Birds of a Feather

Originally Written Between 2017-2020                                       

 

It’s hunting season!  Each fall, my dad and my brother, Steve, would spend a huge amount of time getting ready to go pheasant, deer, and duck hunting.  They’d check the guns, of course, - clean them and make sure they have enough ammunition.  They’d also get their “hunting clothes” all in order – camouflage for the birds and orange for the deer.

 

We have many pictures and some movies of their trips to the hunting cabin – called the Boar’s Nest by the four men that built it.  It actually should not have been called a cabin.  A Shack would be a better word.  Steve was around 14 or 15 when he was allowed to join “the men” at the Boar’s Nest.  He was finally “one of the guys.”  I think after a couple of days of no showers, rough language, sleeping on the floor in an old sleeping bag, and washing dishes by hand, and learning how to gut a deer in the woods, he was probably ready to go back to the comforts of home.  But, he loved hunting and especially hunting with our dad.  

 

Along the way, Steve inherited my dad’s supply of decoys and, of course, accumulated several of his own.  I recall him showing me a couple of them and claimed they were very valuable.  I’m not sure why – whether it was because they were very old or made of gold or were the first ones Steve bought by himself.  All I know is they were very special to him.

 

Fast forward fifty plus years.  Steve and his wife, Melanie, and their two sons, Brian and Matt lived on a hobby farm near Ellsworth, Wisconsin.  But, Melanie died in 2007, the boys were adults and lived elsewhere, and Steve is in an assisted living facility because of his Parkinson’s disease.

 

Jim – Steve’s neighbor next door to his farm -- has offered to get the farm and house ready for an auction so he will be able to sell his house and land.  Jim worked hours and hours and days and days to get everything ready.  The auction was held on a beautiful Saturday in August.  I brought Steve to the auction since he was still able to walk fairly well with the help of a walker.

 

Steve made me go into one of the buildings and bring out over 100 duck decoys – including those very special ones that he thought should gain at least double – if not triple – the going price!  I had to take each one out of the gunny sacks and line them up on the grass.  I’d like to think that he wanted “all of his ducks in a row!”  Well, I lined them up and he walked between the rows as if he was a general inspecting the troops.  He’d point to a duck and indicate that it was not in line with the others and I’d have to adjust its position.  What a taskmaster!

 

Well, the auction finally started.  There was quite a crowd and many there were Steve’s neighbors and friends that he hadn’t seen in at least 3-4 years – if not more.  He had a great time meeting his old friends.

 

After a while, the auctioneer started taking bids for Steve’s duck boat.  Evidently, the bids were not high enough in Steve’s mind, so he started to bid himself to get everyone to go higher.  The auctioneer caught on and finally said that the boat was not for sale anymore.

 

Steve must have gotten a little bored and tired after awhile and started to go back to my car.  But, on the way, he fell.  Right into his rows of ducks!  He messed up several rows and after we all got him upright again, he motioned to me to return the ducks to their original positions in the rows.  Getting his ducks in a row was again my assignment.  After all that hard work –not one single person bid on his ducks.  Not even the “very special ones!”  So, I had to pack them up again in their gunny sacks and place them back in one of the out buildings.  All of the other “farm” items such as a tractor and other farm equipment sold.  But nothing that was “hunting” related.

 

After the farm sold, it was up to his sons to move Steve’s furniture and other household items to storage.  But, what to do with the duck boat and decoys?  Luckily, Steve’s son, Matt, loves to hunt and has a cabin “up north.”  Steve’s beloved boat and decoys are lovingly used each fall by Matt and his friends.  The legacy continues.