October 2021 • Nebraskaland 47
weeks, and heading back to the marsh
at 33 weeks for the regular duck opener.
By then, her body was starting to tell
her to take it easy, but her mind didn't
want to listen, so they found a way for
Jesse to keep duck hunting. "I have
the greatest husband in the world: He
pulled me around in a layout boat so
I could shoot ducks," she said, noting
slight modifi cations were made to the
boat to accommodate her baby bump.
They took several more trips to the
marsh early that duck season, with the
last coming at 36 weeks. "My waders
wouldn't fi t anymore," Jesse said with
a laugh. A short walk on the opening
day of pheasant season that same late
October week was her last hunt before
Harris arrived Nov. 27, 2019, a week
late. At 9 pounds, 6 ounces and 22.5
inches, he was a Boone & Crockett
baby, Casey said. He joined their
6-month-old Labrador retriever, Luna,
at home.
TWO WEEKS LATER, with
grandparents in town to watch
Harris, the two were back in the fi eld,
joining friends in their goose pit. If
Harris' grandparents weren't all in
Illinois, they would be happy to watch
him so the couple could hunt. But
they are.
So, their solution was simple: Take
him along.
"I think it's becoming more of a
cultural norm, where my generation is,
ABOVE: Casey and Jesse Campbell, with Harris on her back, watch for incoming ducks while hunting from a blind in the
Rainwater Basin last fall. OPPOSITE: Jesse takes a break to give Harris his bottle.
ERIC FOWLER, NEBRASKALAND
