the spank
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Planet Earth Wearing My Tinfoil Hat
It's official... three rookies Jamie, myself and Chad joined veteran snow goose chaser, Rick ( a friend of Jamies) this past weekend in Pierreville QC with Moyak Guide Service to hunt for greater snows in the spring conservation order hunt. Our guide Claude( Moyak) messaged us a few times in the week leading up to the hunt to let us know that although goose numbers in the area were high the shooting was less than stellar due to a new season this year allowing an extra 5 weeks in the spring season. The birds having been pounded from October clean through til the present day were definitely educated and were less than co-operative we were told. Although we had high hopes for the past few months in anticipation of our upcoming hunt, reality set in before leaving and we figured we would be happy if we got to fire a few rounds of shot at a bird or two and go enjoy the experience and thrill of a spring snow hunt. After a 9 hour drive Chad and I arrived at our destination and picked up the required licenses, checked into the house we had rented for the weekend then set off scouting with Claude after a quick call to him to let him know we had arrived. Jamie and Rick arrived a few hours later while Chad and I were scouting with our guide while Jamie and Rick got prepared for the next morning and awaited the news from our scouting mission upon our return to the house. After a couple hours of scouting we settled on shooting a harvested corn field holding good numbers of birds and made arrangements to meet Claude at 2:30 am to help set out the spread and maybe get a whack at a nice mature snow or two.
After setting out a smaller spread of about 200 decoys and deciding to shoot from a drainage ditch located between two fields Claude ran the wires and speakers for the e-callers and we got ready for some antipated action. The morning was cool and foggy and a few flocks had passed over us about 30 mins before legal shooting time. We could not see them at all between the fog and low light conditions but it sounded good to hear snows calling out for the first time ever. Legal shooting time found the birds sitting tight with the heavy fog. As the fog lifted over the next half hour or so a few birds passed overhead unseen again and then finally some honking that sounded much lower seemed to be headed our way coming from the direction of a pond we had seen birds dump into at nightfall. Claude had told us he expected those birds would offer a higher percantage chance at a shot. He called it absolutely dead on in the way they reacted upon breaking through the fog and seeing the decoys 50 yards in front of them, 500 snows as a single mass turned on the afterburners and started to climb and split apart to pass around the outside edges of the spread to avoid anything resembling a decoy. Claude called the shot immediately and as I was on the end of the spread the birds approached from I had the best opportunity for the closest shot of any of us, in fact until the birds either passed in front or back I was the only one offered a decent shot at them. At the call I threw my new Maxus loaded with Federal Ultra Shok 3" #2's to my shoulder and picked out the closest bird to me. Flaring and climbing for altitude at about 45 yards I took aim at the bird and pulled the trigger when the bead passed the beak. Missed! Not an audacious start for my never been waterfowl hunted with Maxus but I stuck with the bird and as it turned to slip behind me I pulled my lead a little farther out and fired off round #2. Success, the bird folded clean and dropped about 100 yards away, its momentum carrying it 50 yards beyond where it was shot.Another bird came in behind and in line with my barrel and I pulled off a third round and again saw success as a cloud of white feathers blew out in trail behind the bird. By this point I was flat on my back in the ditch, shooting behind myself with my gun upside down. I lost sight of the bird at the shot's impact and I turned in time to see it drop 10 yards or so from my first bird, in my peripheral I could see to my left in front of the others a third and possibly even fourth bird going down. After a few yoo-hoos and some compliments from Claude on our shooting Jamie set about to sending his little lady "Belle' on her first ever snow retrieves. Off she went picking up the first goose I had smoked and was back in seconds with her first ever snow and my second ever snow. Jamie got her lined again after receiving the first bird from her and she headed off for my second bird. She was back in a few seconds again. I asked Jamie to throw me the first bird to look at. It was shiny and white and not covered in mud like the second bird and I wanted to admire it up close and get a good look at these truly wild mature birds. He grinned and said I think you would prefer to see the second one. At first I said no just throw the first one and he said again with insistence in his voice, no I think you would REALLY prefer the second bird! I started to answer back when I saw the bird he had just received from Belle hanging from his right arm was wearing a band! On my first snow goose hunt ever I had collected a mature bird with leg iron using my newly minted Maxus. What a way to kick off 2011! Or is it ending the 2010 season?? Hmmm,I'll let you guys and gals decide.......
