I'm sending in for my "doubles pin"--

[Labowner]

Sounds like great day to me! The double banded duck didn't have a reward band?

[Old and Reliable]

The mallard's left leg had the std. AVIS Patuxtent MD band with the 800 number for data. Its right leg had a DU Canada band- a "pull tight" style similar I suppose to a electrical cable connector, only in aluminum. I'm a Sponsor member of DU and will research it futher, after the season closes 12/6/09 in this Zone.

This is first mallard in all my many years of waterfowl hunting I've seen thus banded. As you are also an avid waterfowler Bob, I'll share the recovery of the goose for you- one of the biggest I have taken this Fall- I rolled him solidly in the air with the first two shots ( 2 & 3/4" Fed. steel No. 2's- my basic mallard load- The goose shook those off and went into a climb, with one wing beating way slower than the other, and as he leveled off I gave him the third load in my M12- a 3" Federal steel BB- he went as stiff as an ironing board and did a power glide into the neighbor's yet unpicked corn (about 44 acres and fenced)--Michigan game laws state you have to have the landowner's permission to retrieve a downed bird or game animal, fortunately I had that- there is a tree line by the fence (probably fenced in the 1940's, as judged by the style of the barbed wire and the rust, and the wire solidly into the bark of the trees- and a tree stand, so I unloaded the shotgun and went up for a "bird's eye view", recalling Nash Buckingham's advice- and after a few minutes saw a section about in the middle (cross the run of the rows) where the stalks were broken down--so I counted the rows and did a fence post tally for co-ordinates, climbed slowly down, picked up the M12, crossed under the wires, and went to find the bird--

Our area was hit with unually heavy rains for October- a lot of acreage is still in standing corn, due to high moisture- so I was grateful for my rubber pac boots- found the bird, dead as a wedge, and just as I left the corn and approached the fence wire, two mallards buzzed over- mount, swing, click- what?? I had forgotten to reload- just as well, finding a big bird in corn is one thing,. but a dropped mallard or a pheasant-without a retriever- different story indeed.

I have had a fairly good season since ours opened here the second Saturday in October-wish I had some of my old partners around to share it with though, they have all either passed on, moved or given it up due to steel shot and the complicated zones and regs- such is life-

[Dean Romig]

Originally Posted by Francis Morin

- there is a tree line by the fence (probably fenced in the 1940's, as judged by the style of the barbed wire and the rust, and the wire solidly into the bark of the trees-

Here's one that was likely strung using maple saplings as fenceposts around the turn of the last century. Just an illustration - don't mean to hijack the thread.

[Old and Reliable]

A fine old tree indeed, graced by a fine American double. Very fitting Dean, as my favorite poem is Joyce Kilmer's "Trees"-- and my second favorite is "High Flight" By John Gillespie McGee Jr.-- both authors of these classic and timeless poems died way too soon-