With age, the motivations and gratifications of hunting change

On an early morning in September, I awoke just before my alarm sounded and spared my wife the noise. It was 4:45 a.m., and a balmy 63 degrees outside. My gear was already loaded and I had a cup of fresh hot coffee to enjoy on my way to the field. A good number of local Canadian geese had been feeding in a local barley field for several days. We planned to meet them there this morning.

My hunting companions were right on time. Doug and Barry Townsend, father and son respectively, are exemplary sportsman. The Townsends are well known as goose hunters in LaMoure North Dakota. Barry, a volunteer instructor for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, has taught hundreds of eager young hunters to be safe and ethical in the field. Doug, in his eighties, has spent time in the fields and marshes of southeastern North Dakota with several generations of local hunters.

Waterfowl hunting is a Townsend family tradition going back to Doug’s return from European battlefields after WWII. Doug survived the D-Day landings at Normandy’s Omaha Beach, and received the Silver Star for his efforts during Hitler’s last great offensive, the Battle of the Bulge. Even in his eighties, he can still carry his share of decoys into the field in the morning and out again at the end of the day.

In between the excitement of several small flocks of honkers circling our decoys, Doug shared some of his wartime experiences and a few tales from a lifetime chasing waterfowl. There was a serious tone in his voice when he explained that, in no small measure, it is the hope of enjoying another fall that keeps him alive.

At this stage in his hunting life, Doug enjoys watching others experience North Dakota’s hunting opportunities as much as being in the field himself. His pleasure in the sport of waterfowling has no relation to the number of birds bagged. It comes simply from being there; from the camaraderie; the conversation; from leaning on a pickup box and eating a sandwich while recounting the day’s hunt; from the sights and sounds of North Dakota’s fields and wetlands; and, I suppose, from the chance that we might be lucky enough to call a flock of honkers into our decoys.

In our diverse society there are those who believe that hunting should be a thing of the past. There are those who believe hunting is a cruel remnant from a less civilized time, that hunters are bloodthirsty and take pleasure only in the kill. As a group, we hunters have little time for such people and offer them little in the way of understanding. If we have a chance at being understood by such people our best chance is to have them spend a day in the field with someone like Doug Townsend.

Along with the urbanization of our society comes a greater population of non-hunters and greater numbers of those who misunderstand us. Make no mistake about it, we are in the minority. Our goal ought to be that all hunters aspire to Doug’s stage in the hunting life. We all know that hunting is about much more than bagging game. Let’s live that way and police our own ranks. We should encourage each other to find this stage in our thirties instead of our eighties and set our children on this path from their first hunt. This may be the only way to preserve our traditions and pass them on to our children.

We all need to be mindful of that fact that we are a category of people. The unethical and illegal hunters among us, often motivated by greed for game, reflect upon all of us. One bad experience with a hunter can create a lasting prejudice against all of us. Our hunting lives are far too precious to be squandered by such people.

We don’t litter but, do we spend a little time each fall picking up after the slobs that have come before us? Do we cover our game from view in transit? Do we wash the blood from ourselves before going into the grocery store or café? Are we gracious in taking “no” for an answer to an inquiry about hunting posted land? These are not legal requirements to be found in the proclamation; these are ethical considerations and there are countless more.

As we take to the field this fall, if we hunt not just legally but ethically as well, we will give pause, and provide an opportunity for understanding to those who do not understand our love of hunting. We will carry on the traditions of men like Doug and Barry Townsend. Perhaps, in doing so, we will also give our children and generations to come, the chance at honkers circling their decoys.

Snow goose decoys have been tested the most with the new UV decoy paint.

Every year waterfowl hunters are bombarded with new equipment and ideas. As waterfowlers there is a lot of stuff we need in order to pursue ducks and geese. A wise goose hunter once told me that in order to be successful, you have to lead the pack and not follow. Since then I have made it a habit to try new ideas and keep up on what is new in the world of duck and goose hunting.

Recently there has been a wave on talk on hunting websites about a product that could drastically change waterfowl hunting. A product that would change waterfowling forever, like the goose flag or the duck spinner. Have you heard of it? It is a new paint for decoys.

This product is called UVision Decoy Paint. The paint gives your decoys the appearance of UV or ultraviolet rays. Hunters have known for along time that birds can see the reflection of UV clothing. This is why field hunters must mud their field blinds before using them and why I do not wash my duck and goose hunting clothes with laundry detergent.

The new thought is that not only can ducks and geese see UV reflection on humans, but their feathers project UV rays as well. By painting your decoys with this paint or buying decoys with it, you can add realism to your spread. The realism comes from your decoys actually projecting the UV that real ducks and geese have.

Humans have only three primary colors in their vision and none of these primary colors are in the ultraviolet wavelength. Birds have four primary colors and the fourth color is in the ultraviolet wavelength. That is why birds can see ultraviolet rays and humans cannot.

