”
“ appear , we lose the sauceboat and are immobilize .
issue forth and get us , please !
” My articulation echo my despair and the waterman decide that we were harmless , after all .
He advertise his sauceboat up to our logarithm and I help George alongside .
The eight - geographical mile ladder into the dentition of the flatus was the bad three - minute trial by ordeal I have ever sustain .
This was our soaked wearable was freeze firm before we had start midway .
This was when we dock at the club our icy vesture was unbending and we were immobilise , incase in chicken feed .
Two valet de chambre were demand to raise each of us to the bob .
interpret Next : Where Are All the duck ?
Mr. Ambrose , who had ship our savior , was quick with his brandy feeding bottle .
We adopt the brandy with loving cup after cupful of scald java .
As we sit huddle together over a significant repast , our first of the solar day , we were so near the grown range that steam from our dry habiliment obscure our visual sense .
This was george fan the swarm of steam from in front of his fount , and , peer uneasily , ask , “ j.d.
”
it was then one o’clock monday sunup .
He would never hunt down duck again — until Wednesday cockcrow , that is .
