# An important announcement to all skybusters



## hamernhonkers (Sep 28, 2007)

Believe it or not you can't see bands at 50, 60 + yards. But when there at 20 feet, with feet down you sure can pick them out.



For comparison my little 28 gauge hulls next to a 12 bore 3 1/2" 12 bore that were littering the blind from someone's previous hunt.


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## utahgolf (Sep 8, 2007)

4 good ducks there, I'm including the hen widgeons in that count. ;-)


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

Very nice. Glad to see the birds are coming south.


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## richard rouleau (Apr 12, 2008)

very nice there congrants on the band it look like few bird show up


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## brettb (Aug 23, 2009)

Any band info?


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## utahbigbull (May 9, 2012)

Nice shoot!


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## cootlover (Sep 26, 2015)

I want to no how to saw the band when you shot if off the water:mrgreen:


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## Iron Bear (Nov 19, 2008)

Amazing! Just think how far out you could drop a duck if you used a grown ups gun. 

I think it's great you are taking the time out for these PSA's on how to hunt. My guess is most of these pesky sky busters aren't reading them here. May I suggest confronting them in the field or better yet. When you see a stupid **** sky buster. Invite them out with you and show them the Jedi way.


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

Clearly you're not hunting at FB. The sky busters there never let a bird get within 60 yards before opening up. The standard range is 200 yards give or take 50 yards.


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## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

I've shot maybe 2,000 ducks and 25 geese. I've got 1 single band. How do you guys do it?


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## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

Very cool, congrats on the band! I am getting more and more interested in the 28 gauge, and its nice to see people shooting limits with it. What make and model of 28 do you shoot, if you don't mind me asking?

I was just thinking back on the bands that I have shot and they all seem to be on the left leg of the bird. Does anyone else have that same experience?


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## hamernhonkers (Sep 28, 2007)

Iron Bear said:


> Amazing! Just think how far out you could drop a duck if you used a grown ups gun.


 80 yard triples are easy for me when I use one of my grown up sp-10s;-)





Iron Bear said:


> I think it's great you are taking the time out for these PSA's on how to hunt. My guess is most of these pesky sky busters aren't reading them here. May I suggest confronting them in the field or better yet. When you see a stupid **** sky buster. Invite them out with you and show them the Jedi way


 You'd be surprised how many cyber scouting, high shooting, guy's who think that no duck is out of their range actually do look at these forums. I do have good news for you though, I do talk to them in the field, give them pointers and every now and again do invite them to hunt with me.

Hell I actually like most of them because at one point, I was one of them;-)

Man I miss those day's sometimes, oh well we all have to grow and mature at some point I guess:mrgreen:


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## hamernhonkers (Sep 28, 2007)

JuniorPre 360 said:


> I've shot maybe 2,000 ducks and 25 geese. I've got 1 single band. How do you guys do it?


Junior, it's always luck or location man. This was the first time I have ever seen a band on a duck before I shot it. I have seen a lot of the bands on the geese I kill before I shoot them but they are bigger, easier to spot and I happen to live and hunt where a ton of them are banded.


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## hamernhonkers (Sep 28, 2007)

brettb said:


> Any band info?


I will let you know tonight, I am wasting to much time replying to this thread instead of submitting the info. I am going to bet delta, Utah and last year as a banding date. Just because most of the mallard bands killed here seem to end up coming from there.


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## dubob (Sep 8, 2007)

*My first limit with my 28 GA*

This was in eastern Montana (Central Flyway) in January 2011. Winchester Xperts with #6 shot.


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## hamernhonkers (Sep 28, 2007)

CPAjeff said:


> Very cool, congrats on the band! I am getting more and more interested in the 28 gauge, and its nice to see people shooting limits with it. What make and model of 28 do you shoot, if you don't mind me asking?
> 
> I was just thinking back on the bands that I have shot and they all seem to be on the left leg of the bird. Does anyone else have that same experience?


 Jeff, this one is a Remington Wingmaster, the one I was using last year was a standard 870. My wife is using her Weatherby sa-08 here and there for ducks also.

I think on the bands it depends on if the bander is left or right handed. They all seem to have the same technique for holding the bird so it boils down to being left or right handed. One other thing is when they let kids or volunteers put them on while helping on a banding project. That can also determine which leg gets banded.

I can tell you that I defiantly get bands from both right and left legs.


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## SCtransplant (Jul 31, 2015)

Love it! I can't believe how much money some people waste on gear, shells, decoys etc. to take marginal shots at ducks.


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## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

SCtransplant said:


> Love it! I can't believe how much money some people waste on gear, shells, decoys etc. to take marginal shots at ducks.


I've just been buying bread in bulk to throw around in the pond. That's a tip for anyone wanting to kill duck at low cost!


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## Hawk87 (Apr 4, 2014)

JuniorPre 360 said:


> I've just been buying bread in bulk to throw around in the pond. That's a tip for anyone wanting to kill duck at low cost!


Corn is even cheaper


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## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

Hawk87 said:


> Corn is even cheaper


I never thought of that! Maybe that will keep the seagulls out of my decoys. I get sick of wasting shells on them.


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

hamernhonkers said:


> Jeff, this one is a Remington Wingmaster, the one I was using last year was a standard 870. My wife is using her Weatherby sa-08 here and there for ducks also.
> 
> I think on the bands it depends on if the bander is left or right handed. They all seem to have the same technique for holding the bird so it boils down to being left or right handed. One other thing is when they let kids or volunteers put them on while helping on a banding project. That can also determine which leg gets banded.
> 
> I can tell you that I defiantly get bands from both right and left legs.


Hamer, does your wingmaster have screw in chokes or is it a fixed choke barrel?


