My wildlife experience at this time of the year is periodically punctuated by the sound of shotgun blasts, sometimes coming from only a short distance away—it is duck hunting season. There are a number of duck blinds in the waters off of Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge that are occasionally used for hunting. Even if I don’t hear gunfire, I can often tell that a blind is occupied, because the hunter often put out a whole lot of decoys in the water that have fooled me a couple of times.
The first photo shows the duck blind that was in use on Monday. If you click on the image, you can get a better look at some of the details, including one of the hunters, a dog in a life jacket, and part of the string of decoys. The second image shows the dog swimming back past the decoys with a freshly shot duck in its mouth—it was pretty amazing to see the dog leap into the water and swim out to retrieve the duck. The final shot shows the hunter showing off the duck, which I think is a scaup, to his hunting buddy, while the dog continue to shake off the water.
I personally am not a hunter—I prefer to shoot wildlife with a camera and not with a gun. However, I do not vilify those who choose to hunt, particularly when the hunting is managed and regulated. I am also aware that fees for duck stamps and hunting licenses often are used for wildlife conservation efforts that benefit us all.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
What great photos, Mike! Good for the hunters too! I am glad you are not vilifying them. Our Game & Inland Fisheries would be bankrupt without hunters paying all their fees. Our son is a fine hunter (and fisherman), and he is raising his sons in the same manner.
Blue Rock Horses Frederick County, Virginia bluerockhorses.com
Thanks, Mitzy. I try to take a balanced approach on issues like this and am amazed at how agitated some people get about issues like hunting. I actually relate to hunters and fisherman a lot, because their outdoor experiences are very much like mine as a wildlife photographer. We all spend lots of time in the outdoors in all kinds of weather, never certain if we will find our subjects, and use our practiced skills when the critical moment arrives.
Well said, Mike. 🙂
Beautiful blog
Thanks.
I really enjoyed this series of images, Mike. A nicely told story with excellent photographs.
Thanks, Wally. The hunters were so focused on hunting that I don’t think that they were aware of my presence. It is a different kind of subject matter for me, but I tried to get shots that were interesting, even to non-hunters.
Couldn’t they conserve wildlife without hunting? It will be even much better for all us.
Me too.. I only hunt with my camera 🙂
The duck blind is quite a little structure. Thanks for the detailed views. I don’t hut, but like you, I don’t get excited about people who hunt within the parameters of the law.
I grow weary of people who criticize hunting without understanding how yearly limits are set, or seasons determined, or areas opened up or closed. In the case of some of our species, like white-tailed deer, hunting prevents starvation. There’s an open season on feral hogs here because they’re invasive and damaging, and the numbers are increasing so quickly there’s no way that trapping could take care of the problem.
The sophistication of ranch managers and wildlife biologists isn’t always fully appreciated. Conservation is more than numbers; the health of a given population is important, too, and hunting helps to maintain the balance in a given population.
Great points. We have a similar problem in our suburban area with an overpopulation of white-tailed deer. I try to be really balanced when I post something related to hunting, but know that some may try to use it as an excuse for a broad condemnation of hunting in general.
Another thought-provoking post, Mike. I fish, but I haven’t hunted in many years–actually, decades. I always followed the guidelines and took great pains to comply strictly with the regulations, and applaud those who do the same. The retriever in your second photo looks every bit as smug and almost as happy as the hunter in your third.
Thanks, Gary. I was really impressed by the dog’s performance and attitude. I knew that dogs served as retrievers when hunting ducks, but had never seen one in action like that. As for hunting, I know people have different attitudes on the subject, but I thought the images that I captured were interesting enough to share.
I became a vegetarian 50+ years ago because I realized I could never slaughter my food. I assume that if I were starving and it was my only alternative, I would kill something–I’m no saint–but fortunately, there’s plenty to eat without killing anything with a face. You have all made good points about hunting, but I just can’t understand how anyone can take pleasure in killing wildlife–particularly if they don’t plan to eat it. Just my 2 cents.
As a vegetarian, you have a very consistent position that I respect greatly, Nina. I am definitely against killing wildlife for sport and it saddens me when I hear about “trophy hunting.” The challenge for me is understanding the virulent anti-hunting folks who are content to go home and eat a steak.
I agree, that’s pretty hypocritical. Consistency is tough to achieve, though. For example, I still eat eggs although I am aware that the egg industry is terribly cruel. I’d like to be a vegan, but so far I have not been able to give up eggs and dairy products. I don’t judge people for eating meat. Some people really seem to crave it; I don’t. I’m lucky that way. An added plus: A meatless diet is known to be healthier than a diet that includes a lot of animal products. So far, I’ve been pretty healthy and resistant to disease; fingers crossed!
That’s true. I heard that 0.98 cents from every dollar spent on duck stamps goes straight to wildlife conservation. Source: https://www.fws.gov/birds/get-involved/duck-stamp/duck-stamp-dollars-at-work.php
Thanks, Joseph, for the fascinating info about duck stamps. Every time that I post something about hunting, I know that it will be controversial with some readers.
You can’t please everyone. Nice work!
Nice one there! Enjoyed the images my fellow hunter! All love from the HuntingExpertUSA team!