Well, Goose, I'm 63 and have been a duck shooting addict since the age of 14. I've seen some great hunts in Texas, but the birds have to be here. Right now, they just aren't. Interesting perspective on the snow migrations, though. Those big guys put on some miles! If I had untold fortunes of cash working for me, I'd hunt out of state, but I'm on a fixed income at this point. Being able to join a waterfowl club out of Eagle Lake (20 miles from me) was a stretch, but I ain't getting any younger and figure that while I can do it, I need to do it, build a few more memories I can take to the nursing home with me in the future. The bird's will be here, got to be upbeat I guess. LOL
Yeah, I hunt deer about 200 yards behind my house in the woods, easiest hunting around. I get up before daylight, stumble out to my box blind, fire up the thermocell or the heater depending on conditions, lay back in my high back office chair. Hey, I'm old! Bow season I'll be in my tree stand, though, get some elevation. But, I'm a waterfowler through and through, rather be shooting birds, just the way I've always been. But, when I can no longer do it, I've thought about paving the path back to my box blind, rigging it where I can run a motorized wheel chair up in it, and continue deer hunting, though I haven't come up with a good idea on how I'd field dress or skin the thing if I shot one, LOL.
But, ya know, Art is older and HE still seems to hunt, somehow. Where there's a will, there's a way. But, waterfowl hunting is definitely not for the infirm. I need to do it now, while I still can. I got up yesterday morning at 3:30, drank some coffee, loaded up Molly (my lab), and drove to one of our leased spots. Got set up in a blind with my feet in the water after stumbling around in the mud putting out water keel deeks that didn't want to upright themselves after tossing (I hate that). No birds, sat there until 9AM, picked up, came home. I slept on the couch all afternoon, went to bed at 10, and slept until 9AM this morning. DAMN I'm a wimp! I couldn't work rotating shift anymore if they paid me 3 times what I made when I was working. But, as they say, worst morning hunting is better than the best morning working. And, heck, I saved on ammo and didn't have to breast any ducks when I got home.
I'll get my money's worth out of this club when the birds get here. I have my goose rags ready, windsock type, and the goose season is long now days as they're trying to thin 'em out, overpopulated. Not so much wading and stumbling in water with geese, but lots of walking around putting out lots of deeks, then pickin' 'em back up after the hunt. It's a little tougher than deer hunting the way I do it now days, but I guess it's good exercise..
I do need the exercise. Can't hunt 'em with a tennis racket down here, but the 10 gauge seems to work okay.