# 2014 Early Goose



## outdoorsman_07

Seems like another summer has flew by and early goose is just around the corner. What is everyone doing to get ready for the up coming season?


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## the professor

cutting paths through the cattails so it's easier and quieter to sneak the roost.


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## snogeezmen

fishing.......


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## SDMAN

I'm checking fields, equipment, decoys, and cleaning up stuff.


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## teamflightstoppersND

Watching Foiles videos and visiting the local city parks........


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## fieldgeneral

the professor said:


> cutting paths through the cattails so it's easier and quieter to sneak the roost.


Classic Nodakoutdoors Smart$!#@ response&#8230; :eyeroll:


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## fieldgeneral

teamflightstoppersND said:


> Watching Foiles videos and visiting the local city parks........


Ohhh, and another one. Always from the same characters.


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## teamflightstoppersND

fieldgeneral said:


> teamflightstoppersND said:
> 
> 
> 
> Watching Foiles videos and visiting the local city parks........
> 
> 
> 
> Ohhh, and another one. Always from the same characters.
Click to expand...

Sorry dad,

I will mud the new blind after the next rainfall. Maybe replace a few heads. Scouting local areas for signs of new geese. I have seen a few flocks flying already. We will see how they come into the fields on opener with full moons at night.


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## fieldgeneral

See now was that so bad? How did you know I was a father?


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## spankylabs

Mini van parked by the transition water? oke:


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## fieldgeneral

Guys second post on here asking an honest question and you boys sure are doing a good job of shooing him away from this site. Sometimes I wonder why I waste my time on here, or anyone else for that matter..


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## the professor

fieldgeneral said:


> the professor said:
> 
> 
> 
> cutting paths through the cattails so it's easier and quieter to sneak the roost.
> 
> 
> 
> Classic Nodakoutdoors Smart$!#@ response&#8230; :eyeroll:
Click to expand...

No, I literally cut a path to open water on my slough. I'm not going to waste time scouting where 13 birds are feeding.


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## CrazyWalsh81

I'm enjoying the mild weather. I picked up some freshly tuned calls this past weekend and went through my trailer last night to clean out all my late season gear. I just toss everything inside for winter storage, full body ducks, some snows, sleeper shells, and some camo netting. Went though checked the heads on my full body dakota, nothing a few screws can't handle. Planning on adding another 6pk this year to fill my trailer to the max.
Next up is some work on my boat and trailer, camo wrapping my outboard cover I got as an extra and screwing in some flood lights. New trailer lights and new headlights in my truck. Sorting through clothes and doing some missed laundry and I will be all organized for the season to come - at least through opening weekend.


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## snogeezmen

i guess i clean, replace heads, etc before i put them away in late december........ its a simple as drving to the same spot every early season and hunting....or am i totally off on this. lets not overthink this there resident canada geese that hit the same fields every single year....


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## Habitat Hugger

Used to enjoy goose huntin, but getting too dangled old or it nowadays! Might get lazy and take my dog out o a firing line or something later on! Trouble with that is you can easily screw up some hard working field hunter that was. Feel guilty....


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## fieldgeneral

snogeezmen said:


> i guess i clean, replace heads, etc before i put them away in late december........ its a simple as drving to the same spot every early season and hunting....or am i totally off on this. lets not overthink this there resident canada geese that hit the same fields every single year....


Snoman hit the nail on the head. Early season spots are rather predictable.. Once you find them that is, and that can be harder than one may think.


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## snogeezmen

fieldgeneral said:


> snogeezmen said:
> 
> 
> 
> i guess i clean, replace heads, etc before i put them away in late december........ its a simple as drving to the same spot every early season and hunting....or am i totally off on this. lets not overthink this there resident canada geese that hit the same fields every single year....
> 
> 
> 
> Snoman hit the nail on the head. Early season spots are rather predictable.. Once you find them that is, and that can be harder than one may think.
Click to expand...

thats where the "experienced veterans" have a leg up.........ill be keeping my line tight for another 2.5 weeks


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## fieldgeneral

:thumb:


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## teamflightstoppersND

They sure take there sweet time to set the opener. Any predictions on date/ limit this year?

Anyone hear of farmers making a dent on the resident population? That can have a huge effect on whether birds show up year to year


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## razorrt5

Any ya'll want to come east to Minnesota our intense Goose management season for central MN starts Aug 9th-24th. be a good warm up to the ND season.

