# Met the Mark



## Austin Bachmeier (Feb 27, 2002)

Goal was to surpass 50 canadas and 50 ducks this season. Well Canadas Number 50 and 51 were taken today folks, and # 50 was more of a surprise then you would have expected.... BLING BLING BABY!! 11 lber was sporting a Band.

I may have to end the season with this day for geese, because It can't get much better. Need 2 more Quacks and I'll be ready to go after the pheasants again. MAN YOU GOTTA LOVE KILLING EM IN DECEMBER. Pics on the way.


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## dblkluk (Oct 3, 2002)

Way to go man!! :beer: Water or Land hunt?? The birds are really sleepin in lately. We didn't see many birds this weekend until after 1 in the afternoon. Are you seeing the same down there?


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## Austin Bachmeier (Feb 27, 2002)

Water, yes they are lazy mofos, luckily I get em going in the morning....  They have been acting weird down here when they don't get herded. They will just randomly leave and come back at random times. Never all leaving at once.


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## Austin Bachmeier (Feb 27, 2002)




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## Leo Porcello (Jul 10, 2003)

Hey you dudes need to save some of those bands for the Chopper! I ended up with 55 geese (canada's and specks) this season to include one band. Still have not counted the ducks but it is around 80 or so. It was my best goose season up here. Before that I my top was 38 geese. However my best duck season up here was 168. My goose season ever was after I graduated HS in CT. I think I was 100 but I have to go back and count. I hunted every day I could.

Seriously Congrats on the band. If your water/river hunting is anything like up here it is very well deserved! Plenty of hard work! :beer:


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## gandergrinder (Mar 10, 2002)

Austin,
You should consider yourself pretty lucky in the band department. I figure I was along for somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 geese shot this fall and we did not pick up one band. I don't know if the eastern part of the state does not get bands or what the deal is but they are very rare. I would guess that in my life of hunting the ratio of birds to bands is around 450 to 1. Pretty terrible. I was hoping this would be the year but I'm still not on the board for a band yet. Oh well. It was the best season of goose hunting in my life.


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

Congrats!

I'm with gandergrinder, we hunted pretty much every weekend from Sept. 1st until the other weekend and NOT ONE goose band. The only duck band I saw was the one Doug took on the resident opener.

By far the worst band year yet! Maybe I should be buying mine on ebay? :gag: :wink:


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## Austin Bachmeier (Feb 27, 2002)

I would say this is probably close to the 250-300th one I've seen killed this year, and the luck has been good. I think I should start selling myne on E-bAy to buy more dekes, anyone interested? lol!!!


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## dblkluk (Oct 3, 2002)

Austin, you ever thought of getting that horseshoe removed from your a**??  
Seriously, how many bands you got now???
The Posse has put down almost 300 canadas this year, and there have been 3 banded birds taken, 1 double with reward. By far the best year for bands. We usually see one every couple of years.


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## Austin Bachmeier (Feb 27, 2002)

2 goose, a redhead, teal, 2 mallard, 1 snow


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## PJ (Oct 1, 2002)

Way to go Austin, Bling Bling, money ain't a thing!!
Chalk up another goose band from Nodak this year. 8)


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## Leo Porcello (Jul 10, 2003)

> I would say this is probably close to the 250-300th one I've seen killed this year,


Banded or just geese killed?

I can't wait to get there!!  Just got in the mail Jim Jone's (no spam intended) spring video and he has some hunts in ND. I think my heart is going to blow up with my current excitment level! :lol: :lol:


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## Im4Fishing&amp;Hunting (Mar 19, 2003)

We have shot around 600 ducks or more in the last two years and we haven't shot a band in the decoys yet but my brother and a buddy shot a banded wood duck jumping a slough last fall...


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## mallard (Mar 27, 2002)

I saw one banded goose taken this year.We didnt notice it until we lined the birds up for a picture and there was a banded one lying there.We drew straws and a friend of Dougs got it.By the way,Doug if you are reading this,any info on that goose band yet?


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## gandergrinder (Mar 10, 2002)

Porkchop,

I would sure like to see your face the first time you sit in a blind on a good spring migration day. It will blow your mind how many birds come over.


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## Leo Porcello (Jul 10, 2003)

GG I can only imagine as just watching the videos alone is driving me nuts. My wife has the pattern down. I get home from the gym about 930PM, go shower, while in the shower she dishes up a nice bowl of ice cream and when I get downstairs she hands me the ice cream and she pops in a snow goose video. It is hard to sleep at night. 74 days till we leave! :beer:


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

Well PorkChop, you get an A for effort for sure! I'm looking forward to bringing on a rookie...by the end of the spring you'll probably wind up insane like the rest of the hardcore snow goose hunters. Those birds can be in your face one day and give you the finger flying over 400 yards high the next. It always seems impossible to put together a spread that'll work day in day out unless you're in the vacinity of a lot of birds 24/7. We "think" we've got the X for the spring, and I'm dying to test it out.

One thing that SO FAR is working in our favor, is we're getting snow. We just got the spring hunting down by working the snow line 4 years ago, but we haven't had a real snow line since! Is this the year????

Let's hope so!


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## gandergrinder (Mar 10, 2002)

Operation snow goose floater begins soon boys. he he he 

I've been doing some new studies and have decided to move into snow goose floaters.


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## Leo Porcello (Jul 10, 2003)

I have been tossing around the idea of floaters for snows as well. I don't think my budget will allow it this year but I may have to paint my 38 Big Foot Floaters with some of that Christmas White Snow Spray. Not sure if it will stay on for a hunt but I guess if it flakes off it may look like a blue. Or I could just put a white sock over the head of each one. Any thought on the spray??


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## BandHunter (Dec 17, 2003)

Hey,
If it wa me I wouldnt chance putting the spray on there.Decoys are expensive and i wouldnt want to ruin them. I would just go with the sock idea or if you look at cabelas.com then have actual socks that go over decoys that you can buy. 
Just a Thought,
BandHunter


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## Leo Porcello (Jul 10, 2003)

I hear the stuff washes off pretty easily. I may just try one. I do plan on getting some "Body Gloves" for my field Big Foots when the online store comes online.


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