The Haul

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The Haul

The Haul

Hello fellow hunters! I apologize for my long period of silence, and quite frankly, I can’t promise that it won’t happen again. I am a father, husband, provider, and hunter just like you and sometimes hunter gets pushed down the priority pole. That being said, I will try to do better and must say that I truly enjoy sharing my feats and defeats with you!

As you can see, I’ve been doing some waterfowling this past month and I must say that I’ve had some pretty amazing action. These pics are from a hunt that I was on in North MO. We were hunting in a cut cornfield and thankfully for us, there was a good snow on. This was helpful in concealing our layout blinds. The corn stubble was pretty short so with the snow covers over our layout blinds, we blended in quite well. There were 6 of us hunting so in Missouri this means 18 geese to kill.

On this hunt we set out approx 5 dozen full body decoys along with a few shell decoys mixed in. At the time there were literally thousands of canadian geese in the area. It was a cold day and the stiff north wind wasn’t making it any better. The first groups came in and it quickly became obvious that these geese had been shot at over decoys before. A few sailed right in landing not 15 yrds from our blinds, but the bigger groups kept swinging in and peeling off. It wasn’t long before we had as many as it seemed we were going to get from those groups into range, we made the call and steel began to fly!

This became the story of the day, with groups working us low, but not quite completely committed. We would consistently get smaller groups fully committed, but the bigger groups kept wanting to land to our left or right. I’m not complaining, it was an awesome hunt it simply took a bit longer than a could’ve had we had geese that would fully commit. We all were able to get our 3 goose limit and even collected a band in the process! It’s hard to beat the sight of approx 200 canadians locked up tornadoing down into your decoy spread! I have some video from this hunt along with a few others that I’ll be sharing soon – stay tuned!!

Early Season Honkers Down

1st Hunt of 2012 Success!

Locked Up

***Click “READ MORE” for VIDEO!***

Starting off with a bang!

Saturday, October 6th was the opening day of the early goose season here in North Missouri. The temp dropped down to low thirties and was perfect weather for an early season goose hunt.

We knew we were going to be hunting in a corn field that had been replanted in wheat so we cut some green pasture grass the night before so we could help conceal our blinds. A good tip to remember when driving around scouting for geese is that when you find them, pay close attention to the landscape, the cover there, etc so you can find similar foilage to cover your layout blind in.

When we got there we realized the farmer had disked the corn under and then had planted some wheat which was only 3 in. tall. So all we could do was grass our blinds and put them in a grassy roadway in the middle of the field and hope for
the best.

We were in the right spot where the geese wanted to be, but unfortunately I think the lack of cover kept them from finishing. As the picture shows God still blessed us with a productive morning even though it’s a lot nicer when they finish right in your face. Great way to start the opening day of goose season 2012!

Pro-Staffer Bryan Remole

Great Start to the New Year!

9 Geese (limit) & 2 Ducks

Had a great hunt this morning with my best little hunting buddy and two great friends. We were hunting a big pond that both geese and ducks frequent so we set out our spred with ducks on one side of us and geese on the other. I’ve been very successful with this layout as both geese and ducks will usually come right into the hole between the two groups.

We had 4 big honkers come and sit down about 25yrds in front of us – the only problem was that it was 10 minutes before shooting time :-( They slowly swam away and there was nothing we could do but watch. We didn’t have to wait long. About 25min later we had a group of about 30 geese do a half circle, they locked up about 150 yards out and sailed right into our faces! I gave the “take’em” when they were about 3 feet off the water with their feet dangling. The pic pretty much tells the rest of the story! We were still in the process of reloading and taking care of some stragglers when a group of about 20 gadwall came sailing in. Unfortanately we weren’t completely reloaded so we only managed to bring 2 out of that group.