The UVision website explains that the UV reflection shows the best on the lighter or white parts of bird feathers. This makes hunting with the UV paint particularly important when hunting the wise snow goose. Cheek patches and tails of Canada geese could also be painted for added realism. One could also paint the white or light parts of ducks.

When everything comes together, snow goose hunting looks easy but that's far from the norm

The sun is the main source of ultraviolet rays, which are an invisible form of light reflection. This could be one piece of the puzzle for why duck hunters are more successful on cloudy days. Like I said, one piece of the puzzle for we all know that there are multiple factors that make waterfowl hunts on cloudy days more successful.

The UVision paint was tested this past spring during the Conservation Season for snow geese. Snow geese are notoriously known for being difficult birds to decoy. According to a few of my friends, and some testimonials on the UVision website, some hunters had high success rates with the new paint on their snow goose decoys. However decoying ducks and geese still is hunting and you will have good and bad days. It will be interesting to see how this new product tested out this fall.

I  have yet to hunt under a spread with this new paint and I do not work for the parties involved. The reason why I write an article like this is to keep waterfowlers informed. By staying on top of what is new, hopefully you can lead rather than follow. As for me, I will be heading out this fall with the same decoys I have harvested birds over for years. If I thought this was going to be the next big thing, I would have painted my decoys and kept it to myself.

The author showing off one of his duck leg bands taken on duck opener in 2004.

Every year the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service and agencies ran by the states, place leg bands on a variety of birds across the country. Migratory birds, like ducks, geese, and most recently doves are some of the most commonly banded birds. Harvesting a bird sporting a leg band is a special joy for waterfowl hunters.

After harvesting a banded bird, many waterfowl hunters place the band on their call lanyards. “It’s like earning a buckeye sticker and putting it on your football helmet. It’s a badge of honor.” Explained Lyle Sinner, an avid waterfowl hunter and Fargo, ND native.

Traditionally one must harvest a lot of ducks and geese before shooting a banded bird. Therefore, it is assumed that if a waterfowl hunter has a lot of bands, he or she has shot a lot of birds. But most of the guys with lanyards full of bands on television will probably tell you they hunted them near banding sites. Some inside information will definately up your odds. Some people can hunt their entire life and never shoot a bird that is banded. Other waterfowl hunters have harvested dozens of banded birds. It all depends on where you hunt and how many birds get banded in your area. However, you could potentially shoot a banded bird anytime, in any location.

The chance at taking goose leg bands in ND is quite low.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service uses data reported from leg bands to track the flight paths of migratory birds. Bands are also useful in determining harvest information and life span of specific bird species. A few years ago I witnessed my buddy take a banded drake mallard that turned out to be 12 years old. The mallard was banded in North Dakota about 50 miles from where it was shot. Some of the same ducks from the area have been reported in most U.S. states and even countries as far away as Russia.

Each band has a unique number that identifies the species of bird which is tied to the life history. When you call in a band number, an operator will ask you a few simple questions like the date and location of where the bird was harvested. You will receive a certificate in the mail containing your name and information on the banded bird.

For most waterfowlers, checking for duck bands is the first thing on their mind when picking up a bird.

Along with regular bands, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service puts ‘reward bands’ on some birds. Usually they put these leg bands on adult birds. Reward bands are typically worth any where from 25 to 100 dollars. The government sends you a check only after you report the information regarding the band. Getting paid to hunt, that would be a nice bonus for anyone.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service are not the only ones that band birds. Some hunt clubs put leg bands on birds they release. Pheasants Forever, an organization for the preservation of pheasants, sometimes bands pheasants that they release.

One of the rarer forms of waterfowl bands are Jack Miner bands. These bands, banded by the Miner family in Ontario, have unique bible verses engraved into the band. Jack Miner bands are sacred to most waterfowl hunters, and sadly to some they just have a price tag for Ebay.

Nicknames for leg bands are a common place among my friends. They are often referred to as: jewelry, bling-bling, shine, hardware or leg irons. We refer to hunters who shoot a lot of banded birds as having “the force.”

Roughly 3.1 million leg bands have been reported to date. That is pretty small considering that since 1904 about 58 million birds have been banded in North America. Both of these numbers represent hundreds of different species of birds.

Across the nation hunters shoot banded birds every year, in just about every location. They make the hunt just a little bit more memorable and leave the hunter with a little souvenir. The first thing I do when I retrieve a harvested bird is check for a band. I encourage you to do the same. Band information should be reported to 1-800-327-BAND.

Take your time and learn to pick out the drakes when in pursuit of ducks

About 15 years ago I attended my first Game and Fish Department advisory board meeting. I was a fisheries and wildlife management student at North Dakota State University, and had a goal of one day working in the natural resource field. I decided it might be a positive learning experience to attend this open public meeting, and it sounded like more fun than studying for a statistics exam.