Daily limit 10...a good limit would provide ample jerky/ sausage for duck opener :beer:


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## snogeezmen

teamflightstoppersND said:


> They sure take there sweet time to set the opener. Any predictions on date/ limit this year?
> 
> Anyone hear of farmers making a dent on the resident population? That can have a huge effect on whether birds show up year to year


Aug 15th same limits as last year.

Gov. Has yet to sign it but that's what the G&F sent to his desk......and from my experience he rubber stamps what they send. His head is too far up big oils *** to do otherwise


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## NWiowaCutinGreen

I wonder when they will start the wheat harvest this year - from the sounds of it harvest is several weeks behind schedule.


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## SDMAN

NWiowaCutinGreen said:


> I wonder when they will start the wheat harvest this year - from the sounds of it harvest is several weeks behind schedule.


Yeah we won't be harvesting are wheat for another 1 1/2 weeks, in north east :-? SD


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## SDMAN

teamflightstoppersND said:


> They sure take there sweet time to set the opener. Any predictions on date/ limit this year?
> 
> Anyone hear of farmers making a dent on the resident population? That can have a huge effect on whether birds show up year to year


A friend of mine got permission from GFP to shoot geese and they got around 25. :thumb:  :sniper: :sniper:


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## dakotashooter2

As I understand it farmers can register anyone on their predation permit. I had a farmer offer to do just that a couple years back. 
I could have shot geese all summer but I declined because all geese shot had to be destroyed. It's not looking promising for the opener around here. The wheat has at least another 1 1/2 weeks to go.


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## Wulffhunter

SDMAN said:


> NWiowaCutinGreen said:
> 
> 
> 
> I wonder when they will start the wheat harvest this year - from the sounds of it harvest is several weeks behind schedule.
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah we won't be harvesting are wheat for another 1 1/2 weeks, in north east :-? SD
Click to expand...

Ya theyre cutting wheat around Watertown already so it won't be a week and a half. I've seen a few acres of wheat custom harvesting and this stuff is really close to harvest.


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## blhunter3

Some guys have barley ready to be swathed and some field peas have already been sprayed. Lots of wheat could be sprayed this week and other wheat is still two weeks out from being mature enough to spray.


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## SDMAN

We just sprayed are spring wheat a couple days a go, I'm guessing some of are neighbors with winter wheat will start today. :thumb:


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## SDMAN

Got a field lined up for this weekend, looks good, I'm very excited. Ready to shoot a lot of shells.  :sniper: :sniper: :sniper: :sniper: :sniper: :sniper: :sniper: :sniper: :sniper: :sniper:


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## Scraper1

I saw combines cutting north of Hillsboro yesterday.


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## Buck25

Just put a go devil surface drive on my 18 foot jon. Gonna throw a 14 footer in for the smaller roo..transition ponds.


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## NWiowaCutinGreen

Lets see some pictures of those dead Canada's boys. I know someone's itchin' to post a picture.


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## Goosehunter32

Only 12 shy.


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## dakotashooter2

Found 2 bean fields with birds but have not been able to track down the owners in 2 days. That's one of the things I hate about cell phones....Nobody has a land line with their number listed in the phone book any more.


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## outdoorsman_07

dakotashooter2 said:


> Found 2 bean fields with birds but have not been able to track down the owners in 2 days. That's one of the things I hate about cell phones....Nobody has a land line with their number listed in the phone book any more.


Yeah it is def. tougher now days. I found a couple of fields with plenty of geese in them also. The farmer is never around the farm and the only way I got a hold of him was someone gave me his cell number to get a hold of him to ask permission.

I know this has been preached a thousand times but respect the farmers land, its really not hard. The farmer I spoke to was hesitant about letting me hunt on his land to hunt because last year he said people were driving out in his fields while they were wet and rutting everything up.


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## SDMAN

Had a good opener, had five guys,it was fun.


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## Longshot

fieldgeneral said:


> teamflightstoppersND said:
> 
> 
> 
> Watching Foiles videos and visiting the local city parks........
> 
> 
> 
> Ohhh, and another one. Always from the same characters.
Click to expand...

I thought it was funny! :beer:


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## fieldgeneral

SDMAN said:


> Had a good opener, had five guys,it was fun.


Way to go kids. We got 30 on Friday morning for two guys, 5 on Sat, and 15 on Sun. morning. All in all good hunting. Kids got to shoot some and we had some real close action and some typical early season, come in from every which way decoying.


