Chattanoogan Jim Rosemann, left, and guide Lynn Smith flank some of the waterfowl they brought in during a recent hunt on Reelfoot Lake.For more
To contact the guide service Jim Rosemann used, see www.reelfootduckslayers.com or call 731-592-9874.
Jim Rosemann got the full attention of the Reelfoot Duck Slayers guide service on a recent two-day trip to Reelfoot Lake in northwestern Tennessee, and that attention paid off in one of the best hunting experiences of his life.
And Rosemann, now 49, has been hunting since he was 12.
Comprising the Reelfoot Duck Slayers are longtime friends Lynn Smith and Brent Cary, both of whom grew up on and around the earthquake-formed lake, Rosemann said. They are in their third year as an official guide service and made full use of the spot they got in the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency's annual lottery for duck-hunting privileges on Reelfoot.
"The TWRA draws out 70 spots. It's like a draft: Whoever gets drawn first picks the area they get to hunt for the whole season, and then the second person gets to pick and so on," Rosemann related. "They said over 2,000 people showed up for those 70 spots."
Once they were included, Smith and Cary dragged the duck blind they have constructed to their designated area on the lake. It includes a kitchen that enhances the service they provide.
"In the 60 days this season, the only day they took off was Christmas. If they didn't have a client, they went out by themselves," Rosemann said.
The days he was there were Jan. 23 and 24, and he was their only client. Both guides went with him.
"A friend of mine in West Tennessee recommended them," said Rosemann, who had made a few trips to Reelfoot in the past but none in the last 10 years or more. "I had a one-man personal guided hunt with two guides. It was pretty incredible.
"We had two really good days. The first day, Monday, we killed three limits (of six birds), one for each of us. We got some mallards and some greenwing teals and a bonus: I shot a speckle-bellied goose, the only goose they killed this season.
"Tuesday we killed nine (combined) but different species, including some spoonbills and wigeons.
"The first day was windy, which worked in our favor, and the temperature was maybe in the 40s. I've had a lot worse weather days hunting," Rosemann said. "Tuesday the wind laid down and we didn't see as many ducks as the day before, but we shot a whole lot better."
He uses a Mossberg Camo 935 shotgun.
"Lynn and Brent served meals in the blind that they cooked in the kitchen in the blind. For breakfast we had eggs and sausage and homemade biscuits, and for lunch we had duck gumbo," Rosemann said.
The guides picked him up at his Union City hotel at 4:30 a.m. CST that Monday. The drive to the boat ramp was about a half-hour long.
"It was just a great experience. I bet I saw 20 bald eagles in addition to all the ducks," Rosemann said.
His father, Jim Sr., grew up hunting in upstate Pennsylvania and passed along his passion for the adventure to his namesake.
"I grew up in this area hunting," said Jim Jr., who also goes fishing for sea trout and redfish at least a couple of times a year at Lafitte, La., and visits Destin, Fla., "every year or two" for light-tackle and in-shore fishing. "I also hunt for dove and pheasant and do a little bit of deer hunting. I never really got into turkey hunting."
The Notre Dame High School graduate is an account manager for Container Service Corp., based in Ringgold. In his job he does quite a bit of traveling within a two-hour radius of Chattanooga.
Much of his hunting in recent years has been in northeast Arkansas, on a land lease he secured. He's also done some duck hunting in northern Alabama.
But Reelfoot Lake now is like a long-lost friend he's eager to catch up with.
"I'm already looking forward to going back next year," Rosemann said.
Contact Ron Bush at rbush@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6291.