FRIEDENSBURG - It is a scene that is so familiar to waterfowl hunters.
A fresh morning mist emanates from the water's surface as they settle into the concealment of a blind. Then, while eyeing a perfectly laid decoy spread, the sounds of waterfowl calls in the distance add to the stirring euphoria of what is soon to come.
As birds soar overhead, hunters mount their shotguns, attempt to gauge the speed of the bird and follow through with - hopefully - a perfect shot. And to think, all this action takes place more than a week before the opening day of Pennsylvania's resident Canada goose season.
For the fifth consecutive year, this "hunt" will take place at Friedensburg Game and Fish when the Pine Grove Chapter of Ducks Unlimited holds its unique, one-of-a-kind waterfowl-style sporting clays shoot. This year's event is Saturday, Aug. 24, with the shooting of 50-clay rounds being held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Refreshments and door prizes are included in the cost of registration.
In addition to waterfowl hunters getting in some preseason practice before the Monday, Sept. 2, opening of the resident Canada goose season, they are helping the conservation projects of the Pine Grove DU Chapter. Money raised at the shoot will be designated for local wetland conservation projects and duck nesting initiatives conducted annually by the chapter, which currently maintains more than 60 wood duck boxes and 30 mallard nesting sites in the area.
In recent years this one-of-a-kind shoot has grown and has drawn shooters from Berks, Carbon, Columbia, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Northumberland and Schuylkill counties. Its growing popularity has largely been through word of mouth by participating sportsmen who welcome the opportunity to support the birds they love to pursue and enjoy sharing camaraderie with others of similar interests and having a good time.
A key factor in what makes the shoot unique is that the DU chapter volunteers go to great lengths to ensure the shoot is as consistent with real-life hunting scenarios as possible. Shooting stations feature layout blinds, full decoy spreads and even a johnboat decked out with camouflage netting positioned over open water.
Friedensburg club director Lamar Hummel has been involved in the sporting clays scene for many years and has shot at numerous clubs throughout the state. He can attest to the distinctive nature of the DU waterfowl shoot.
"This shoot is a big draw for shooters around the region who want to see something completely different," Hummel said. "To my knowledge, there is nothing else like this in our area.
"We have lots of open ground, fields and ponds which really cater to the waterfowl setup. Our club is happy to support the local chapter of Ducks Unlimited, and this is a good way for the boys to raise money for a good cause."
In addition to being the site of the unique DU shoot, traditional sporting clays shoots are held the first and third Sunday of each month at Friedensburg Game and Fish, which is located at 169 Stone Mountain Road. Other special events held by the club are the annual Schuylkill County Sportsmen's Association Youth Field Day, Women's Outdoors Day and Norm Thornburg Youth Conservation Camp events.
For information about the Pine Grove Ducks Unlimited Waterfowl Sporting Clays Shoot, call cochairmen Jason Krause at (570) 691-7632 or Shawn Kimmel at (570) 294-0417; for Friedensburg Game and Fish Club events call Lamar Hummel at (570) 617-8416.