Thanks, this is how my hunt rolled...

* Scouted Friday afternoon, first spot I found birds, so I said "that's it, done scouting, this is were I'm hunting" because I was freezing my pee pee off...

* Saturday morning, I got 2 ramp options. Option 1: Ramp is close to the spot, but might not be open.. Option 2: Ramp will be open, but a longer boat ride across open water. Cold as hell, I roll the dice on option 1, and yes it was open, this was a good sign from the duck gods (I was thinking)...

* As I pull up to the ramp there is another truck/boat, they just got there. I'm thinking "crap". I walk up to them "You guy fishing?" Fingers crossed.... "No, duck hunting" they said. Crap again I'm thinking.. "Where you guys hunting?" I ask them, they tell me, my spot. Triple crap I'm thinking. I tell them well that is where I was going to hunt, but you guys beat me fair and square, good luck. They said you can hunt with us if you want (while they are petting and falling in love with my dog). At first I said "ok, that sounds cool". And then I saw one of them crack a beer, it might not have been a beer, but it looked like one. And I started thinking about LarryCooper and his stories about hunting with strangers...And I said "Thanks, but I think I will hunt the next cove over", which I have not scouted this season.

* Get to plan B cove, it was all frozen over. Ran my boat all round the back of the cove and busted up the ice, and said F this, I'm not dealing with the ice, and set-up further up in deeper water, and put decoys close to the bank. Got all set up and realized my gun was in the truck. Crap again!! Normally I put gun in boat headed to lake, but put in truck to keep it warm, but I'm thinking this is a bad idea because I will probably forget, and sure enough I did. So now I have to make a dash back to the boat ramp to get my gun, freeze my pee pee off again!

* Get back to my spot 5 minutes before legal. The other 2 guys only shot 9, saw them at the ramp after the hunt. They told me they did not set up in a good spot and flared the birds to me, they said the birds came in, they flared them, and saw them fly to me and then they heard me shoot.

So all’s well that ends well.