band story to share............

Dave Smith · 09-25-2003, 08:06 AM

No, this is not a story of me and my buddy crushing 11 bands and 9 collars (including one radio transmitter (05XA)) in the early season, HOWEVER: back in 1998 when I was just finishing the Dave Smith Decoy, I had some bands made with my name and phone number on them to put on decoys that I sold as decorative decoys. Young Tim Bates of Gaston, OR took one of these bands and went to a small, local pond and caught himself a Honker Gossling with a salmon net and proceeded to band it.
We never thought of it again until yesterday when my phone rang and a real nice guy, Bob Leigh, owner of Sheridan Lake resort in BC called and said he had been hunting 5 hours North of Edminton, Alberta and had just shot the Goose!!!!!!!!!!!
Makes our "local" Geese seem not so local, doesn't it? this confirms what we have been told by a few biologists and also have suspected: many of our local Geese head north on molt migrations. We knew that some went as far as Peace River, but this is even farther, still. Don't try this at home!!!!!! Dave

id. painter · 09-25-2003, 08:27 AM

My brother is a wildlife Bio. reasearcher in Wash. state.
After banding and studing hundreds of ducks and geese. The exact same conclusion.
We cant predict which way they will go . About half head south and about half head north for the summer . id. painter

Flathead · 09-25-2003, 03:01 PM

A few years back I shot a banded honker up at Boardman. I couldn't wait to get the banding info back on this bird, where was it banded?, how long ago. When the info came back it was a 6 year old male that had been banded in............BOARDMAN.
So much for the well traveled bird that had been to far away places.

Get Bit · 09-25-2003, 03:42 PM

Great Story Dave! I've always heard those Dave Smith decoys made your spread life like!!

Get Bit