The morning continued to remain overcast and birds passed over us unseen, barely seen, seen at the last possible second when somewhat in range, but never did a flock work our decoy spread. As Claude had said all the shooting would be pass shooting at extreme ranges. We managed to collect another 3 or 4 birds( 8 in total and all mature adults, the first two were my only two of the day though I fired off a few more rounds
) before calling it a morning. Claude seemed to be pleased. He told us the groups all spring until a week before had better shooting opportunities than we did and only 1 or two groups had surpassed us in # of birds harvested( 15 being the highest # of birds harvested by any of his groups this spring season). He said to me as we sat talking that he wished the previous groups he guided could connect as well as our group on high passing shots, he said it was much easier on his own personal ammo supply and wallet!
We packed up in short time and went to look at a spot that Claudes partner had scouted while we were hunting. After assessing the situation we decided to hunt the spot the next morning before heading home. The area we were to hunt was a very, very large field separated into a number of different crops. The back of the field butted up to a river that had overflowed its banks from two weeks of heavy rains and the birds had been using the flooded spot, about the size of a small lake as a roost. The water had receded almost completely and that night the birds returned to their original roost site but were using another section of the field to feed in, a large green field that looked like fresh clover or alfalfa. We would come back in the morning to see what day two would bring for us...........
Day 1
Chad with a mature greater snow goose.
Calling it a morning while watching snows lifting and resttling on a field a half mile behind us...Claude(our guide) setting out birds for a photo opp with Rick(the only snow goose hunting vet in our group) watching to make sure nothing slips in unoticed from behind.
A fleeting moment of antipation as a flock approaches from behind, the flock turned away 1/4 mile off before anyone could even think of hiding in the ditch.
LEG BAND!! Not a very good clear picture but this was the band I collected from the first shots I fired on my first ever snow goose hunt. The band looks as it appears, old and worn paper thin on one side with a spot around the top rim about 3/8" in depth worn right through. Some of the information lettering (800 call in numbers are worn right off). After reporting the band online this morning I found out the bird was banded in Nunavut on August 13/2000. Until the certificate arrives I know the bird is just weeks shy of it's 11th birthday for sure! That means this was the second half of its 11th migration, this bird had some miles on it!!
Belle brings in her first ever snow.
Belle with the banded snow...
Days end, all packed up and ready to go. A quick photo before leaving the field.
The location for day two and as you can see there are a few birds using the field.
After setting out a smaller spread of about 200 decoys and deciding to shoot from a drainage ditch located between two fields Claude ran the wires and speakers for the e-callers and we got ready for some antipated action. The morning was cool and foggy and a few flocks had passed over us about 30 mins before legal shooting time. We could not see them at all between the fog and low light conditions but it sounded good to hear snows calling out for the first time ever. Legal shooting time found the birds sitting tight with the heavy fog. As the fog lifted over the next half hour or so a few birds passed overhead unseen again and then finally some honking that sounded much lower seemed to be headed our way coming from the direction of a pond we had seen birds dump into at nightfall. Claude had told us he expected those birds would offer a higher percantage chance at a shot. He called it absolutely dead on in the way they reacted upon breaking through the fog and seeing the decoys 50 yards in front of them, 500 snows as a single mass turned on the afterburners and started to climb and split apart to pass around the outside edges of the spread to avoid anything resembling a decoy. Claude called the shot immediately and as I was on the end of the spread the birds approached from I had the best opportunity for the closest shot of any of us, in fact until the birds either passed in front or back I was the only one offered a decent shot at them. At the call I threw my new Maxus loaded with Federal Ultra Shok 3" #2's to my shoulder and picked out the closest bird to me. Flaring and climbing for altitude at about 45 yards I took aim at the bird and pulled the trigger when the bead passed the beak. Missed! Not an audacious start for my never been waterfowl hunted with Maxus but I stuck with the bird and as it turned to slip behind me I pulled