The North Bend Eagle

 

1Box Hunt
A local hunter sets up decoys in preparation for a goose hunt. The North Bend Ducks Unlimited chapter is setting up a hunting competition for January.

Local hunt hopes to become premiere event

by Nathan Arneal
Published 12/11/19

Look out, Oshkosh, there’s a new contender in the hunt for the prestigious title of Goose Capital of Nebraska.

If a group of local hunters and conservationists have their way, North Bend will soon become a mecca of goose hunters coming to town for a hunting contest and what they hope develops into a “winter Old Settlers.”

Nick Emanuel and Alex Legge, co-chairmen of the North Bend chapter of Ducks Unlimited, and a committee of about 20 locals are planning what they have dubbed the “1Box Goose Hunt” for January in a hunting blind near you.

The concept is this: about 12 four-person teams will be drawn by the committee out of applicants. They will be randomly assigned a goose blind along the Platte River located roughly within 20 miles either direction of North Bend. Each team gets one box of shotgun shells – 25 shots – to use in the hunt. Each blind will also have a guide acting as an official to make sure all contest rules are followed.

After the hunt on Jan. 11, teams will bring the results of their hunt to the North Bend city auditorium. Scoring will be based on the fewest number of shells used, the number of empty shells returned and the total weight of the top five geese harvested. Prizes will be awarded to the top three teams.

“For the hunting competition, it’s a unique thing,” Emanuel said. “There’s nothing like that on this side of the state.”

The local DU group took inspiration from hunting contests in the afore-mentioned Oshkosh, Nebraska, and Torrinton, Wyoming.

The “Torrington 2-Shot” contest is this weekend. This year Legge was lucky enough to be drawn as a participant in the contest, and he’s looking forward to seeing up close how it is run. In this hunt, two hunters are given two shells each. The Torrington hunt features 40 blinds and draws hunters from around the country.

The North Bend group has big plans for their own 1Box Hunt growing in the future.

“I hope the sky is the limit,” Legge said. “I hope the Chamber and maybe other groups in town would jump on board and add to it. It’s going to be slow process, but we’d like to think that’s where we go. We’d like it to be huge.”

More information and applications to participate in the hunt are being accepted online at www.1boxgoose.com through Dec. 20.

 

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