A Duck Hunt to Remember!

It was the third day of our December Kansas hunt. Larry and I sat at the breakfast table drinking steaming hot coffee while stuffing bacon and eggs in our mouth. All the while, we listened to the frigid north wind roar past the trailer we were renting. At the moment, we were enjoying the warmth of the indoors and sweet aroma of coffee and bacon! We were pulled in two directions. We would really like to stay in the comfort of the indoors, but at the same time, we knew the birds would be there in numbers! We decided to formulate our strategy at the breakfast table. The previous two mornings we wasted time making decisions, then had to frantically get the spread set up before shooting time. It was too cold to have that conversation on the water!

There wasn’t much to stop the Kansas wind. It just seemed to cut right through us as it swept through the plains. My companion, Larry, trusty lab, Gunner, and I found a slightly protected bank along the river. The bank was just at the correct angle to break a good bit of the wind, but at the same time allow us to put the decoys where they could be seen from both directions up and down the river. That coupled with the fact that the sun was pretty much at our back, put us in pretty good position. The sun at our back meant that the shadows helped hide us from the eyes of our prey, and for an added bonus we didn’t have to stare into the sun!

It seemed like the best possible spot. Right at shooting time a three mallards agreed. They came out of nowhere and joined the Herter’s fakes. Our Benelli shotguns announced their arrival, and two birds splashed down. A good start to a bitter cold morning. The 17 degree temperature wasn’t horrible by itself, but the 25-30 mph winds made it quite chilly! It didn’t take long for ice to start forming around and on the dekes. The ducks however were not discouraged from joining our party. A flock of goldeneye soon cruised the edge of our spread, and two were counted against our limit. Not long afterwards, I scored a single drake mallard who swooped in from above the trees.

 Suddenly, we heard the unmistakable sound of snow geese closing in fast. Our guns at the ready. We could only helplessly watch as one flock after another flew by 100 yards away only five to thirty feet off the water! “Oh! They were flying right off the point where we were set up on yesterday!” I moaned. Larry reminded me, “You have already shot 11 geese and 12 ducks in two days. Do you really want to sit out there in this wind?” His logic was irrefutable. As much as I would have loved to drop a couple of snow geese, I knew we will get our share of ducks right there!

After a flock of about 100 widgeon flew over just out of range, a pair of canada geese honked over a field 250 yards down wind. I honked, cluck and whined at the reluctant duo and they started to turn. A few more honks in response to theirs and they were out in front of us for a shot. I swung ahead of the closest bird, about 65 yards away. I hesitated just a bit to allow my swing to lengthen the lead and pulled the trigger. That honker folded like a rock. “Yes!” I shouted. That big airplane sized bird landed 100 yards out. We decided to run out with the boat and retrieve it rather than send Gunner out on a long retrieve in those conditions. He would have had ice on his head as the waves hit him in the side of the face. He didn’t need that!

Larry used my landing net to scoop up the canada goose so as not to take a chance on getting water above his waterproof gloves. There were a couple of decoys that required our attention. After returning the decoys back to the river, I made the mistake of grabbing the gunnel of the boat with my wet glove. The glove instantly froze to the boat! That made it really difficult to steer!  

We got the boat back into position, and waited for the next action. We had no idea what was in store for us! A memory I wish to never forget! It was probably 10 minutes when we decided to break out the peanut butter and honey sandwiches. We sat there eating while Gunner watched intently all wrapped up in his wool blanket.

 He wasn’t watching for birds now. He was hoping one of us would drop our sandwich so he could scarf it up! I looked up in time to see a flock of 30 mallards coasting by with the wind at 30 yards. I grabbed my gun and picked out a green head. “Wait.”, Larry said hoarsely through his sandwich! I hesitated. I slowly turned at looked at him. I was visibly upset. “Watch’em”, he whispered. Sure enough the ducks turned back into the wind and back toward out spread. I have seen ducks go down wind and turn around before, but this flock did something surprising. Instead of the entire flock swinging like a door, each duck turned individually. It may have been that there wasn’t room for the group to swing together as one unit because the trees on the river bank were too close. I don’t know, but here they came. These big ducks cupped and came right into the hole! “Take’em!” I said excitedly.  Larry already had his gun up. “Bang! Bang! Bang!” As I watched the ducks fall. I quickly scanned the spread and saw 6 mallards floating belly up in the dekes! I saw Larry throw a shell in his gun and swing on a drake that inexplicably came back through. “Whoa!” I screamed. “What?” “Look in the water I yelled!”, then stood up. “We both tripled!” It was high fives followed by some war hoops!

