Thanksgiving Bling

Made the drive down to SoFla for the Thanksgiving weekend and hoped to get out and set up on some Fl Mallards since they aren't all that common in North Fla. As usual my time home is busy between seeing friends, family and coaches.. with my first chance to get in a hunt on Thanksgiving morning. My buddy just got a new airboat so we decided to make the best of it and be back in time for some turkey and family time. I awoke before my alarm that morning eager to meet up, head to the ramp and have our spread out in plenty of time in order to be ready as the first flights started to move. To add some flair to our spread we put out 2 mojo rigs and watched as the spinning wings flashed in the growing light, and with no surprise they pulled ducks in like magnets! Well worth the money and extra prep involved, we also brought extra PVC poles so they were high enough to be seen over the cattails and sawgrass. My bud scored on the first bird of legal light and I followed suit a couple minutes after him. We each breathed a sigh of relief as we were done in plenty of time to be home before the turkey fryer was even heating up. I picked up dekes as I made my way to retrieve my bird with the only thing sticking out of the water was its bright orange foot.. along with a shiny piece of jewelry! My 1st band.. wouldn't have scored it with anyone else other than my buddy that was with me, one of my best friends since high school who coincidentally got his first band with me a couple hunts earlier on a nice Blue Wing Teal. Reported my band # to find that it was banded last season out of STA 4.

I know lots of guys stack bands on their lanyards but I put this one on my keys.. more than the luck or motivation it gives me to get ready for a hunt it is a daily reminder of a special hunt with my buddy. We were just as pumped up for the others band as we were for our own, made me realize that spending quality time in the blind or stand with a friend is just as special to me as chasing bands or having a successful hunt, it just so happens I'm lucky enough to do both at the same time on most hunts!