My target that first morning was a Cinnamon Teal. We arrived at a marsh just after sunrise, and David, our outfitter, took us on his airboat out to his blind, a series of pallets that formed a T shape. All sides of the blind were well concealed with natural brush. David put about fifty decoys out and told us to be ready for some action.
As soon as David left, ducks started flying—and they liked the looks of David’s decoy spread. Like most Mexican duck hunts, the waterfowl hadn’t been pressured too much. They would see our decoys and set their wings to come in. My first duck taken was a fully colored drake Northern Shoveler. I had already taken my Northern Shoveler for the Slam two months earlier in Sonora, but this one was much more beautiful. I planned to get him mounted. I also took a fully colored drake Blue-winged Teal and a drake Green-winged Teal. As with the Northern Shoveler, I had taken both these species earlier in the Slam, but these two had amazing colors and would also be saved for mounting.
After about two hours, a group of Shovelers cupped their wings coming in. I picked out a pair of drakes. Just before I took my first shot, about twenty yards away, a drake Cinnamon Teal peeled off from behind the Shovelers, heading to land in the decoys. Just as he cupped his wings, I took the shot—and Waterfowl Slam species number forty-one was down.
That morning was an excellent, action-packed hunt! I ended up with a mixed bag of Northern Shovelers, Green-winged Teal, Blue-winged Teal, and two Cinnamon Teal. It was a great start to my Los Mochis hunt. With the Cinnamon checked off my Slam list, our goal after lunch was to find whistling ducks. We drove around scouting fields and marshes. The Fulvous Whistling Duck was my last target needed in Sinaloa, and would leave me with a single species remaining to complete the North American Waterfowl Slam.
Whistling ducks generally move back and forth between fields and nearby marshy areas during the middle part of the day. We would stop at a field, glass the ducks there, and move on to the next field until we spotted my target. Unfortunately, we did not see a single Fulvous Whistling Duck the entire afternoon.
The afternoon was not a total bust, however. We were scouting a channel of water when I spotted a duck that I had not shot during my previous Slam hunts. I was able to make a sneak toward the channel and jump shoot a Mexican Mallard. He was a handsome, full-colored specimen. I had not included this subspecies of mallard on my list of the forty-three North American species, and considered the drake Mexican Mallard a bonus duck.
If my goal for this trip had been to shoot a whole bunch of ducks, I would have stayed and hunted for several days. Since my goal was a single Fulvous Whistling Duck, and they were nowhere to be found around Los Mochis, I needed to move on. It was obvious that they had moved farther south.
WTA put us in communication with Tony, an outfitter from Culiacán. Tony said he had good numbers of Fulvous Whistling Ducks near his lodge just outside the city of Culiacán. We decided to improvise and head farther south the next day. We landed at Culiacán’s regional airport the next afternoon.
The next morning we headed for a marshy area. “I have you in my best whistling duck blind,” Tony told us. I was very optimistic about the morning, as several whistling ducks took flight as we arrived. Within a few minutes, we had a great decoy spread set out and were in the blind, ready for ducks to start flying. Black-bellied Whistling Ducks and Fulvous Whistling Ducks came in together. I’d had many exceptional hunts this season. I had shot a lot of waterfowl and taken numerous species and subspecies during my quest to complete the Slam. My next statement is bold, but true. That morning’s hunt was, without a doubt, the best day of hunting since the Waterfowl Slam started.
Within ten minutes of being in the blind, I had dropped a Black-bellied Whistling Duck. Shortly after, numbers two and three for the morning were down—both Fulvous Whistling Ducks. I had successfully taken forty-two of the forty-three species needed to complete the Waterfowl Slam. The pressure was off, and it was time to relax, have fun, and enjoy the experience. We stayed in the blind for two and a half hours. I ended up with a mixed bag of Black-bellies, Fulvous, Pintail and a fully colored drake Blue-winged Teal.
After that amazing morning hunt, we returned to the lodge and faced an unexpected five-star lunch. The chef had a pig roasting over an open fire. The food was beyond good—that meal was the best lunch I have ever had while hunting. It was fitting—the best morning of hunting during the Waterfowl Slam, followed by the best lunch during the Waterfowl Slam. I remember thinking that if the day kept going that well, the sky was the limit with what could happen in the afternoon. Whatever was going to happen had to wait, though—after that meal, I wasn’t able to do anything before I had a nap!
After my siesta, Tony placed us in a blind where he said we would see “many, many Teal.” It was another outstanding hunt. I added two fully colored drake Cinnamon Teal to my bag of Blue-winged Teal and Northern Shovelers. With an hour of shooting light left, we moved to a new blind and Tony put a spread of decoys out. My bag continued to grow with additional Blue-winged, Shovelers, and one more Cinnamon. What a day! That’s the best way to describe it. I couldn’t have asked for a better day of hunting—or eating. Everything was amazing.
The next morning, we had time for a quick hunt before we needed to pack our things and head to the airport. It was another phenomenal morning. I ended up with another mixed bag. Before we left, we were each presented with gifts from Tony and his family. Receiving a gift from your outfitter is a common custom when hunting in Mexico.
Needless to say, Tony and his team received outstanding ratings from me. If you’re ever considering a waterfowl hunt in Mexico, you’ll have a great experience with Tony. WTA would love to arrange a hunt, and rest assured you’ll be taken care of. The accommodations, food and hunting are phenomenal!
