6th Prize
Hunting Journal with Weatherby Logo (100 awarded)
Zach Savage, South Carolina
“As a 22-year-old South Carolinian, I’ve just begun my life’s quest of becoming a complete sportsman. This dream began 13 years ago at the age of nine when I hunkered down into the blind on my first duck hunt. My father was never really into hunting, but always supported my desire to hunt. I got my start with his best friend hunting ducks in the upstate of SC, and learned as much about ethics, morals and fellowship in the field with him as I did about life, hard work, and manhood from my father. Since then, it has grown from a hobby into a love and downright obsession of duck and deer hunting. I like to think of myself as a student of the outdoors. I spend as much time as possible studying wildlife and their habitats, in addition to this, I also spend a lot of time scouting and help friends with food plots.
When I saw your ad on TV to enter for the Dream Hunt, the first thing that came to mind was to write about a Canadian world record whitetail hunt. I closed my eyes and envisioned a big daddy rabbit Boone and Crocket buck in my sights. As I really began to think about how amazing that hunt would be, I realized it was pretty selfish of me. After some quiet reflection in my bow stand yesterday, I realized that a dream hunt for me had to include the two most influential men in my life, my father and his best friend, Gary. Nothing could fulfill a bigger dream than to share a duck blind with Gary and my dad, and I can’t think of a duckier spot than New Zealand (although this dream hinges on the people, not the location).
It’s early morning, cold as can be, and as the sun shows its first rays of light, the fog gently rolls off the water. It’s hazy and still hard to see, when the silence of morning is broken by the sounds of beating wings. My heart starts to race with anticipation of what is certain to come, all of the sudden, through the fog, a flight of green heads comes in cupped up and committed. I sit completely still until Gary bellows deep from within, ‘CUT EM.’ We spring into action, guns up, steel flying, and greenies hitting the water. As the dogs work to retrieve the downed birds, we quickly sling more shells into our guns and make ready for the next flight. Soon thereafter we spot another flight of ducks, and are able to call them right into our spread which ends with the same glorious results. This continues until we’re all limited out. We then return to a rustic hunting camp to tell the story of our hunt and hunts past. We relive the excitement of the day and don’t sleep a minute that night because of it.
When the morning comes, we gear up and head back into the field in hopes of a repeat of the previous day. In this dream, the hunt, the fellowship, and the ducks NEVER stop. As absolutely unforgettable I think a 50 per-day mallard limit duck hunt would be, I know what makes this hunt truly special is the fact that I’d be able to share a blind, a duck camp, and an amazing trip with my dad and Gary. You want to make real dreams come true? Then give a young man the chance to repay those who got him here, those who believed in him, supported him, and started him on the path of a true sportsman.”