Alberta Canada Goose & Ducks
11-19-2008, 07:35 PM
#1
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Chesapeake, VA
Posts: 80
Alberta Canada Goose & Ducks
Today started off with a Duck & Goose hunt. Our limits for the day were 8 Ducks, 8 Canadian Geese, and 20 Snow Geese.
Well there were 3 of us who were shooting so the potential to have over 100 birds on the ground and going to the freezer sounded awesome.
The area we ended up in had been scouted for 5 continous days before we showed up to hunt there this morning and each day it was loaded with geese and even had some ducks mixed in as well. Our guide determined that this would give us better options then to set up in a field for geese only, then move and get around a pond for ducks later on.
We ended up with over 200 decoys in the field, and as we were setting up the the last dozen decoys we had a flock of Malards come in for final approach. The guide yells out "Coach, bust em" so I picked up the closest gun I could find, and busted 2 Drakes and 1 hen.
Going 3 for 3 right off the bat definately had my spirits high as I couldn't wait for the geese. It took about 15 minutes before we started seeing the geese get up and move about a half mile off. Our guide began hitting the call, and watching a flock of 30 plus geese turn towards us was just amazing. The flock came in on us but flared off about 200yds away. As they were flying away, our guide hit the call once again turning them once more, and they circled us again and started to work the decoys. After 4 passes the geese finally dropped in to land, and out came the call to "bust em Coach". We were able to drop 3 Canadians out of the first group.
Drake (lab-retriever) gathered each one of the birds quickly for us, and we laughed for a few while Drake was gathering the birds. I don't know what it is, but being out in hunting blinds whether it is Coffin Blinds here in Alberta Canada, pit blinds in Port Aransas, or Tower Blinds in Mexico they always seem to bring out funny stories and some times it is just a little to much information that you cared to know about some people! The story involved 3 items, A bullwhip, a tube of liquid platinum, and coco butter.
I was crying the remainder of the hunt from laughter after listening to the story. Roughly half an hour went by before we got our next set of birds, but when they came within calling range, they came big!!!
Our next set of birds brought us 5 different flocks of Canadians and each flock contained over 50 birds each. Our guide started to work the birds and got all 5 groups to turn towards us. As he was working the Canadians one of the most beautiful things in my entire life started to come into my line of site. We had well over 250 canadians working the decoys above us at about 200 feet, and my first ever flock of
snow geese was making a B-line straight to us. Our guide asked what I wanted to do, and I told him to let the Canadians land as I wanted to bust the Snow Geese on apporoach!! Now my strategy on this was that we would be able to bust the Snow Geese, and then catch the Canadians while they took off. I knew it was quiet a few snow geese in the flock because I could see the flock from well over a mile away. The reason why this is one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen in my life is because this flock was well over 400 birds of Snow Geese flying all together, it looked like a huge moving cloud. As these geese are coming in and we are getting ready to bust them I hear our "flag men" start hollering "blue blue blue, there's a blue".
Now I got no clue in the world what in the world he is hollering so I relax the tension on the gun and look over in his direction taking my eyes off the incoming birds. I hear the guide say "bust em" and when I look back the Snow Geese didn't even work the decoys, they came straight in and were landing.
We ended up getting 6 Snow Geese and 3 Canadians out of that mass of birds. At the end of the day, I was still in awe at the size of that flock of birds flying all together like that. Words really can't describe how loud it was having a flock that size landing right in front of you, and you just hear the wind cutting across their wings with all of them "locked".
We only got 1 more group of Mallards after that. 30 minutes of no action at all, and we called it a day. We didn't limit out, but I got to see something that was just truly amazing and really words just don't do it justice.
Later on that evening I headed to Lethbrige with Cory to one of his Sports Bars. He was hosting the UFC fights, and had a few friends in the house that I got to meet and some of you might know a few of them from the pictures below.
Can anyone guess who this is?
Well there were 3 of us who were shooting so the potential to have over 100 birds on the ground and going to the freezer sounded awesome.