It wasn’t quite 10:00 and we were packing up. I have shot triples on geese and ducks, but I still can’t believe that both of us to tripled on mallards from the same flock! That made this a duck hunt to remember!

2016 A Great Year for Snow Geese!

I have hunted waterfowl for 40 years. Prior to the year 2016, I had never harvested a snow goose. I am not the only Ohioan in that club. Snow geese are very rare in the buckeye state. There are some taken, but not very often. As a matter of fact, I was told by a wildlife manager in Magee Marsh a few years ago that there has never been a snow goose shot there! In context, he was telling all of us not to shoot swans, which are common. I did shoot a Ross’s goose in Texas 20 years ago.

It was not until March of 2016, on a guided hunt in Illinois did I actually get my first snow. I brought home two geese from that hunt. My second trip to Kansas this year proved to be quite “snowy”. On my first morning of the December trip I was able to reduce a black tipped beauty to my bag limit along with six ducks. My friend, Larry, had six ducks as well.

After our hunt we had the ritual of cleaning ducks, our guns and taking a shower. My friends, Matt and Randy stopped by to ask if we wanted to go rabbit hunting. I took a pass in favor of putting my feet up and petting the two Labrador Retrievers. It was about 4:00 when there was a knock at the door. I opened the door for Jeff, the owner. “This young man has something to ask you.” The teenage boy with him said, “Sir, I want to jump shoot a bunch of snows in the youth mentoring area, and I need an adult with me.” I was not real excited about jump shooting geese. It is usually a very difficult task.  I told him that I would, and ask him if I could bring my dog. He informed me that I could, and I needed to bring my gun and a box of shells. “You mean I can hunt too?!” I couldn’t believe it. He explained the rules on the way over. We stopped at the gate to fill out a paper. We made our way a bit further down the road to the biggest flock of birds that I have ever seen. We talked to a game protector afterwards who told us that there were 30,000 geese in that flock. As we approached the geese, I saw a large pile of logs on the edge of the cornfield that the geese were using. I believe I could smell those birds! Perhaps it was just the droppings, but the stench was real! The eager teenager told me to go around to the right and he would go left of the log pile. I could see birds still landing right where he was headed. Oh my! This was going to work.

I barely got around the corner when I heard the shot. I saw a single goose jump up 30 yards away. I raised my 10 gauge, Remington SP-10, and folded the bird. At that point I had a huge flock of birds fly in front of me. I picked out one, swung through and dropped it, two birds behind it crumbled as well. My third shot found its mark and another one joined it on its plummet to earth. I loaded two more rounds and three birds fell as the smooth-bore barked! My faithful companion, Gunner, bolted after a goose running across the cornfield. The white feathered prey had no chance against the exuberant canine. I quickly swung the steel barrel to another bird on the run. One shot and Gunner was hot on his trail. My furry hunting buddy had one goose after another in a pile. The young man who invited me called out to him as he was having difficulty rounding up a few of his birds! Unbelievably fun!

We were only back in Ohio for three day when Randy called, “There are forty snow geese using one of our cornfields!” I could hear the excitement in his voice. The next day we were set up in a cornfield with a bunch of snow wind socks and some Canada goose decoys. The Canada geese wanted nothing to do with those snow goose decoys, but that flock of snow geese came all the way in. I doubled and Randy scored. What a year for snow goose hunting!

