# The late 80's, early 90's.......



## muskat (Mar 5, 2002)

Visited my parents last night and dug through some pics, 89 and 90 were some good years.......
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## Ranger_Compact (Nov 2, 2005)

1990 was a slow year for me, I only got one goose! :lol:


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

Cool pics....but just what I remember those years, no juvies.


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## Flick (Aug 21, 2002)

Looks like a couple members of "Bill Swarvskys Superfans" are in that bottom pic, haha. I love old pics.


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## djleye (Nov 14, 2002)

Old School Snow hunting.......Remember when you didn't need more than 100-200 windsocks to shoot em up in the fall!!! And the snows were here on the first weekend in October!!!!!!!


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## apeterson (Aug 3, 2005)

I still love the old brown camo... wish you could still get that!!!


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## mallardhunter (May 15, 2004)

apeterson said:


> I still love the old brown camo... wish you could still get that!!!


 :withstupid: The best camo...it went with just about anything


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## muskat (Mar 5, 2002)

> Old School Snow hunting.......Remember when you didn't need more than 100-200 windsocks to shoot em up in the fall!!! And the snows were here on the first weekend in October!!!!!!!


Try 12 snow shells, some honker heads, paper plates and plastic bags!!!


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## mallard (Mar 27, 2002)

djleye said:


> Old School Snow hunting.......Remember when you didn't need more than 100-200 windsocks to shoot em up in the fall!!! And the snows were here on the first weekend in October!!!!!!!


Dan,remember when the forum used to have the weekly waterfowl report?I remember that there was allways 1/4-1/2 million geese on opening day.An older friend from southern ND tells stories of shooting limits of snows in the 60's and 70's using napkins for decoy's and sitting on 5 gallon pails.Things sure have changed.


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## KEN W (Feb 22, 2002)

I first started hunting snows around Oakes and Forman in 1963.We were the only ones using decoys.Everybody else was jumping them.The only posted land was around Dakota Lakes at Ludden and Devils Lake.We used homemade fold out sillouetts.The geese decoyed unbelievably.Adults and young ones.The best shooting started around the third week of Oct.

When I moved to Bottineau in 1976 we would get 100-150,000 snows at Clark Salyer on opening day.300-400,000 by the second week.In 1978 I remember 100,000 snows on Lord's Lake the second week of Oct.It is a small lake and it was completely covered.The hunting pressure was severe.Line shooters were shoulder to shoulder and with little posted land they were jumped as soon as they were on the ground.It got so bad that the birds would not leave the refuge until 12:30-1:00.We had our best hunts with decoys along the refuge fence line.We could easily sucker the young ones over the fence.

All the pressure was from residents on weekends.We went back to work on Mondays.The geese were basically not hunted during the week.I remember my dad who was retired then going out during the week and not hearing another shot being fired.As more and more non-res. found out about this bonanza of goose and duck hunting,the birds started getting pressure all week long in the 80,s and 90's.It didn't take them long to figure out if they stayed in Canada....they wouldn't be harrassed all day.

Not that I'm blameing non-res.But that's just the way it happened.We went from less than 5,000 non-res. and little weeklong pressure to 30,000 and pressure every day.


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## dosch (May 20, 2003)

Aw the good ol days. I remember going spotting with my grandpa in his 1975 LTD with the twins game on and the geese would feed all the way up to gravel road and just look at you. First weekend we would head out to the rock lake/bisbee area with KFYR playing on the radio at 4:30 am....can almost smell the pickup if I try real hard  . The memories of hunting are priceless.


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## Greg_4242 (Feb 21, 2005)

Remember the good old days when there was 8 to 9 million snows in north America. Oh, wait, Thats this year!

For once, hunting for a waterfowl species can't be referred back to the "golden years." Don't believe me. Download the "Supergrind." Or, what about the pic posted last year where 8 guys shot over 1000 snows in 4 days. These are the golden years!!!!! Only a few more weeks!!!!


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## KEN W (Feb 22, 2002)

I disagree about the "golden days."Those big shoots are in the spring now.And there is lots of pressure.The birds move through quickly.It is usually so muddy you can't get into the fields unless you walk.

30 years ago even though there were less geese and smaller limits,the hunting was nuch better.I could usually hunt geese the entire month of Oct. here in ND.Now we are lucky to get a week.....

30 years ago ND and Texas lead the world in snow goose harvest.Some years over 200,000 harvested in ND in just the fall.Now we are lucky to get 30,000 in both spring and fall.The "golden years" of snow goose hunting in ND have been over for quite some time.


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## Goosepride (Sep 29, 2003)

I've got almost 30 years experience now, and I think Ken W. is right on the money when it comes to snows. We used to hunt them from opening weekend until freeze up and the numbers were great. We hunted the Des Lacs Refuge in the Bowbells area. Man, was that a lot of fun!

Now it seems they are there for about one week to two. I really have to pay attention to get out there from the Valley (which only sees snows in the spring in huntable numbers) if I want to be there when the snows are there. I've always believed the only way we'll get back to those days is if Canada starts hunting them heavy. Ken is right, if I'm a goose, why would I go further South when I know I'm fairly safe up North. I think that's what has really happened!

Cool pics though!


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## PJ (Oct 1, 2002)

I think MN was still getting ducks in the late eighties early ninties. Sweet pics, I am a throw-back waterfowler myself.


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