Limiting out

By: TONY MARKS
Editor

Local hunters Sam Tuminaro, Seth Manuel, Steven Aguillard, and James Veillon, while hunting in the Duralde area, enjoyed opening weekend of teal season by each reaching their limit.
Tuminaro explained reaching their limit was attributed to the good weather conditions. “We had a little bit of wind which helped us,” he said. “It wasn’t like hunting over glass. The water was moving the decoys around a little bit.”
The quartet’s efforts were also aided by its dog, Callie. “For her first hunt of the year,” Tuminaro said, “she was whipped into shape. I think she took a good nap after the hunt.”
For Tuminaro, having a good dog along for the hunt can make or break the experience. A dog is able to retrieve ducks that fell off in the distance and can go track down ducks that fell in long grass while the hunter can pick up the ducks that fell in the water nearby.
Aside from hunting ducks, Tuminaro also enjoys hunting squirrels and deer. But with the shifting migratory patterns of ducks, he is developing a new love of the sport.
“Being that the duck migration kinda shifted,” he said, “we’re not getting as much play on the ducks. So, I’m starting to lean to bow hunting. That’s a new found obsession, I guess you could say.”
Tuminaro continued, “Bow hunting, I feel, is an all on you kind of thing. You’re usually not hunting with a partner at all. You have to combine stealth, and you got to draw the deer in closer. It’s very more of a challenge.”
That overall love of the sport was instilled in Tuminaro at a young age while hunting with his grandfather, Joe; father, John; and brother, Joseph.
“I find it’s just a get away,” Tuminaro said. “You get to appreciate what we have here in Louisiana just being out in the woods. You’re not looking at a screen. You get to get in touch with the beautiful things God has for us.”
Hunting, for Tuminaro, also allows him to have a greater appreciation for the Cajun culture. “I love to cook,” he said, “so I cook everything I kill. It becomes a social thing. I invite my friends and family over, and we tell stories, go to the camp, and do things like that. We always pull out a guitar and have a blast from the past. You learn a lot around those fires.”