Goose Hunting 2021 | My First NC Honkers (Bands!)

The 2021 goose hunting season just keeps getting better! This weekend we decided to switch things up and target some NC honkers even though it was the November duck opener. Zach had scouted over 200 canadas using a cut silage field and his buddy got permission so we setup in the layouts with the hopes of a barrel burner morning. We had some struggles getting birds to land where we wanted them to but with some good shooting we were able to bring down a few and things got really exciting when we saw a couple were banded. Hope you enjoy!
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[@140PatrolWaterfowl]

Good old band drawing ! Love to see it, nice hoodie too 👍🏼

[@HokeOutdoors]

Haha thanks brother! Gonna have to keep wearing it on these goose hunts, guess it's my lucky hoodie now..

[@sammylacks4937]

Those birds look like a squadron of B 52s coming over. My No. 1 target species but was only able to do slight fuselage damage to one slowing him up but after mid flight repairs he was able to catch up with the rest. Close but no seegar. Great hunt , thanks for sharing.

[@HokeOutdoors]

Thanks for watching! They were definitely some big ole honkers in this area, made it even more fun to watch them out the landing gear down

[@sammylacks4937]

@@HokeOutdoors I was fortunate to find a couple of fields on farms I had permission to hunt. Every year those fields would flood with 6 - 10 inches of water and when that happened mallards would come and feed whether they had corn or soy beans planted. I really liked hunting those places and could do so wearing knee boots. I remember one morning after the ducks had done their thing I heard a loud HONK - Honk overhead. There were a half dozen big Canada geese acting like they wanted to dine with us. I believe they were a migratory group because this was before the they adapted to living in this area year round like we see now. Shame ducks can t make some transition like that and increase in numbers at the rate geese have. Goose season wasn t in that morning in the corn field but it was a thrill to see those big birds circle and land out in a dry area of the field. Soon as we started to gather up decoys their sentry spotted us and away they went. Sometimes moments like that are as or more memorial than limiting out. I loved the sight of a dozen brightly colored mallards dropping in like Oak leaves over us. That was why I worked so hard and lost countless hours of sleep always looking for the next great spot. Good luck Thomas, ya ll be careful out there.

[@mikalhusselo4390]

These are by far some of the best hunts I’ve seen I really like how y’all let them get close and just don’t skyblast

[@HokeOutdoors]

Thanks Mikal! Getting them in close is the part of the hunt that I find to be the most enjoyable

[@joewhite1583]

You definitely tripled on that first group.

[@HokeOutdoors]

I thought I did at first but after looking at the Shotkam I think someone smoked that third bird right before I pulled the trigger and I just helped finish it off

[@kollinrosenbaum8460]

Killed one Mabey two on it there’s just to many people shooting be shot really good though

[@chucksmith5002]

That was quite a few Bands enjoyed it Mr. Thomas . It doesn`t matter whether it`s Water Fowl or Dove we like to see them all .

[@HokeOutdoors]

Glad to hear it Chuck! I wish it had been dove season down here on this day, we had pigeons and doves all over us!

[@calebhamlin6296]

I just started goose hunting last year and I love it ,I live in nc and I hope to get a band! Finally broke down and bought some decoys

[@HokeOutdoors]

Heck yeah, love to hear it! Did you chase any honkers during the early season down there this year?

[@calebhamlin6296]

@@HokeOutdoors yes sir! I ended up getting two on the 9/12. This coming up Saturday is last day of early season hopefully my fiance can get her first one ever!

[@whackinstackin3149]

Awesome video Thomas! Congrats on the band!

[@HokeOutdoors]

Thanks brother!

[@mikeumphrey-waytogokennels2526]

Looks like an awesome hunt! Congrats buddy 👏

[@HokeOutdoors]

Thanks Mike!

[@BLASTER-vb5wu]

What a blast!!! Super fun hunt!!

[@HokeOutdoors]

Thanks brother! It was a good one!

[@kraigkaatz6858]

What a great hunt... pretty good shooting too...

