This past season.....

[Destry L. Hoffard]

Just a few pics from this past season to help pass the time till the next:

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b398/MarketHunter/R1-07640-019A.jpg

My own personal "Great Day in the Morning" while out with Kaas and McCormack. A clean double on black ducks, a clean double on mallard drakes (one banded), a clean double on geese, and a single snipe. Also two more mallard drakes to finish my Quebec limit. All shot with the big Parker 34 inch #3 frame 12 gauge.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b398/MarketHunter/R1-07640-025A.jpg

McCormack on the same trip, in the middle of Lac St Pierre fishing for walleye.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b398/MarketHunter/R1-07640-022A.jpg

Me out for walleye on the same trip, I'd managed to hook up a few despite also trying to smoke that giant cigar at the same time.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b398/MarketHunter/R1-07640-018A.jpg

Lake St. Clair in Ontario, Canada rowing my sneak boat picking up decoys.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b398/MarketHunter/R1-07640-009A.jpg

My father Dwight Hoffard a couple days after Christmas with a clean triple he shot on mallard drakes. This was classic, we had five drakes sneak right in on us low. It was about 20 degrees and blowing hard, we were huddled in the bottom of a pit trying not to freeze to death. Dad happened to just catch them as they were tipping into the decoys on the only open water anywhere nearby. He had three killed before our friend Russell and I could even get stood up. I managed to get two barrels in on what was left and missed clean, Russell never got off a shot as Dad had killed all three on that side of the pit. Dad looked at me and said "How many did you guys kill?" I replied that I'd missed, Russell showed him that his gun was still full of shells. Dad just smiled as he was reloading and never said a word. Yeah, the old man can still shoot.....

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b398/MarketHunter/R1-07640-007A.jpg

Week between Christmas and New Years down Mississippi way. The first specklebelly geese I've ever shot in my life. This was a strange limit, weren't many good ducks around so we sorta had to make do. That's a limit of six Hollywood mallards, and a pair of drake sawbills along with the geese. My big Parker 34 inch gun did the deed.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b398/MarketHunter/R1-07640-005A.jpg

Another day in Mississippi, not a great pic but also showing a first for me. We finally managed to find some mallards and I killed my first ever Ross Geese.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b398/MarketHunter/R1-07640-010A.jpg

My last hunt of the season, on the channel, St. Clair River, Ontario in mid January. It was 9 degrees when we slid the boat off the trailer, I believe that might have been my coldest duck hunt ever. Three of us killed 14 mallards, a redhead, a canvasback, and 7 geese. I'd have taken more pictures but my cheapo camera actually froze.

[Larry Frey]

Congradulations on a very productive season. I really enjoyed the story about your dad and his triple.

[calvin humburg]

Great Pictures Destry thanks, what a cool 12 and a stright grip I am truly jealous!

[Destry L. Hoffard]

I chased that gun for two years and gave up another great Parker to get it but she's a duck murderer. I call her The Swamp Angel, cause I'm insane and name my guns.....

Destry

[Harry Collins]

Destry,

Sounds like another great season and what a plus for your dad to be along and still show the "boys" how it's done. Looks like I could get in those waders with you! You're a mear shadow of your former self! It's no wonder you got cold this winter. You lost all your insulation. I don't know what your doing, but keep it up. You look fit.

Harry

[Greg Baehman]

Thank you for your post Destry.

I hadn't ever heard of Spoonbills being referred to as Hollywood Mallards before. Is that local terminology or do I not get out enough?

[Destry L. Hoffard]

Harry,

Starvation will do a lot for a fat boy, though it ain't much fun. I even quit drinking beer believe it or not, it's only whiskey for me these days.

Wild,

I've only ever heard them called that down south. They call them Hollywood Mallards cause they're like those people out in Hollywood, always smiling.....