I still recall then Game and Fish Director Lloyd Jones discussing the upcoming waterfowl season and regulations. Having hunted waterfowl I knew full well the needed difference between regulations for ducks as compared to upland game like pheasants and grouse.

I also understood migratory species required more coordination between states, and specific species of ducks such as canvasbacks couldn’t withstand the harvest levels that blue-winged teal could. Then and now it was a complicated equation balancing hunter opportunity with buffering the species needing shelter.

For the most part it made sense, but I still recall the question I asked, and smile at most advisory board meetings when similar questions or comments are made. For the record, I asked, “Wouldn’t it be easier to just set the limit at three or four ducks and not have all these restrictions for shooting five or six?”

The response is still etched in my mind. “Are you looking for a job?” Jones replied, in essence summarizing the goal of wildlife managers and desire of hunters to have less cumbersome regulations.

What I’ve learned since then is that setting waterfowl limits, seasons, rules and regulations is a science, and it should be. What I mean is that biologists, researchers and administrators do the best the can with the data and tools they have for all vested interests — hunters and ducks alike.

Such is the case with a new set of duck regulations that will be in effect this fall. The new slate of regulations is called Hunter’s Choice, which in concept, is supported by hunters surveyed in a nationwide survey last year. Results from the survey indicate that about half the duck hunters preferred making selective choices within a daily bag limit, rather than having shortened or closed seasons for certain species, or reduced bag limits and season lengths for more abundant species to protect those species that have less harvest potential.

You've got 74 days to hunt waterfowl - find time to get out

Under Hunter’s Choice this year, the duck season is 74 days for all species, so there is no closed season on pintails and canvasbacks while the regular duck season is still open. In the past few years, the seasons for pintails and canvasbacks had closed after 39 days.

To allow for a full season on pintails and canvasback, hunters will have to make some choices. The daily limit structure looks like this:

• This fall the daily limit on ducks is five per day. The daily duck limit is the same as the mallard limit, which is five per day and 10 in possession. For instance, if all you shoot only drake mallards, you can take five per day. If your first duck is a gadwall, for instance, only four drake mallards are allowed the rest of the day.

• The daily limit of five ducks can include only one hen mallard, or one pintail, or one canvasback. If you shoot a pintail as your first duck of the day, it would be illegal to shoot a hen mallard or a canvasback the rest of the day. If you shoot a hen mallard as your first duck of the day, you can’t take a pintail or canvasback or another hen mallard. In recent years when the pintail and canvasback seasons were open, hunters could take one of each, plus two hen mallards.

Those are the nuts and bolts of the waterfowl regulations this fall. Hunters no longer have to worry about taking an illegal duck on their first shot of the day. On the other hand, if a hunter chooses to take a pintail, canvasback or hen mallard, they’ll have to be extra cautious the rest of the day.

North Dakota is one of five states in the Central Flyway adopting Hunter’s Choice regulations on a trial basis. South Dakota is also included. Five other Central Flyway states will continue with a closed season for pintails and canvasbacks after 39 days.

At the end of the proposed three-year trial, waterfowl managers will evaluate the merits of Hunter’s Choice, for ducks and for hunters.

As waterfowl season approaches take a minute to review rules and regulations. License vendors should have the 2006-07 North Dakota waterfowl guide by Sept. 15 or so. It’s also available on the Game and Fish Department’s website at gf.nd.gov.

You’ll notice a few changes and hopefully Hunter’s Choice is a step closer to balancing hunter wants with sound wildlife management.

The 2002 hunting season was a big disappointment. I guess it was a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time and the goose gods saying, “Gotcha!”

The first disappointment was that I never got out this spring to chase the snows because of the need to move my elderly parents from Arizona back to Minnesota. The year before, I got out twice on trips to Missouri and South Dakota.

Summer was spent in eager anticipation of receiving my new Last Look decoys. I bought 13 dozen to go with the dozen that I already had. I got them in August and sold four dozen of my old G & H and Carrylite shells to help defray some of the expense.

In September, I repaired a major portion of my 235 Northwinds by attaching them to their stakes with plastic cable ties. It works really great. I don’t think there was one windsock where the body wore out and fell off the stake this fall.
 
We read reports from our North Dakota brothers in September as they stacked the birds high on the early September 21 opener. Our turn came in Minnesota the following weekend. Despite some cold weather on that Sept. 21 weekend, there were still plenty of mosquitoes around on the 28th. The pesky blood-suckers rose out of the grass like clouds of smoke as we set up camp on Friday afternoon in northwestern Minnesota. The attacking bugs sent me racing to town to buy bug spray and a fogger for the weekend. However, by the time I got back to camp, the bugs were gone. Strangely, they were not a problem for the rest of the weekend.

