On Saturday morning, we set up in a freshly cut alfalfa field bordered by standing corn on each side. The location was surrounded by several lakes and ponds where the local flocks were roosting. Scouting trips from the previous week had revealed that we could expect the geese to arrive at the field sometime between 7 and 8 o’clock.
Here’s a view of our decoy spread on opening day.
Most of the local flocks were made up of the summer’s small family groups which contained 10-20 birds. To mimic their numbers, our decoy spread included about two dozen silhouettes and full-body decoys. We placed the majority of the decoys in a central group, with a small “kicker flock” to the rear of the spread near our hiding place in the standing corn. Our hope was that the “kicker flock” would resemble a small group of geese that had just landed and incoming birds would key in on them and fly closer to our group of hunters.
A sunrise view of our setup from the standing corn; The small ‘kicker flock’ on the back edge of our decoy spread
Despite our prime location and careful preparation, Saturday’s blue skies yielded a sighting of only two distant geese that ignored our calls. As the 10 o’clock hour neared, we relented to the fact that the resident Canadas had somehow eluded us. The old adage of a “wild goose chase” was very apparent as we lugged our gear to the truck and headed for home.
Our holiday hunt took place under a dense layer of fog.
After some intense scouting on Sunday, we discovered that about 60 geese were feeding in a field that we’d previously overlooked. Monday morning we were there early to intercept the birds. A thick layer of fog lingered above us as we set out the decoys. I remember telling the other guys that it just felt more like a waterfowl day than Saturday’s hunt.
The majority of time spent goose hunting involves scanning the horizon for approaching flocks; As the sun climbed higher in the sky, a rare “fogbow” appeared.
Without the convenience of standing corn for cover, we laid in the center of the field and relied on our camo and some uprooted weeds to hide us from the wary eyes above. Shortly after getting situated in my make-shift blind, I could hear the distant honks of approaching geese. The thick layer of fog prevented me from seeing them, but it was obvious they were headed our way. I blew a few honks and feeding clucks on my flute call to greet the incoming birds.
I had just set my call down when I spotted the advancing flock hovering over the treetops. Their heads swiveled back and forth searching for the location of the geese on the ground. At the sight of the decoys, they locked their wings and glided straight toward us. As the first sets of webbed feet touched the ground, we rose with shotguns ready. The rear of the flock flared, but the lead geese had already committed. Three birds tumbled from the sky, however the majority of our shots passed through empty space. We joked about our rusty shooting performance, but the morning was still a success and a good start to the ’07 season.
My dad, Tom, me, and Buck Weaver with a few early season Canadas
My old pump shotgun has seen several coats of camo paint, but has served me well over many seasons.
Good luck to all of the PA waterfowlers this fall! Don’t forget that the Youth Waterfowl Day this year is slated for September 22. Licensed junior hunters ages 12-15 can participate. Please take the opportunity to introduce a youngster to our great sport.
