Thanksgiving Day

Everyone has their own Thanksgiving traditions.  For many years, my Thanksgiving tradition was duck hunting.  Duck season historically opened on Thanksgiving day in Kentucky and for many of us duck hunters, we had only seen each other in passing while fishing during the summer.  No one hunted a full day on Thanksgiving and most years the ducks weren’t in yet, but we went anyways.  It wasn’t a serious morning.  We would take a dozen or two decoys, arrive early enough to set-up, and get in the blind.  Unlike late season, there was no jockeying for the best spots or hunters arriving at odd hours to set-up.  These were friendly hunts and time to prepare for the upcoming season while reflecting on the previous seasons.  Most of the hunts were quiet with the few ducks that did fly by being local birds that knew where they were going.  It gave everyone an opportunity to see which decoys leaked, the necessary repairs to the blind, and how your calls sounded.  The stories began to fire back up and the new fishing stories from the summer began to grow.  Somewhere around 10 am, everyone began to think about the delicious turkeys roasting at home.  Decoys were put back into bins in the boat and small Johnson motors fired back up to head to the ramp.  Everyone would meet back on the boat ramp and give their personal forecast for the season which were as accurate as our meteorologists.  By noon, the parking lot was empty and the duck hunters were back home with family and friends.  Many of them would watch football with their eyes closed on the couch, as they recovered from their turkey comas and morning hunts.  Seasons of the past, the upcoming season, the forgiving parents and spouses that looked away as the truck and trailer left the driveway in the morning and still welcomed you home in the afternoon were just a few of the things to be thankful on Thanksgiving.  Try starting your own outdoor Thanksgiving family tradition.  It may be as simple as practice shooting your bows, while trying not to burn down the house using the turkey fryer or taking on a new hiking trail as a family.  Think about the outdoor experience that Washington and his troops had at Valley Forge and yet in the midst of the miserable winter, they were still thankful.  Be thankful for the great world that we live in, the beauty of the outdoors and celebrate it with family and friends!!!  Happy Thanksgiving from your friends at dirtroaddispatch.