An Old Man’s Duck Call Lanyard
- Southern Sportsman
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- Location: West TN
An Old Man’s Duck Call Lanyard
The man on the left is my Uncle Jerry. My great uncle technically. He’s 91 and I personally watched him stand up, draw down on, and smash several ducks this year. I've seen him do the same a thousand times before. He’s been killing ducks in West Tennessee for the past eight decades and did it with unwavering proficiency for the great majority of his life. This picture is from a few weeks ago. He and my cousin (his grandson) hunted by themselves and killed a full limit by lunch. Uncle Jerry held his own. He always does. My granddad didn’t hunt, so Uncle Jerry was the one who took my dad hunting as a kid. My dad fell in love with it and in turn took me. So I’ve always felt greatly indebted to Uncle Jerry.
When I was in high school 15 years ago, Uncle Jerry lost his duck call lanyard and all of his bands while hunting. He didn’t have a lot of bands, especially compared to the number of ducks he’d killed, but they were all cherished. We looked forever hoping to find them. Even in the years after they were lost we looked in the mud around the blind and boat dock but they never turned up. He was hunting in the river bottoms. It floods every time the Obion River gets over 30’ which happens several times every year. In the winter we catch the river water to hunt. In the spring and summer on dry years we disc and plant several acres of it. Every year we bushhog it. After a couple years of that cycle, it was acceped that we wouldn’t find Uncle Jerry’s lanyard. He replaced his call, has added a few new bands since then, and his son ordered replicas for the ones he lost. But there’s something special about the real thing.
Today my cousin (pictured above) was hunting the same area. There’s a fair amout of grass around the blind this year and it’s shallow enough to drag the prop in places, so it’s pretty common that you’ll need to raise the prop out of the water, pull off grass that binds up, and continue on your way. My cousin raised the prop and began this process, but mixed in among the grass and mud he pulled out of the prop was an old nylon lanyard with a few weathered bands on it. The old wooden Yentzen duck call long since gone.
He doesn’t remember when they were lost; he was 6 years old at the time and he’s now a senior in college. But my cousin had the unique honor of washing the mud off those old bands, getting back in the blind, and handing them to his 91 year old grandfather who happened to be hunting with him today. One day all too soon they will be family heirlooms, but Uncle Jerry got to see them returned.
Last edited by Southern Sportsman on January 19th, 2019, 12:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
I go stubbornly into error by myself, and reach my own fallacious conclusions using my own faulty data. ~Tom Kelly
Re: An Old Man’s Duck Call Lanyard
That is unreal! Thank u for sharing that.
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- Hoobilly
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Re: An Old Man’s Duck Call Lanyard
Oh man how awesome is that!!!!!!! Amazing that they were found! one very cool post! Are you on the refuge forums?? they would love to read this story
- Southern Sportsman
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Re: An Old Man’s Duck Call Lanyard
I haven’t gotten on there in a long time, but I think I signed up years ago. I'll post it there.
I go stubbornly into error by myself, and reach my own fallacious conclusions using my own faulty data. ~Tom Kelly
- ICDEDTURKES
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Re: An Old Man’s Duck Call Lanyard
Man that's amazing. Makes them bands more cherished, I truly hope you end up getting one
- SwampDrummin
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Re: An Old Man’s Duck Call Lanyard
That’s crazy.
Re: An Old Man’s Duck Call Lanyard
An absolutely amazing story, great things happen to good people !
The most experienced novice Turkey hunter the good Lord ever created !
- RapscallionVermilion
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Re: An Old Man’s Duck Call Lanyard
Great story, thanks for sharing.
- Hognutz
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Re: An Old Man’s Duck Call Lanyard
How neat is that. Great story! It couldn’t have ended any better!
May I assume you're not here to inquire about the alcohol or the tobacco?
I am the man from Nantucket.
“Leave the gun, take the cannoli” -Clemensa
When attacked by a group of clowns...Go for the Juggler!!
I am the man from Nantucket.
“Leave the gun, take the cannoli” -Clemensa
When attacked by a group of clowns...Go for the Juggler!!
Re: An Old Man’s Duck Call Lanyard
I was not his father but he was my son,,MAK IV, 10-15-1993 - 4-22-2007
"Rest in Peace my Little Buddy"
"Rest in Peace my Little Buddy"
- guesswho
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Re: An Old Man’s Duck Call Lanyard
Wow, that's something!
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RCD's Owner----------------Badonka Deke Prostaff
MoHo's Prostaff-------------Lighter Than HTL Shooter
The Storm Whistle Prostaff
Official Member Of The Unofficial Firedup Turkey Calls Prostaff
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Re: An Old Man’s Duck Call Lanyard
Very cool story! Congratulations on the find!
Re: An Old Man’s Duck Call Lanyard
Great story, and great he is still getting out there to enjoy the hunt.
Re: An Old Man’s Duck Call Lanyard
Good stuff man.
Re: An Old Man’s Duck Call Lanyard
Very cool story! What are the chances that Jerry happened to be there when it was found?
Thanks for sharing.
Jim
Thanks for sharing.
Jim
Re: An Old Man’s Duck Call Lanyard
For him, age is just a number and not a limitation. Thanks for sharing this. Gil
Re: An Old Man’s Duck Call Lanyard
Awesome stuff right there!
Re: An Old Man’s Duck Call Lanyard
WOW!!! Great story and even better to see those reunited.