A Hunter Fighting for his Life

I closed the door and removed the leashes from the dogs. Soon the trailer was full of the smell of bacon and coffee. I turned the eggs as the toast popped up, and in strolled my hunting partner ready for breakfast. I am the early riser of the hunting party. I always have been. He and I ate quickly as our dogs devoured their breakfast.  

As we loaded up to head out to the marsh on day 3 of our November Kansas duck hunt. We knew we were forced out of our “honey hole” by the new wind direction. The south wind also can affect both the numbers and species of birds you see that day. One of the things that I love about hunting Kansas is that you can encounter altogether different species from one day to the next. The anticipation of what the day will bring adds excitement to the morning. As the fairly stiff breeze rolled down the drive, I noticed the familiar dusty air that I associate with the dry Jayhawk state. The night air is clear and the stars are visible due to the absence of ambient light from the ground. Only the “Super Moon” interferes with their brilliance. The light from the close full moon almost negated the need for flashlights.

The last items to load were our furry companions. My yellow Lab, Gunner, enjoys the company of other dogs. His father, Hunter accompanied us that day. The two of them shared the back seat of my Expedition laying on the wool doggy blanket.

They travel well, and hate to be left behind! Gunner absolutely loves to retrieve, even though he is starting to become arthritic. He has been getting shots by the vet, and we switched to glucosamine supplement dog food. I have anti-inflammatory medicine for him as well.  Hunter is closing in on twelve years, but will occasionally use that keen nose of his to find a downed bird.

We launched our crew on schedule and set up with the wind at our back. We were in a new area where the marsh grass was both thick and tall. It seemed like a perfect place to hide. The problem came with the fifth bird of the morning. I shot a gadwall that drifted right and crashed into the marsh grass instead of the open water where the blocks were set. The first birds splashed in the decoys which made for an easy retrieve for Gunner. To retrieve this gadwall we had to move the boat, so I fired up the four stroke Mercury and away we went. Upon arriving in line with where the bird fell, I got out of the boat and called Gunner to join me. He promptly joined me with a “belly smacker” and the hunt was on. Meanwhile Randy was encouraging Hunter to join the quest. The stench of the swamp was no surprise, but the water depth was. I am six foot five, and the water was up to my navel. It did not challenge the top of my 5 mm chest waders, but it did slow me down a bit. Needless to say, the two dogs were unable to touch bottom. I searched for the bird with my eyes, but was more hopeful that the Labradors’ nose would win the day. There was an open water pocket, but beyond that the grass got thicker and thicker. I noticed the dogs were tiring from swimming and fighting the grass. I called to them and blew my whistle. Gunner came but the older dog was making a bee line into the grass. I hollered, called and whistled, but he would not change course. “Perhaps he has the scent of that duck!” I thought. So I followed him, but he disappeared. I whistled and called, but nothing. I decided to get Gunner back to the boat. “Call your dog”, I said to Randy. “He won’t come!” Randy pleaded, “His hearing is about gone! Blow your whistle!” I helped Gunner in the boat and headed where I had last seen the dog. Randy drove the boat through open water around to the back side. The grass got so thick I had difficulty forcing my way through. Hollering and whistling all the way, I finally punched through to open water. I walked 150 yards trying to get the attention of the elderly retriever!  I heard Randy making noise as he rounded the corner in the boat. “I can’t find him! What are we going to do?” I pleaded with Randy. It had been nearly 30 minutes since I had last seen him. “He’s probably dead! There’s no telling where is in here!” The thought of that sickened me. I told Randy that I was going back in the way I came out, and he should go around the other way.

