Returning home from deployment a week before the opener, I was worried about putting it all together in time for the upcoming season... I took almost the entire 1st Split on leave so I had plenty of time to make up for the missed season, and I made it count! I ended up hunting a total of 14 times and shot 38 ducks (not counting what people hunting with me shot). I hunted my home lake mostly and it accounted for 24 out of the total. Went on a guided duck/goose hunt and shot my first Speck goose and Mottled ducks which was really cool. Other highlights are three Mallards, a Scaup drake, and a drake Bufflehead ( which is at the taxi getting mounted) I ain't gonna mention how many shells I used to get all those birds so don't ask...

Made one heck of a duck stew, grilled a whole bunch of Teal and I have the goose and a few others still in the freezer. Gonna make a huge crock pot of Duck Gumbo this week with the rest of the birds since it's my last week of leave before I put on my uniform again (and I forgot which ones were divers ). Not before a Pheasant hunting trip to the panhandle this weekend though, heh heh heh.

Many thanks to all my buddies for the invites and for keeping me company on the weekend trips too! Just gotta kill two weeks until we start doing it over again. My wife is happy now that there is no reason for me to be up at 0230!

Congratulations! And thanks for your service to our country. If anyone deserves a great time in the field its people like you. Keep up the good work and may God be with you.

congrats on doing so well, you deserve it! question is, whos gonna recover that mount in six to 8 months

Pretty cool...I hope you get to stay over here.

what, no love for the divers?

Scooter my wife is glad I am not going to sleep the afternoons away for a few days.

It's not that I think they don't taste good... it's that they taste different than mallards, wigeon, gadwall and teal. They are better suited for stews, chili and gumbo in my opinion. They still taste ine- just different recipes

I was just joking. You know I have access to divers by the hundreds. I hope they move on during the split so they stop decoying the puddle ducks.

she does know that's just for 2 weeks right?

scooter I still have your light that you let me borrow! the little black clip on!

dang... I almost forgot. Been lookin for that. SAhoulda waited for you guys Sunday!