A pair of mallard drakes and a hen swooped down right in front of my duck blind and I quickly centered my crosshairs on the lead duck and squeezed off several shots connecting with a duck each time. As I fired several more shots with my Canon Digital Rebel camera the ducks quickly darted toward the next blind. This time the drakes lucky reprieve didn’t last for long as guns blazed and a pair of ducks splashed into the water and our hunt had begun with a bang!

Wave after wave of ducks dropped in out of the sky. Many of the ducks flew the gamut past several duck blinds and escaped the hunter’s guns as the shooters tried out their finely honed shooting skills.

The mallards came in singles, doubles, and sometimes in a flock. While there were quite a few hunters scoring, there were also a lot of misses. After shooting quite a few with my trusty Canon camera, I switched to a Berretta 391 and scored on a few of my own.



Close By

 

Hunters made the trek to the Fly My Way Hunting Preserve near Waynesboro, to get a head start on the duck season. They came from Texas, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and other states to sample some down home Mississippi hospitality, southern cooking and the main course, hot duck and pheasant action.

During the hunt Teddy Duval and a few other dog trainers worked their dogs and put on a retrieving show. Teddy and the other trainers were really in there element and it was gratifying to see how the Labrador Retrievers relished the opportunity to retrieve real ducks. And to their credit, nary a duck escaped!

If the Federal Black Cloud shots shells didn’t get them, the labs made quick work of any wayward ducks. Whether you’re shooting preserve raised ducks or wild mallards, Black Cloud shells are some of the most deadly, I’ve ever shot.

 

South Mississippi Pheasants

 

If you want some top notch pheasant hunting you’ve got to go to South Dakota. Or so they say. I’ve known quite a few hunters who made the trip to the Dakotas and only shot 4 or 5 pheasants on the trip. Now there’s no sure thing in pheasant hunting anywhere and I can’t promise that you’ll kill more pheasants here in Mississippi, but you’ll surely have the opportunity to burn some powder and throw some lead their way.                

Our afternoon hunt was held European style with nine stations strategically located around the base of a large hill. At the appointed time pheasants were flushed and scattered in all directions from high atop the hill.

On my first station I quickly missed my first bird and burned a couple shells in the process. Moving to the next station the horn sounded and birds started cackling and guns started blazing, with most shooting nothing but blue sky.

One unfortunate bird was heading directly at me and I took a fine bead as he flew over the treetops right in front of me. Just as I was about to squeeze off a shot, a shot rang out and the pheasant thudded to the ground, mere feet in front of me. Jason Lockaby of Austin, Texas had made a great shot from the next stand. I watched closely as the crackerjack shot killed a couple more pheasants from that station. Three pheasants from one stand was pretty good indeed.

 

Hot Spots



As we rotated around the course the standers were getting shots in almost every direction. Once I rotated to the hot corner, the birds began sizzling right in my direction. As I drew a bead and squeezed off a shot, the pheasant crumpled, dropped from the sky and hit one of the SUVs that were on hand for retrieving pheasants. Peter Kennedy, Jason Lockaby and I had all shot at one time and brought the bird down.

By the end of the hunt I’d burned up almost two boxes of shells and missed more than my fair share of birds. On my last three stands I had finally got my lead down and I scored on eight or nine pheasants, four on one stand!

Man what a day we had. South Dakota hasn’t got a thing on South Mississippi pheasant hunting, and it’s a might cheaper than taking such a long trip. We wrapped up our day with a few photos, a steak supper and plenty of stories.

David and Patton Stanley and Jamie Draughn know how to put on a duck and pheasant hunt that’s action packed and fun filled.

Are you looking to try your hand at bagging a few mallards, or maybe even harvesting some pheasants? Then look no further than FLY MY WAY Outfitters in Waynesboro, MS. They have a duck shooting preserve and offer pheasant hunting as well.



Contact Mike Giles at 601-917-3898

or e-mail him at Giles1958@bellsouth.net