I found the path that I made through the grass. It was easy to spot as the grass was so dense there. I decided that I was going to have to use my ears more this time, since I could not see very far through the grass. I walked about twenty feet and called out. I heard a loud splash. I walked out to open water and here came Gunner. He was swimming and whining. He had a worried look on his face. I didn’t know if he was upset about the missing chocolate lab or if he thought I was in distress. I put him back in the boat, and started out again. I walked thirty feet in this time, called out, whistled and listened. Now I prayed, “Lord please help us find this dog!” I walked twenty feet, called out, whistled and listened. I walked about 30 feet, realizing that I had a lot of swamp to cover. “How far could he have gone?” I said to myself. I moved again, stopped and called out. My heart nearly jumped into my throat when I heard two splashes that sounded just like a dog’s front paws on the water. I immediately plowed through the grass like a charging rhino! I headed toward the sound, but I couldn’t see very far so I stopped when I guessed I was close. I heard a whimper and I moved to the sound and there he was! The poor guy was exhausted! He was standing using the thick grass to hold his head and shoulders out of the water. Hunter was as glad to see me as I was to see him. I put my arm around him to hold him up, and I called Randy on my cell. Randy didn’t answer, but he must have guessed why I called. He came motoring along yelling, “Did you find him?” “I had tears in my eyes when I said, “Yes!” I was so full of emotion, excitement and relief it’s hard to describe. When I got him to the boat I was so pumped with adrenaline that I picked up the 100 pound Lab and put him in the boat like a sack of flour. Randy thanked me for finding his dog. I told him that I was not leaving that swamp without him! I knew he was a fighter!

Dog Training, a Little Knowledge is Dangerous!

It was a cool October morning about 38 years ago. We decided to hunt ducks at the Beach City Dam Wildlife Area. It was still dark as we unloaded my station wagon.  I grabbed my shotgun and a bag of decoys. Next I made sure I had a box of #4 12 gauge loads, lunch, and a bag of freshly baked biscuits that my wife made that morning! What a great gesture on her part. Larry and I ate a few on the way to the hunt, but I planned on using a few to entice my dog to obedient behavior. Finally, out came "Champ".

Champ was a beautiful 90 pound golden retriever, and what a handful! He became a member of the family when he was a day and a half old. He was the runt of 14 puppies. Rejected by the mother, I was asked to take her place. I had to feed him every two hours with a tiny baby bottle for 3 weeks. I also wiped him with wet cotton balls which simulates the mother licking her new born pup. He grew to be the biggest dog of the litter, and probably the most stubborn! I read a book called "Water Dog" by Richard Wolters. Armed with enough information to be dangerous, I set out to train my first duck dog. I think Champ read a book called, "How to resist training"!

As I let Champ out of the car, I kept him on the leash so he wouldn't do something crazy. He wouldn't run away, but he would chase critters. As we headed toward the marsh area along the river, I could smell the familiar odor of the black swamp water. I knew we were close. Suddenly, a small flock of ducks erupted from a pot hole. It was all I could do to hold on to that dog. "Heel!", I said. Eventually, he settled down and the trek continued. We made our way to our spot. Larry threw out the plastic fakes while I used available vegetation to put together a make-shift blind. It was still 15 minutes until shooting time, so we waited. Champ wanted to go exploring. I kept him busy by tearing off a piece of a biscuit and feeding him every few minutes. 

We didn’t have to wait long for the ducks to return. I could hear the whistling of wings from behind us. We were craning our necks in every way possible trying to spot the feathered “fighter planes”. Seemingly out of nowhere the birds appeared over the spread. Our shotguns erupted and each smooth bore found its mark. Two teal lay belly up surrounded by dekes. For some reason, I thought it was a good idea to have the dog’s leash attached to my waist. Before I could release him and give him the fetch command, he bolted! I left me feet and that dog dragged me 50 feet through the mud before I could regain my footing and stop the run-away furry freight train!

After a firm scolding, I released him to do what he loved. Fetch the ducks. He was proud as a peacock as he brought each prize position to his master. He was reluctant to give up the second bird, but he traded it for one of my wife’s biscuits! We returned to our blind and searched the sky for more ducks as we admired our success. After about twenty minutes of storytelling and no ducks. Larry asked me where my dog was. I turned around to see the golden burglar with his nose buried deep into the biscuit bag! It was too late. He had the last one in his mouth!

Duck hunting is a great time to share stories, and “Champ and the Biscuit Bag”, is one that I have heard over and over again! Every time I hear that story, I can smell the black mud all over my coat, and see the wagging tail of the dog with the last biscuit in his mouth. As frustrating as it may have been, I have fond memories of that ornery golden. He will always be missed.

