prairie lover
CGN Regular
- Location
- southern MB
I've been waterfoul hunting for 13 years now. This has NEVER NOT happened.
2023 Waterfowl Thread
- Thread starter the spank
- Start date
I've been waterfoul hunting for 13 years now. This has NEVER NOT happened.
1963beretta
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Vaughan, Ontario
I hunt exclusively on water. A lot of birds get spooked when going in early in the morning, mostly geese in my case. Ducks inevitably start flying just before legal light. If you are set up in areas that ducks want to be in during the day, they will fly in. Where I hunt, dabbling duck activity usually dies out at around 9:00am. Diving ducks fly around all day, especially if there are a lot of boats running around the lake. Geese are very different. They roost on the lake at night and head to the fields as soon as the sun comes up. I get some pass shoot opportunities when they come to and from the lake. They usually start flying between 8-10:00am and then about 5-6:00 in the evening. The fields around the lake I hunt have yet to be combined so the resident geese tend to stay on the lake longer. Once those farm fields start getting worked, the geese spend most of their time there and only head back to the lake for refreshments
Thanks for that!
the spank
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Planet Earth Wearing My Tinfoil Hat
It's nice to get caught up reading everyones posts. Glad to hear you've been able to get out there 1963Beretta! 
I've been running non-stop the past month between hunting at home, travelling to Ontario and back for a week of hunting and fishing with a couple buddies then getting home and scouting to find a hunt for a buddy I haven't seen or hunted with in 12-13 years that drove back to AB with me to spend a week or so hunting.
The trip to northern Ontario was fantastic! The grouse were thick as flies, honkers were co-operative and you had to hide your jig to thread a minnow on or the walleye and pike were jumping in the boat to bite it!
We ate well, hunted, fished and had lots of fun and laughs.
Travelling back home the drive seemed to take 1/4 the time as my buddy Wynn and I travelled and chatted getting caught up after a dozen or so years. We even had time to squeeze in one more evening walk for grouse on some old logging roads my last day in Ontario and added a few extra to the cooler to bring home.
Today after a day and a half of scouting we hunted a pea field that easily saw in excess of 10,000 geese feeding in it and with the high winds and cold temps the birds cycled back and forth continually from field to water, eating and drinking. There wasn't a second of empty sky all morning. Wynn said he's never seen anything like it and it was worth it just to see it and could care less if he shot anything. He said "what a show" to his wife and kids when he called home today. It was nice to get out with my wife and friends again in the blind and look forward to a full week of chasing birds.
Here are a few pics...
I've been running non-stop the past month between hunting at home, travelling to Ontario and back for a week of hunting and fishing with a couple buddies then getting home and scouting to find a hunt for a buddy I haven't seen or hunted with in 12-13 years that drove back to AB with me to spend a week or so hunting.
The trip to northern Ontario was fantastic! The grouse were thick as flies, honkers were co-operative and you had to hide your jig to thread a minnow on or the walleye and pike were jumping in the boat to bite it!
We ate well, hunted, fished and had lots of fun and laughs.
Travelling back home the drive seemed to take 1/4 the time as my buddy Wynn and I travelled and chatted getting caught up after a dozen or so years. We even had time to squeeze in one more evening walk for grouse on some old logging roads my last day in Ontario and added a few extra to the cooler to bring home.
Today after a day and a half of scouting we hunted a pea field that easily saw in excess of 10,000 geese feeding in it and with the high winds and cold temps the birds cycled back and forth continually from field to water, eating and drinking. There wasn't a second of empty sky all morning. Wynn said he's never seen anything like it and it was worth it just to see it and could care less if he shot anything. He said "what a show" to his wife and kids when he called home today. It was nice to get out with my wife and friends again in the blind and look forward to a full week of chasing birds.
Here are a few pics...
Attachments
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1963beretta
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Vaughan, Ontario
Well done Spank. You’re putting the hurt on the bird population once again.
I got out again today and it was miserable. A lot of rain and a lot of pain. Should have stayed in bed. At least I got to test out the aluminum weld job I did on my tin boat. Thankfully it appears to have been a success. Oh, and how can I forget about the 5 mallards that came back home with me. That was a bonus
Time for more Tylenol…..
I got out again today and it was miserable. A lot of rain and a lot of pain. Should have stayed in bed. At least I got to test out the aluminum weld job I did on my tin boat. Thankfully it appears to have been a success. Oh, and how can I forget about the 5 mallards that came back home with me. That was a bonus
Time for more Tylenol…..
1963beretta
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Vaughan, Ontario
It was worth it at the time….not sure it was now…
Not the best day hunting wise, but what a show!
