460 Seniors JJ-3080No matter how hard you try, you'll never be as cool as these ducks!

Yesterday was the last day of duck season.  Around here some people get pretty bummed out by that.  JJ is one of them.  We first decided to do this session before it was even fall.  We wanted to use real ducks in legal quantities.  That was one thing we couldn't figure out how to make happen.  If you hunt, you know that it's just impossible to guarantee you'd get the limit on each kind of duck.  I don't remember if it was JJ or his mama, Jenny that came up with the idea of freezing them throughout the season without cleaning and plucking them.  That was ingenious!  Here's a tip though!  Thaw them in plenty of time so that their necks will be limber but not so soon that they'll spoil. This session illustrates a whole new meaning to, "cold duck!"

460 Seniors JJ-3087If you're going to be a successful duck hunter, you must first go where the ducks are!

Hunting is a passion for many here in Louisiana, The Sportsman's Paradise.  JJ is one of those passionate Louisiana sportsmen.  "The pursuit of the animal and the reward of the hard work to harvest it is something I truly love," explained JJ.  "The beautiful, 'paintings,' God displays each morning and evening are another." 

460 Seniors JJ-3109The only paradise is paradise lost. Let's protect our wetlands.

I have loved to tag along hunting with Daddy or my husband, DeWayne all my life.  I realize that there are people that think hunting is cruel.  Every hunter I've ever known loves the land and its natural animal inhabitants dearly. The hunting seasons protect the numbers and keep things in balance.  We were taught and also teach our children that if you hunt and kill it, you eat it and never waste.  We ate so much deer meat when I was little that once, Mama cooked something out of beef and we kids thought something was wrong with the meat.  Daddy got a kick out of that.

460 Seniors JJ-3122The memories are limitless...the peace and beauty are good for the soul.

Like us, JJ's family has hunted for generations.  If you know them, you know how they cherish and respect wildlife.  His mama, Jenny loves it as much as the men.  In her own words, "Hunting is a passion my boys and I have always shared.  I just love being in the woods surrounded by all of God's beauty."

460 Seniors JJ-3130"Go afield with a good attitude, with respect for the forest and fields in which you walk. Immerse yourself in the outdoor experience. It will cleanse your soul and make you a better person." ~Fred Bear~

Yesterday may have been the last day of duck season.  May might bring the class of 2021 to the close of its high school years.  However, both will have filled JJ and his family with so many memories so far.  They will both be the beginning of the next sets of memories to be made.

460 Seniors JJ-3134Call to the skies and watch...If you've met your limit....watch....watch and absorb as much as you can possibly hold of the beauty and miraculous creations of God.

I feel kind of funny when I share kind words that someone speaks about my work.  I love it and it makes my heart so happy.  At the same time I don't want to sound boastful or like I'm bragging.  It just makes me glad that I might have shared some of the talent God has given to me with someone and blessed them in doing so.  Jenny made my day when I sent a preview of these photos and she said, "Yesterday you captured the pictures I had dreamed of in my mind!  In my mind he is still a boy, but the pictures show the man he is becoming."  Jenny and JJ, the bond you two share with one another and others in your family through hunting is priceless.  I truly hope you keep it alive and continue passing on throughout future generations.

460 Seniors JJ-3145Mullets and ducks just go together!

I can't quite remember how we wound up taking about mullets and duck hunting.  Somehow though, we did and JJ's hunting advice is to grow out a mullet and you can limit out every time!