Take a Youth Hunting!

It was late January, 2001, the ponds, lakes, and even many rivers were frozen. To make matters worse, we had a sizable snow fall making it tough for birds to forage for food. Birds don't normally hang around if they can't find food. Benny, my trusted golden retriever, and I had pretty much exhausted our scouting resources. It looked like that dreaded time was upon us. It was time to put our toys away!

Usually when I get out the decoy bags Benny would get excited, but it was as if he knew that this time they were to be packed away. He lay his head on the garage floor as I dumped out the first bag of full body goose decoys. I could tell we were both reminiscing about our golf course hunt when several blades of green grass tumbled from the bottom of the bag. Yes, what a fun September shoot! The next bag of goose shells had several  corn stalks in it mixed with dried brown earth from Stewart's field. We eventually bagged a few limits there, but we paid the price with severally mornings of empty sky's and frozen toes. Bag number three got Benny's attention right quick as a field mouse came scurrying out of the bag and out the front door. If the cement were not so slick, I think the dog would have won the race to the opening, but not today. It was about this time that I heard a truck door close. Down the driveway came my former defensive back and fellow outdoor enthusiast, Chis Brown. "Hey Coach, I've been trying to catch ya. Goin' hunting?" "I can't find any birds Chris!" I lamented. "Well Russell and I have birds! They're all over the place over at Ohio Power." 

"When are we going?" I asked. We agreed on 4:30 am the next day. The shift was on from pack up to gear up. Benny and I had that excitement yet again. 

The boys showed up on time. They managed to scrounge up some old white bed sheets, and a mat to lay on in the snow. It was quite a drive to the Ohio power lands area east of us. I would provide more detail but I have no idea how to get back to that specific spot! 

I followed the boys' directions. As we came up on a nice looking field marked "public hunting", we had arrived.  I found a gentle mound in the middle of a field and instructed the boys to unload here. We got the bags and guns out of the car and here came the geese. I had to calm the boys down. "Relax guys. We're going to shoot decoying birds. Put your guns down. Here, go hide the vehicle. Chris, help me put dekes together." 

We worked quickly and set up for the hunt. Russell returned on a jog. I instructed the boys to lay down in a line facing downwind. We did not wait long before the first flock of Giant Canadas appeared over the trees. They locked their wings and coasted all the way from some 500 yards. To the boys, it seemed to take 10 minutes as the group of 20 birds looked over the spread. Wearing white in the snow made us nearly invisible. Even Benny had a white towel over him. The birds glided in low as I continued to make soft grunts and clucks. "Take 'em ", I hollered! I dropped two of the feathered 757's. I saw one more fall and a fourth start down, but regained its strength and joined back up with the group.

I gave the command and Benny was off like a rocket! He had the second bird half way back to me when I heard a honk. I looked up to see 25 Giants locked up coming right at us. "Benny, down!" I hollered. All of us immediately laid down in the snow. Benny did as well, but the goose was not dead and it was trying to get away. Benny, using some ingenuity, put his front paws on the bird to hold it down and crawled on top of it and laid on it. Benny weighed in at 100 pounds, so that goose was trapped! 

Two geese fell from that flock. One flock and 10 minutes later, we were "high fiving" and picking up gear! What a fantastic hunt. The boys were recounting each flock and every shot they took. On the way home, they gave me full credit for teaching my dog to lay on that goose. I told them that was all him. They had never seen anything like that. To tell the truth, I hadn't either!

It did my heart good to see these boys get excited about goose hunting! I realized later that we don't have a season devoted to youth hunting geese as we do other species. However, it doesn't have to be "Youth Season" to take a youth hunting!

Waterfowl Hunting

Waterfowl hunting is without a doubt the most social friendly form of hunting. That being said, it is not easy. It is like playing chess, but your opponent is not just a bird. It is the instinctive behavior that God gave these creatures to survive coupled with the conditioned behavior that we instill in them. In other words, the survivors get educated. Add to this chess match of location, decoy selection, and decoy placement with the skills of calling and wing shooting, and you get a very enjoyable challenge.