We stayed put for about 20 more minutes only to watch two more geese sail right in to us, but we were limited out so once again, we had to just watch them swim away! We decided that it would be best to clear out so they could come back in if they wished and give the pond a break. It’s been an extremely mild winter up to this point and we really don’t have many migratory birds in the area. It’s in these times when scouting is of utmost importance as there aren’t necessarily a lot of opportunities. Thankfully, we made the most of our opportunity today and ended the morning with a great bag of geese and even a couple of ducks!

Happy New Year to You All!!

Fast Little Ducks

Greenwing Teal

Wrapped up the duck season in North MO (north zone) this morning with my twin cousins Bryan & Ryan. We made our last stand today on a farm pond that has been the resting place for a few ducks and some geese. The action came early and fast this morning and I do mean fast. I don’t know if you’ve ever shot teal before, but they are little speed demons! We didn’t shoot great, but I’ve seen much worse.

On to chasing geese over the next few days – I’ll keep you posted!

Gun Dog at Last

Jessie

Fetchin Up

Successful Greenhead Retrieve ;-)

I grew up with laborador retrievers, so when we got a place with a big back yard my first thought was to get a lab. The only problem with that is that we also had two very small children. If you know anything about labs, they aren’t the most calm dogs in the world, especially as pups. We opted for a schnauzer which has turned out to be a great choice, but not much help in the duck blind.

Our kids have since gotten bigger as has my desire to have a real huntin dog. Retrieving ducks and geese out of water with a fishing pole and treble hook works, but not nearly as effectively or as natural as a dog doing what it’s bred to do. Working with my dogs in the past had really made up for half of my enjoyment of waterfowling. I loved watching those dogs jump in the icy water time and again without a moments hesitation. It does something special to the bond between a man and his dog to see them work so hard for you (even though they would rather be doing that than anything else!)

So when I saw an ad online for half lab/half golden retriever pups, I was very excited. I love training dogs and to be doing it again after a several year drought is a lot of fun! I’m no training master, but I’m not half bad. It’s very rewarding to see your dog do the things you’ve worked hours to ingrain in them. I’m hoping that by next year she’ll be ready to work – doing what we both love to do. Now if I can just have someone board her for the 1st couple of months as she tries to chew on everything in sight and howls/cries when she’s left alone, I’d really have it made!

Polar Bear Club Honorary Member

That's How It Felt ;-)

If you had asked me this past weekend if I would like to take an early morning swim complete with rubber boots, wool pants, multiple layers of coats/sweatshirts, all in 29 degree weather, I probably would have told to call me on Monday to set up an appointment for a psych eval. Then ask me to do all this with my 4yr old and I would’ve really thought you were nuts! Well I’m sure you’ve guessed this by now, but that’s exactly what we did this Monday.

We were just finishing up a less than stellar hunt with Chris, a good friend of mine. I had just trolled around in my canoe picking up the decoys and went back to the little island to pick up my boy and Chris. My boy came in first and sat between my legs and we waited as Chris loaded up the canoe with the rest of our stuff. I’m still not sure what happened next, but the next thing I remember is that Chris was getting into the canoe and all of a sudden the canoe is upside down. The water was deep and I wasn’t able to touch so I went in up to my neck while holding my boy up as high as possible. Chris was quick to right the canoe and I was able to get my son back into the canoe even though it was half full of water.

Talk about exhilarating!! I was trying to say something to Chris but I just couldn’t quite catch my breath! I don’t think I’ve ever felt such shocking cold in my life! We rushed to the Jeep and started the thawing process. Fortunately we all survived and though we were very cold it is something we are laughing about now. It did open my eyes to the danger that cold water and boating/canoeing presents, especially loaded down with winter clothing.

Thought I’d share the experience with you all – good luck out there and above all, be safe!!

My Ears Are Still Ringing

Mixed Bag

Ducks & Geese on the Blind

Getting your limit of geese is a great day as is getting your limit of greenheads. Put the two limits together and you’ve just had an amazing day, especially when you’re completely done by 9:30 in the morning! It’s hard to beat the sight of big ol honkers and fat greenheads locked up sailing into your decoys! We were blessed this morning!