[@HokeOutdoors]

Thanks Kraig!

[@fritzbucher4726]

Love those field geese

[@HokeOutdoors]

Yessir they're always a blast!

[@sandmanyaggy822]

That country boy bling boiiiii!! 👍🤘🤙

[@jackwells5020]

Everytime I watch a vid the sub count goes up glad to see that man keep it up.

[@HokeOutdoors]

Thanks Jack! I have been very blessed to have these videos reach people who seem to want to keep watching them!

[@nickgood4520]

watching your videos makes me want to get into waterfowl hunting. congratulations on your band!

[@HokeOutdoors]

Thanks Nick! Hope you decide to get into it! It's slightly addicting but so much fun

[@carsonito852]

@@HokeOutdoors slightly? I think heavily is a better word

[@blakehunts6571]

10/10 would recommend

[@blakehunts6571]

Maybe 12/10

[@brucestapleford4923]

Great video man

[@HokeOutdoors]

Thanks Bruce!

[@aaronsnatic2446]

Great goose hunt!

[@HokeOutdoors]

Thanks Aaron!

[@FL_Duck_hunting]

That is crazy first nc goose and it’s a band

[@HokeOutdoors]

It was definitely a big time surprise

[@muddycreeksportsman8574]

Bandz a maker dance ! Haha good video as always mane

[@HokeOutdoors]

Thanks brother! They definitely got us all jacked up!

[@muddycreeksportsman8574]

@@HokeOutdoors I seen you even had the sombreros in the background for the goose band celebration haha

[@rydere.1578]

Congratulations 🎉

[@HokeOutdoors]

Thanks!

[@a1_soicy416]

Seen a couple holes with some beautiful mallards and buffleheads. Need some better spots, with different birds, so we can get them mixed bags in this season. Love from NC 910/919 💯

[@HokeOutdoors]

Glad to hear they're starting to make their way down! Hope you can get on some more variety though as the season goes on. Thanks for watching!

[@Pro_Hunting]

Nice hunt!

[@HokeOutdoors]

Thank you!

[@GameTime-rt4ww]

im up in Canada and thousands of Canadas moving down south today holy

[@HokeOutdoors]

Glad to hear it! How has the season been up there?

[@GameTime-rt4ww]

@@HokeOutdoors harder than most years just no water this year

[@braydenedwards10]

It rained out our duck hunt this weekend so I’m going this weekend

[@HokeOutdoors]

Hope this weekend treats you well!

[@southernbayoutdoors1951]

Nice hunt , Stay on em

[@HokeOutdoors]

Thanks brother! We're definitely gonna try!

[@tokeyboswell2286]

Man, just a little behind you. Did you guys talk about me being back, or pushing the deles up? Too bad the shot got called late on the one group.

[@HokeOutdoors]

Yeah we thought about turning the blinds around but then the birds would have been approaching the field from behind us which we didn't want as well. It was just a tough wind to have with the direction the birds were coming off the roost

[@first_feather]

That field looks familiar. 🤨 We hunted it Monday. Brandon and Blake came by and talked to us on our way out and said you would be posting a vid of y’all’s hunt.

[@HokeOutdoors]

Hope y'all got on them out there! Will y'all have a video up from the hunt?

[@blakehunts6571]

Dude I’ve just recently found your page (subscribed after the first vid I watched btw🤙) and I’m sure this is already a pretty well known fact but from what I’ve seen you absolutely fold birds out the sky🙌👏🤝

[@HokeOutdoors]

Thanks brother! I hope you had a great season!

[@blakehunts6571]

@@HokeOutdoors man, every season is a great season. A lot of people here in eastern NC would say the past 2 seasons have sucked and were garbage and all that….and from an only numbers view point, then of course, I mean 80% of our hunters here would agree the numbers have gone down.