my lead a little farther out and fired off round #2. Success, the bird folded clean and dropped about 100 yards away, its momentum carrying it 50 yards beyond where it was shot.Another bird came in behind and in line with my barrel and I pulled off a third round and again saw success as a cloud of white feathers blew out in trail behind the bird. By this point I was flat on my back in the ditch, shooting behind myself with my gun upside down. I lost sight of the bird at the shot's impact and I turned in time to see it drop 10 yards or so from my first bird, in my peripheral I could see to my left in front of the others a third and possibly even fourth bird going down. After a few yoo-hoos and some compliments from Claude on our shooting Jamie set about to sending his little lady "Belle' on her first ever snow retrieves. Off she went picking up the first goose I had smoked and was back in seconds with her first ever snow and my second ever snow. Jamie got her lined again after receiving the first bird from her and she headed off for my second bird. She was back in a few seconds again. I asked Jamie to throw me the first bird to look at. It was shiny and white and not covered in mud like the second bird and I wanted to admire it up close and get a good look at these truly wild mature birds. He grinned and said I think you would prefer to see the second one. At first I said no just throw the first one and he said again with insistence in his voice, no I think you would REALLY prefer the second bird! I started to answer back when I saw the bird he had just received from Belle hanging from his right arm was wearing a band! On my first snow goose hunt ever I had collected a mature bird with leg iron using my newly minted Maxus. What a way to kick off 2011! Or is it ending the 2010 season?? Hmmm,I'll let you guys and gals decide.......
The morning continued to remain overcast and birds passed over us unseen, barely seen, seen at the last possible second when somewhat in range, but never did a flock work our decoy spread. As Claude had said all the shooting would be pass shooting at extreme ranges. We managed to collect another 3 or 4 birds( 8 in total and all mature adults, the first two were my only two of the day though I fired off a few more rounds
) before calling it a morning. Claude seemed to be pleased. He told us the groups all spring until a week before had better shooting opportunities than we did and only 1 or two groups had surpassed us in # of birds harvested( 15 being the highest # of birds harvested by any of his groups this spring season). He said to me as we sat talking that he wished the previous groups he guided could connect as well as our group on high passing shots, he said it was much easier on his own personal ammo supply and wallet! We packed up in short time and went to look at a spot that Claudes partner had scouted while we were hunting. After assessing the situation we decided to hunt the spot the next morning before heading home. The area we were to hunt was a very, very large field separated into a number of different crops. The back of the field butted up to a river that had overflowed its banks from two weeks of heavy rains and the birds had been using the flooded spot, about the size of a small lake as a roost. The water had receded almost completely and that night the birds returned to their original roost site but were using another section of the field to feed in, a large green field that looked like fresh clover or alfalfa. We would come back in the morning to see what day two would bring for us...........
Day 1
Chad with a mature greater snow goose.
Calling it a morning while watching snows lifting and resttling on a field a half mile behind us...Claude(our guide) setting out birds for a photo opp with Rick(the only snow goose hunting vet in our group) watching to make sure nothing slips in unoticed from behind.
A fleeting moment of antipation as a flock approaches from behind, the flock turned away 1/4 mile off before anyone could even think of hiding in the ditch.
LEG BAND!! Not a very good clear picture but this was the band I collected from the first shots I fired on my first ever snow goose hunt. The band looks as it appears, old and worn paper thin on one side with a spot around the top rim about 3/8" in depth worn right through. Some of the information lettering (800 call in numbers are worn right off). After reporting the band online this morning I found out the bird was banded in Nunavut on August 13/2000. Until the certificate arrives I know the bird is just weeks shy of it's 11th birthday for sure! That means this was the second half of its 11th migration, this bird had some miles on it!!
Belle brings in her first ever snow.
Belle with the banded snow...
Days end, all packed up and ready to go. A quick photo before leaving the field.
The location for day two and as you can see there are a few birds using the field.