Thousands of snow geese have arrived. They were of course flying well overhead. I brought 5 geese loads in a shell holder down to the banks of the slough with me. I had a moment of clarity as I was standing with my shotgun angled vertically expending my first 4 rounds at the sky, and decided to save my last shell.
I missed some close flights by failing to reload quickly (geese) and staring at the sky (ducks).
At last, a lone, small, seemingly suicidal goose began heading at my position. In a John Wick like fashion I grabbed the franchi's tactical charging handle (I actually love this thing) and slapped the oversized bolt release home.
The voice of The Spank echoed in my head, like Obi-wan: " Lead the goose, both eyes open, look at the goose and the bead, swing through"
Whap! I connected and it fell from the sky into the slough. After an aborted attempt with my safety on of course...
Besides I took one gadwall, also with a single shot. I am getting better at crossing shots it seeks. I wasted several other shots on a trio of mallards and unfortunately started the day by wounding one I could not find.
It seemed to slow down a bit earlier than normal today besides the high flying geese.
As I got up to leave I flushed a real butterball of a sharptail. It looked very concerned as it realized it would have to fly over the ~30 m slough to escape.
On the way back to my car I saw a trio of mallards on the water ~60 m away. I was walking downwind. I dropped my brace of waterfowl, intending to put the stalk on them. They made me the moment I turned somehow. The wind forced them to turn crossing in front of me.
I scrambled for a tactical reload, opening the box I had shoved in the front of my waders. I managed a single round figuring they would be long gone, but one was directly overhead! I waited till it had just passed behind me and drew a bead on it with my single round, just as my sensei had taught me. I squeezed the trigger, the duck a mere ~10 m away, and... missed.
Some takeaways from today's adventure. I have gotten a lot better at waiting until the ducks are past or upon me to swing/ shoulder my gun. The early movement was really causing them to flare, makes a big difference. Next time, I'm bring the box of goose shells with me, and waiting for good opportunities. I think I need to get some mallard decoys as well.
While the learning curve is steep, this has been good fun. Lucky to be somewhere with lots of birds so I have many opportunities to blow throughout the morning.
And again an appeal, if anyone in Regina or nearby would like to take an amateur out (especially on a proper geese hunt or for upland!) it would be much appreciated! I can offer you nothing but a promise that you will look very good comparatively
Thousands of snow geese have arrived. They were of course flying well overhead. I brought 5 geese loads in a shell holder down to the banks of the slough with me. I had a moment of clarity as I was standing with my shotgun angled vertically expending my first 4 rounds at the sky, and decided to save my last shell.
I missed some close flights by failing to reload quickly (geese) and staring at the sky (ducks).
At last, a lone, small, seemingly suicidal goose began heading at my position. In a John Wick like fashion I grabbed the franchi's tactical charging handle (I actually love this thing) and slapped the oversized bolt release home.
The voice of The Spank echoed in my head, like Obi-wan: " Lead the goose, both eyes open, look at the goose and the bead, swing through"
Whap! I connected and it fell from the sky into the slough. After an aborted attempt with my safety on of course...
Besides I took one gadwall, also with a single shot. I am getting better at crossing shots it seeks. I wasted several other shots on a trio of mallards and unfortunately started the day by wounding one I could not find.
It seemed to slow down a bit earlier than normal today besides the high flying geese.
As I got up to leave I flushed a real butterball of a sharptail. It looked very concerned as it realized it would have to fly over the ~30 m slough to escape.
On the way back to my car I saw a trio of mallards on the water ~60 m away. I was walking downwind. I dropped my brace of waterfowl, intending to put the stalk on them. They made me the moment I turned somehow. The wind forced them to turn crossing in front of me.
I scrambled for a tactical reload, opening the box I had shoved in the front of my waders. I managed a single round figuring they would be long gone, but one was directly overhead! I waited till it had just passed behind me and drew a bead on it with my single round, just as my sensei had taught me. I squeezed the trigger, the duck a mere ~10 m away, and... missed.
Some takeaways from today's adventure. I have gotten a lot better at waiting until the ducks are past or upon me to swing/ shoulder my gun. The early movement was really causing them to flare, makes a big difference. Next time, I'm bring the box of goose shells with me, and waiting for good opportunities. I think I need to get some mallard decoys as well.
While the learning curve is steep, this has been good fun. Lucky to be somewhere with lots of birds so I have many opportunities to blow throughout the morning.
