Another Beginning...
Travis Frank
Where do I start? Where did the summer go? First off, I want to thank everyone that made my open water season so memorable. I could go on for days with stories about the people that made them so special. Instead, I'm hoping to give a big shout out to everyone who was a part of it and hope that the memories remain with us forever. It's during times of reflection that I am reminded how lucky and blessed I really am. God is good to me!
With the end of one season, there is always a start to another. Ice is on the horizon. We are currently in the "waiting" stages for our big water ice season to begin. My patience is very limited, so I jammed my weekend full of activities to pass the time. Friday. Black Friday to be exact. We snuck onto some smaller waters and stretched the string with some panfish. Sure we had odd looks from passerby's, but we found 3 inches of ice and walked safely to our honey hole. I set the hook a few times, then put the rod down and picked up my camera. My new passion is capturing the sport with the lens. We had some good light in the afternoon sky and I clicked a few pics for the album. If that didn't make my day, the pale full of fish and the fry to follow sure did. Thanks to Scotty, Brian and Bails for sharing the first day of the ice season with me. I won't forget it!
Next on our mixed bag weekend, we switched gears and grabbed the camoflouge. We found a huntable lake with open water remaining and set up our spread for a Saturday morning waterfowl shoot. Fortunately for the ducks, the open water froze tight around the decoy spread and the entire lake locked up before our very eyes. Only one drake mallard found us before the season ended. It sure made for an interesting pick up in the ice. Thank you Scott and Bails for wearing the waders.
After the hunt, we switched camoflouge again and hit the country roads. This time we wore white. Bails and I decided to chase red fox and coyote. Two of the toughest critters to outsmart. First step was to sight in our guns, second was to score permission on good property. We did both in quick fashion. As the sun set we found ourselves being hunted by a big red. The FOXPRO caller sang the perfect tune, and a fox blew through our field. At 30 yards, I let the buckshot fly. Intense is a weak description for the events that unfolded. When you have a predator coming after you at full speed, your knees get wobbly. It's awesome!
I may look back on this weekend and remember many great moments. The best of which could very easily be the one that happened last. Bails, Wags and I headed to another panfish haunt for a sunset outing on the ice. As darkness fell, my weekend became complete. A sunset for the ages was upon us. I set the pole down and took as many pictures as I could snap. It was a blessing that I won't soon forget. One that I will look back on years from now and say, "hey, Bails, do you remember that night on the ice when the sun took over the sky?" I bet he'll say, "Yep, that was the end to a good weekend!" Until next time, keep on livin' your dream!
