I was treasurer of our local ducks unlimited chapter back in the 70's, one of the guys that was heavily involved with d.u. asked me to go duck hunting with him. I told him I would make a blind at skeegmog lake near where I lived. It was quite a nice blind, easy to find during the day
not very easy to find pre dawn
I put the blind on the south side of a small island of mostly cattails. As dawn came, I said oops as I was squinting into the early sunrise to my left. I remember just seeing a bird coming right at me from my left, I pulled up my 20 gauge, literally shot from the hip, the greenwing teal dropped at my feet splashing both of us. My new buddy had the strangest look on his face
later we took turn poling each other around the backwater, he was poling, I was sitting up front when a mallard took off about 30 yards ahead, I thought it was to far away, he yelled shoot it, I remember giving a little extra lead, the duck was probably 40 yards by then, I think one pellet must of hit it in the head, it just dropped out of the sky and never moved. At every d.u. banquet I attended after that, I got a nice introduction from him, the two luckiest shots I probably ever took.