The area we ended up in had been scouted for 5 continous days before we showed up to hunt there this morning and each day it was loaded with geese and even had some ducks mixed in as well. Our guide determined that this would give us better options then to set up in a field for geese only, then move and get around a pond for ducks later on.
We ended up with over 200 decoys in the field, and as we were setting up the the last dozen decoys we had a flock of Malards come in for final approach. The guide yells out "Coach, bust em" so I picked up the closest gun I could find, and busted 2 Drakes and 1 hen.
Going 3 for 3 right off the bat definately had my spirits high as I couldn't wait for the geese. It took about 15 minutes before we started seeing the geese get up and move about a half mile off. Our guide began hitting the call, and watching a flock of 30 plus geese turn towards us was just amazing. The flock came in on us but flared off about 200yds away. As they were flying away, our guide hit the call once again turning them once more, and they circled us again and started to work the decoys. After 4 passes the geese finally dropped in to land, and out came the call to "bust em Coach". We were able to drop 3 Canadians out of the first group.
Drake (lab-retriever) gathered each one of the birds quickly for us, and we laughed for a few while Drake was gathering the birds. I don't know what it is, but being out in hunting blinds whether it is Coffin Blinds here in Alberta Canada, pit blinds in Port Aransas, or Tower Blinds in Mexico they always seem to bring out funny stories and some times it is just a little to much information that you cared to know about some people! The story involved 3 items, A bullwhip, a tube of liquid platinum, and coco butter.
I was crying the remainder of the hunt from laughter after listening to the story. Roughly half an hour went by before we got our next set of birds, but when they came within calling range, they came big!!!
Our next set of birds brought us 5 different flocks of Canadians and each flock contained over 50 birds each. Our guide started to work the birds and got all 5 groups to turn towards us. As he was working the Canadians one of the most beautiful things in my entire life started to come into my line of site. We had well over 250 canadians working the decoys above us at about 200 feet, and my first ever flock of
snow geese was making a B-line straight to us. Our guide asked what I wanted to do, and I told him to let the Canadians land as I wanted to bust the Snow Geese on apporoach!! Now my strategy on this was that we would be able to bust the Snow Geese, and then catch the Canadians while they took off. I knew it was quiet a few snow geese in the flock because I could see the flock from well over a mile away. The reason why this is one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen in my life is because this flock was well over 400 birds of Snow Geese flying all together, it looked like a huge moving cloud. As these geese are coming in and we are getting ready to bust them I hear our "flag men" start hollering "blue blue blue, there's a blue".
Now I got no clue in the world what in the world he is hollering so I relax the tension on the gun and look over in his direction taking my eyes off the incoming birds. I hear the guide say "bust em" and when I look back the Snow Geese didn't even work the decoys, they came straight in and were landing.
We ended up getting 6 Snow Geese and 3 Canadians out of that mass of birds. At the end of the day, I was still in awe at the size of that flock of birds flying all together like that. Words really can't describe how loud it was having a flock that size landing right in front of you, and you just hear the wind cutting across their wings with all of them "locked".
We only got 1 more group of Mallards after that. 30 minutes of no action at all, and we called it a day. We didn't limit out, but I got to see something that was just truly amazing and really words just don't do it justice.
Later on that evening I headed to Lethbrige with Cory to one of his Sports Bars. He was hosting the UFC fights, and had a few friends in the house that I got to meet and some of you might know a few of them from the pictures below.
Can anyone guess who this is?
11-20-2008, 03:35 PM
#3
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Chesapeake, VA
Posts: 80
RE: Alberta Canada Goose & Ducks
BC.....a "Blue Goose" is one of those genetic things that happen ever once in awhile. It's more of a Trophy Snow Goose since they are rare.
Snow Goose
Blue Goose
As you can see they are very distinct, but when I had over 400 of the Snow Birds coming in at me, I was in awe just enjoying the site, and unlike the locals who were hunting with us, I definately didn't have the trained eye to find the Blue Geese![/align]
Snow Goose
Blue Goose
As you can see they are very distinct, but when I had over 400 of the Snow Birds coming in at me, I was in awe just enjoying the site, and unlike the locals who were hunting with us, I definately didn't have the trained eye to find the Blue Geese![/align]