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## Birdhunt365

More like FOWLSMELL

Advertise elsewhere.....idiot


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## Habitat Hugger

See my post under early season thread. How to thin down geese that never venture into an open to hunt and safe to shoot area. Any ideas appreciated.
Addling eggs might work, and seems I heard of dipping them in some kind of oil to suffocate the embryo!?! A sort of goose abortion!?! 
Too much of any good thing leads to trouble. No one wants all geese eliminated, and I do my best where I can :roll: but it would be nice to thin them down in areas where too many become a nusciance and where they never venture out into shootable areas.

Another topic, but with all the concern about geese being sucked into jet engines and taking down even large and small aircraft ( I 'goosed' one once) it never ceases to amaze me why the Bismarck ain't port people allow seeding wheat around the south end of the airport and also on their property right across the road. Even Mandan airport does this!?! I doubtthe'll let any of us to set up behind the runway end lights with our 12 gauges to keep he geese down when Delta is on short final!?!
Over the years flying my various small airplanes I've had to abort landing a number of times for geese, several times for antelope, four times for deer, and once narrowly missed a Gobbler on my own runway! :-? 
But encouraging geese to fly and feed near the end of the second busiest runway in the state makes little sense to me!


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## Birdhunt365

Habitat Hugger said:


> See my post under early season thread. How to thin down geese that never venture into an open to hunt and safe to shoot area. Any ideas appreciated.
> Addling eggs might work, and seems I heard of dipping them in some kind of oil to suffocate the embryo!?! A sort of goose abortion!?!
> Too much of any good thing leads to trouble. No one wants all geese eliminated, and I do my best where I can :roll: but it would be nice to thin them down in areas where too many become a nusciance and where they never venture out into shootable areas.
> 
> Another topic, but with all the concern about geese being sucked into jet engines and taking down even large and small aircraft ( I 'goosed' one once) it never ceases to amaze me why the Bismarck ain't port people allow seeding wheat around the south end of the airport and also on their property right across the road. Even Mandan airport does this!?! I doubtthe'll let any of us to set up behind the runway end lights with our 12 gauges to keep he geese down when Delta is on short final!?!
> Over the years flying my various small airplanes I've had to abort landing a number of times for geese, several times for antelope, four times for deer, and once narrowly missed a Gobbler on my own runway! :-?
> But encouraging geese to fly and feed near the end of the second busiest runway in the state makes little sense to me!


I CANT BELIEVE I WASTED THE TIME TO READ THIS POST........FML :sniper: :sniper: :sniper: :sniper:


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## NWiowaCutinGreen

That's why you don't do drugs - stay in school.


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## SDMAN

Anybody else have pic's of their goose hunting memories this year?


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## Habitat Hugger

Sorry guys, I don't do drugs, though have prescribed millions of them! Should have stayed in school????? I did, though I guess I didn't learn much during my long expensive debt filled education, every borrowed penny of which I paid back to the taxpayers as promptly as possible, unlike what I continually read about present day student borrowers! Maybe I should have bought my degrees from places like Bowhunting Magazine, or Get your PhD from QDM.com or wherever you guys got yours! Barstool biology 101 I must have missed out on during my FIRST biology degree as I can't understand the logic behind so many biology posts online these days!

Sorry, not trying to hijack the topic but I Thought my question of how to clean up city parks was a legitimate one on a hunting/ fishing website, especially a topic dealing with too many geese control! Or wondering why they grow grain along the second busiest runway in ND while the FAA is spending millions of our taxpayers dollars how to control a potentially very disasterous lethal problem! Forgot about the moose I had to haze off the Peace Garden runways three times before we could land to clear customs. Maybe some barstool experts with their advanced degrees in Aviation Commercial/ Instrument/multi/ Float Pilot ratings might have some ideas! Hoped there might be anyone on this website that could carry on an intelligent conversation without nastiness! Guess not, but I appologize for nastiness on my part! Sort of a Hail Mary parting shot!
oops. DAMN! I thought this was Nodakoutdoors, NOT *****inbuddy.com! And people wonder why I rarely support wildlife groups or teach hunter Ed any more! We don't NEED any more of the class of people we already have too many of! Yep, through education English 101 I did Lear you are not supposed to end a sentence with a preposition......********! How's that? Grammar O K ********?? End of sentence and posts.....


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## Chuck Smith

Habitat that is a legit question.

I live by Rochester MN. They love the geese when they are young and fluffy. But when they are pooping and grass eating machines they hate them. Yet they don't want people to kill them.

