Turning my misfortune into a contest

So yesterday I went back to the Delevan National Wildlife Refuge to see if I couldn't end this crazy streak in which I get only one duck per hunt, and it's usually a duck already wounded by someone else.

It was a dark and misty day with little wind and not much shooting going on. I decided it was time to explore "free roam," which is a vast central area where hunters can go wherever they want, provided they get there first. The potential rewards are great if you don't mind the potential conflict.

I've been avoiding it because I'm not a fan of conflict between people who are all carrying guns. But Bob, one of the guys at the hunter check station, has been urging me to try it. "All the real hunters go to free roam," he said yesterday. Read more (and get to the contest part) ...
I got some advice from a hunter on his way out of the refuge with seven birds, and went straight where he told me to go. When I got to the edge of the water where I'd head in, I met his friend on his way out. I had just started asking him for advice when a spoonie hen who had been hiding in the grass in a tiny puddle between us broke her cover. She lifted her wings, but couldn't take off. A cripple.

"Want her?" the hunter said.

"Yeah, I'll take her." I'm not going to let a duck go to waste just because it's a spoonie. Those ducks have a bad rap.

The hunter set his dog on her, then dispatched her quickly and handed her to me.

For a moment, I thought to myself, Wow, if the shooting's really good out there, this means I can shoot only six ducks.

Then I put down the crack pipe. What are you thinking, Holly? This'll be the only duck you get today.

And I was right. Of course.

There's no need to bore you with the details of what it was like trying to learn how to hunt free roam - let's just get straight to the contest:

Whoever can guess the date that I break my streak - and by that I mean the date that 1) I will get more than one duck, and 2) at least one will be a duck that I came by honestly, not someone else's cripple - will win your choice of one of the following three books:

Lift by Rebecca O'Connor - a riveting look at one woman's entry into the world of falconry.

Heart Shots: Women Write About Hunting, edited by Mary Zeiss Stange.

The Sacred Art of Hunting: Myths, Legends, and the Modern Mythos by James A. Swan.

When choosing dates, consider this: Hunt days on public lands where I hunt are Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. But occasionally I get the chance to hunt other days. For example, I might go goose hunting tomorrow, and while geese do not count in this contest, I'm told I might get a shot at some wood ducks. I'm pretty sure I'm not hunting on Christmas because my mom would kill me, but if I can sneak in a quickie ...

Each person can choose one date, and the closest date wins. If there are two picks that are both close, e.g., one is a day before and one is a day after, the person who picked his/her date first wins.

Make your pick by leaving it in a comment below. And remember, you may need to try several times - I actually have to hit "post comment" three times to get it to work. (Was it really worth it to move the comment form into the post when it worked fine in a separate window? Jury's still out on that.)

Good luck!

Wait, what am I talking about? You people should be wishing ME good luck...

© Holly A. Heyser 2009