Well ladies and gentlemen, tonight I popped my cherry and got my first animal ever! A buddy and I set up for some goose out in a field here in SW ontario and about 5 minutes after getting set in the geese started flying. First a few flocks almost committed but made us then finally one flock came in with wings spread just gliding in and bam I nailed one. I have been out scouting and been out sitting "hunting" and it finally all paid off.
I was so excited (for lack of better words) I was shaking for several minutes after the fact.
Then a second flock came in and this is when things got upsetting, I shot one (with what I thought was a solid hit, feathers everywhere) but the goose managed to glide about 80 yards away from us towards a corn field. We knew it hadn't died so we got up to go finish it off and the thing stood up and started running into the field... I must have just broken it's wing. By time we got to where it had entered the field it was long gone, there was no blood trail and we didn't have dogs so we spent the next hour or so walking the field trying to find any sign of it with no luck. It got too dark and so we had to give up.
This part has troubled me a bit because now I feel horrible that there is a goose down with a broken wing dying slowly.
Alas, I am hooked now and have learned to make my shots count more now and I learned that it's not a good idea to shoot a goose if it I think it could make it to a place I could not retrieve it.
There are many more out there and I plan on going back out this weekend.
Pictures will be posted later this evening.
I was so excited (for lack of better words) I was shaking for several minutes after the fact.
Then a second flock came in and this is when things got upsetting, I shot one (with what I thought was a solid hit, feathers everywhere) but the goose managed to glide about 80 yards away from us towards a corn field. We knew it hadn't died so we got up to go finish it off and the thing stood up and started running into the field... I must have just broken it's wing. By time we got to where it had entered the field it was long gone, there was no blood trail and we didn't have dogs so we spent the next hour or so walking the field trying to find any sign of it with no luck. It got too dark and so we had to give up.
This part has troubled me a bit because now I feel horrible that there is a goose down with a broken wing dying slowly.
Alas, I am hooked now and have learned to make my shots count more now and I learned that it's not a good idea to shoot a goose if it I think it could make it to a place I could not retrieve it.
There are many more out there and I plan on going back out this weekend.
Pictures will be posted later this evening.
