Central Illinois "Floatie Fest"

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Pat Gregory

Well-known member
Had a great time at Dave Ludington's yesterday. A little sweetheart that attended so eloquently renamed it from "Float Fest" to "Floatie Fest". So, it stuck. Thank you to our great hosts Dave Ludington and Diane. We were all blessed by your generosity. And, good to see all my hunting brothers. It means, season is right around the corner...

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I agree with, John. The day looks perfect for this event. Pat, you sure are right about the season being just around the corner.

We only have 26 mornings to wait! I have a good friend who is working down along the I-10 corridor which is very close to Mexico. He told me yesterday that he saw 12 bluewings on a flood control dam. I am assuming that they are all adult males because they come down here first. That just seems amazing when you think of their migrating patterns and at this time of the year. Wow!
Al
 
Pat,
Just a quick note of thanks for posting the photos. It was a great afternoon of perfect weather, fellowship, conversations about carving and the odd humiliating story about last year misses etc. One highlight was the kids playing with the decoys in the pool.....perhaps future carvers and waterfowl enthusiasts? I sure hope so.
 
Great points Dave! And, if any of you decoy carvers needs a "wear test" for your decoys, a 4 and a 6 year old near some water make great testers... Trust me, your decoys will get drug, thrown, banged and, if you need some practice untangling knots, its' all there. A complete package... :)

On a side note, Dave ended up giving the two young ladies the green wing teal decoys they were playing with. May God bless you for your generosity Dave! It's kindness like this that leaves a mark on a child's heart for a lifetime.

My great aunt gave me these miniature decoys, the can drake and mallard drake of my great grandpa's back in the 1960's. I drug these decoys thru high school and college and all through adulthood. I'm amazed I still have them. I credit this as a significant event that inspired me to be the decoy carver and waterfowler that I am today... Pat

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Looks like a nice time but are you sure your keyboard isn't broken and you meant the 40-60 year old duck hunters swimming with the decoys?
 
Aren't we all kids at heart???
I was ashamed there was not a single scaup decoy in the pool nor, a diver for that matter. Not sure what we were thinking...
 
Looks like a great bunch of fun Pat. That drake sprig looks just like the one I have sitting on my mantel....thanks to your talents. I agree, that was a generous gift to those youngsters. It only makes sense to me to give back to the next generation. I usually end up with a couple dozen plastic decoys by the end of the year. Some I find while out hunting, and some are given to me by people who no longer want to hunt or were just cleaning out a garage. I usually put them in a large box and take them to local outdoor vendor shows and give them out to kids that come by the table with their parents. At the end of the day, some lucky kid will get all of what's left. It sure puts a smile on a youngsters face. Have a great and safe season!


Dave
 
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