Tag Archives: duck hunting

October 6, 2011

An Hour-long Minute

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Our trip to North Dakota was terrific. Nate Faulkner, 12, made sure his first hunting trip was a success. More on that to come in upcoming video and general blog entries over the next few days.

Check out a video we created while hunting a field pot hole (they’re famous in North Dakota). We put a small handheld camera on a tripod at the end of the pot hole and recorded the first hour of our hunt. I’ve sped the playback in this video to show the first hour of the morning (including the first 20 minutes prior to legal shooting) in just a shade more than a minute.

Even though the camera was a couple hundred yards from the reeds we were standing among, there are two spots near the end where you see a couple of birds being taken. This is a spot we hunted on opening day with much heavier bird traffic. On this day, it was a little slower. But, you still can see a few ducks zooming through the frame throughout the video.

The last shot is a single, made on a drake pintail, by Nate! If you miss it the first time, it’s worth playing back. The exuberant chant afterwards is his proud father, Richard. Turn up the speakers and watch in full screen!

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , | posted in 2011, Day Afield

September 24, 2011

Pursuit of Memories (and a few ducks too!)

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The lens through which a hunter looks at the outdoors changes quite a bit when he or she is a parent. The endless hours of daydreaming about your own success afield is replaced with thoughts of sharing the woods and waters with your kids. Heck, my daughter is probably a decade away from hunting and I’m already thinking about those days to come.

Richard Faulkner has three sons. And his oldest, Nate, is joining Richard next week for his annual pilgrimage to North Dakota. At 12-years old, Nate has caught hold of the hunting bug pretty hard. And while that’s truly awesome, what makes it equally fun is to witness how excited his dad gets when he gets to share the outdoors with Nate.

So AHuntersTales is going along with the father-son duo. In addition to enjoying the time hunting ducks, I’m going to document as much of Nate’s first out-of-state hunt as possible with video and still cameras. The outcome will be a series of blog entries documenting the memories for both Richard and Nate. It should be a lot of fun.

We’re planning to be in North Dakota for the opener next week. Posts should start shortly thereafter.

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Jillian and Blake Johnston showing off their AHT bumper sticker

Check out the picture of AHT contributor Greg Johnston’s kids proudly displaying their AHT sticker on the back of their John Deere Gator! Thanks for the support Jilli and Blakester (now, go tell all your friends at school to check out the blog)!

2 Comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in 2011, General Tales

February 27, 2010

Finished art … with an outboard motor!

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Skilled craftsmen have always impressed me. I’m no rookie when it comes to working with building materials and power tools, but seeing some of the work that a talented carpenter can do, reminds me of seeing a canvas filled with the aftermath of a fine artist’s brush strokes.

My hunting buddy Brad Taylor is one of these artists. Brad, a full-time school teacher, has been building duck-hunting boats for about as long as I’ve known him. And it seems like with each one he builds, his work gets even more impressive. Brad, under the name Toller Boatworks, spends his summers shaping marine-grade plywood into narrow vessels that any duck hunter would be proud to own.

Toller Boatworks No Fly Zone (NFZ) model

I’ve been fortunate enough to watch the evolution of several Toller Boatworks pieces from the first form being used to their first trip across water. I’ve even had the pleasure to take a duck or two from the confines of more than one of Brad’s creations. The time and detail that Brad puts into making everything perfect are the reasons why I’ve never heard one complaint from one of his customers. Because it’s a part-time gig, Toller Boatworks builds only a handful (no more than four, I believe) of custom boats a year.

The reason Brad and Toller Boatworks are top of mind for me in February (duck season closed almost a month ago) is because I’m hoping to get a shot at one of Brad’s boats next week at our annual Ducks Unlimited banquet.

The DH Mini is just 11' long, yet big enough to get hunter and pooch (plus a couple dekes) to a hunting spot!


This year will mark the second time that Brad has built a boat for our chapter to raffle during our event. The raffle this year, is for a DHMini and I’m hoping to win! It’s a one-man (and hopefully a dog too) duck-hunting boat that I can’t help but see visions of Sage and I sitting in.

For what it’s worth, tickets still remain for the boat. And you do not need to be present to win. If you’re not from these parts, though, you would need to arrange transfer. Tickets can be purchased from Brad directly – details available on his site. Catch up with Brad at http://www.TollerBoatWorks.com.

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Cat Tales

I’m looking forward to making my first trip to the Dixie Deer Classic next week. In addition to seeing what new hunting-related products will be on the shelves this summer and fall, I’ll get a chance to meet Josh and Tyler from Riverview Outfitters. I’ll be joining a small group to hunt with Riverview later this fall on an archery hunt during, what should be, the middle of the rut.

I’ll be sure to take some photos of anything noteworthy while at the Classic to add to AHT.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , | posted in 2010, General Tales, Product Reviews

November 28, 2009

A thankful outdoors weekend …

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While it wasn’t in the familiar woods of Western NY, the extended holiday weekend provided a number of adventures to the woods and waters. And it’s been refreshing to tote various types of weapons over the course of the last several days.

Hunters awaiting the afternoon flight of those pesky doves

Two trips to a neighborhood deer stand served as bookends to an active trip to the dove field with great friends and an unsuccessful duck hunt on a beautiful but chilly morning.

Combine that with joining several hunting buddies to cook 25 or so Thanksgiving turkeys for some of Charlotte’s less fortunate on Thursday and it’s been a weekend to remember.

It’s also been a tiring weekend!

Sage has been napping the entire afternoon. She’s moved only when she heard the Pro Plan hit her steel bowl and when she was reminded that her bladder had to be full! She’s probably forgot that tomorrow is Sunday – a day of outdoor rest in North Carolina!

1 Comment   |  tags: , , | posted in 2009, Day Afield, Uncategorized