March 2008 Updates page 11
26 March
Bands
Very few hunters have the stamina and/or ability to successfully hunt snow geese. They travel in large groups, fly as high as the clouds, feed in wide open grain fields and are as spooky as late season pheasants.
Last year, a member of this group harvested a banded dove and this year a banded teal during the early teal season. After these three from 2 snow geese, of which one is a reward band, they are pushing close to 20 bands as a group for the season.
A recent photo of a banded goose feeding in the back yard of the office. He’s safe unless a car hits him crossing Grandview Rd.
Strutting
Toms are willing with the hens ignoring their efforts.
Until they all go off to feed.
A junior hunter noted what most have learned and some forget that hens determine flock movement. This ties into another observation that a good western Kansas turkey farm goes un-hunted each year as there is not a single tree on it. What it does have is a pond and tall grass surrounded by grain fields. The roost is nearby on a neighbor's farm, it is our pond and grass (nesting) that brings the spring flock with the toms in tow.