Refuge Roulette

The Good, the Bad, the Glorious and the Frustrating while Duck Hunting on CA Public Land

Lordy, where do I even start with my love-hate relationship to California’s public duck hunting refuge system? It is at once the finest, and the most frustrating, public waterfowl hunting in the nation.

Huge swaths of well-tended marshland, with enough access for thousands of hunters, ducks galore. Most within two hours of my house. I’ve had seasons where I’ve averaged more than five birds a day on these refuges, and this year my average is a shade over four birds.

So what’s not to love? Quite a lot, actually.

Well, let’s start with a classic. Spend a couple minutes watching this hilarious “Hitler is Informed” video, one of a whole genre, where Hitler is informed he has to hunt Gray Lodge, one of the largest and most competitive public refuges. I’ll hit “Hitler’s” points one by one.