New guy saying hello

de-bander · 01-14-2003, 05:52 PM

Hi guys I'm new to the forum. I've been told by many that this place is first class all the way. I'm a college student from Corvallis - yes I'm a Beaver!. I enjoy waterfowling and turkey hunting and I look forward to chating with all of you! :smile:

Brad Cochran

GutshotApe · 01-14-2003, 06:40 PM

Welcome de-bander!

Tradition requires that you tell us a hunting story.......................

MarlinMark · 01-14-2003, 06:41 PM

Welcome Brad/De-bander,

I'll be the first to warn you.....people on the board are very polite.....after your first story. You have to tell a fishing/hunting story or they just won't leave you alone.

So let's hear a story and then the welcome posts will fly in. Ha ha.

Mark

Rauly · 01-14-2003, 06:44 PM

Welcome De-Bander. Looking forward to hunting with you. Now lets hear the story.

Rauly

BlueWater · 01-14-2003, 06:48 PM

de-bander-
Thanks for joining us! But no one will answer any more of your posts unless we have a story.

BlueWater.

P.S. Did anyone say we need a story? :grin:

Bait O' Eggs · 01-14-2003, 07:04 PM

Welcome to ifish. Some of my fondest hunting memories are when I was at OSU,

some of them included cutting class and chasing blacktail on Marys Peak. :smile: :smile: :smile: :smile: :smile:

You might look into the OSU fishing club, several of the members post on this website.

Waiting for that story

[ 01-14-2003, 08:04 PM: Message edited by: Bait O' Eggs ]

skein · 01-14-2003, 07:29 PM

Hmmmm....let's see, there's a Brad Cochran who hangs around with a guy named Dave Smith. You know anybody like that?

At any rate, welcome. And you're right, this place is FIRST CLASS, even tho they let guys like me hang around. You've found a good spot!

Skein

elkaholic · 01-14-2003, 07:41 PM

I agree, good guys, good chatter and good debait(am I on the fish page?). Welcome!!!!

STORY!!!!!!

Get Bit · 01-14-2003, 08:34 PM

Welcome Mr. Cochran ! I think a goose hunting story is a definite must. :smile:

Get Bit

Gun Rod Bow · 01-14-2003, 08:56 PM

Welcome debander, you should cut class with Willamette River Outlaw, he needs friends to help pack decoys!! Are you getting that we need a hunting story?

GRB

MountainLion84 · 01-14-2003, 09:13 PM

Welcome De-Bander

de-bander · 01-14-2003, 09:58 PM

Okay! I give! Here is the story of my first goose hunt:
The day was Saturday, November 12, 1994, a day I will never forget as long as I live. I was 14 years old at the time and my father and I had just finished a fantastic morning of gunning mallards on McCormick Slough. As we pulled into the check station parking lot we noticed some friends of ours were parked there so we went over to have a chat. As we approached their truck I noticed the bed was full of geese. I had never seen large canadas up close and was astonished by their size and beauty. As we started talking our friends were kind enough to tell us where they had enjoyed their great shoot. I was estatic about the possibility of shooting my first goose!
After a good chat we headed back to our hotel to grab some gear then we were off to the field. 10 minutes later we were pulling up to a freshly harvested corn field. The field had been flailed and the ground was covered with golden kernals. My father helped me set up my 2 dozen real-geese silhouettes then headed back to our hotel to watch football. Before leaving he gave me his watch and said, "shooting time is over at 5:14. I'll come by and get you shortly after." As he made his way back toward the van I looked down at the watch. 1:30. We had set the decoys about 30 yards up wind of a row of knee high grass that ran from the center pivot 100 yards to the south. Remembering that a friend of mine had told me to stay as low as possible, I hunkered down in a tire rut and pulled some grass over me. The sun was warm and the sky was blue. After what seemed like an eternity I dozed off. I began to dream of waves of geese coming off the Columbia River to my spread. Suddenly the sound of a real goose woke me from my daze. I looked out toward the river to see a solo honker crossing the edge of the field from east to west. For a second my heart began to race then the large bird banked and headed back toward the river. I looked at the watch again. 3:45. As the minutes ticked away I began to worry that the geese might not be coming. Then I began to notice some flocks trading up and down the river. A flock even flew overhead but they were a mile high. Then another high flock and another. The bird movement was keeping my hopes alive but still none had shown interest in my field. Then I gazed back out over the Columbia and noticed a flock that was headed my direction. And they were low! My heart began to race as the huge birds made their way toward me. The wind was now blowing strong to the east and the geese were having a difficult time making their way toward me. As they closed the distance the birds got even lower. They were so big they resembled a squadron of B-52s. Soon they were 20 yards off the ground and 20 yards out and I could not take it any longer. I sat up to confront the startled honkers and greated the leader with a full pattern of 3" steel #1s. The heavy bird crumpled at 30 yards and I was so excited I did not get another shot off. As excited as I was I did not have time to retreive the heavy bird for out over the Columbia the geese were getting up in waves. My first goose lay motionless thirty yards from me as I got back down and jacked another shell into the magazine. Soon a large flock of taverners was directly over head and forty yards up. I fired 3 shots at the same bird missing all 3 when out of nowhere a goose that I had not seen came crashing down and nearly hit me in the head. I gathered the bird and before I got back down I thought about going after my first goose but there were more birds coming and I felt like saving the best for last. After a few misses I managed to scrape down another honker. This one was very much alive and I needed to get to him quickly. As I scrambled back to my hide I once again considered going after my first goose. I could just sense that there was something very special about him aside from the fact that he was my first goose. But once again I decided to get down and save the best for last. Thats when I realized I only had one more bird to shoot! Wow! Before the hunt I had dreamed about the possibility of getting one goose now I had 3! Minutes later another group of honkers came in and I scratched down my last goose. I picked him up and walked back to my hide. For some reason I could not get myself to retreive my first goose. It was almost like it was too good to be true. I decided to get back down and just watch. At that moment I knew there was no turning back. I was hooked! I continued to watch the big geese work the field and even had a group land in the decoys. Finally the flight stopped and I decided it was time for the moment I had been waiting for since I was 6 years old. I was going to retreive my first goose. I made a mad dash to the downed bird as if I had just shot it. As I got closer I could not beleive how big he was. I struggled to lift the mamouth goose and when I turned him over I could see that he was banded! I had shot my first goose and first band at the same time! I could not wait for my father to return. To this day that bird stands out as the prettiest and one of the heaviest honkers I have ever taken. I will never forget that magical day in the Columbia Basin.

KingFisher85 · 01-15-2003, 05:28 AM

Welcome to ifish de-bander

Thats a good hunting stroy you got there. Hunting them big birds can be fun [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

Lured In · 01-15-2003, 06:19 AM

Welcome De-bander. (A fitting name given your first goose.) :shocked: :grin:

It nice to see more folks getting in on the hunting board and I hope you enjoy the conversation.

I too am looking forward to meeting you and Dave at our hunt in March.

Kruechief · 01-15-2003, 07:00 AM

Way cool story....

I was excited and I don't even hunt birds!

Welcome aboard!

Krue (OSU BS LA - Soc)

GO BEAVERS

Tunamaster · 01-15-2003, 05:14 PM

De-Bander,
Welcome! and GREAT STORY! My only regret about my time going to school in the valley is that I didn't make it a high enough priority to kill more of those mossbacked blacktails. I hope you have another season to schedule a light fall class load and chase a Boone & Crockett down. What a great place to hunt blacktail deer!!!!! GO BEAVS!!!!!