In early February, The Webb Farm was honored to host Mr. Ralph Morris a 92 year old huntsman from North Carolina.  Mr. Morris accompanied his friend Bob Timberlake on a mid season bird hunt.  I was fortunate to sit down with Mr. Morris and talk to
with him about his hunting experiences.  Here are some of the excerpts from that conversation.

Ralph Morris (L) and good friend Bob Timberlake

I started hunting when I returned to North Carolina following WWII. (It should be noted here that Mr. Morris is a decorated veteran of the Pacific theater).  Back then the birds were plentiful and we hunted a lot.  Over the years, most of my hunting was enjoyed in a duck blind with one or two great friends and good dogs.

My passion for hunting and fishing has taken me across the US, Canada, and South America, but I have to say that The Webb Farm is second to none in experience and accommodations.  This is some of the best quail shooting I've ever seen.

So many things have changed about hunting over the years.  Some good and some not so good.  On a positive note, for the waterfowl hunter, there are more ducks and duck habitat now than ever before.  The growth of impoundments has added to the experience, but too, its brought in more and more hunting competition, making it harder to find places to hunt.  I guess that's just growth though.

I've enjoyed hunting over the years for so many reasons.  First and foremost I love dogs.  Today when we were quail hunting, I enjoyed watching some fine dog work as much as anything.  Added to that are the friendships I have been blessed with.  You can tell a lot about a man in the field or the duck blind.  If you are a hunter, you get up to gorgeous sunrises and then can sit and enjoy the majesty of a sunset, all in the same day.  Now when you can do that with your best friends, well that's just about a perfect day.

My first gun was an old Winchester Model 50 12 gauge.  That gun was with me for many years and still finds a special place in my home.  I've had some great dogs, but the one that had to be my favorite was a black lab named Tiger.  Old Tiger was a smallish dog for a lab, but was smart, driven and had a great heart.  I miss him even today!

I guess you can say that hunting has been a way of life for me.  I'm just excited at 92 to see a covey rise or ducks come into the decoys as I was at 22.  I just don't get to get out there as much now.  

I was blessed to be married to a great woman for most of those years too.  She was always excited to see me off to a hunt.  I always thought she loved it too, but recently my kids told me otherwise.  Dad, they said, Mom simply liked to have you out from under her feet in the house!  

Well some men and their wives see enjoyment in hunting for different reasons!