I recall one middle aged man who was first introduced to duck hunting. It was a bit chilly that morning, and of course the hunting party was on the water well before dawn. The decoy spread was carefully placed while the wind was whipping the boat around. Finally the aroma of the morning coffee drowned out the stench of the bog behind them. No birds were seen early, just the beautiful sunrise in the cloudless sky. Without warning a squadron of the feathered prey swooped over the decoys from behind. The morning stillness was disrupted by the sound of the barrels hurling their steel shot. Three green heads lay upside down in the water. The group barely was reloaded when a flock of teal buzzed through. Another salvo erupted and two green wing teal joined the mallards on the lake. Moments later a pair of wood ducks coasted in and the rookie duck hunter marked his first score! High fives all around, and the boat owner exclaimed, "It just doesn't get any better than this!" To which the rookie replied, "Well if that is as good as it gets, you can have it." You can imagine the looks of disbelief this guy received! The truth is waterfowl hunting is not for everyone.

I took my son deer hunting, turkey hunting, squirrel hunting, and waterfowl hunting as he grew up. One morning I put him and his friend in a deer blind that was in a great location. I gave him my crossbow and bolts. I had to leave for awhile. "Text me if you need anything", I whispered. At 9:00 AM I received a text from him, "Come and get us!" In my excitement I asked, "Did you kill a buck?" He replied, "No. We are out of arrows!" Well, these two boys certainly enjoyed themselves, but my son still preferred waterfowling. "I don't have to be quiet when we duck hunt, and I can eat!" Spoken like a true boy!

While I was sharing pictures of a goose hunt with some friends, an acquaintance walked up and said, "I didn't know you duck hunted." We had quite a conversation about the sport during which he shared that what he likes best is being able to talk, laugh, eat and run a heater unlike other pursuits.

Getting back to the "chess match", it begins in the summer as decoys are painted or replaced. New lines need to be tied on and the latest mojo or swimmer is added to the spread. Our group has gone to all Herter style foam decoys. We also have some corks. The reason is that they are large and their density allows them to float so realistically in the water. It really makes a difference in choppy water. Scouting is another important component in the game. Let's face it. We are all much better callers when we are in the field, point or bay that the birds want to use! Once you find where the birds are, you need to conceal yourself. Concealment also needs to start in the off season. Building a good blind can include the need for comfort and to not "stick out like a sore thumb". Most well concealed blinds are built using existing vegetation to help it disappear. Boat blinds are commonly a necessity. The Avery quick set is my favorite, with modifications. I wrote a blog entitled, "Avery Quick Set Blind -ways to improve it", I refer you to that if you are interested. The advantage to a boat blind is that you can change position as the wind changes. Ideally we want to hunt with the wind and sun at our back in a place where we are well hidden. An experienced waterfowler knows that birds prefer to land into the wind. Ducks or geese coming straight in at you gives you the best shot. It works well if they don't see you. Some times we may have to settle for a cross wind because of concealment or because you don't have permission to be in the ideal position. That is another consideration. There have been a few times when the wind, sun and hiding place were all wrong, but I got ducks anyway because I was right where they wanted to be. Another consideration is the species of blocks to use. When we hunt our favorite lake we like to have goose, puddle duck and diver decoys. We shoot mostly puddle ducks as in mallards, blacks, woodies and teal, but occasionally some bufflehead or ringnecks will find their way over our fakes. We also shoot redheads, cans, scaup and others, but mostly the aforementioned duo. Geese are also present. That being the case, we like to separate the geese and puddle ducks with a landing area or "hole" in between. A diver line is usually placed outside the rest of the spread leading to the outermost puddle duck. The reason for this is that divers will follow the line until it ends and try to land on the upwind side. Snow geese also do this. Puddle ducks and Canada geese will land short of the mass in a opening, if provided.

