Hunting Ethics from an Old Soldier

By Daniel D. Narum
On an early morning in September, I awoke just before my alarm sounded and spared my wife the noise. It was 4:45 a.m., and a balmy 63 degrees outside. My gear was already loaded and I had a cup of fresh hot coffee to enjoy on my way to the field. A [...]

Ducks, Geese, & UV

By PJ Maguire
Every year waterfowl hunters are bombarded with new equipment and ideas. As waterfowlers there is a lot of stuff we need in order to pursue ducks and geese. A wise goose hunter once told me that in order to be successful, you have to lead the pack and not follow. Since then I [...]

Bird Band – Duck Band – Goose Band

By PJ Maguire
Every year the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service and agencies ran by the states, place leg bands on a variety of birds across the country. Migratory birds, like ducks, geese, and most recently doves are some of the most commonly banded birds. Harvesting a bird sporting a leg band is a special joy [...]

Hunter’s Choice Waterfowl Regulations

By Doug Leier
About 15 years ago I attended my first Game and Fish Department advisory board meeting. I was a fisheries and wildlife management student at North Dakota State University, and had a goal of one day working in the natural resource field. I decided it might be a positive learning experience to attend this [...]

2002 Duck Hunting & Goose Hunting Season Recap

By Perry Thorvig
The 2002 hunting season was a big disappointment. I guess it was a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time and the goose gods saying, “Gotcha!”
The first disappointment was that I never got out this spring to chase the snows because of the need to move my elderly parents [...]

North Dakota Goose Hunting – A Generation of Change

By Perry Thorvig
(Part 2 of a 3 Part Series)
There have been many changes in waterfowl hunting in North Dakota in 27 years. This is the second of a three part series and describes the changes in waterfowl equipment.
Equipment
Waterfowl hunting equipment has changed substantially in the last 27 years. Perhaps the biggest change is that there [...]

Why I Decoy Hunt?

By Perry Thorvig
There has been a lot written about the tactics needed to shoot snow geese. There are decoyers, sneakers, pushers and pass-shooters. We will see all kinds this spring as we look for opportunities to thin the population of snow geese. They may all have their place. I am one of the old school [...]

North Dakota Waterfowling – A Generation of Change

By Perry Thorvig
There have been many changes in waterfowl hunting in North Dakota in the last 27 years. This third part of a three part series covers tactics, communication, and access to information that will enhance the hunting experience.
Tactics
Despite all the changes in snow goose hunting equipment and decoys, there are still three basic ways [...]

The Dawning of A New Waterfowl Season

By Jason Phillips
 As the eastern sky began to show signs of light, our anticipation mounted. We had been looking forward to this moment for months. Day was breaking on the North Dakota Early Canada Goose Season Opener. As the sun began it’s ascent it was evident that it was destined to be a very memorable [...]

Too Many Geese?

By Jason Phillips
As the sun fades in the western sky the splendor of colors serve as a picturesque backdrop for the Canada geese as they return to their roost. This appears to be a sign of success in the dramatic return of resident Canada geese to the Northern Plains. During the height of the drought [...]

Winged Migration

By Doug Leier
I’ve got a short attention span. In fact, my 9-month-old daughter can stay on task longer than I can. I say it’s a factor of society, the internet, email and cell phones – the “right now” culture that seems to have us trapped.
But somehow, that all changes when we get outdoors. Outside, the [...]

Goose Recipe

Here’s some favorite goose recipes of ours.
Goose Recipe Ingredients:

4 large goose breasts
6 tablespoons of salt
3 containers of BBQ sauce (kraft works fine, and it’s cheap)
1 container of favorite BBQ sauce (I like Famous Dave’s “Rich and Sassy”)
Mustard
Hamburger Buns

I like to prepare it the night before the hunt, than it’s ready for after the morning hunt.
Make [...]

Downsizing Your Decoys

By PJ Maguire
When I was a young waterfowler, not too many years ago there seemed to be only two brands of decoys: Flambeau and Carry-lite. My first duck and goose decoys were Flambeau and my high school hunting buddy, Matt Gouette, had Carry-lite’s. Nowadays, I cannot page through a waterfowl hunting magazine without seeing an [...]

Steel Shot Review – Shotgun Pattern Information

Just as each waterfowler has their favorite techniques to pursue waterfowl they also have their preference of shotgun shells. The selection is generally made based of several different factors that include: manufacturer reputation, availability, cost, past experiences, etc. Although each of these may hold some validity the best way to determine which is best for [...]

Planning a Waterfowl HuntingTrip to Canada

By Justin Gatzke
Well, it is getting down to crunch time. We are officially less than two months away from the big waterfowl hunting trip to Canada. Coordinating a hunting trip can be a series of headaches if you let it overwhelm you. There is lodging to find, licenses to buy, trailers to stuff, and so [...]

Scouting for the Fall

By Doug Leier
 I  hate to bear bad news, but summer is fading faster than the Minnesota Twins. While there is still some time to soak in the last remaining days of August, it’s also a good time to start preparations for autumn and all its splendor.
It’s never too soon to begin planning for fall hunting [...]

Crane Hunting Season Is Upon Us

By Doug Leier
By this time every fall, most hunters can recite opening dates for deer, pheasant and waterfowl seasons. People need to know these things to schedule vacations and coordinate plans with the crew. Some will forget their significant other’s birthday before they forget the date pheasant season opens.
But I’d venture to guess that not [...]

The 5 Stages of a Hunter

Hunters change through the years. Factors used to determine “successful hunting” change as well for each hunter. A hunter’s age, role models, and his years of hunting experience affect his ideas of “success.” Many hunters may fit into one of the following five groups. In 1975-1980, groups of over 1,000 hunters in Wisconsin were studied, [...]

Crane Hunting Season Is Upon Us

By Doug Leier
By this time every fall, most hunters can recite opening dates for deer, pheasant and waterfowl seasons. People need to know these things to schedule vacations and coordinate plans with the crew. Some will forget their significant other’s birthday before they forget the date pheasant season opens.
But I’d venture to guess that not [...]