I thought I got 'em!

Tough Duck Stays Alive for 2 Days
in Refrigerator After Being Shot
Sunday, January 21, 2007 AP

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — The duck would not die.

Wildlife officials said the feathered Lazarus had been shot by a hunter and put into his refrigerator for two days. That's when the hunter's wife opened the door and the duck lifted his head, giving her a scare.

The man's wife "was going to check on the refrigerator because it hadn't been working right and when she opened the door, it looked up at her," said Laina Whipple, a receptionist at Killearn Animal Hospital. "She freaked out and told the daughter to take it to the hospital right then and there."

The hospital's staff had the daughter take the 1-pound female ring-neck to Goose Creek Wildlife Sanctuary, where it has been treated since Tuesday for wounds to its wing and leg.

Sanctuary veterinarian David Hale said it has about a 75 percent chance of survival, but probably will not ever be well enough to be released back into the wild.

He said the duck, which has a low metabolism, could have survived in a big enough refrigerator, especially if the door was opened and closed several times.

-------------------------------------------

Some people may not find this story interesting or amusing. Being a duck hunter and having put my ex through my duck hunting escapades, I find this hilarious. It is an unfortunate incident that happened. I am hoping PETA and those types of groups don't try to use this as a vehicle to try and ban duck hunting.

Duck hunting is one of the toughest of all hunting in my opinion. Not only is it tough to get them in "range", they are small, fast and VERY hard to shoot. Not to mention we are required to use steel shot instead of lead shot. This cuts the "safe" shooting range to maximum 40 yards.

Most duck hunters are a rare breed. Imagine waking up 3-4 in the morning. Carrying your gun, bags of decoys, COFFEE, and other gear for sometimes up to a mile or more through the woods, corn fields or marshes. Standing in waist deep cold water in pitch blackness to set decoys.

Then you brave the biting winds and mist whipping off the lake, mixed with blinding snow for a passing shot. Or trudging through knee deep muck to retrieve a downed mallard in a swamp.

Watching ducks "work" the decoys, "folding" a duck mid air and having your best friends, my dogs, break ice to retrieve a fallen bird is the best. Makes all the work worthwhile. The best is watching a buddy set decoys and have the water go over the top of his waders! This always gets us going with juvenile male humor.

Many duck hunters as most hunters, I have hunted with or met are very pro-conservation and very active in promoting responsible gun handling and hunting in youths.

The deer hunters I am friends with say duck hunting is to hard, to much work, is too cold, etc...... Most say we have no sense!

We don't, so please leave of us senseless duck hunters alone.