A Cold Beautiful and Successful Morning spent duck hunting!

Very cold this morning... 25 degrees. Had to break through 1/8 - 1/4" thick ice while walking through knee deep water. Had to be careful not to be tripped by the ice shelves that were created each time we broke the ice.

Killed 2 pintail drakes. IMHO, the aristocrat of ducks because of the tuxedo-like plumage and long sleek body and pointed wings and tail.
My 33 year old 1100 Magnum performed flawlessly as did it's 51 year old owner.

Missed some easy shots and made some hard ones. Was warm and dry in my chest waders Aaron gave me for Christmas. My Cirrus cold weather waterproof breathable cycling gloves I bought in Seattle WA kept my hands warm despite the frigid conditions.
Our desire to hunt was pitted against Mother Nature's best efforts to take us down. I luckily had no falls despite bogging up in greater than knee deep mud while putting out and taking up decoys and retrieving ducks. A truly memorable return to the sport of duck hunting after a 7 year absence and a hunt I will remember for a long time. Will make some adjustments in location and tactics tomorrow morning and hope to limit out. All in all.... A great hunt.