The gold band

johnny1duck

Active Member
The most valuable piece of aluminum in the world.It might be just a stamped piece of aluminum to most people but to me it might as well be made of gold.I started hunting later in life than most at age 34 my younger brother joey finally convinced me to take the ontario hunter saftey course so that i could join him on a moose hunt. I did go moose hunting with my brother joe uncle bill and my dad ted for four years and it was great fun and quality time with family,But it was when joey took me on a goose hunt on the Grand river near our home in brantford ontario that i found my true calling in life, Waterfowl hunting was the sport for me !!!! And so it started what has become my reason for getting up in the morning to say it has become an obsession is the under statement of the century.It didn't take me long to figure out that only an hour from home was long point bay a world class waterfowl hunting area smack in the middle of the eastern and central flyway.After a short drive i was introduced to what have become some of my best friends the members of the LPWA [long point waterfowlers association] The lpwa is a group of volunteers who provide a safe organised area for blue collard folks like myself to experience waterfowl hunting at a level that in most areas is reserved for the super rich [$20 per day or $225 for the entire season] .
In sept of 2006 i purchased a sustaining membership $225 and a camping spot for my trailer and started the quest for that gold band!
Duck hunting sure has a learning curve and took me a while to make it around that bend haha. I earned the nick name 1 duck johnny because no matter what i did thats what i got ONE DUCK!!! almost every hunt for 3 years and i hunted alot dark till dark 2 days a week for the entire season. I am fortunate to have a good job with a great company [keith hall&sons transport] that allows me to take my holidays when i want so i take every friday off during duck season. Shooting days at the LPWMU [long point waterfowl management unit] are mon,wed,fri,sat.
Things started to change for me in year 4 my shooting improved my calling improved and i got my first boat, before that i was limited to the walk out blinds wich is no excuse the walkouts do just fine for the guys who know what their doing. I owe much of my sucess to the friday night fires at duck camp,many of the guys down there have been hunting ducks longer than i've been alive you can learn alot over a warm fire and a cold beer.
THE DAY IT HAPPENED!!!
It was early november 2013 hunting with a good buddy of mine howard who i met at the waterfowl unit. It was a real ducky day 80 km cold west wind we took a short boat ride to blind b6 set our decoys hid the boat and waited for the sun to rise and what a sunrise it was never in my life have i seen a flight like i saw that morning everywhere you looked their were ducks mostly mallards and blacks they flew nonstop for 4 hrs it was a sight to see. Now blind b6 is known for birds not decoying but just going by heading for the fields to put on some weight for the long flight south so most of your shots will be pass shooting 30-40 yard birds wich is great when your hunting over a dog like howards he marks birds like you wouldn't believe and gets'em all !!! with almost no help from us, I have yet to lose a bird hunting over that dog and we have dropped them in some pretty deep dark places.
B6 is in an area where you do see alot of geese but usually way to high to shoot, but not this day a flock of about 20 geese were coming right at us but again to high to shoot, accept 1 he was slacking and about 20 yards lower than the rest that was close enough for me and down he went within seconds a drake mallard cupped right in on howards side bang he was down and that was number 12 our limit for the day.
We unloaded packed our gear and loaded our catch into the boat then hurried back to the unit to check in our birds and get in line for the next days hunt.
In our haste to hurry back and get in line for saturdays hunt we never thought to check for jewelry after all what was the chance of that ???
We got howards truck in line for saturday and headed back to duck camp to do a little bragging about our 12 big fat mallards and bonus goose.
And that's where it happened standing around the boat having a cold brown pop with the rest of the gang reliving the fantastic flight we had witnessed that morning when one of the guys picked up my goose saying wow that's a big one and holy sh!t look at his leg!!!
Well i'll tell ya from an outsider looking in the next few minutes must have been something to see i'm 6'1 260 lbs and kinda a rough looking dude and i hooted n hollard n danced around like a little girl that just got her first bike the laughing and joking that followed was something i'll never forget I think their was probably a huge bruise on my back from all the guys patting it as they came in from their hunts WHAT A DAY!!!
My goose was banded in morrisburg ontario in 2009 approx 250 miles east of long point.
I don't think that the people who put that band on could have possibly known that their little aluminum band would some day turn to GOLD!!!!!!!!!
A word of thanks to all the members of the lpwa for the bruise they put on my back that day.
CHEERS & HAPPY HUNTING!!!!!!!
 
I had a great day today and am now on the board of directors of the lpwa also recieved an award from our new president thanks glenn and all the members ps kevin i told you i wrote it cheers
 
You deserve it Jonny, thanks for bringing me out last year, I'm addicted now and I'm going to try to get my own gold band, thanks for everything bud
 
Thats a great story johnny1duck congratulations on your banded goose it's great when you
can get out with good friends and have the memories that will last a life time things you will never
forget. i do most but not all my waterfowl hunting with my dog and i tell you it's just like hunting
with your best friend the day i can't hunt with my dog is the day i will stay home.
 
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