Wabbit Season? No, It's DUCK Season! How To Be More Prepared Than Elmer Fudd
A classic cartoon featuring a beloved rabbit, a black duck with a lisp, and a hunter makes many hunters nostalgic. In that cartoon, the hunter (a.k.a., Elmer Fudd) is hunting rabbits, when in actuality he should be hunting ducks. The rabbit and the duck are at odds, trying to get the hunter to hunt the other animal. If the hunter had been more prepared, the entire story line to this cartoon might have gone very differently. If you are a hunter, you should be more prepared than Elmer Fudd for duck hunting season.
Make Sure You Know Exactly When Duck Hunting Season Is
While a talking rabbit and lisping duck are not likely to confuse you on which hunting season is for what animal, it is still important to know exactly when duck season is. Game wardens set up hunting seasons for different animals at different times of the year, as well the type of weapon you can hunt with for these animals. For example, deer season starts in mid-fall, but bow hunting for deer comes before gun hunting. Most duck hunters use either a bow or a gun to hunt ducks, but you should be aware of the state statutes and hunting seasons nonetheless if you want to avoid being fined.
Have the Correct License
As the rabbit points out to the hunter in the cartoon, you cannot shoot the wrong kind of animal with the wrong license. Make sure your duck hunting license is current, allows you to shoot certain kinds of ducks, places a limit on how many you can bag, and prevents you from over-hunting or wasting meat. Read the fine print on your duck hunting license prior to loading your gun and taking your first shot.
Wear Orange, Not Brown
Elmer Fudd wore all brown. In the woods, other hunters may take a shot at you thinking you are their prey. At one point in the cartoon, several hunters' shadows appear and shoot at the same spot. Do not be the unidentifiable brown mass moving through the woods that all the hunters decide to shoot. Stay safe and wear neon orange.
Make Sure the Sight on Your Weapon Is Not Off
While you will not get your gun barrels tied into a bow or a knot, it is still important to make sure the barrels are clean, straight and that your sight is right on target. You can check this at a practice range before opening day. If your sight is few millimeters off in any direction, you will miss your wabbit, er, duck.