Once you have selected your decoys and decided where you need to hide, the next chess move is the decoy position. My favorite decoy arrangement for puddle ducks is a "V" with a group at the apex of the V placed slightly upwind in a cross wind situation. As the ducks attempt to land, I want the landing area to be in front of the boat. I like the mojos in the near line of the "V" to pull the ducks closer. Another arrangement that works well for changing wind directions is a two group spread. I place one to the right of the boat and one to the left, leaving a gap as a "hole" for them to land. Two friends of mine learned a valuable lesson about a "hole" or landing zone. They were set up in a pretty good location, but one flock of mallards after another circled and flared off. "I don't get it", Randy said. "Well, you kept filling in the 'hole' as I was putting out decoys!" replied Matt. As soon as he heard, "I've never been a big fan of a 'hole'. I just like to spread them out." Matt was moving decoys. After the "hole" was created, the birds finished their descent and limits were filling up!

A friend of mine showed me a trick. We were hunting from a blind that I constructed. Our shots were long the second week, because the birds were a little "blind shy". We had a light wind that day, so Larry adjusted the "hole" in the shape of an "S". This cause the birds to maneuver through the dekes and not pay attention to the blind. I was shocked, but it worked!

I rarely target divers, but when I do, I use a "J" spread. The divers will follow the straight line of the "J" and try to land on the upwind side of the hook where most of the decoys are. Divers are best hunted on a point of land or from a layout boat.

Another enjoyable aspect of waterfowl hunting for me is training and hunting my dog. My dogs and I always develop a close bond both in training and the hunt.

I have not even touched on the skills of calling and shooting. The point is that there is quite a bit to duck hunting. Socializing is certainly a plus, but experiencing the outdoors, the wildlife, the breaking new day and the hunt makes waterfowling dear to my heart. I enjoy hunting deer, turkey and pheasants, but I will always be first and foremost a waterfowl hunter.

My First Snow Goose Hunt Part 2

We headed back to Illinois without two of our comrades. The bad part about that is twofold. One, we were missing our friends, and secondly with a smaller party we were likely to share the pit with another group. When you hunt with strangers you are rolling the dice. It could be a good experience or really bad!

We were determined, whatever our fate, we were going to have a good time! The first challenge to our resolve came slightly more than three hours into our trip. Upon return from our first bathroom break, I got the news from Randy. "I forgot my gun. Did you bring an extra gun? We could turn around!" I looked at him in disbelief, then I turned and looked at Matt in the back seat, "So much for your theory that we can at least count on Randy to bring his gun and his ammo!" We all laughed. I informed my forgetful fellow hunter that I brought my SBE-2, and he was welcome to use it, but there was no way in hell we were turning around! I was debating on whether to shoot the 3 1/2 12 gauge with the magazine extender or my SP-10. I guess my decision was made. Five hours later, we pulled into the parking lot in Anna, Illinois following a pick uptruck with Michigan plates. We didn't know it at the time, but these folks would be our companions for the next two days.

We parked behind the barn like we did last week, and hurried in to find a bed. The group from Michigan was straggling behind as they attempted to stretch their legs and gain their bearings. I couldn't help but notice that they had a woman with them. Good luck, I thought. As the lodge door opened I noticed that the odor reminded me of a college dorm room! I wasn't sure why, but it was very different from last week. Upon entering the living room, I could see the game of beer pong being played by three guys who looked to be in their early twenties. They were "well oiled", as it were, as in, "feeling no pain".

The last thing I wanted to deal with at 10:00 PM was three drunks. We found Jay and he pointed us to our sleeping quarters. As we walked back down the hallway, I met the fatherly figure of the Michigan crew. "Hi, are you guys from Michigan?" I inquired. "Sure are!" "Well you might as well turn around, 'cause you can't stay here!" I could not say that without laughing! I believe his name was Mike, replied, "Let me guess, you're from Ohio!" "You guessed, it!" The rivalry never takes a holiday! It was all in good fun! I was wondering how a lady (Mike's daughter, Sarah) was going to throw a Monkey wrench into the shower and restroom facilities. However, I was impressed. Sarah was quite a trooper. She showered and did her thing, never asked for special consideration or accommodations. I say that, but we were all respectful of her presence. It worked out well.

