Youth Hunter Takes First Duck Bill Cooper for the Leader Journal 11/10/1`4 Ten-year-old Lance Ybarra, of St. James, killed his first duck early last Saturday morning. That event would never make the newspapers, if I was not sitting here pounding on the keys. The harvest proved to be a big event for young Lance. Lance is a consummate outdoorsman. He would rather be outside than inside most of the time. His father, Patrick, loves the outdoors as well and sees than Lance gets plenty of opportunities to pursue his passion. The two of them spend a lot of time together outdoors. Pat is as patient as Job and Lance is like a sponge, soaking up every bit of information his father, or anyone else dispenses to him about the outdoors. My son-in-law Jayson Parsons asked me about going duck hunting. It is always an understood that Patrick will be in tow. He has become a regular at our family functions and is considered one of us and knows he and his boys are always welcome. It came as a bit of a surprise when my son, Jayson Cooper, called me and asked me if Lance Ybarra could accompany me, JP and Patrick on the duck hunt. “I think Pat is too shy to ask you,dad,” Jayson had said. I couldn’t imagine Pat being shy. He never meets a stranger. “Sure, Lance can come,” I told Jayson. “Lance is a great kid and loves the outdoors. Duck hunting will be a great experience for him.” I spoke with JP and we agreed to meet at one of my favorite duck hunting spots at 5:30 a.m. I would arrive early, select a spot and through out the decoys. I had just finished tossing out about 75 decoys, far more than usual, when the guys arrived. Lance glowed in the dark. His youthful exuberance brought back memories of many kids I have introduced to the outdoors over the years. I had teased Lance the day before that I charged a food tariff to get on my boat. He showed up with a breakfast burrito in hand! We quickly pushed the boat up against some lakeside cattails. JP and Pat sat in the boat, while Lance and I sat two camp chairs in the reeds ten yards away. I like spending time with a kid on his first duck hunt. I can give them the advantage easily. I had three lines of decoys set about 30 yards out to attract diving ducks. Twenty yards to the downwind side I had two small family groups of mallard and pintail decoys set. The first ducks of the day will often sit down in the family groups. The Eastern sky furnished a blush of pink and red to inspire as. Just minutes after shooting hours began, a lone ringneck duck sailed towards one of the family group sets and sat down. To insure success on his first attempt at duck hunting, I allowed Lance to shoot the duck on the water. He made a quick, clean kill. Cheers erupted from all of us. Lance became the hero of the day. We each took numerous photos and returned to the hunt. Lance chattered steadily about how proud he was of his duck. He watched intently as several more small groups of ducks worked the decoys. I explained each of the calls I made and he watched as ducks responded to my calls. Lance Ybarra became a duck hunter on Saturday. He will be a lifer. To commemorate the day, I presented him with a 75th anniversary Ducks Unlimited Call. I also told him that midnight was the best time to practice on his new call.