Exercising the pickled eggs option

THE OTHER DAY, IT occurred to me that duck camp was right around the corner. This thought caused me to go through the checklist of things I need to organize before late-September comes. They are licences, firearms, ammunition, calls, blinds, hunting clothes, boots, waders, GPS units, decoys, batteries, cameras, SD cards, boat, motor, camo cloth and pickled eggs.

Of all these, pickled eggs are perhaps the most important.

A lot of newcomers to the sport don’t know this. I believe this is partly because we live in a politically correct world where we try to shelter people. Also, we are trying to discourage proliferation.

Yet, ignoring the fact that pickled eggs exist is a huge mistake.

First, having pickled eggs on hand ensures that your experience at camp is as it should be. Walk into any camp and flash a jar or two of these and people will think twice before they short sheet your bed or decide to take the top bunk from you.

Basically, pickled eggs are the hunt camp version of a nuclear deterrent. You

might never have to use them, but as long as the other members of camp know you have them, they’ll treat you with a little more respect.

This year, I plan on going to duck camp for about a week. As a result, I only made 24 pickled eggs. Two dozen is a nice number to have in your arsenal. It shows that you are serious but you are not too bent on total destruction. As per last year’s pact, I did not add jalapeño peppers to the mix. Everyone in camp has agreed we’d rather not open up the chemical warfare option – we all still remember the car ride home from the goose hunt of ’94.

I know this sounds terrible.

Yet, there are peaceful reasons for having pickled eggs too.

For instance, on cold nights, pickled eggs will make sure you are warm in your sleeping bag. Similarly, if the morning or evening temperatures get frigid, pickled eggs will keep you and your hunting partner from freezing – although, admittedly, most of us would rather freeze.

Like most camps, ours has very strict and sensible rules regarding the deployment of pickled eggs. First, if you plan on opening a jar, everyone, even Big Ron, must have one. This way we’re all on a level playing field. And that makes you think twice about doing this.

Second, consumption is never done in a room with less than three windows and two exits. Also, yelling, “fire in the hole!” is encouraged should things go bad – but only if jalapeño peppers are part of the mix. Then it’s just the natural thing to say anyway.

Forget the tactical aspect; pickled eggs are also just tasty. As a result, anyone who brings pickled eggs to camp is viewed as a bit of a hero. They’re fantastic to put out while playing cards or sitting around telling old hunting stories or reminiscing about our youth. Better still, because of those pickled eggs, we’re never sure if someone is getting sentimental about those stories or if their eyes are just watering from the aftermath of consumption. And that’s a good thing too.

That’s why I plan on sharing all the pickled eggs I take to camp this year. I want to make sure we all have a blast.