Duck hunting has been well loved for centuries and is considered a very exciting and rewarding hunt. The avid hunter will spend weeks preparing for the upcoming season. Between training bird dogs, checking gear, purchasing new equipment, and practicing the duck call, duck hunting becomes a passion, not just a seasonal leisure activity. The duck hunter who enjoys duck season spends his time and money on the basics; a shotgun, camouflage clothing, and perhaps a duck call, but the hunter who devotes his life to the sport spends his off-season in preparation for his next chance at the hunt. The avid duck hunter will invest in a duck boat, decoys, dogs, and blinds, and even when he’s not actively preparing for next season, he’s thinking about it. Wonderful tales exist of regal kings and their courts sitting around a lavish dinner of duck and goose. The king’s fool stands and says a few words about the buffet and the group then digs in to buffet. Duck hunting is a long tradition loved throughout history and throughout the world.

For the passionate duck hunter waiting to engage in his sport, he finds many ways to occupy his time. There are dozens of items available, such as books, games, collectibles, decorative items, decoys, recipes, and even creative prose all devoted to his favorite fowl. For the hunter looking to entertain his guests with a dinner of duck and a poem as in the tradition of kings and courts long past, there are many different options:

• A duck hunting poem about the like of the hunt.
• A humorous poem about the rigors of hunting.
• A poem about the beauty of ducks.

Along with the poem, a hunter must find his favorite recipe for wild duck. While there are many available, here is one option:

Tame Rice and Wild Duck

• 1 wild duck, cleaned and ready to cook
• 2 cups minute rice
• 2 cups duck stock
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper (optional)

Instructions:

Place the wild duck in a 4-quart pot and cover with water. Add the onion, salt, pepper and any other preferred seasonings, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and slow cook for 1½ hours. Remove the duck and place it on a warm platter.
Bring two cups of reserved stock to a boil; water may be added if necessary to round out the measurement. Add the minute rice to boiling stock, cover, and let stand twenty minutes. Place the fluffed rice around the duck and garnish with parsley.
Makes three to four servings.

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