[@blakehunts6571]

@@HokeOutdoors but you know what bro, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And I had an amazing season. The 6 man limits and pile pictures are only half of it, if that. Love this sport man and I will forever be grateful and indebted to the fellas that brought me into it #Brotherhood

[@HokeOutdoors]

Absolutely agreed! There's nothing we can really do about the bird numbers, I've found it much more fun to enjoy good company and the areas we get to hunt and let the ducks be a bonus!

[@blakehunts6571]

@@HokeOutdoors spot on brother. Look forward to keeping up with ya and growing my knowledge of this amazing thing we get to do

[@jojoh1676]

Awesome

[@HokeOutdoors]

Thanks for watching!

[@sawyerluke6364]

We shot 18 geese in 1 volley with 13 of them banded. Obviously they were all locally banded but still crazy for here in Iowa. We were landing birds that were double banded but our limits were full

[@HokeOutdoors]

Wow that's awesome! Never heard of anyone picking up so many bands out of one group. Y'all get the rivet bands out there?

[@sawyerluke6364]

@@HokeOutdoors not that I have ever seen.

[@Rdixon921]

Yup my franchi does that if it's oiled to much in cold weather

[@HokeOutdoors]

I've heard of it happening with these guns but had never seen it before in person. Will definitely have to keep it in mind moving forward

[@Rdixon921]

@@HokeOutdoors yeah I learned my lesson after that 🤣 thankfully I got my canvasback before it started acting up

[@umbraoutdoors8940]

Nice hunt dude, always fun with the boys. Do you usually hunt down south?

[@HokeOutdoors]

Thanks brother! I've been getting down to NC the last couple seasons and plan on continuing to hunt down there as much as I can!

[@nasserkuzbari2205]

Great hunt...more to come???

[@HokeOutdoors]

Thanks Nasser! Hopefully will have a couple more duck hunts very soon!

[@danielmangum8621]

Man you were hunting a feed I saw. I been looking at it for a while.

[@HokeOutdoors]

Haha that must have been a bit of surprise when you saw the video. Hope you've had some luck with the geese down there too!

[@danielmangum8621]

@@HokeOutdoors it’s hot or miss. Bunch of decent feeds early in the year just land owners always saying no.

[@padenconner8501]

I heard rougemount i hunt out there we shot 5 bands out of group in early goose season

[@HokeOutdoors]

That's awesome! Were they locally banded birds like these were?

[@Macdaddy22713]

Off topic but it seems like the only guns I see jamming or clicking are the inertia guns. Never had a problem with Remington or Beretta gas guns doing that and it seems like the Inertia guns do it far more often.

[@HokeOutdoors]

I think it mainly has to do with the locking bolt head that the Benelli, Franchi, and Stoeger guns use. It doesn't take much friction for that bolt head to not lock into place which causes most of the clicking you see

[@maritimeoutdoors]

Love the content buddy, come up to PEI Canada and come on a geese/duck hunt!

[@HokeOutdoors]

Thanks brother! Would love to come up there sometime soon! How's the season been so far this year?

[@maritimeoutdoors]

@@HokeOutdoors recently self employed so been to busy. Yesterday was my first day out and sun shining and not a breath of wind. Not a duck in sight. But we will get’em!!

[@rudyelizondo1935]

Great vid, what happened to your gun? Same as befor for jamming

[@HokeOutdoors]

Thanks! I think I just had too much oil in the action and with the cold temps it caused it to gum up

[@user-ue9gf3gc9l]

😍❤😍❤😍

[@tomdehoog8738]

Does your gun shoot 3 inch shells or not cool video and good shooting

[@HokeOutdoors]

Thanks Tom! My gun does shoot 3 inch shells

[@sdfishingduke5658]

Are you saved??

[@thegrinchmanofoutdoors3760]

You shot that band that you picked up did you get to keep it?! Or was that one in drawing?!

[@HokeOutdoors]

I wasn't sure if I had shot that bird so it was the band that was drawn for. Brandon, who got permission on the field, and Zach each took home one as well. I wouldn't have felt right taking home a band from a hunt I was a guest on unless I was 100% sure I was the only one who shot the bird

[@thegrinchmanofoutdoors3760]

@@HokeOutdoors very mature of you I would have pulled up shot Kam but if you’re fine with it is what it is! Great vid though you’re putting out some good ones!

