48 Nebraskaland • October 2020
had long wanted to jump-shoot
ducks in the Rainwater Basin
wetlands. Growing up pursuing
this midday passion in Tennessee,
I wanted to get back to where it
all started for me: slowly working
through a slough, ready at any second
for a fl ush. With this goal in mind, I
started asking questions to folks who
had hunted the area.
"Do that when it's windy," one
hunter told me. "The birds will be
pressed against the vegetation and
you'll have a shot to sneak close."
"Go during the week if you can,"
another said.
"Bring your binoculars," another
told me.
The one thing no one told me,
however, and I'll tell you, is that even
though you're planning to jump-shoot
— to stalk — you should always,
always carry decoys with you as well. I
learned this bit of advice the hard way.
With CRP-MAP atlas in hand, I
drove to York, went south on Highway
81, then started riding gravel roads
with binoculars in my lap.
I thought what I would do was glass
ducks from the road then devise a
plan to get to them. As I rode by the
fi rst wetland, I didn't see a single bird.
However, while glassing the second
wetland, I noticed three mallards fl ush
from the water and
then put right back
down.
That was exactly
what I was looking
for. A day that I
thought might be
ruled by driving
gravel roads, which
still would have
been a fabulous
day, had already
produced a reason
for me to wade
through the muck.
Yet, this was
when I made my fi rst mistake of the day.
Because I now had the level of 12-year-
old excitement fl ooding through me,
I jumped out of my vehicle, made a
quick plan, and darn near died before
ever taking my fi rst shot. Had I taken
a fi ve-minute ride around the wetland
to see where my easiest access would
be beforehand, I could've avoided
that situation. Instead, I threw on my
waders, hunting vest and, with gun
in hand, walked south of the wetland
An Adventure Story
Jump-shooting
the Rainwater Basin
Story and photos by Jeff Kurrus
I
The Rainwater Basin wetland region is a 4,200-square-
mile loess plain located south of the Platte River in
south-central Nebraska.
