A Carolina boy’s thoughts on the wood duck
I probably say it too often, but I love wood ducks. They are very special; so different from other ducks.
The way they quickly navigate through timber and gladly inhabit areas that other ducks cannot, and will not, is to be appreciated and admired.
They are available to all of the Carolina boys and girls, in even the lowliest places to duck hunt, fitting one of their nicknames “Carolina Duck.” If you can’t be thankful for that, I don’t know what to tell you.
Wood ducks present a challenge to some of the best shooters. Their plumage is strikingly beautiful! They nest in tree cavities. I have seen them leave a creek to walk through the woods to eat acorns or pick moss from the base of a tree. They evade ambush from fox, bobcat, coyote, and birds of prey. Woodies are known for flying very early and making a hunt very short, but the action will be over early enough for a hunter to be home to have breakfast before starting their day.
Wood ducks are also quite possibly the best eating ducks God ever made. The first duck I ever bagged was a young drake, and it meant so much. When I ask someone what ducks they have shot recently and they say, “just wood ducks,” I always hope they mean “ONLY wood ducks” and that they aren’t discounting a wood duck as if it’s less desirable.
I really enjoy ducks and duck hunting. All ducks are wonderful, but if I had to pick one duck to enjoy for the rest of my life, if I had to choose which duck I love the very most, it’s the wood duck. Thank you, God for making the wood duck.
— Adam Revels; Selma, NC
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Thanks to Carolina Sportsman reader Adam Revels for sharing his thoughts on the wood duck. Would you like to share a similar story? If so, email it to us at images@carolinasportsman.com, along with a photo that is at least 500K.
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