Well fellas I just dont know where to begin. I had a bizar accurance just a while ago. I have a English setter out in the kennel about 50 feet from my back porch. He is always barking. He barks so much it would just about drive a man crazy sometimes. Well, tonight I was cleaning a rifle when that Setter named Roscoe started barking like never before. I stood there thinking he's probley crying wolf. Something made me go to the door and investigate. I took a spotlight and a model 12 shotgun. I opened the door and walked to the edge of the screened porch, and fellas I just couldn't believe my eyes. Half way between my dogs kennel and the house was a Snow Goose. It was just standing there like a damned chicken. I couldn't believe it. I rubbed my eyes. My dog went totally freakin crazy since he knew I was now in the picture. I shot the goose. I live in a rural area, and never had this happen before. There have been alot of birds fall to my good ol' model 12 . But I think I'll remember tonight's experiance forever.

I once was hunting ducks in Northwest Tennessee and we were watching flocks of snow geese in the straosphere above. It had been severely cold for a good 2 weeks and much of the water was frozen over, but this area we had a break through. We were just sitting there trying to keep warm waiting to see some ducks when we heard a clunk on top of the blind. I stuck my head out, and not 3 feet from me was this snow goose that landed ON the blind. Not in the water. I started laughing and the goose just sat there like there was no problem.

The guide told me that the freezing weather had stressed the birds so much because they didn't have places to land. This bird just fell right on top of us.

I've heard of some dumb geese before, but your story takes the cake.

Love it (both stories)!

A couple of mine:

1. Hunting just barely legally (specifically in relation to distance from 'dwelling in use' discharge law in MA--happens to be 500') in an inner-city tidal estuary outside Boston. I take aim and cut loose on a straight-on shot into the sound and stagger a canada. It's dropping altitude and visibly hurt, but just makes it over the seawall behind me to land in the adjacent lot--A Wal-Mart PARKING LOT. And yes, I did come home with that goose.

2. Seaducking Boston Harbor with 2 /buds. Knock down a bunch of birds, then dog decides to crap on the boat. Next thing, we have 15 feces-covered eider/scoter/oldsquaw/etc (self bailing boat, good design but wet). Buddy grabs a bull eider from the bottom of the pile, a bird *long* dead (like 2-3 hours dead), totally lifeless and bloody, and tosses it overboard to clean and then have dog fetch. Bird hits water, bird wakes up with eyes as big as fried eggs! Bird immediately dives. Bird never seen again.

Lots more, but this is a good thread! Let's get some bird stories going, y'all...

Had a great laugh at Kamos second story above. It reminded me of a hunt about 8 yrs ago.

I had a black lab named Max that was a great dog except for a couple things that I could never get solved. One was that for some reason known only to him, he would deliver any duck to hand without dropping it except Gadwalls.

A buddy called and said he was trying to make a big real estate deal with a big shot who wanted to go on a duck hunt while in this area and would I take them because he didn't have a dog and his boat was in the shop.

Suprisingly, it was quickly obvious that the big shot could shoot. It was snowing and ducks were just falling in. Every shot was a candy duck. After a few mallards were in the blind the big shot said he wasn't taking any more easy shots because we were getting too close to the limit and it was early.

A lone high duck passed over that I wouldn't have even thought of shooting at but big shot scratched him and he sailed way out there into a huge brushpile on the far edge of a cow pasture.

Max seen him all the way and I released him - it was great - across the creek, across a short stretch of timber, back into another frozen creek where he kept falling thru the thin ice, out into the cow pasture to the brush pile, dove in, grabbed the duck and was back like a streak.

Big shot was trying to buy him as he was swimming the last creek to the blind. Then Max climbed in, dropped the Gadwall and pissed all over it.

Buddy has blamed me for his missing his big opportunity ever since and does not miss a chance to tell everybody about it.

Good one, Palmer.

Couple more: a buddy from TN is up to hunt for the first time in MA. Hasn't been out for months up here, as he's not familiar with the local birds. We're in the blind, and we're soon *covered* up in birds. He gets a cell phone call, and has to take it (he's an insurance guy). I hear, "what is it? Uh huh, yep...Uh huh. Yeah, well listen, I'm really busy here and can't really talk...Yeah, I know, I know...Hey, know what? Listen, just give them the million on my say so. Yeah I'm sure, damn it. I gotta' go; me and my buddy are surrounded by ducks and I'll be GAWD-damned if I'm going to let a measly million ruin my day. Click.

