By Braeden Kantz, staff writer
As the fog lifted, the action heated up quickly, with hunters taking to the swamps as the sun rose. Seventh grader Andrew Rockwell, new to duck hunting this season, found success the first morning bagging his first drake.
Rockwell said, “We accidentally kicked up a group of wood ducks and it forced me to shoot unexpectedly, something I had never done before.” This circumstance resulted in Rockwell’s first duck. The group he was hunting with was loaded with experienced hunters that bring competition to the sport.
Later that weekend, Rockwell bagged his second bird. With a second drake under his belt, he seems anxious to return to the woods. Due to the heavy rains recently, the hunters have been forced to change their tactics as ducks and geese search frantically for stagnant water. As the winter grows ominously closer, ducks are flocking into large groups that can contain more than one species, and can be dangerous to trigger-happy hunters.
This year has proved even more successful than previous years as hunters through Saegertown have shown large numbers of waterfowl killed, and Rockwell’s group was no exception. “They did pretty well. Everyone I was hunting with at least got one.”