Another Reason to be Thankful!

Successful Hunt

Happy Thanksgiving!! I have so many things to be thankful for in my life. I’m thankful for God’s provision in my life and for His continual grace and mercy that is renewed every morning! I am also very thankful for the family He has blessed me wih and the health that we enjoy and many times, take for granted. I believe I have the best hunter’s wife a hunter could ever ask for – thanks for your support and understanding honey – I love you!!

You can tell by the pic above that I had yet another reason to be thankful this morning. I was able to enjoy the great outdoors with my little man, and with cousins. You all know my heart is with bowhunting big bucks, but I was honored to lay my bow down this morning and pick up the shotgun and spend some quality time hunting down some big honkers! As you can tell, we had an awesome morning. All of us finished with our limits which is more than any hunter can ask for.

I had a great time this morning and I’m hoping to have some more quality time tomorrow. Whether it’s chasing ducks, geese or big deer you can be sure that I’ll keep you posted! In the spirit of Thanksgiving – thanks for reading!

Strong Finish

Great Finish to the Canada Goose Season!

We just finished Canada Goose season here in MO.  I have to tell you, I’ve pretty much been taking a break from waterfowling the last few years, but the end of this season has sucked me right back in!  I’m already having to use extraordinary self-discipline to keep myself from spending money (something waterfowling is very good at making one do).

Chris and I got all set up a bit earlier Monday as we had overcast/misty conditions with a strong front moving in.  We were ready to go by 3pm and we didn’t have to wait long.  I was talking on my cell on a business call, when I thought I heard the awaited “honk”.  I about gave myself a whiplash turning, and was surprised to see about 30 geese heading straight for us just about 400yrds out.

We had to have looked like a couple of terrorists diving for cover after someone yelled apache, but thankfully the geese didn’t have infrared technology!  I flew into my blind only to find myself sitting/laying on shells, a camera, my goose call, goose flag, etc, etc.  Fortunately I was able to wrestle free my gun just in time to watch the group swing out to get the wind right and sail right into our faces, right into the middle of our strategically designed “C”.

Chris and I layed into them fast and hard – when the smoke cleared we had 5 geese down in front of us!  As any waterfowler will tell you, that’s not half bad.  We stuck around till sunset hoping to get that last goose, but unfortunately it wasn’t to be.  It’s a good thing we shot like we did, because that was the only chance we got for the evening.

I was a great hunt, any time the geese fall into the decoy spread just as you’ve planned and are no more than 10 ft off the ground when you begin shooting – it’s a good day!!  A great memorable hunt.  Once again I’m reminded to be thankful for so many wonderful creatures God has created for us to be good stewards of and to enjoy with family and friends.  Give thanks!

Bag Limit

3 big honkers

I had an excellent hunt today (1/25).  I didn’t get out into the field until about 3:30pm and was all set by 4pm.  I don’t think I was set up more that 15 minutes when I heard a lonesome honk out in front of me.  When you’re hunting by yourself, that’s a great sound.  Singles are great ways to fill a limit without educating an entire group.  The goose circled a couple times before it fell right on in feet dangling down – I came out of the blind when the goose was about 10 ft off the ground and I don’t think it made it to 15ft – the goose worked into my decoy spread perfectly!

Second group came in about 15 min later and did a few passes, one goose actually landed about 10yrds from me, but I wanted to wait for the group to commit to hopefully double.  They committed big time, right into my “c”.  I raised up, put the bead on a goose and click!  I quickly worked the safety back on then off again, found another goose & click!  Panic!  They were getting away now so I quickly pumped the gun once and ended up making good on that shot.

With one goose left to kill, I looked ahead to see about 15 geese with wings locked just about 200yrds out.  They never thought twice, they sailed straight into my face with landing gear down.  I picked a goose, squeezed the trigger, and that concluded what was an excellent late season hunt here in southwest MO.

Best of luck to you as well – just a few more days of season left here in MO so I’m trying to make the best of it!