HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

The First Thanksgiving 1621.

If you're part of a sportsman's family there's a good possibility that you're in a deer stand or a duck blind right now. Or possibly on the front of a boat slow-playing a lure for a speckled trout or a jig for Crappie. Possibly there's a Thanksgiving meal being prepared at home and awaiting your arrival, or maybe a simple tailgate feast of sandwiches, vienna sausages, and pickled okra. Whatever way you spend your Thanksgiving day, don't forget why we have this holiday here in America. And as a side note, hunting and fishing is truly a big part of the first Thanksgiving!

Great hardship and sacrifice was made many years ago by those people that we see depicted with the big buckles on their hats. I'm sure the Pilgrims had no visions of this land becoming a country in the sense that it is today. They probably never, in their wildest dreams, imagined the concept of grocery stores full of food, or automobiles and airplanes reuniting families each November for feasting and football.

Fleeing from religious persecution was the driver of their journey. The winter of 1620-21 was brutal. Besides the unrelenting cold, starvation and disease wiped out half of the original 102 passengers of the Mayflower. Barely making it to the spring, the story of Squanto emerged and through his generosity and teaching, the Pilgrim's crops flourished and they learned to fish, hunt wild game and navigate in the wilderness. Headed into the next fall and winter, the Pilgrims had a bounty of food and provisions and an uneasy alliance with the Wampanoag people. That was worth celebrating and governor William Bradford declared 3 days of feasting. Around 90 Wampanoag warriors showed up and were welcomed. For the next few days, eating, games, and story telling were indulged in and thus Thanksgiving was born!

From death and dread to feasting and celebration, our American Thanksgiving is a story that the world can appreciate. If you are celebrating Thanksgiving in the outdoors remember this little history lesson and do your best to be thankful for the freedoms we have in this country and that hunting and fishing were a big part of the very first Thanksgiving celebration!

God Bless!