They tried the egg thing. Really didn't help. They tried putting up flags (those strings of triangles at car dealer lots)... that didn't work either. They tried putting grass buffers along the walk paths to try to keep them off the walking paths. That kind of worked. But nothing is working like people want it to. To be honest the only way is eradication or hunting.

In bigger cities with golf courses, parks, water retention ponds, athletic fields. There is no way to cure or curb the problem other than a "city" hunt. I have witness this going on for years in Rochester.

Now with what you are saying with the FAA... You are correct. Why would they rent out the land to a farmer if geese are the issue for downing planes. That makes no sense.


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## dakotashooter2

Chuck Smith said:


> Now with what you are saying with the FAA... You are correct. Why would they rent out the land to a farmer if geese are the issue for downing planes. That makes no sense.


@*&$%^ Terrorist geese.


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## the professor

dakotashooter2 said:


> Chuck Smith said:
> 
> 
> 
> Now with what you are saying with the FAA... You are correct. Why would they rent out the land to a farmer if geese are the issue for downing planes. That makes no sense.
> 
> 
> 
> @*&$%^ Terrorist geese.
Click to expand...

There was a feeble attempt to harass and move geese after a fatal plane crash in Sioux Falls. Nobody has come out and said for sure that geese caused that crash, but within days there were GFP employees riding around on atv's in the fields around the airport where the geese had been feeding. I find it ironic in this instance that the city, airport, and GFP would continue to let the land owners plant corn. Finally this year the fields are beans, so maybe that particular roost of birds will finally have to leave city limits to feed.


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## DPW

Pretty good Opening Weekend up here in Nodak!


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## teamflightstoppersND

Got into a few of them after work. I thought one hunt would get rid of my itch to hunt but it just made it worse!








Gotta love getting a second chance at a few birds. You won't see that in a few months. Using 14 decoys really paid off when hearing guys with large spreads got overlooked and birds landing short.


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## SDMAN

DPW said:


> Pretty good Opening Weekend up here in Nodak!


Good job on the video, and way to get on the birds. :thumb:


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## Feathers

DPW said:


> Pretty good Opening Weekend up here in Nodak!


Barrel Stickers!!!!

Haha just razzin ya. Nice video and it looks fun. It looks like a goose almost took out your camera.


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## Habitat Hugger

It's kind of ironic that old timers like me who worked years ago to help bring back the Giant Canada's are now thinking of ways to control their numbers. Wwwaaaayyyy back my neighbors and I put up a lot of goose nesting structures and several of us raised captive geese allowing their offspring to fly away, then hopefully return in 2 years (at sexual maturity) to Nest and do their own thing. I we'll remember my neighbor running across the pasture to my place yep ping that "she jumped into the nest!!! Fantastic,"
And all the goose relocating during the molt during the 70's and 80's! I doubt of the younger crowd recalls the efforts made at the Sand Lake refuge before then, or even care about those early goose things. Just want Em there NOW for ME ME to shoot Em!  
In case some of the barstool biologists have forgotten, to addle eggs, you sneak up on the nest and fight off the parent geese while you are doing it! (lots of stories and bruises from doing this, LOL) not for the faint of heart!
You grab the eggs, then shake the heck out of them to bust up the egg yolk, then the embryo dies. As you haven't broken the integrity of the shell, the egg itself doesn't infect and rot and explode, and the unaddled eggs hatch out, as few as you decide to leave.
If you just destroy the nest they'll just renest and you haven't gained anything. Whatever percentage of eggs you want to hatch are still viable and enough could hatch to keep the nature watchers and hunters happy, yet spare a lot of goose poop contamination of city parks, gold courses, etc. a happy medium, maybe. Of course the bar school biologists know all this anyway.....I agree it's more fun to hunt Em and shoot Em, but I'm talking about the URBAN populations who never venture into a safe or legal area.
One big problem would be that to do this would require paperwork and permits from the USFW much like the cormorant problem. You couldn't legally just sneak out in the dead of night and shake rattle and roll! :wink: 
Lots of good discussion of this stuff on Birding and other Outdoor appreciation websites. You know, those LIBERAL websites frequented by Teddy Rooseveldt wannabes!


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## dakotashooter2

I remember back 15-20 years ago when there were NO local Canadas in my corner of the state. About the only time you got a crack at Canadas was when the migration was in full swing and even then we probably had less Canadas flying through than what our current local population is today. I love seeing geese but do feel for the farmers especially the last few year where seeding has been late and the geese have been able to clean out fields as soon as the start to sprout.


