Prepared for the Season

We see that hunting and fishing activities have been a tradition with this farm family. Three deer racks decorate the barn wall. Beneath, the fishing boat and canoe patiently wait for spring. But today attention is on the opening of duck season. Equipment reclaimed from annual hibernation has been checked, cleaned and rechecked. The Dodge pickup is loaded with homemade duckboat and wooden decoys. Two favorite shotguns stand guard at the cab door. Last minute plans are reviewed in the nearby shed. Then, as if to officially signal both the beginning of an annual ritual and the end of a truce, three mallards break the still air in a final flyby.