APPEARS IN News Game Upland & Waterfowl

Hunting Maryland's Eastern Shore with Banded and Avery Outdoors

by Jon Draper - Friday, February 10, 2017

Gallery

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In the Pit

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We hunted from pit blinds over a spread of nearly 100 decoys from GHG, including Pro-Grade Honker Shells, nearly indestructible Commercial Grade Full Body Honkers and, still exclusive to Cabela’s, the easy-to-carry and easy-to-pack GHG Pro-Grade Honker 3-D silhouettes. Of course, it wouldn’t be a traditional eastern shore hunt without a few homemade V-boards, too.

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First Morning Shutout

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Sun and few clouds made for a slow morning, but the crew was optimistic as we could hear hordes of birds on a roost pond less than a quarter mile away. We were told they fly eventually, but the area gets hit hard by local hunters so the quality of the hunt would be anyone’s guess.

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Louie

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Over the next few hours birds trickled in to check out our spread, giving us a few chances at long shots and the dog—a gorgeous 5-year-old Chesapeake Bay retriever named Louie—an opportunity to stretch his legs and flex his jaws.

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Winds of Change

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After returning from a much needed lunchtime pizza break, we noticed a change in the wind. Of course, that meant a quick adjustment of the decoy spread was needed, too.

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Pro-Grade Honker

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The GHG Pro-Grade Honker 3-D silhouettes are some of the coolest decoys I’ve seen in a while. Not only can you fit about two dozen in a bag that usually only hold a fraction in full-body, but moving them around for quick changes is literally a breeze.

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A Band for Banded

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And it’s a good thing we changed the spread, too, because the goose Gods sent a bit of jewelry along in the next flock! A banded bird with Banded gear, life rarely works out so well!

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Super Black Eagle 3

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The new Benelli Super Black Eagle 3 made the trip along with us, and, as you can imagine, was the hot-ticket item in the pit. Everyone had to get their hands on her for a quick feel and shoulder mount.

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Snack Time

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As the sun began to sink, the focus in the pit changed from birds to snacks for more than one hunter. Who can resist a little attention from such a sweet ol’ dog?

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Bring the Hurt

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When the birds refuse to do what you want, it’s nice to have some reach-out-and-touch’em loads hiding in the bottom of your blind bag. Federal's Black Cloud Snow Goose loads are perfect for just such an occasion. They are deadly on honkers that seem to hang at the fringes of “in-range.”

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Limiting Out

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The last of the limits hit the ground just prior to the end of legal shooting light. That also happens to be when the sounds of a goose explosion were heard from the roost pond just out of sight. It seems the goose Gods were about to give us a last-light show.

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Showtime

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A group of not less than 2,000 birds picked up off the pond with such a racket as to shake the pit we were buried in. Cameras out, it was time to sit back and enjoy the show.

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Tornado

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Perhaps you’ve heard of a tornado of snow geese? This was the first time we’d ever seen the same with a group of honkers. They just kept on coming.

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Closing Time

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The show went on for roughly 20 minutes before the birds landed on a high point on the other side of the field, not 300 yards away from us, and then abruptly took off once more and left the area for good.

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All Smiles

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It’s hard not to smile after shooting limits of birds, one banded, and watching a show like that! If you’ve never hunted Maryland’s eastern shore, well, you don’t know what you are missing.

American Hunter Associate Editor Jon Draper and NRA Publications' Editorial Director John Zent just returned from a late-season goose hunting trip to Maryland’s famed Eastern Shore. The Pro Staff from Avery and Banded provided an opportunity to test the quality apparel from Banded, the awesome decoys from Avery GHG and a chance to experience what the historic area is known for: epic waterfowl hunting.

IN THIS ARTICLE

avery banded waterfowl maryland waterfowl hunting goose hunting galleries photos jon draper

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Hunting Maryland's Eastern Shore with Banded and Avery Outdoors

Gallery

In the Pit

First Morning Shutout

Louie

Winds of Change

Pro-Grade Honker

A Band for Banded

Super Black Eagle 3

Snack Time

Bring the Hurt

Limiting Out

Showtime

Tornado

Closing Time

All Smiles

More Like This From Around The NRA

Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

Quick Links

Hunting Maryland's Eastern Shore with Banded and Avery Outdoors

Gallery

In the Pit

First Morning Shutout

Louie

Winds of Change

Pro-Grade Honker

A Band for Banded

Super Black Eagle 3

Snack Time

Bring the Hurt

Limiting Out

Showtime

Tornado

Closing Time

All Smiles

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