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## toasty (May 15, 2008)

Nice job on the banded bird, I am patiently waiting to hear where it was banded.

Those 28ga guns do shoot limits of ducks and they take some geese also. This is from the last 4 hunts with the 28ga Weatherby. She did great this morning in 6 degree temps. BTW, it is not the guns fault there are some hens in these pics, I just can't seem to wait until it gets light enough to distinguish the hens from the drakes.


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

Farmington Bay dike hunters last week.


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

JuniorPre 360 said:


> I never thought of that! Maybe that will keep the seagulls out of my decoys. I get sick of wasting shells on them.


is that what they are called. Man I keep thinking I was piling up the snow geese and every one was giving me funny looks. dang now I know.

by the way congrats on the band. I think you are running out of band space


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

dkhntrdstn said:


> is that what they are called. Man I keep thinking I was piling up the snow geese and every one was giving me funny looks. dang now I know.
> 
> by the way congrats on the band. I think you are running out of band space


No no no...snow geese have black wing tips and those huge funny looking beaks with a pouch on them.....here you go so you can identify them.


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## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

LostLouisianian said:


> No no no...snow geese have black wing tips and those huge funny looking beaks with a pouch on them.....here you go so you can identify them.


 Great Lost! Now we will have those sky busters shooting pelicans:shock:


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

Dunkem said:


> Great Lost! Now we will have those sky busters shooting pelicans:shock:


They already have, we saw a dead pelican floating belly up by the main dike on our way out opening morning at FB. Didn't see them shoot him but all indications were that someone shot it.


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## cootlover (Sep 26, 2015)

I would love to see how big a splash a pelican makes:shock:


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## Mojo1 (Sep 8, 2007)

cootlover said:


> I would love to see how big a splash a pelican makes:shock:


They aren't much more impressive than a large swan splashing in. I watched some guy roll one once out at OB, I don't think he even realized what it was after retrieving it. :mrgreen:


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## hamernhonkers (Sep 28, 2007)

LostLouisianian said:


> Hamer, does your wingmaster have screw in chokes or is it a fixed choke barrel?


Lost this is a newer gun so it had screw in chokes.


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## hamernhonkers (Sep 28, 2007)

Well guys I'll be darned, this bird is from moreno valley California. 

I just figured he was another local bird so I was really not too pumped to send the info in but this is actually kind of cool to see a duck that migrated east and he is my last band to take care of the west coast states. 

He was banded on 6/10/14 and to young to fly when banded. 

I wonder if the major drought in California is possible why he came east????


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## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

hamernhonkers said:


> Well guys I'll be darned, this bird is from moreno valley California.
> 
> I just figured he was another local bird so I was really not too pumped to send the info in but this is actually kind of cool to see a duck that migrated east and he is my last band to take care of the west coast states.
> 
> ...


That or he wanted to get away from all the liberals...;-)


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## JerryH (Jun 17, 2014)

First off congrats on the band Hammer!

I finally got out on a solo 28 hunt. It was in a nice little pond with tight cover where I had to be patient and let the birds get right in front of me because the wind was howling. The first customers of afternoon were a hen and two drake mallards coming in from right to left into the dekes. The CZ Redhead baby frame went boom, boom and crushed the two drakes. It was a quality hunt more so than a quantity hunt that day because I had to pass up some shots or loose birds in the Phrag. Most of these birds were shot with factory #6 Winchesters. I did shoot one with a #5 shot reload and the bird crumbled when I hit it. I haven't tried any of the TSS or HW reloads yet. I'm saving those little 3 dollar gems for some big birds lol


Thanks again to you & Toasty for the data and tips & tricks


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## hamernhonkers (Sep 28, 2007)

Beautiful bag and gun Jerry!

And nice job with the little gun! I'll be waiting for the big bird report.


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## toasty (May 15, 2008)

JerryH said:


> First off congrats on the band Hammer!
> 
> I finally got out on a solo 28 hunt. It was in a nice little pond with tight cover where I had to be patient and let the birds get right in front of me because the wind was howling. The first customers of afternoon were a hen and two drake mallards coming in from right to left into the dekes. The CZ Redhead baby frame went boom, boom and crushed the two drakes. It was a quality hunt more so than a quantity hunt that day because I had to pass up some shots or loose birds in the Phrag. Most of these birds were shot with factory #6 Winchesters. I did shoot one with a #5 shot reload and the bird crumbled when I hit it. I haven't tried any of the TSS or HW reloads yet. I'm saving those little 3 dollar gems for some big birds lol
> 
> Thanks again to you & Toasty for the data and tips & tricks


Nice job Jerry, which reload did you use with the #5s?

BTW, most of the ducks shot above were with a steel #4 TSS #9 or #8.5 duplex load. Much more economical as it comes in at about $0.90 a load. I haven't pressure tested it yet, but I am loving it and will send it in after the season.


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## JerryH (Jun 17, 2014)

toasty said:


> Nice job Jerry, which reload did you use with the #5s?


 27 grs of Lil' Gun TPS28 wad 5/8oz of #5's 1465fps.

5/8oz of shot is like a wall of death!! lol Its 150 pellets!

I would like to play with your duplex load but I'll need to purchase some more shot from you.

The day I hunted the 28 it was the windiest day I've ever hunted. You read posts about how the wind blows small shot off coarse. I call B/S on that. Those little #6's stayed on target out to 30 yards in a crosswind. Next year the mighty 28 is going to Canada.


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

JuniorPre 360 said:


> I've shot maybe 2,000 ducks and 25 geese. I've got 1 single band. How do you guys do it?


Shoot more mallards!!


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