I was stationed at Ft. Bliss Texas, a desert region on the most western city in Texas. This is a high dry desert region with little to no water. The Rio Grande trickles by and is more of an obstacle than a border. My friend, Joe, and I were informed of ducks on the Rio. We had seen a few floating but not a lot. Early one morning we got up to investigate with two other fellow soldiers. As we drove past numerous border patrol agents sitting in their vehicles and then were buzzed at close range by the helicoptor, we were suddenly astounded by the early morning fly of hundreds of ducks. The numerous variety and size of these guys amazed us. We established our blinds, late, and waited. That morning we got a few, but we devised our stalk and shoot strategy. This became a weekend ritual for Joe and I. We would leave the apartment around 8am, no rush, no need to get up early. Then drive along the Rio Grande, upon siting our prey we would flank them and walk to the river. As they lifted we engaged. Now came the dangerous part. Retreiving. You see the Border Patrol was active here with new agents. If you entered the water, we did, you could be arrested for illegal entry into the United States. This of course depended on the common sense of the agent, most were very cordial and actually guided us to some very good spots. The ducks pictured are currently at "The Bridman" Taxedermy in Colorado.
As the hunting day ends, I first captured the moon rising over the distant hills. As darkness came on, the sky started dancing giving me a wonderful show of the northern lights with my last cup of campfire coffee before retiring to the tent.
This fellow was moving along the ridge, herding his harem ahead of him. We sat tight and allowed them to pass before moving to intercept this one. He appeared in the hardwoods scrub at 20 meters.
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