I have always been more fisherman than duck hunter, so until recently I did not fully appreciate just how special the 1995-96 waterfowl season was shaping up to be. As it turns out, this year marked record-setting duck populations, the best numbers seen since the early 1950s. For waterfowlers, it was the kind of season that does not come along very often.

The reason began far to the north. The prairie “pothole” region of North Dakota and southern Canada had near-perfect breeding conditions for migratory waterfowl. As a result, duck numbers were up by more than 50 percent, and that increase was felt all the way down the flyway. Here in East Texas, hunters stood to benefit every time a good front pushed birds our direction.

The first split of the season opened on November 17 and ran through the 27th. Just a couple of days before opening day, a front swept through and brought a fresh wave of birds with it. That is often how it happens. Ducks ride those fronts, using the north wind to help carry them south while conserving energy. East Texas reservoirs then serve as transition areas where the birds rest and feed while waiting for the next front to move through.

Some species do not stay long. Teal, scaup, buffleheads, and spoonbills may stop on our lakes for only a day or two before continuing on toward the Texas coast and Mexico. The larger ducks, mallards, wigeon, and wood ducks among them, tend to linger longer and may remain in one area even as several more fronts pass through.

I had the chance to hunt during that first split with two friends of mine, Chris Swift and Brian Broaddus. Chris is a champion goose and turkey caller, all by mouth, and has won calling competitions around the state. He had also just returned from Alaska, where he worked as a fly-fishing and duck-hunting guide. Brian was a seasoned duck hunter in his own right, and I had followed his lead more than once down around Galveston Bay, where he had put me on some of the best redfishing I have ever enjoyed.

Before daylight, we worked quickly to put out the decoys, arranging them in a horseshoe pattern so incoming ducks would set down in the open pocket. With a light wind at our backs, we settled into the blind facing the spread and waited for legal shooting time. Sunrise was around 6:50 a.m. that morning, which put shooting time at roughly 6:20.

By 6:10 we could already hear wood ducks slipping along the treeline behind us. Chris called in a pair, and they landed right in the decoys. Over the next ten minutes, he must have called in twenty or thirty wood ducks that circled, dropped, and swam through the spread. It was enough to make even a fisherman sit up and take notice.

At 6:25 we agreed it was time, and that we would rise on the next flight that gave us the chance. A dozen or so green-winged teal came out of nowhere and buzzed the blind, then circled back over the decoys.

We stood up and let them have it.

The 12-gauge cannons roared, and six birds dropped. Then Duke went to work.

He waited for Chris’s command, and when Chris pointed and said, “Bird out there... bird out there, Duke!” the dog hit the water and started making retrieves. He brought back birds one after another, and on one trip even managed two at once. There are times when the phrase “man’s best friend” feels a little worn out, but not in a duck blind with a good retriever. At moments like that, it feels exactly right.

A well-trained dog saves an enormous amount of time and effort, and just as importantly, keeps hunters in the blind and ready for the next flight. Duke did all of that and more.

By 8:30 a.m. we had our limit, and the action was still going strong. Rafts of teal and scaup continued to move over us, and Chris kept calling some of them down into the decoys. We finally picked up around 9:30 and headed back to the public boat ramp off FM 1375, satisfied and more than a little impressed with what the morning had delivered.

The second split opens December 17, and if conditions remain favorable, hunters should continue to see strong bird numbers. The duck bag limit is four birds per man, including no more than one mallard hen, two wood ducks, one canvasback, one pintail, and one Mexican mallard per limit. Number 4 and Number 6 steel shot make excellent loads for duck hunting, and hunters should remember that only steel shot may be possessed while hunting waterfowl. Lead shot is prohibited by law.

For complete regulations, consult the Migratory Waterfowl information pamphlet published by Texas Parks and Wildlife. Hunters on Lake Conroe should also remember that a $10 limited-use permit is required, and hunting is allowed only on Saturdays, Sundays, and Wednesdays. Legal shooting hours run from the beginning of legal shooting time until noon. For more information, contact Texas Parks and Wildlife at 1-800-792-1112.

A season like this one is a reminder that the outdoors still runs on cycles bigger than any one hunter or any one morning. Good hatches in the far north, timely cold fronts, and a little luck in the blind can come together to create something memorable. Even for a man who still thinks of himself more as a fisherman than a duck hunter, a morning like that is enough to leave a mark.

Good luck, and above all, practice safe gun handling every time you hunt.