USA: Conservation Goose Hunt NY 2024

[BeeMaa]

There is still plenty of time for hunting, so we all jump out of our blinds to gather up the birds for a possible next string. It isn’t long before I hear “BAND! I’ve got a band”. Then again, another band. And another! I walk over to two more downed geese…two more bands! What the hell is going on?

We collect the seven birds and there are a total of five bands. FIVE BANDS! I’ve heard of this happening before, but never seen it in person. My guess is that they were all banded at the same time and stayed together for their entire lives. IGS and I give up our bands to Kenny for the opportunity to hunt with him, and his incredible calling skills. It’s the least we can do.

For those who say “pics or it didn’t happen”…here you go.

 

[BeeMaa]

A few more stings flew over, but they all seemed to be on a mission to other places. Some interest was shown by them, but nothing more than a casual glance. We resorted to doing what hunters do and talk about guns, gear and past hunts. The camaraderie of a group of hunters created in this way, forms a bond that can not be understood by those that haven’t experienced it. It’s really something special. The action seems to be dying down and the discussions continue…as they should.

The eagle-eyed members here are sure to notice something odd from my first picture that I posted (#40) today. There is a crow atop the geese that was unfortunate enough to run across us. This guy flew from our right to left with perfect speed and distance to mimic skeet on station four from the low house. A couple of shots rang out and it was over. Seems that Nestor has been wanting to give crow a try and this was a good opportunity to take one without jeopardizing possible geese from coming in.

Kenny makes the call to end the hunt and heads out to get the truck while the rest of us pack up the set. Pictures are taken followed by high-fives and handshakes. It’s been an incredible day of hunting. We take some time to snap a few pics before loading up and couldn’t resist a chance to get one of deadly guns of our group.

 

[BeeMaa]

A big shout out to Kenny, Nestor and Roro for having us along for such an incredible hunt. They are great guys and hunters, we are fortunate to have such friends. This morning was punctuated by two things in particular. First is the largest trainwreck for Kenny in his time hunting and second is the number of bands. For a Nestor and Roro, it’s their first band earned…a great accomplishment.

These guys have to get to work before long, but not before a quick drive by a nearby farm to see if there are any birds in a nearby field that we could jump shoot. No luck. The guys get on their way to work guys while IGS & I head to the house for breakfast. What an incredible day and it’s not even 9:30!

 

[HankBuck]

There is still plenty of time for hunting, so we all jump out of our blinds to gather up the birds for a possible next string. It isn’t long before I hear “BAND! I’ve got a band”. Then again, another band. And another! I walk over to two more downed geese…two more bands! What the hell is going on?

We collect the seven birds and there are a total of five bands. FIVE BANDS! I’ve heard of this happening before, but never seen it in person. My guess is that they were all banded at the same time and stayed together for their entire lives. IGS and I give up our bands to Kenny for the opportunity to hunt with him, and his incredible calling skills. It’s the least we can do.

For those who say “pics or it didn’t happen”…here you go.

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@BeeMaa - nice going on the Bands, rare but likely all were banded as you guessed and will be interesting when you get the band information back (Family group?). I’ve hunted many waterfowl Seasons (40+) and Never shot five banded birds in the same Season…even on 240 bird years, YOU HAD A GREAT DAY !! You will remember that flight of 7 geese coming for many Years

 

[BeeMaa]

@BeeMaa - nice going on the Bands, rare but likely all were banded as you guessed and will be interesting when you get the band information back (Family group?). I’ve hunted many waterfowl Seasons (40+) and Never shot five banded birds in the same Season…even on 240 bird years, YOU HAD A GREAT DAY !! You will remember that flight of 7 geese coming for many Years

Nearly sequential...