I'm sending in for my "doubles pin"--

[Old and Reliable]

Waterfowling is a weather guided activity- wing, overcast, approaching storm fronts all bode well. So far, until this morning (Wed 10/28) a few teals and woodies seen (not shot however) and three geese since our zone opener on 10/10/09-- NO mallards, my "bread and butter species"--Took two shotguns to a favorite area farm, this time I didn't stop at Keizer's for the "Boat Anchoring" breakfast as usual, was just putting out the few shells at 8:25AM when I heard the geese coming. The M12 Mag was nearby, they didn't spook, and I dropped one bird stone dead- halfway to the limit, not too shabby- 5 minutes later I had my second bird, if I were a violator I could have taken way more, overcast, slight wind, all good things for the waterfowler.

I went back to the Jeep with the birds in tow, unloaded and cased the M12 and emptied out the camo pockets of steel loads, uncase the GHE project Parker 12, filled up with the Hevi-Shot for Classic Doubles non-toxic No. 4's 1 & 1/8 oz. and went to the pasture pond (lotsa rain lately) threw out two K-mart "foolies" and sat down to wait and see- first mallard was a hen, she got a free ride, a few minutes later three nice orange legged greenheads made a strafing run, I rose up to flare them, Boom, Boom, ker-splash, ker-splash- my first double on mallards with a double gun, and it was with a Parker-

I waited a while longer, my coffee urge kicked in, so I took the two dekes and the two deceased mallards back up, and had coffee with my farmer-host--about 10:30 the barn pigeons were milling around, so I shed the camo, and grabbed some AA reloads and "trimmed them a bit"-- A nice bonus- the bigger of the two geese had a leg band, first one for me in some time. The first four digits happen to be part of my Military Service number (I served prior to the usage of the SS numbers)- but the last 5 struck a chord in my gambler's heart:00717-- 007 (license to kill- and I love to kill game birds) and 17- the stand number in BlackJack, also a magazine, the root leg number on a framing square when you are laying out jack and hip rafters (use 12 for common rafters)and my first "encounter" at that age, "Out In The Corn Where The Woods Got Heavy- In The Back of My '51 Chevy"!! All good.

I don't put the bands on my call lanyards- IMO- sorta like the "Brag Patches" on Trap and Skeet shooters vests- but I can see why guides and call makers like to- tells potential clients that they have shot a lot of birds- All Good.