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## Birdhunt365

Just returned from a trip to central NoDak. 30 Miles north of the SoDak border.

22 birds. One was even banded.

Birds are a bit unpredictable right now. Hunted wheat and barley fields. Birds are around you just need to find areas where small grains are popular. The further west we went, the more wheat we found. We found an area where over 50% of the wheat was harvested already.

Heavy rain on saturday night really seemed to screw up our field for sunday morning.


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## blhunter3

Its going to be interesting with the VOM scare and hearing of loads coming in at 8.0 and higher, I wonder if some fields might just get burned.


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## Wulffhunter

blhunter3 said:


> Its going to be interesting with the VOM scare and hearing of loads coming in at 8.0 and higher, I wonder if some fields might just get burned.


English please. Wth is VOM? Were not all big shot farmers that understand acronyms


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## blhunter3

VOM= Vomitoxin=scab.


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## Scraper

can you hunt a burned field?


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## benelliguyusa85

I'm not 100% positive but i would say hunting a burnt field would be considered baiting. This being based on the fact that no effort was made to remove the grain and burning a standing field is not common farming practice. I realize it happens from time to time but its not exactly a regular farming practice. thoughts?


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## Wulffhunter

I'm sure it would be considered baited like a rolled or mowed corn field


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## cajunsnowchaser

we do it all the time in louisiana cause it is a normal farming method down here.


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## snogeezmen

benelliguyusa85 said:


> I'm not 100% positive but i would say hunting a burnt field would be considered baiting. This being based on the fact that no effort was made to remove the grain and burning a standing field is not common farming practice. I realize it happens from time to time but its not exactly a regular farming practice. thoughts?


It's considered baiting. Only way it affects anyone is if the local GM upholds it. Only seen it enforced on one field in my day


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## blhunter3

Scraper said:


> can you hunt a burned field?


If the crop wasn't harvested no, but if it was yes. We have to post of a quarter of land and couldn't let anyone hunt waterfowl there when we had to burn it because it got zeroed out on a later hail. A game and fish officer was the one who told us we couldn't hunt there.


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## snogeezmen

same deal as this one BL. guys were hammering birds out of it and GW told the landowner its baited and cannot let guys hunt it anymore.


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## slough

Burned fields and rolled fields that didn't get harvested are the two you usually hear of being off-limits in ND.


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## boomsquadoutdoors

First time hunting early goose in ND this August. Still newer to hunting so our shooting could use some improvement, but we found the x one morning, and had the hunt of our lives. 33 Birds. Next year we will shoot better and get our first limit.

Video of the hunt.


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## FoldEmXtreme

Some oldies but goodies to keep the blood pumpin.......


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## ATA BOY

DuckDawg said:


> My Scooter dog this morning. He just had his one year birthday and just loves geese. 8 this morning with a nice job done on a cripple, blind retrieve over 200 yds. Love this Dog! FC AFC Nick of tTime Lone Ranger x Good Ideas Windy Retreezer QAA


My favorite picture of the bunch!! :beer:


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## FoldEmXtreme

Pup is lookin good DuckDawg!

Working on getting my 6month old pup solid on retrieving honkers, he has figured out how to roll them now to get a good body hold.


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## dakotashooter2

FoldEmXtreme said:


> Pup is lookin good DuckDawg!
> 
> Working on getting my 6month old pup solid on retrieving honkers, he has figured out how to roll them now to get a good body hold.


Is this a golf course?????????????????


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## FoldEmXtreme

Yard Work, but I do love me some golf courses!! :rollin:


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## hardwaterfanatic

DuckDawg said:


> My Scooter dog this morning. He just had his one year birthday and just loves geese. 8 this morning with a nice job done on a cripple, blind retrieve over 200 yds. Love this Dog! FC AFC Nick of tTime Lone Ranger x Good Ideas Windy Retreezer QAA


How do you like the White Rock Decoys? I was thinking about picking some up to add to the spread.


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## blhunter3

hardwaterfanatic said:


> DuckDawg said:
> 
> 
> 
> My Scooter dog this morning. He just had his one year birthday and just loves geese. 8 this morning with a nice job done on a cripple, blind retrieve over 200 yds. Love this Dog! FC AFC Nick of tTime Lone Ranger x Good Ideas Windy Retreezer QAA
> 
> 
> 
> How do you like the White Rock Decoys? I was thinking about picking some up to add to the spread.
Click to expand...

I love my white rock canadas


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