Chagnovich 1

Martin Chagnovich
Professor Hull
English 2010
Memoir
11/22/15

Hunting: Beneficial to Humans and Animals

It was 2 days before opening day of Utahs duck season. I was 12 years old and my dad
and I were in line at Sportsmans Warehouse waiting to purchase our box of shotgun shells for
the hunt. It was an exciting moment for me because this was going to be my first waterfowl hunt
I had been on. Up to that point all I had heard were my fathers stories about him and his dad
and the hunts they had been on. The early mornings, the muddy water splashing up as theyd
toss the decoys out into the bay, ducks whistling over their heads as they cruise above the
cattails. We were pumped and ready to make some memories.
While we were checking out my dad went on to tell me about how sportsmen asked for a
tax on their ammunition in order to raise more money for wildlife. The Pittman-Robertson act
was passed in 1937, through which hunters voluntarily imposed a tax on themselves, ensuring
that a portion of the sale of all firearms and ammunition would be expressly dedicated to
managing the wildlife entrusted to the public. The Pittman-Robertson Act generates $700
million annually, which is distributed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to state fish and
game agencies across America (RMEF.org). I remember my dad then saying to the cashier, Can
we get two small game licenses as well with two duck stamps? Once we provided the worker
with our information he slid two licenses across the counter and two stamps. I asked my dad,
What is the purpose for buying a duck stamp?

Chagnovich 2
When hunters purchase a mandatory $25 duck stamp with their license the proceeds go
to conserving wildlife and habitat. (Each year, nearly $200 million in hunters' federal excise
taxes are distributed to State agencies to support wildlife management programs, the purchase of
lands open to hunters, and hunter education and safety classes. Proceeds from the Federal Duck
Stamp, a required purchase for migratory waterfowl hunters, have purchased more than five
million acres of habitat for the refuge system, lands that support waterfowl and many other
wildlife species, and are usually open to hunting)(U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services).
Wow theres really a lot more that goes into hunting than just buying a permit and
shooting things isnt there?
Yes Martin, hunting and hunters are a huge part of conservation to make sure there are
healthy animal populations.
It sounds like it!
This was a huge eye opener for me because I was able learning so much about how
through hunting we were really helping the wildlife.

Figure 1: Shows the 2015-2016 Federal Duck stamp

Opening morning came and at 2:30 I was woken up by my dad sarcastically asking me,
Are you sure you want to go, as he rubbed his eyes. Jumping out of bed I went straight to my
clothes I had already laid out the night before. By 3:30 we had the truck all loaded up and we

Chagnovich 3
were ready to go. On the way we stopped at the local gas station where my dad ran in and
grabbed us some good luck bear claws to eat on the way to marshes.
Around 6:30 we finally made it to where we were going to hunt from. A long ways from
the truck my dad said, This should be a good place to set up; it is in the middle of a flying path
they like to take in the mornings. Glad to get the heavy decoy bag of dead weight off my back I
didnt put up I gladly said Sounds Good!
We are going to put the decoys in a J shape today; with the direction of this wind it will
provide a perfect place for the ducks to try to land where we can get them, spoke my dad.
Ok Ill begin placing them out there while you work on making a blind for us to hide
in, I replied.
The musky smell of the salty marsh water was in the air as the breeze would calmly go
across my face. I began attempting to walk through the water. It was up to my hip and with each
step my foot would sink down 5 inches into the mud. With every little bit my foot sunk I thought
for sure it wasnt going to stop and it made it very difficult to maneuver because it was still dark
outside. Sometimes my foot would even get a little stuck and I almost fell under a few times!
The decoys splashed as they smacked against the water when Id toss them with the weight
following Kir-plunk as it would then sink to the water floor. After struggling through the thick
mud and getting the decoys out in a realistic pattern I made it back to the blind my dad had
created in the cat tails. He whispered, Just a few more minutes and it will be light enough out
we can shoot if they fly by.
Sure enough at 7:10 when the guidebook said legal shooting time was for that day the
whistles of duck wings filled the air. In the distance we could see a good group of birds zipping
through the sky looking for an appealing spot to land for the day. My dad began calling making

Chagnovich 4
all of the sounds feeding ducks make. Quickly we had groups of 5 to 10 birds erratically flying
by coming into our decoys sometimes dropping in out of nowhere. wait wait Take Em!
called out my dad. We pulled up took aim and fired. Down dropped a couple birds out of the
flock and we both hollered with joy!
My dad then stood up next to our dog which was sitting there starring at the marked bird
waiting with great excitement to go after his first retrieve of the season. With the signal to fetch I
was able to watch my dog bound off into the water at full speed after the birds. After retrieving
both ducks he ran next to me with his tail wagging a thousand miles per hour and shook all over
me!
We hunted for a two more hours and were able to get 3 birds each. There is a 7 bird limit
per person and this is to ensure not too many birds are taken but not too little are killed as well.
Waterfowl populations have been some of the most successfully managed game species. In fact
according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, Overall duck numbers were statistically
similar to last year and remain high. Total populations were estimated at 49.5 million breeding
ducks in the traditional survey area. This estimate represents a 1-percent increase from last year's
estimate of 49.2 million birds, and is 43 percent higher than the 1955-2014 average (Ducks
Unlimited). Once we got home my dad showed me how to clean and get all of the meat off of
the birds. He did the first one and showing me wear to cut and the most proficient ways to do it.
I then sat down and got all of the meat off of the birds.
That night we sat down as a family and all had duck along with the other dishes my mother
made. It is always a very humbling experience when I sit down at the table and know that the
meat I am eating is meat that I earned. I know where it came from and how it was handled and I
made memories that will last a lifetime in doing so. It is such a rewarding feeling to me. This

Chagnovich 5
makes me proud to be a hunter because I understand my role and passion for wildlife and this is
a great way to support and express it.

Figure 2: Studies and surveys are

performed each year and this shows
some of the highest numbers
reported 43% higher than 1955-

Work Cited
Miller, Jennifer. 2015-16 Federal Duck Stamp. 2015. US Department of Interior. Web. 21 Nov.

Chagnovich 6
2015.
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. N.p., 2015. Web. 21 Nov. 2015.
<http://www.rmef.org/Conservation/HuntingIsConservation.aspx>.
Fish and Wildlife Service. N.p., 4 Mar. 2014. Web. 21 Nov. 2015.
<http://www.fws.gov/hunting/whatdo.html>
2015 Waterfowl Survey. Chart. Ducks Unlimited. N.p., 2015. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.