My buddy is on a hunt on the Cape a few years back in a remote marsh. He's alone with his dog, and as he's packing up after a decent morning, sees a small figure walking toward him. As the person gets close, my buddy sees that it's a kid of maybe 14, in camo, wearing a huge shit-eating grin, and he's got a shotty in one hand and carrying something white slung over the other shoulder. My buddy asks of the lad, "hey there young man, whatcha' got there?" The kid, bursting with pride, says, "I got me a big ole' SNOW goose, mister!" My buddy examines the giant white bird, a real monster of maybe 20 pounds and change, and says "hmm. That's some bird you killed, friend, but I gotta' ask; got a shovel by any chance?" The kid is totally confused, and asks what the hell he'd want with a shovel. My buddy says, "well, because the last time I checked, the fine for killing a protected SWAN was pretty steep in these parts!" The kid about fell over, and was close to tears. My buddy took pity on him and helped explain what the triple 'S' method means...

You're friend is quite, um, adventurous.

Might mention to him that an arrow with line attached to it, as in a bowfishing rig, will make his life easier if he ever has the balls to try a stunt like that again (which I strongly recommend he never do). Funny story, though.

Maxbear,

Great story. That aqaintance of yours sounds like a guy I used to hunt with. After reading your story of his “hunt†in a civilized area I cannot resist posting about the beginning of the banning of that friendship.

Here is what I learned from my experience – NEVER TRY TO OUT-DRINK A DUCK.

My friend and I were each working with young retrievers and with their first duck season only four months away we decided we needed to give them some experience with real (shackled) ducks so they would learn not to shy away from flapping wings and feet.

The obvious thing to do would have been to buy a couple of mallards from one of the farmers around here but my buddy had a better idea.

He was a high ranking city official here and while he was talking with a local game warden about thinning out the overabundance of half-breed “tourist ducks†down on the lakefront that runs through town he learned that they were not covered by migratory game laws because they were inbred with tame ducks, did not migrate - etc. They seemed like ideal candidates for our shackled duck requirements.

The only problem with a snatch and grab was that they hung out among the tourist during the day and flew off up Roark creek before dark. Our first idea of a loaf of bread and long handled dip net did not seem sensitive enough to perform in front of the little children who regularly fed them.

But the next weekend my friend discovered the solution while talking with his wifes’ uncle Harvey who was a renowned poacher and fisherman over near the confluence of the Missouri, Illinois and Mississippi rivers.

Harvey claimed that ducks were easy to get drunk. All you had to do was soak some corn in strong liquor and just a few minutes after they gobbled it up you could walk in and pick them up like walnuts.

Not wanting to spend too much on this project buddy bought a gallon of Everclear. It was not only cheap, but if I remember right, it was about 130 proof. Overnight we soaked a pan full of corn and just in case it had not soaked up enough we brought along the remaining Everclear and two more cans of corn.

As we sat in the open sliding door of his van there was finally an opportunity for our action when a grandmother and two youngsters temporarily ran out of popcorn. As they headed back to their camper we threw a few handfuls of the improved corn out. About half a dozen ducks took to it with gusto.

A few rounds of this should have given us a clue that these half-breed ducks could hold their liquor. However with absolute faith in uncle Harvey’s idea we opened a couple more cans of corn, soaked it and kept at it. Meanwhile not wanting the remaining Everclear to go to waste we sipped it as we waited for the ducks to start falling over.

I remember trying to get the door open on my pickup and the next thing I remember was my wife yelling at me for being drunk and for all the time she had spent trying to find me. I had collapsed across the front seat right on the riverfront. Fortunately I was too far gone to try to drive home - how buddy got home I do not know. No ducks were bagged and I am sure their offspring are still laughing at the bubbas that tried to drink a duck under the table.

A couple years and a few more incidents later our wives eventually forbade us to hunt together citing their unshakeable position that we were a bad influence on each other.

That is one of the funniest stories I've heard. Wanna' hear something funnier? Right in front of my loft is a small river. The river is *jammed* with ducks, year-round. I go out for some photos after last season ended, and armed with a loaf of bread, got about 150 puddle ducks surrounding me. I glanced down at some point and saw, to my utter amazement, half a dozen BANDED birds, two of which I recognized as *double-banded-one-band-colored-blue-or-green $100-$250 MONEY bands. Next day, I was out there with a long-handled fishing net, a couple beers, and another loaf of bread. In a nutshell, those ducks weren't going for the okey-doke, no sir. My buddy later described exactly what you boys tried, but I couldn't bring myself to waste all that good booze on some degenerate bum mallard-black duck hybrid. But I do have some pics of the hilarious scene. If I can find them, I'll post. Thanks for the yuks, Palmer; that's a classic!

KG

Kamo
It must be true that great minds think alike!

Look forward to your pictures.

Hey Palmer,

Found a couple of them. Note the money banded drake, and another band to the left in the first pic. In the second is my weapon of choice while trying to do my part for science. As stated before, it was a kick in the head trying, but no banana for me bagging any. Free bread? Great! Free bread offered from a net? Um, I think I'll pass...

M-M-M

All those bands shure sets the brain cells a spinnin.

Maybe 4 pieces of corn on a fishin rod with ultra light line?

Seeing a total of ten banded birds strutting around at my feet was an eye popper indeed.

Not sure if the corn would work. I was thinking along the lines of a net gun for my next try...