[@jackbryan6350]

I got a question cause I live in New Zealand and we don’t have bands what are bands

[@HokeOutdoors]

Dang I didn't know y'all didn't have them down there. They are basically just a tool for biologists to track where a bird migrates to and how long it survives. The band has a unique number that you put into a website when you kill the bird and they tell you how long ago it was banded and where. They are pretty rare in general which is why we get so excited when we encounter them.

[@PlatonicVoyeur]

where about in NC is this? I'm moving that way and I've heard the waterfowl scene is non-existent. This gives me hope!

[@HokeOutdoors]

This was in the north central part of the state. Whoever told you that was way off, western NC can be tough but lots of opportunity for ducks near the coast and in swamps plus resident pockets of honkers like these

[@PlatonicVoyeur]

@@HokeOutdoors ahh balls I’m moving to western NC. Sounds like I’m driving. Thanks!

[@greatestoutdoorsman]

what video camera do you use besides the gopro ?

[@HokeOutdoors]

Sony A7III

[@RyanMOutdoors]

Found some jewelry!

[@HokeOutdoors]

Yessir it was an awesome surprise to start a morning off!

[@bradynn7298]

What kind of shells you running

[@HokeOutdoors]

Kent Fasteel 2.0 3 inch #1s on this hunt

[@KrustyKast]

do you like the 2d decoys?

[@HokeOutdoors]

Yeah silos are awesome, light and easy to setup

[@maritimeoutdoors]

What GoPro do you use buddy?

[@HokeOutdoors]

I've got a Hero 10 for a headcam and a Hero 8 for stationary shots

[@Drake212]

I killed a gray duck with a ban on it opening weekend

[@HokeOutdoors]

Congrats man that's awesome! Where was it banded and what state did you kill it?

[@jayseordahl2655]

I’m. So sad that my dog died of cancer in his heart and spine

[@sawyerwilliams6507]

What county do you hunt in nc

[@HokeOutdoors]

I've hunted a few different ones at this point, honestly not sure what county this was in

[@mikescheer924]

the one guy has a case of the I got's

[@HokeOutdoors]

Haha that tends to happen when bands start popping up

[@plata_o_plomo]

what does the bands mean?

[@HokeOutdoors]

That someone caught it and put the band on it for research purposes

[@tikogrigoryan6665]

Armenia.super

[@nagaprasad5496]

stop it hunting is bad

[@jawadkhedr6134]

Your hunting plaeces are sto easy If you came to our places you wont get nothing 😅

[@HokeOutdoors]

How are you hunting places more challenging than ours?

[@justinbrubaker9689]

You probably shot both of the bands in the first group 😂

[@HokeOutdoors]

Haha that would be my luck

[@justinbrubaker9689]

@@HokeOutdoors where you were shooting and aiming it seemed like you did

[@that_husseyboy4681]

Do you happen to be from Hoke Co NC? Since it was in your name I figured you may be. If so I’m not too far from you we should link up sometime I’ve got some good public holes to hunt

[@HokeOutdoors]

I honestly didn't even know there was a Hoke county in NC. My last name is Hoke so that's where the channel name comes from. Looks like Hoke county is about 4 hours from me unfortunately so not sure if I'll be able to get down there this season but if I do I'll definitely let you know

[@that_husseyboy4681]

@@HokeOutdoors I’ve never heard anybody say your name on a video lol. I’m in Moore county but go to the outer banks a lot to hunt!

[@gavinfunk7015]

Choke size pls

[@HokeOutdoors]

Carlsons Light Modified

[@gavinfunk7015]

@@HokeOutdoors thanks

[@sahand9930]

ئه فه تو ي

[@loganfrey9600]

I don't know why people are shocked when they kill banded local geese

[@HokeOutdoors]

Even local bands are rare in our area so it’s always exciting to see some jewelry

[@mauer594]

Remove honk.