Sometimes it takes a contest to get a group of students to open up and relax.
The 2025 Week of Waterfowl kicked off with a hot lunch and a door-prize raffle that quickly became one of the event’s, held at Port Bay Hunting and Fishing Club in Rockport, early highlights. Every student from Texas A&M-Kingsville walked away with something — shooting glasses, Sitka hoodies and T-shirts, and more. The hunting guides were giving out pink LSON caps, a hit among the new hunters who were eager to learn.
This year’s class brought a diverse group: a Ph.D. student from Nepal, another from Virginia, one from Washington, and a mix of Texans — six with previous hunting experience ranging from deer to hogs and varmints. But none had hunted ducks. Delta Waterfowl’s University Hunting Program supplied 10 Benelli pump shotguns, waders, and jackets, and Kent Cartridge provided all shotshells.
For the first time, an all-female hunting team partook in the action, and guide Chelsea Stone wasted no time showing the girls how to set a decoy spread at one of the club’s many named duck blinds. Her young retriever, Kurt, just a puppy at 12 months old, joined the lesson, bounding around the salt water as the hunters positioned decoys and built their first spread. Ballou Blind proved a challenge early.
With the tall bay brush blocking their view, the girls climbed onto the bench before realizing they could simply stand outside on the hard sand bottom to see everything. Once settled, several ladies took shots at passing birds and managed to fold two pintail.
Around the corner, another crew set up at Lucci Blind with guide Dustin Seiler. Rupesh Maharjan, the student from Nepal, and Hunter Guzman rounded out the team. The afternoon turned memorable when both students dropped their first ducks. Guzman immediately texted his father, “Dad, I got one.”
Redheads were the main targets, sliding in fast and giving the group tough, long opportunities, but the birds kept coming. Rupesh’s first duck was textbook. A lone hen redhead circled and drifted over the decoys, and he made a clean shot. The bird fell right in the middle of the spread — something he’ll no doubt recall for years.
Spirits ran high back at camp that evening. Only three students in the entire group ended the day without a duck. Club cook Trey Huff served up chicken alfredo and pecan pie, and while a campfire burned bright at Port Bay, a $2-stakes poker game pulled in the crowd. Hannah Keyes walked away the night’s big winner.
Students talked about their hunt and their schoolwork — wildlife management, career goals, and life beyond the marsh. But by 10 p.m., most were already asleep, knowing the historic bell would ring through the halls of the Port Bay Club at 4:30 a.m., as it has for the past 113 years.
Miguel Carrillo had chorizo and egg tacos waiting, along with hot duck-club coffee. One group headed out by truck to hunt Blind #16, while the rest launched into the darkness via a big boat pulling skiffs. A video of their departure captured the quiet, glassy bay as the big boat left the dock.
At Dagger Blind, the morning stayed dead calm, and action was slow. A lone hen redhead rested in the decoys for more than two hours while her flock mate stiffened in the skiff. Near the End of the World Blind, Truman Collins spotted a hefty 28- to 30-inch redfish cruising the clear water, tailing and hunting for food just feet from the blind.
From another blind, you could hear Hannah Keyes yelling with excitement when she hit her first duck. Back at the dock, the students learned how to clean and prepare the birds for a meal. After lunch it was time to leave, but some students were overheard plotting to keep hunting and skip school.
About the Lone Star Outdoor News Foundation
The Lone Star Outdoor News Foundation’s mission is all about providing opportunities. It seeks to cultivate future hunters and anglers, especially those who haven’t had access to outdoor experiences, by offering education, mentorship, and hands-on opportunities. It also supports wildlife research and outdoor journalism, helping students pursue careers in wildlife management, conservation, and the media. We invented mentored hunting.
