"The Foggy Bottom duck hunt"

Ed Latta was waiting for me when I finished my mail route.  “Take a vacation day tomorrow he said.”  “Bo Allen and Larry Lewis said the back water is full of ducks.”  I immediately filled out a leave request for the next morning.

We would have to launch the duck boat at the Hickman Harbor and run up Obion creek to where  Ed was told that the ducks were using.  We got to the ramp and the fog was so thick you could not see over thirty feet.  We headed up the creek. 

 I had a very good spotlight but it was just reflecting off the fog.  I tied a rope to the back of the boat and threw it overboard.  I would trail this behind the boat keeping it straight to keep from going in circles.  I laid my compass in the floor where I could take bearings when I hit points where  I had to turn.  With the rope, compass and spotlight we managed to get up the creek to where I needed to leave it for the field.  We had to cross it to a tree line and after going through it turn into another field.  We got to where I thought we would be about even with the willows near where ducks were working  the day before and turned west.  Viola, we hit the willows spot on.

We were putting out our decoys when someone shouted at us.  “You are blinding up kind of close to us aren’t you?”  Ed informed him that we had permission of the owner Roy Dillard Sr.   We eased over to them and to everyone's surprise it was Larry and Bo.   We blinded up and we saw ducks all day with enough working us, but they had to be low, in the fog, to find our decoys.  The fog stayed with us all morning.

About mid morning two guys in a Reelfoot lake boat pulled up and said they were lost and wanted to know how to get to Hailwell bridge.  We told them and they were off only to make a big circle and stop at Bo and Larry`s blind and ask how to get to Hailwell Bridge.  They gave him directions and he was off again.  I wondered where he ended up or did he wait for afternoon when the fog lifted.

All in all it was a fun and memorable day of duck hunting in the Mississippi river back waters.