Dave at kelton Posted November 1, 2022 Report Share Posted November 1, 2022 Stepped outside at 4.45 this morning to absolute silence broken only by the calls of the snow geese passing through. It was calm and cool but still positive temperatures but with small flurries of snow reminding us that this is autumn in Canada. We had a snow goose hunt planned with a fifty minute drive to the stubble field near the roost. We stepped out into the predawn cold but warmed up putting out just over one thousand decoys over about 3/4 hour. Shooting is from deck chairs laying amongst the decoys with us dressed in white decorators overalls. Shooting light is 08.00 and the first snows moved not long after. Whilst thousands were leaving the roost they were crossing the decoy pattern showing little interest, clearly with feeding planned elsewhere. Every now and then a small group would take a look and be drawn into the spread the first landing in the pattern amongst us whilst we awaited the rest before taking our shots. Whilst used to shooting from awkward positions wildfowling there is something about trying to sit up and shoot from these beds that is just unnatural making shooting challenging. Well that’s my excuse for missing a couple of sitters. It was one of those flights when the geese just wouldn’t come in so we packed up with 21 snow geese a greater Canada and a white front. The latter had come in as a single and the Canada part of a bunch that passed just a little too close behind us. Would have been good to shoot more but that’s a good start for our five guns. A quick turn around for lunch and back in the truck for a 45 min trip to another stubble field for a mixed flight, ducks and geese. Set up was an upright blind with a mix of decoys, snows, canadas and white fronts (specs). Hide building here is very different starting with a metal frame and huge bundles of birch willow and spruce which you would think the birds would avoid but it’s so much part of the landscape it is largely ignored. A lot less decoys than this morning at only about 600 but warm work in the afternoon sun. Our flight began about 4.45 with a few mallard and then mixed groups of geese and ducks over about an hour. One moment we had a couple of geese over the pattern and the next fifty or sixty duck and equivalent numbers of geese but which to choose? In the end you wait for the geese but they decide to flair and you have missed a chance at the ducks! It was good fun though and we finished with 25 duck, 15 snow geese and five whitefront. We packed everything away about 6.00 pm and does that temperature drop with the sun, only the effort of collecting everything and loading the trailer keeping you warm. it was a long day so it’s back for dinner at the lodge and grab some sleep before we begin again tomorrow, apparently on ducks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jall25 Posted November 1, 2022 Report Share Posted November 1, 2022 Nice write up WOW thats some decoys ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m greeny Posted November 1, 2022 Report Share Posted November 1, 2022 Brilliant thanks for sharing it sounds an exciting day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spr1985 Posted November 1, 2022 Report Share Posted November 1, 2022 Sounds absolutely awesome, I’ve always wanted to go to Canada mainly for the skiing, but also to see the scenery……and now I want to add shooting to the list of wants! Great report and I’ll be looking forward to the next one 👌🏻 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Anderson Posted November 1, 2022 Report Share Posted November 1, 2022 Superb write up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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