During hunting season, there are always the stories of the “one that got away,” but in the case of two Mandan sportsmen, their pursuit after an entire flock of geese was nothing to brag about.

John Theis and Will Armstrong had been out hunting all day when they finally spotted a flock of geese in a field. The hunters crawled quietly through the grass for a half mile, then let loose with both barrels of their guns. When the smoke cleared, much to their amazement, the geese were all still standing!

Upon closer inspection, Theis and Armstrong realized they had stalked and “killed” tin decoys. Armstrong gave a witness of their folly five dollars to keep quiet. Nevertheless, the hunt made the Mandan Pioneer today in 1892, and since the incident still made the paper, hunters might be warned to give at least ten dollars if they commit their own “fowl” folly.

By Tessa Sandstrom

Source: Mandan Pioneer. Nov. 4, 1892: 12.

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