North Dakota.....

[Destry L. Hoffard]

Just booked myself a ticket to North Dakota for late October. Jeff Pelayo invited me up to hunt with him for a few days. Some of you might remember him from the Annual Meeting several years back. He came and gave a presentation on Chesapeake Bay duck decoys.

The plan is geese in the morning and ducks in the afternoon. Might have a chance for a swan if I can get a tag, few cranes still there that late too so maybe a mixed bag.

Should be a good trip, I'm excited.


DLH

[Mills Morrison]

Sounds like a good time

[Eric Eis]

Good luck on the swan tag I know you want that one.... Sandhill crane would be neat too, you haven't got one of those yet have you?

[Mills Morrison]

I had a swan fly over me on the Altamaha River a few years ago. I could not remember if it was in season and it was out of range anyway, but it was a cool experience seeing one

[Destry L. Hoffard]

Swans are a series of long sad stories for me.

Cranes aren't much better, though at least it was only one trip.

Where we hunt over in Canada there are swans by the thousands but you can't shoot them unless you're a native american or have a nuisance permit.


DLH

[John Dallas]

I dunno. Shooting a sandhill crane seems like shooting a flying folding lawn chair

[Destry L. Hoffard]

They're a waterfowl and I've never killed one so they're on my hit list. I've tried, but without success, wary would be a way to describe them.

DLH

[Craig Larter]

I have shot sandhills in ND. Very challenging bird. Rib-eye in the sky---delicious!!
My friend drew a swan permit for ND-----BIG SPLASH!!

[charlie cleveland]

good luck on your destrey..take a good picture of the swan and sandhill crane you gonna get...charlie

[Kevin McCormack]

So, Destry; would it be fair to say that you are currently "singing a 'Swan Song'"?

[Destry L. Hoffard]

I'm hoping to hear a swan sing it's death song that's for certain.

DLH

[Justin Julian]

We have plenty of swans come through northern Idaho in the mid winter months. They can be a real nuisance over the decoys. But they won't let us take any, supposedly because they are indistinguishable in flight from the endangered trumpeter swan. It is not uncommon to see our marshy lakes turn white with migrating swans in December.

[Larry Stauch]

Somebody said there are pheasants in North Dakota too.

[Destry L. Hoffard]

Yeah I'm sure there will be a few around. But Upland is a separate non-resident license and I don't really want to spend another $100 to maybe shoot a couple long tails.

DLH