Destry

[charlie cleveland]

the mighty hunter is still king ...looks like you had a good teacheryour dad...i like that name hollywood ducks i could just see sunshades on them...youve truly got to love it setting out there in 9 degree weather...ive been hunting in the cold but its been awhile...next time you in ole miss maybe we can drink that cup of coffee we talked about...keep us informed on those duck hunts we enjoy them...the swamp angel is truly in the right hands... charlie

[John Truitt]

Destry,

Great pics. Thanks for sharing.

You are not the only one who names his guns. I know of several parker shooters who do so. :)

Told ya those 34" guns are great.

[Theodore LeDurt]

Really enjoyed the pics! Is that boat loaded with decoys in the first pic yours?

Being new to Parkers or American doubles for that matter, I was just happy to get a 32", #2 frame with a straight grip. A friend has a #6 frame 10 ga, and now after seeing your nice gun, the quest is on for a larger frame gun.

Thank you for sharing.

[Destry L. Hoffard]

Theo,

No, that's the chase boat for the sinkbox they run up there. All bluebill decoys and they're huge, larger than goose floaters even. We always go too early to catch the diver flight, just been out in the sinkbox up there one day. We go for the marsh gunning and it's tremendous.

The pic where I'm rowing the sneakboat shows one of my rigs. Wooden boat built probably in the 30's, the decoys are all cork by Tom Humberstone.

John,

That big #3 frame 12 gauge certainly does the job and it will kill them further than I'm able to shoot.

Charlie,

Hopefully I'll be back down that way come fall, hopefully we can get together. The 9 degree weather is something you love only after you're back home and thinking about all the ducks you've killed. When you're sitting out in that boat with the wind blowing on you it's kinda like torture.


Regards,
Destry

[Theodore LeDurt]

Twenty - thirty years ago, I used to attend Pt Moulie, not sure of the spelling, and I always enjoyed seeing boats like yours.

Tom is the last of a breed, making pure hunting decoys to withstand the rigors of the sport. We have traded a few decoys back and forth, and I just picked a pair of wood goldeneyes he made me and brought to St Charles. Your a fortunate man to have a rig of his birds.

Classic duck boats, wooden decoys, and old doubles, we both certainly dance to the same drummer. I vacation at my parents cottage in the Irish Hills in Michigan each summer, if you do not live to far, I would enjoy meeting you and talking over a pair of El Rey Del Mundo Robusto Supremos!

[Mike Wilkerson]

Great story about your dad! It's always a pleasure being able to spend time with family in the woods or on the water.

Mike

[charlie cleveland]

while drinking coffee and telling stories maybe i can look over the famous swamp angel.... i predict this gun to go down inhistory as one of the finest duck guns ever made...stories will be told over many a dinner at the cabins and homes of waterfowl shooters for a while.. hope you and the SWAMP ANGELhave many more hunts..each tell will get taller and taller as the years go by i hopeto be able to tell some of those stories..... charlie

[Destry L. Hoffard]

Theo,

I'm about 30 or 40 minutes from that area so definitely get in touch when you're around the area. I go down to Brooklyn, MI to shop at Knutson's on occasion so I could make it a joint effort.

Charlie,

I thank you for the kind words, I doubt my guns ever achieve much fame but this one is certainly a nice one to have and a duck killer.


Destry

[Richard Flanders]

I can vouch for Destrys 34" "wundergun"... why, it'll swat a bufflehead nearly out to the horizon!!!.... if you have enough shells along.....:whistle:

That's a great story of your dad's triple. Very nice.

[Destry L. Hoffard]

It didn't take that many shells, it just took me a long time to get the duck because I got in my mind I didn't want to waste another so I'd just catch it in the shallows. Yeah, that didn't work out so well, it was just a little quicker than I was.......

Destry

[david ross]

Hi Destry.
Looks like you had some good shooting. I never knew there is a Ross goose in the US isn't
it funny how you can learn something new every day.
All the best Dave Ross.

[Destry L. Hoffard]

Yup, they're sort of like a lesser snow goose. I was really happy to bag those three, I'd never even seen one before that day.

Destry