| Coming from Chicago and then moving to | | | | thought. |
| Houston Texas at a young age is traumatic | | | | Once I start to sit down on the bench seats in |
| enough at the age of sixteen; little did I know of | | | | this pit blind, I'm told; not yet we still have to put |
| the wonders and disappointments that lay ahead. | | | | out the decoys and fast as it is almost shooting |
| When living in Chicago as a young boy I do | | | | time. As I looked around you could start to see |
| remember seeing the Canada geese from time to | | | | the sky change from black and full of stars to |
| time and of course chasing the local pair of ducks | | | | these wonderful shades of blues and yellows. I |
| around the local park with a stick, but nothing | | | | am told that I get to be the decoy boy, my job |
| could have prepared me for what was in store. | | | | was simple do as you're told and drag the bag |
| Once arriving in Baytown Texas many things | | | | behind one of the hunters and hand him decoys. |
| were obvious at first glance and not just their | | | | After about a half hour that seemed to drag on |
| speech. There were oil derricks, the Gulf of | | | | for ever in the mud, we were done and as I |
| Mexico, John Wayne filming a movie about oil well | | | | turned back to look at our finished job you could |
| fire fighting and oh yea the massive amounts of | | | | see the birds flying hear and there in the early |
| waterfowl. Once out from the sleepy little town | | | | morning sky and the sounds of the geese and |
| there were field after field of crops and in the | | | | ducks calling to one another . |
| late fall as the temperature fell the waterfowl | | | | It didn't take us long to make our way back to |
| started arriving and not just ducks, but geese; | | | | the pit and just in time to hear one of the men |
| snow geese. | | | | say now-now take-um, at just that moment I |
| Almost as soon as I saw the masses of snow | | | | looked over the wall of the pit and could see |
| geese I was hooked and not that much longer I | | | | what I thought was hundreds of thousands of |
| had pestered almost everyone my parents knew | | | | snow geese. They looked as if they were caught |
| in to letting me tag along as they went hunting. | | | | in a tornado coming down and then the loud |
| Knowing nothing and coming form a family that | | | | crakes of gun fire, the next thing I knew the |
| had no hunters one of my father's co workers | | | | dogs were running out and retrieving the snow |
| took pity on me and succumb to my constant | | | | white snow geese and bring them back to the pit. |
| pleading and begging to join them. He first made | | | | As hunting goes the men really did not get that |
| me agree to do as I was told and that he would | | | | many, I felt as if I myself had taken a hundred of |
| allow me to help set up their next mornings hunt, | | | | these gorgeous snow geese. That night I could still |
| knowing less than nothing I clamored at the | | | | hear the snow geese calls ringing in my ears and |
| chance to go and would have agreed to almost | | | | was so excited I could hardly sleep in anticipation |
| anything at that point. | | | | of telling all I went to school with about my newly |
| My first day hunting or well at least I thought so, | | | | found hobby. |
| started as I was awaken before anything could | | | | Little did I realize that just that one mourning |
| have possibly been awake and moving or so I | | | | would for ever change my life giving me direction, |
| had thought. After a long ride in the middle of the | | | | a lasting love of the outdoors, nature and of |
| night that I thought would never end, going to | | | | waterfowl. What once started as a hobby then |
| one of this mans rice farming friend's fields. I | | | | changed to a passion and now has almost |
| found my self with a group of five very large | | | | consumed my life. As I count the days with my |
| men all with guns and dogs dressed in this neat | | | | dog be my side from the end of spring to the |
| looking camouflage when my fathers' friend says; | | | | beginning of autumn in anticipation of the fall fights |
| ok you carry this bag and follow me. As I tried to | | | | of snow geese over the grain fields and once |
| follow the man the best I could carrying and | | | | again the sounds of geese circling down into the |
| dragging the funny heavy bag with all of these | | | | decoys, I can't help remembering with joy my |
| heavy plastic decoys of ducks and geese, I could | | | | humble beginnings as I see our clients bring there |
| just barley make out this hump in the back | | | | youngsters on their first snow goose hunts as |
| ground. As we drew closer I could see the men | | | | they see the massive swarms of snow geese fill |
| were stepping down in to this pit style blind, at | | | | the crisp morning air. |
| last I am there and now I can rest or so I | | | | |