The "flip" side of Mark Vanderhoof's avatar

fred slyfield

fred slyfield

Well-known member
When Mark came out to Washington this last December to hunt with Steve and I we went out for Harliquins one day and after Mark shot his I decided to give it a few more minutes to see if I could take one,, fully intending to gift it to a friend who wanted one to get mounted.

About then one of the little blue bombers came in and when the dog delivered it to us it was double banded.

Needless to say it now is going to stay in my possession mounted standing on a rock.

As you see in Marks photo avatar it only shows the pretty side of the 2 birds we shot that morning, My new avatar shows the pretty side of Marks bird and the underside of mine that caused me to be on the receiving end of some well pointed jabs from the rest of the crew that day!!

I hope all of you have a great off season

Fred
 
Fred, all I can say is.......you are about the luckiest damn sea duck hunter around. I was pleased as punch when I took my first Harly from Steves boat December before last. They are truely a beautiful bird and Steve is about the best host a guy could have to share a seas duck hunt with.

Congrdulations on such a rare banded bird. I bet Steve was doing the banded stump dance even if he was not the one who did the shooting.

Dave
 
Dave, I do agree on being lucky,, I know that 5-6 years ago there were alot of banded harliquins shot but lately I haven't heard of to many, my bird was banded in BC in 2003.

Living on the east side of the state and only doing the sea duck thing a couple trips a season it was really neat to get this bird. He will go well with the 3 harliquins my boys and I took several years ago. I will most likely never shoot another one.

I had more fun watching a great guy like Mark finish off a long time dream of getting one of these neat birds.
 
I am glad we breasted that bird out and grilled him that night! bwhahaahaha.
Neat Fred, but i think i hear Mark crowing in the background.
D-
 
Mark's first Harlequin, your banded bird and the phone call with your son afterward, and then throw in the fact that I saw more Harlequins, close up and personal over the decoys that day, than I ever have before, not to mention the Greenwing Teal that decoyed to the Scoter spread and it was a rare day indeed.

I haven't been able to find out much about the banding program that did your bird...they must have doen a decent number of birds based on the fact that Mike's group got another one the next day. If memory serves that makes (6) different colors of colored bands that I've had shot in my boats over the years which is pretty cool.

That was Mike's first banded Harlequin and that just added one more, "thats neat" to the bird...I would have guessed at that point that that bird would be the only banded Harlequin for him this year but got a huge surprise when my youngest nephew killed one of the yellow banded birds....since the last yellow bands went on back in the early 90's that color is becoming pretty rare....turns out the bird Alex shot was banded as "at least 3 years old..." in 1993....which would make that bird 16 years old....sort of the Dave Parks of the Harlequin population....

One of these I'll get the picture posting thing figured out and post some pictures of the birds from this season...

Steve
 
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I know we can't write what my son told Steve to tell me when he heard about the band ,,,, but how about the lady at the banding report number who heard all the bantering going on in the background and commented to me "my someone sounds awfully jealous"
 
Hey Fred,
The number you call to report is to a place here in Walla Walla and it is kinda strange to call a "national" number and the woman starts talking with you about the exact location you get your bird. She knows all the local hunt areas and sometimes tells us how many bands she knows of from each spot we ask about. Some local guys just carry their bird in on the way home and show it to her. Interesting.
 
hey fred, CROW, CROW, CROW!!!! "LISTEN TO ME, LISTEN TO ME". that is a day in which i will never forget. a special day for all. just think, if i had missed one more drake that morning i would have a double banded harli!!! good times, good times........
Wash11.jpg
Wash11.jpg

 
Kevin, kind of weird when several years ago I was calling in a band number when the gal told me she was in Walla Walla. I thought I was calling someone in the eastern part of the states. I guess they bid the job and someone from Walla W got it.

Mark, nice close up I forgot you had shot those, anyway that was a fun day,, hell the whole week was a fun time.

Possibly next time one of us can shoot a banded scoter over Fat Bast$%d the monster Scoter decoy.
 
Clearly you babied the big guy....my canvas Scoter certainly didn't fair so well...sunk at the battle of Scoter Beach by the Zumwalts he was back in service when he took another broadside at the "battle of the nephews" and then fared well until a single errant pellet at the waterline took him out while Jason Russell and my brother were here....

He made it back to the water on the last Scoter hunt of the year when Gregg Kurz and I shot together and managed to make it through that encounter without taking a hit. A bit too much like plastic for my taste I think mine will be retired. Or maybe I'll just single rig him BEHIND the boat....heck even my friends don't shoot THAT bad.....(well as long as Paul doesn't come up anyway)....

Steve
 
I put that big guy way off to the side, I do the same with the other birds that I was given, the only collaterial damage this year was 3 hits from a swatter load on Marks high head bluebill. The #6 steel didn't hurt it much.

My plastic's are the ones that get sacraficed at the pocket, have a GHG Can that a guy from N Dakota hit 16 times with #1 tungston, it's headed to the burn barrel.
 
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