By Bruce Urben, WWA President
This article originally appeared in Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s November, 2023 Newsletter edition.
Our Green Bay Chapter’s 16th Annual Waterfowlers Academy (Waterfowl Learn to Hunt) began on a windy, rainy afternoon in northern Brown County in mid-October.
Nine anxious and excited students traveled from across Wisconsin – UW Stevens Point, Verona, Sobieski, Kenosha and Platteville – and came to the Pittsfield Trap Club to begin their first adventure into waterfowling. Our students, aged 11 to 51, were ready to go, regardless of the weather outside.
Friday’s classroom instruction with the Warden
Friday afternoon began with classroom instruction on hunter’s safety, identification of target, and shooting proficiency through slides. Our local WDNR Conservation Warden presented information on regulations, hunter ethics and what to do when you encounter a warden in the field. Yes, there were numerous questions. That was followed by a presentation on waterfowl Identification and duck ecology by WWA. Two of our mentors gave the students a short course on duck and goose calling, but reminded all of the students NOT to bring the calls with them for the morning mentored hunt! Their appetite was filled with pizza and soft drinks during the classroom session.
Friday’s rainy night trap shooting
The remainder of the night culminated on the trap shooting line, with the students becoming comfortable with their firearms and breaking some clay pigeons. Some of our students had never fired a shotgun before. Our certified shotgun instructors did a great job in getting everyone into proper shooting positions and most were having some success before they left, regardless of the pouring rain. The students were troopers.
Saturday morning began early for most of the students, meeting their mentors before 4:00 a.m. to travel to their scouted waterfowl hotspot. Some were in a boat, others in blinds, and some were in layout blinds for a field hunt. All were able to help their mentors set up decoys and brush their blinds.
The 2023 Waterfowlers Academy Green Bay class
After the hunt, all of the mentors and students met back at the trap club by noon for a picnic lunch of burgers and brats with all the fixings, including goose bacon, and duck hot sticks. We discussed their hunt, what they learned from their mentors and, of course, shared their harvest numbers and how the harvest actually occurred. Six of our nine students were able to harvest ducks and/or geese. In fact, this may be a record for harvest numbers with six ducks and six geese harvested by the students.
The students and their harvest
One student had opportunities, but could not connect, and two did not have a duck or goose in range. Those two were invited for an afternoon hunt with their mentors, but unfortunately were not able to harvest any waterfowl. However, their mentors are already scheduling another hunt with them in the future.
The afternoon included demonstrations on cleaning their waterfowl, sharing recipes for cooking their fowl and a gun cleaning demonstration. Certificates were awarded to all ofthe students and they were on their way home by late afternoon.
An instructor demonstrates cleaning a goose after the hunt
A note of thanks to all of our mentors, many of whom have been with us for the last 16 years, and their efforts in scouting during the week to put the students in a position to harvest waterfowl. Thank you.
The author shows the students how to clean a gun after the hunt
We also held another first – we had a father and son who attended our course in 2019 as first time waterfowlers themselves and came back this year to mentor several students, both of whom were successful in harvest. Proof that the program is working!
If you are interested in attending a future Waterfowlers Academy please contact us early so we can get you on a list – info@wisducks.org.