The silhouette of a hen mallard splashing down that could barely be identified because the sun had yet to peak over the tulle-covered marsh. A wood-framed blind decorated in tall, golden natural grasses sat secured to a deck of foam dock floats in waist-high water. The water, covered in smartweed, disappeared into the surrounding marsh pothole. Hidden by the blind, just yards away, two hunters sat motionless with anticipation, firmly grasping their semi- automatic scatterguns. A black labrador retriever sat just a few feet away from them, looking intently through a small brush- covered hole, eyes hypnotically locked on the bird as it sat down in a mixture of mallard, teal, and pintail decoys. The trio sat and listened as the hen began making the cadence of notes so many duck hunters try and perfect, that perfect five-note sound that has the power to lure the most cautious greenhead within shotgun range.
Suddenly, the distinct whistling buzz of a drake mallard could be heard approaching closer. The hunters could now see the green heads of a pair of drake mallards making their final descent into the small pocket of water. Once the birds reached the distance of a quarter length of a football field away, the words “Take ‘em” could be heard through the cold morning air followed by a pair of synchronized shots. As fire from the igniting gasses shot out of the gun barrels, lighting up the morning darkness, the two greenheads splashed down into the decoys. The next sounds heard were the command word “Eillie’’ and the flapping wings and distinct alarm quack of a hen mallard flying away. Without hesitation, the gun dog leapt three feet, diving into the water, swimming powerfully towards the spread of decoys. The lab maneuvered gracefully through the decoys, not taking her eyes off the reward. The kicking leg of the other drake lying on his back caught the dog’s eye, but her being a veteran of half a dozen waterfowl seasons had trained her to stay on target. In one thrusting bite, she grabbed the beautiful, silvery white-chested bird and made a U-turn, swimming pridefully back to her perch.
This is only one scenario of my many incredible waterfowl hunting trips I’ve experienced throughout the last 40+ years as a waterfowl and wingshooting hunter, guide, outfitter, filmmaker, TV producer, and outdoor writer. My name is Alex Langbell, and I am the new Wingshooting Specialist for Huntin’ Fool Adventures!
I was introduced to the outdoors at a very early age, and some of my earliest memories were of my time in the outdoors with my family. As I grew into a teen, the passion spread like wildfire. I knew I was meant to be outdoors. Anything I could hunt or fish for, I would, including small game, upland birds, big game, and every type of fishing, but I soon realized my absolute passion was waterfowl hunting and wingshooting. I was obsessed with the marsh and with shotguns.
In my mid-20s, I joined the fire department and knew that in this profession I would have time to spend outdoors. I soon started guiding waterfowl hunters and eventually started up my own outfitting service in the state of Washington. I then wanted to challenge myself and began capturing my hunts on video, and that’s where I taught myself video production. It soon led to making hunting videos and then television where I produced and co-hosted two nationally syndicated hunting shows, “The Fowl Life” and “The Grind Waterfowl TV.”
After six years of producing television, my career as a firefighter took me away from the cable networks and into a normal 8-to-5 day job as the Training Captain of the department I worked for. During this time, I started GunDog Outdoors, a company that makes safety products for hunting dogs with the mission to educate new hunters and dog owners on the importance of gun dog safety. This was something I personally witnessed was lacking in the industry.
I have since retired from the fire service after 27 years, and I live on an amazing piece of land in Southcentral Montana. I am married, and I have two beautiful daughters. I have spent 40+ years chasing waterfowl and birds in general as well as traveling all around North America doing so. I’ve done seminars, countless podcasts, and written for hunting magazines on the subject of waterfowl and wingshooting. I’ve been told that if you crack my head open, feathers will fall out! I think about bird hunting 365 days a year, and it has absolutely consumed my entire life in a way I can’t even explain. I absolutely love being in the blind with people who have the same passion as me, and I really love introducing new hunters to this amazing lifestyle.
As the dedicated wingshooting specialist for Huntin’ Fool Adventures, my focus is to collaborate with all of the outfitter friends, contacts, and associates I’ve developed and created over the years and bring them to the table for all of our clients to experience and become acquainted with. As with all of our outfitters, our wingshooting outfitters will be amongst the best of the best and nothing less!
At Huntin’ Fool Adventures, we can put you on your dream hunt-of-a-lifetime. Whether you are new to waterfowl hunting, you are wanting to experience big flocks of Canada geese landing at your feet in the prairies of Canada, you are a die-hard veteran checking off a bucket list, or you are wanting to experience bird hunting in another land for a species you’ve only seen on the internet, we can offer you some of the most consistent and action-packed bird hunting in the world with some of the best outfitters and guides in the world. Give us a call if you would like more information on starting your next wingshooting adventure!
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