Odessa -
Great hunt. It's crazy seeing you have to break ice in NC. Here in eastern Nebraska, ice breaking is a way of life for late season waterfowlers, but I gotta figure that's pretty rare out your way. Out here, we were breaking through 2+" thick stuff weeks ago...
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2002-10/61371/Icefromthelake-5Dec2010.jpgNow, you can walk on virtually any still body of water.
Great job on those woodies. Ours were gone months ago and we never get to shoot them when they're in full breeding plummage like yours. Color me jealous and congrats!
You are gonna love that Benelli M2. It's the easiest to maintain and cleanest (not to mention, lightest) semi-auto shotgun I've ever used. I bought a new one this year because they are one of the few companies that make a quality lefty semi-auto (moosemuncher, take note!) The pricetag hurt a bit, but the buyer's remorse is long gone. It's the best investment I've made in a firearm in a while. Yours is even nicer than mine with that Max-4 camo. I'm gonna have to get mine dipped since I bought it in matte black. That camo makes a big difference when the birds are spooky and looking for any excuse to break away from your spread.