For a first timer, it will be all about the shooting. After you get a few hunts under your belt, you'll start to slowly appreciate the little things. You probably won't understand or appreciate a good dog until you hunt with a bad one, or walk in the marsh enough. You'll start to understand that shooting a duck decoying is more rewarding than just killing the ones that get too close flying by. At this point it'll still be all about killing what you're shooting at, unless you're already an established wing shooter. Eventually you'll learn the different species of ducks and how they differ in various attributes (how they decoy, how wary they are, how they act in their natural environment, etc.), and you'll begin to feel more accomplished when you have some of the more desirable or "harder to trick" species in your bag. Overtime, you'll hunt with different people in different settings, and learn how other people go about their hunt, and how ducks act in different scenarios. Weather it be their mistakes or successes, you still will continue to learn. A few bad hunts may run some folks off, but if you've felt that feeling you get the few seconds before you click that safety off, all it will do is make you more mad at them. At the end of the day, for most, it's all about tricking the birds, and enjoying good company. If you can set birds down in your decoys, you've won. Once you set your own spread out and your plan comes together, and YOU yourself trick those little a-holes, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. I feel like for most people that are already "hunters" who have never hunted waterfowl, the obsession starts in stages. To each his own though. Some enjoy the dogs. Some (most of the younger guys) are only there to limit out and take pics, and don't take time to sit back and enjoy everything. Some like to get hammered the night before and sleep in and cook (my favorite people to have at the camp). Some are decoy / brush / calling Nazis. Some like to shoot (usually the guy that jumps first and claims every bird). I don't remember where I read this quote but it's one of the most true statements ever made. - "One good duck hunt has ruined many a good deer hunters." Accompanied with another gem. - "A wife and a steady job has ruined many a good duck hunters."
For me personally, my favorite part is the memories that are made. Duck season is the time of year I get to spend the most time with my little brother, Dad, and closest friends. All year everyone is busy with work, school, kids, etc. But for a few months a year, everyone all of the sudden can "make time" to get together and do the dam thang. Put it like this..You'll never remember what went wrong, how cold or tired you were, or how mad you got at your dog that morning, when you look back at pictures of a pile of ducks in front of you and your buddies. And once you get established and kill birds consistently, you won't believe how many people you'll hear from that you haven't seen in years...lol
Also, bouncing the hen is CRITICAL.
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