And again an appeal, if anyone in Regina or nearby would like to take an amateur out (especially on a proper geese hunt or for upland!) it would be much appreciated! I can offer you nothing but a promise that you will look very good comparatively
the spank
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Planet Earth Wearing My Tinfoil Hat
Good job Conor90...sounds like you're starting to figure things out especially the when to mount the gun and the sight picture/follow through to connect. Keep at it...as for taking out a rookie make your way up to my neck of the woods and I'll take you out on a hunt or two...
The past few days have raced by as my buddy from Ontario joined us to hunt. This evening after scouting and acquiring permission to hunt a field holding thousands of geese and ducks my buddy says "if we don't shoot another bird or even go on another hunt before I fly home thursday this has been the most insane enjoyable waterfowl hunting I've ever experienced. I've never seen this many birds in Ontario in my 57 years". Later on the phone with his father I overheard him say "Dad, I will never hunt ducks and geese in Ontario again after hunting out here!" My wife and I looked at each other while standing at the kitchen counter preparing supper and smiled and my wife chuckled. The excitement in his voice telling his 85 year old father all they missed out on over the years had us both chuckling because we were the same 12 seasons ago.
Here are some pics...
The past few days have raced by as my buddy from Ontario joined us to hunt. This evening after scouting and acquiring permission to hunt a field holding thousands of geese and ducks my buddy says "if we don't shoot another bird or even go on another hunt before I fly home thursday this has been the most insane enjoyable waterfowl hunting I've ever experienced. I've never seen this many birds in Ontario in my 57 years". Later on the phone with his father I overheard him say "Dad, I will never hunt ducks and geese in Ontario again after hunting out here!" My wife and I looked at each other while standing at the kitchen counter preparing supper and smiled and my wife chuckled. The excitement in his voice telling his 85 year old father all they missed out on over the years had us both chuckling because we were the same 12 seasons ago.
Here are some pics...
Attachments
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the spank
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Planet Earth Wearing My Tinfoil Hat
Well I really do not know how to describe this morning other than STELLAR! My buddy and I took our 2 man limit of ducks, 8 mallards & 8 pintails, our limit of dark geese all 16 of which were Specks and a bonus 13 Snows. My buddy got his first ever Blue Goose and I shot a beautiful "tar belly" Speck which is now wrapped up in the freezer to deliver to the taxidermist.
Aside from the huge feed of thousands we located and secured permission for there was a HUGE push of birds this morning and we had hundreds more descend upon us and watched thousands migrate into the roost 1/2 mile from us.
We must have watched 1000 Swans migrate in over the course of the morning.
What a spectacular show!
Aside from the huge feed of thousands we located and secured permission for there was a HUGE push of birds this morning and we had hundreds more descend upon us and watched thousands migrate into the roost 1/2 mile from us.
We must have watched 1000 Swans migrate in over the course of the morning.
What a spectacular show!
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Frank, that is absolutely AWESOME!!!! I never had hunting like the time you and I got together a number of years ago out there. That was also Thanksgiving time frame, but the last day the snow and cold hit and the birds disappeared. They were heading south, and I started out homeward bound as well. Looks like I need to head west again one of these years!
Doug
the spank
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Planet Earth Wearing My Tinfoil Hat
Don't wait too long Doug...we are both getting long in the tooth! Lol
Runningfool
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- SW Ontario
Nice work and great pics! Congrats!
the spank
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Planet Earth Wearing My Tinfoil Hat
Believe me it's hard to sit in a ground blind overlooking an alfalfa pasture hoping to get a deer while geese and ducks are pouring into a snow covered barley field next door by the thousands...
the spank
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Planet Earth Wearing My Tinfoil Hat
Well it was my buddy's final hunt this morning. Tomorrow morning I take him to Edmonton to catch a flight home to North Bay. I think his head is still spinning from watching thousands of birds in a 360 degree radius flying non-stop from sun-up to the time we pulled the plug each morning.
He says he'll never hunt waterfowl at home again after experiencing it here, lol.
We finished the week off with a great hunt, my wife joined us for the last kick at the can and we all had a blast. We even had mature adult Greater Snows setting up nicely today over only 50 Snow silos and out of one flock we folded 7 for 7 shots. It was a cool rainout and we were fortunate enough to capture it on video!
My wife got a big beautiful triple curl Greenhead today! Here are todays pics!
He says he'll never hunt waterfowl at home again after experiencing it here, lol.
We finished the week off with a great hunt, my wife joined us for the last kick at the can and we all had a blast. We even had mature adult Greater Snows setting up nicely today over only 50 Snow silos and out of one flock we folded 7 for 7 shots. It was a cool rainout and we were fortunate enough to capture it on video!
My wife got a big beautiful triple curl Greenhead today! Here are todays pics!
