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| Photographs by my father |
“Even if they've never been near a duck blind or gone beagling, Preppies are dressed for it. Rugged outerwear and hearty innerwear are de rigeuer in even the most sophisticated suburbs.”
- The Official Preppy Handbook, edited by Lisa Birnbach
“These are Bean's bird-shooting pants, but I never shoot birds, I assure you.”
- Caption of a 1982 New Yorker Cartoon by Donald Reilly, reprinted in L.L. Bean's anniversary book, Guaranteed to Last.
I thought of these two quotes, predicting the derivative and then ironic apparel of the subsequent decades, as I came across these old black and white photos that my father took of some friends duck shooting, just off the shore of the coastal Connecticut town of Guilford in 1961. I still have many of those decoys.
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| To many today, "duck hunting" is more adjective than gerund. |
19 comments:
What a beautiful dog! Love these!
Muffy,
You could not have found better quotes to go with the pics! I always liked that OPH quote. You can put ducks on anything and it will probably only make it look better!
Looks like they were using a '60 or '61 Plymouth or Dodge station wagon. If it was an automatic it probably had the push button transmission selectors.
I adore these photos!
That is a great looking dog!
Wonderful photos! What treasures your father left you.
What a beautiful black lab!
Great photos, as always. I was just having a conversation with my uncle about duck hunting, with which he has some experience. While it seems like much more fun than other forms of hunting--being on the water, using decoys, watching retrievers do that which they were bred for--I don't know that I'd get much pleasure killing the animals I grew up admiring so. (My parents were fortunate to always have had a variety of ducks, including buffleheads and mallards, along with swans, cormorants, egrets, and the occasional herons nesting, feeding, or just visiting in their backyard.) Anyway, these scenes of the Sound remind me so much of my present surroundings, as well as so many old family photos taken along the shore and on the water, and brought a smile to my face.
What wonderful photographs! One can almost breath in the cold, crisp air and feel the warmth of the dog's soft ears against cold hands.
@WRJ - On a personal level, I agree with you, and funnily, so would my father as he, over time, replaced his shotguns with binoculars.
Ah, back when men were men....The photo of the man piloting the boat, clinched cigar and faithful dog at hand, is perfection.
As usual, these photos are magnificent. As an avid duck hunter, myself (my apologies if it offends anyone), I can sadly attest to the fact that, as a sport, it's become just as shallow and disposable as everyday fashion.
Duck hunting clothing and outerwear only need to last as long as next season, when the "new and improved" camouflage pattern shows up. Heaven forbid you wear an old pattern, or worse: mix and match.
Bird shot is replaced every season with the newest ammo in all kinds of gnarly shapes that are guaranteed to "kill ducks deader" than the stuff it replaces.
Decoys are just a few seasons shy of becoming animatronic, easily controlled with an iPhone app.
I have no complaints about innovations that improve my comfort, safety or accuracy, but I've had no less luck than my more "fashionable" hunting partners, wearing an old, brown, waxed-cotton wading jacket and cap, and a pair of canvas waders. It seems to me like the gentlemen in your photos understood the importance of the experience on the whole and not just the bag limit.
Like the post, but I love the dog.
My favorite shot of these is the one with the decoys floating near the rocky shore.
Good head on that English-style Lab
Great looking dog. I have always felt lucky and honored (and, yes, I'll go further - blessed) to own each and everyone of my Labradors (Lab number 3 is twelve and a half years old and Lab number 4 is about five and a half years old). A day of fruitless hunting/shooting, spent with your Lab, is not a day wasted.
@Brian - Please don't apologize for hunting, for goodness sake.
FYI, did you hear that PETA wants newstands to treat hunting magazines like pornography? Muffy's blog could be their next target...
Another handsome Lab (mine) in a different color: http://tinyurl.com/d95ps85
Great photos, but they didn't quite capture the chill in the bones that sets in after perspiration from setting up the decoys turns into mild hypothermia as you stop to stand in hip deep water waiting for dawn to break and mallards to fly.
Perfect quotes, great pictures, and a gorgeous doggie! My favorite quote from The Preppy Handbook is the one about the prep family dog being hideously spoiled. --Holly in PA
I love that man and I love that dog. I absolutely do.
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