As for the drunks, they were quiet drunks! We settled in, and they settled down. What started out looking like a disastrous situation, became a peaceful and harmonious evening. Gunner crawled up on the bed next to me and it was lights out.

The next morning we checked in with Rex, met our guide, Rocky, and headed 25 miles southeast to our pit blind. After unloading, Rocky took us and our gear in a side by side four wheeler to the pit. Gunner ran along behind. This time I was mindful of where the dog was with respect to the pit blind so as not to have any "tiger traps" for Gunner to fall into. The pit was similar to the one we were in last week, but much shallower! I don't believe any of our party, except Gunner, could stand up under the ceiling! Being above average in height, at 6'5", I am used to things not being made for me. My friends were a bit miffed by the low ceiling. After some initial grumbling, we all adjusted just fine. The vertical challenge was not a deterrent to the bacon and pancake breakfast that we salivated for! It wasn't long until the pit was filled with the smell of bacon cooking on my propane camping stove. Rocky watched for birds as we poured syrup on the welcomed breakfast.

Rocky told us not to expect any birds until the rain quit. Late that morning, the rain slowed to an intermittent drizzle. Just as our guide predicted about 3,000 snow geese appeared on the horizon. Rocky turned on the calls, but we watched in disappointment as they landed across the road. "Well it looks we are going to have to compete with locals", Rocky stated what we were all thinking. The pit had a concrete divider that separated our two groups, but if you could fit through the opening you could walk its length. I preferred to yell questions to Rocky, because fitting through that gap did not look possible for me. Out of boredom, I slid under the bench and took a nap. I had not been there long when I was awakened by the sound of Rocky firing up the electronic calls. James leaned through the gap and said, "cover up". I got up as Matt was moving the cornstalks to conceal our position. Sure enough, we had geese working our spread! Suddenly, it was a tornado of snows circling then breaking formation. It was like being in a snow globe! They were everywhere! I was so excited, I had to be grinning from ear to ear. The guide was talking to us fairly loudly but with the calls going and the sound of the flock, it was difficult to hear. We had a pair fly by at 20 yards and four cross from the opposite direction at 30 yards. Awesome! Matt and I watched a flock of eight cruise in over our left shoulder at 30 yards. I looked at Rocky, but he was talking about a group in the opposite direction. He did not see our eight.  As I watched the eight coast out of our spread I heard Rocky say, "take these!" I quickly popped up out of the hole and opened fired. i was a bit surprised that Rocky called the shot on these twenty five geese at 60 yards, but here we are! I was thrilled when my 10 gauge erupted and the goose I was shooting at folded and fell from the flock, "I hit one!" I yelled. Much to my disappointment the next shot did not fire. My gun jammed. The next shell came out early and fouled the trusty semi-auto! Matt let Gunner out of the pit. He raced passed Sarah who must have rocketed out like Hussein Bolt himself. Gunner tackled my snow at 100 yards. He returned with him and pranced back and forth in front of the pit. Apparently Sarah dropped the other bird on the last shot of the volley with her 20 gauge! Wow, what a shot, right in the head!

We barely had time to recount the tale of the awesome sight when Rocky turned on the calls again. "These are going to fly right over our heads and we are going to take passing shots. They are in range!" We waited maybe 10 seconds and we stood up blazing! The SP-10 let out a thunderous eruption and my second snow goose died in flight and landed 20 feet from the pit. I was so excited I almost forgot to shoot again. Five geese in all were hit by our group and Gunner was off and running!

The happy hunters:Randy, Me, Matt and Gunner

Not only was this a darn good hunt, but a fantastic experience! If you ever get a chance to go on a spring snow goose hunt, I highly recommend it! Snowsunlimited have no idea that I write this blog, so it's not like I have any ulterior motive for plugging them. They do a great job, but next time we may go with someone else just for a different experience.

My first snow goose.