Parker Elias, the son of Dr. Darryl Elias Jr., found the wild hog hunting twice the fun on at least one occasion when he roamed the marsh at his father’s lease at Onion Lake. Elias, a sophomore at St. Thomas More High School, loves to hunt ducks every day, then go fishing. His uncle, Dr. Eric Elias, called him a ‘true outdoorsman.’

As 2021-22 duck hunting winds down, outdoorsmen with an insatiable love for the sport might want to paraphrase, in all due respect to U.S. Army Lt. Howell Forgy, a true American hero, “Praise the green-wings and pass the ammunition, boys. And we’ll all stay happy.”

For Dr. Eric Elias of Lafayette, green-winged teal have been the saving grace of an up and mostly down waterfowl hunting season that ends Jan. 30. Elias, who was born and raised in New Iberia, hunts 1,800 acres leased in the early 2010s by the Elias family and Dr. Marcus Stelly of Lafayette at Onion Lake southeast of Intracoastal City.

Elias’ father, New Iberian Dr. Darryl Elias Sr., a retired obstetrician who celebrates his 76th birthday Jan. 30, his older brother, Dr. Darryl Elias Jr. of Lafayette, and their friends have been hunting in the Boston area since 1984. The Elias brothers followed their father into obstetrics.

The younger Elias, 44, talked about this season camp one week ago today at his camp after hunting ducks that morning and Saturday. Duck hunting was good the first day but bad on Sunday.

“This morning we shot zero ducks,” Elias said about the bitterly cold hunt that morning with family and friends Jan. 16. He hunted with his brother and his nephew, Parker Elias, and Stelly.

“Take a day like today. This (frigid weather) 10, 15 years ago we wouldn’t know how cold it was it (the duck hunting action) was so exciting. No more. A cold front doesn’t mean anything anymore. Today, I realized after 20 minutes it was crap,” he said.

A day earlier, on an unseasonably warm morning, weather conditions veteran duck hunters often dread, Elias and Marty Delaune of New Iberia, a close friend of the family, settled into their duck blind before sunrise and limited out on green-winged teal. Ditto for family and friends in a nearby duck blind.

Go figure. Elias still is scratching his head over that one but happy nevertheless.

“Yesterday was good. The green-winged teal were all over. Yesterday morning we were in two blinds. The day started slow. About 7 o’clock the green-wings started flying. They came in. We didn’t see anything other than teal. Marty and I had a limit in our blind in 20 minutes. We called but I think they (ducks) were coming regardless,” he said.

“We tried to beat the rain. It started pouring on us on the way back. My brother and them had to hunt a little longer” to fill out their limit, he said.

While the lack of big ducks like mallards, pintails and wigeons has caused much consternation this season, Elias will be the last waterfowler to complain about the plethora of teal, particularly green-winged teal, down the stretch. The outdoorsman who loves to eat ducks calls green-wings ‘the filet mignons in the sky.”

How off, or down, has duck hunting success been?

Long before the season began Nov. 13 in the West Zone, Elias was aware of and concerned about reports of a shotgun shell shortage, so naturally wondered if he’d have enough ammo for an entire duck hunting season. The 44-year-old outdoorsman chuckled when he said that with one week left in the season he has enough shotgun shells for several more seasons down the line.

“The (overall) hunting has been real slow. The first split we shot a few blue-winged teal. Teal have been the staple this season,” Elias said.

“I’ve had nice hunts, don’t get me wrong, you know. But I’ve had a lot of bad hunts — zeroes, one, two … It’s been up and down all year.”

Elias noted he had some successful duck hunts with his buddy Martin Mouton.

“We had a couple decent hunts this year. Twelve one day. I think we had nine another day when Martin came with me,” he said.

Still, at his lease, it isn’t all about the ducks.

“What was good all year was speckled trout (fishing) up until about a week-and-a-half ago. Until the last cold front, the water was good” on the western side of Vermilion Bay,” he said.

For the youngsters and others who showed up at the camp since mid-November, wild hog hunting has been exceptional. Camp-goers don’t lack for action.

“It’s been fun. We’ve got a lot of pigs this year. The kids love to shoot pigs,” Elias said.

As for duck hunting success, he can name more duck hunting buddies who have had a subpar year elsewhere than those who have done well.

“The majority of people I speak to have not had a good year,” he said, noting he keeps in touch with area duck hunters David Ditch, Jed Inzerella, Stuart Billeaud, Quentin Comeaux and others.

Comeaux, of Delcambre, had a fast start to the season on his lease near the Eliases’ lease.

“Quentin’s season is off, too. Quentin knows duck hunting. He could host a TV show. He knows what he’s doing,” Elias said.

Elias, the lone practicing obstetrician in St. Martin Parish, where he has an office in Breaux Bridge, graduated from Catholic High School in New Iberia, then from UL-Lafayette and St. George’s University School of Medicine in 2005. While serving his residency at St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, New Jersey, he missed duck hunting so much he booked a guide around 2010 and they targeted black ducks, the Northeast’s equal to the mallard in Acadiana.

Alas, they scratched. But he got his fix.

Duck hunting, good or bad, is a good kind of crazy. Ask Elias, who hunts ducks as much or more than any guide.

“Forty hunts so far (this season). I go. I hunt a lot,” he said, noting the bulk of his vacation time is used November through January.

What about the controlled craziness?

“You have to be insane to be a duck hunter. There are a lot of shooters out there. Ten shooters to every duck hunter,” he said.

“Duck hunting is art form. Managing human emotion and skill of applying knowledge to lessons. I have learned from previous hunts in my life and ultimately apply them to my own life, which can be very fulfilling and humbling at the same time. If duck hunters are insane then commit me tomorrow,” he said.

Ah, yes, praise the green-wings and pass the ammunition, anytime.