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Virginia Goose Banding

Several years ago I had the opportunity to go on a goose hunting trip with one of my business associates in January.  The weather was cold, the wind was bitter and we spent the entire day in the goose blind talking about life and drinking coffee and hot chocolate and we even killed some geese.  The action that day was slow but the camaraderie was exceptional.  Over the last several years I have tried to open up my schedule to include more of these hunts and some years have been good and others have not worked out as well.

This year I already have several trips planned to get out for Goose and Waterfowl hunts and I thought I would start off the season volunteering for a day of goose banding with the fine folks from the VGDIF and VAWFA .  Audrey(my middle daughter) and I got up on Tuesday and headed out to meet the folks and by 7:45 we had already banded 40 geese just down the road.

We made several trips to locations around the area and some panned out and some did not but the day was fascinating and we got to enjoy the company of the group.  About 30 people were a part of the group with several biologists and folks from the VDGIF(Virginia Department of Game and Fish).  Volunteers came from every walk of life and we spent the day talking about plans for hunting and enjoying the summer fishing season.

Virginia bands about 1500 or more geese per year and the data provided goes into a database to provide the scientific data needed to help the VGDIF make informed decisions about season limits and dates.  As well I got some much needed advise on waterfowl hunting and I am looking forward to some great hunts this fall.

My daughter Audrey as well as another young girl who came out with her father probably had the most fun of the entire day.  These two girls were right up in the mix and on the second set jumped right into the pens and began reaching in and grabbing geese like real pros.  By the end of the day they were covered in feathers and I am sure some strong memories were created that day banding geese.

If you are in Virginia and you can make the time to get out to one of these great events, please do not hesitate and jump right in the mix.  As waterfowlers and as hunters we have a lot at stake in assisting our Game and Fish Officers in collecting more data to preserve our game and natural resources.  One such organization that is making a great amount of impact in Virginia is the Virginia Area Waterfowl Association as well as Delta Waterfowl and Ducks Unlimited.   In the State of Virginia these 3 organizations have done a lot of work together to make Virginia Waterfowl Hunting some of the best in the country.

We took lots of pictures!!