Corey and Grant arrived at duck camp late on Friday afternoon. They provided venison stew for our sumptuous evening meal.

They, Ken Ziegler and I headed to our respective hunting ponds about 11:00 a.m. on Saturday to prepare for the noon opener. Ken and I only had to walk ten yards from our camper trailer to launch the canoe. Corey and Grant pulled their new john boat and equipment for about a quarter mile with their ATV to the other pond near our camp.

Ken and I threw out our two-dozen decoys and a dozen Canadas in no specific pattern on the north end of the pond. A couple of divers sat on the west side of the pond and watched us. Then we pushed into the cattails and waited patiently for the noon opener. Kenny got the first hit of the season. We got a few ducks that afternoon and I dumped a huge Canada that sailed into the decoys without making a single “ha-honk”. We kept in touch with Corey and Grant by using one of those personal walkie-talkies. It was the first time that we had been able to communicate and follow our friends’ hunting fortunes on their pond a half-mile away.

Sunday morning dawned with a thick fog. We waited to nearly light so that we could see. We set up our decoys deep into an inlet on the south end of the pond. On our way in to the hole, we chased a wounded honker out of the cattails. Very soon, he wasn’t wounded any more. The action was much faster than on Saturday. The teal and woodies came barreling into the little wet cul-de-sac and wound up in the hunters bag.

Since there was no Vikings game that Sunday to watch on our generator powered TV, we broke camp early and headed back to the Twin Cities. Kenny’s truck had no windshield wipers to clear the light mist. Good thing it did not rain heavily until after we got to his place and I transferred my gear to my car for the last ten miles home.

The first North Dakota trip occurred on the fourth weekend of the season, October 11, 12, and 13. It appeared as though the pressure applied to the ducks on the three previous weekends caused them to be extremely wary of field decoy spreads. This pattern was reported by many other hunters on nodakoutdoors.com. There were thousands of ducks trading back and forth across the section in which we had our snow goose and duck decoys set up. But, they would not even give our decoys a 75-yard look after 8:30 in the morning. And, there were only a few hundred snow geese in the area. So, our success was limited.

There were about six hunting parties vying for the best fields to hunt the limited number of snow geese in the area. Six parties are not a lot of hunters. But, when they are all chasing the same small flock, competition for the “right” field can get pretty heated. We were embarrassed in one instance where we drove into a farmer’s yard trying to get permission to hunt only to find another party already there talking to the farmers wife. It was like we were lined up at the grocery store. Saturday morning we arrived very early at our field and were only there for ten minutes when two cars stopped out on the road to make Plan B when they found us in the field they wanted to hunt. The next morning, the tables were turned. We wanted to go back to the same field we hunted the day before, but found someone had gotten into it already. Then, WE had to make Plan B. We knew exactly where that would be and moved a half-mile down the road to another field.

It was very cold that Sunday morning, October 13. It had been 70 degrees on Thursday afternoon when we got to Cando. But, on our way back to town late Sunday morning, there was skim ice on most of the ponds. It was a very bad omen!

That early cold snap never broke for the rest of the season. It stayed cold. More ice formed and there was an occasional snowfall in October. The reports started coming in of major movements of birds during the third and fourth weeks of October. I kept hoping that the weather would straighten up so that we could have a successful hunt after Halloween.

No such luck.

Jerry and I decided to take our late trip anyway. I was concerned that it was going to be a bust, but wasn’t sure. The Internet reports did not reveal where the snow geese had gone. However, I had my suspicions.

We entered North Dakota from Minnesota on Hwy. 11 east of Fairmont. We followed Hwy. 11 all the way to Ellendale. There was some large water open along that route, but the little ponds were frozen and it did not look good.

We got to Ellendale where we could go north on Hwy. 281 to Cando, or south to Nebraska. I seriously toyed with that notion. Licenses are only $65. There would be birds in South Dakota, but hunters can’t make a spur of the moment decision to hunt there because of the extremely low cap on non-resident hunters. Alas, Nebraska seemed like too far away and I was not sure the birds would be there. (Later I found that they were there by the thousands and that would have been the place to go.) Also, Mike was expecting us in Cando and I had not told him we would not be there.

We turned right and headed toward Jamestown and Cando.

We scouted the whole south side of Devils Lake. It was new territory for us. We had never been along the south side of the lake. It was very pretty that Thursday afternoon. The lake was open and there were sparkling white ice skirts on the trunks and branches of all the flooded timber along the lake’s edge. We found our only field in hundreds of miles of scouting that had any snow geese. They were all in a guide-controlled field on the east side of Devils Lake south of the Highway 2 rest area. We called the poster of the field and discovered it was a guide who controlled the field. We were denied permission to hunt there.

Scouting continued northwest of Devils Lake. A few snows were seen but not enough to set up a decoy spread the next day. Our scouting journeys lead us toward Leeds. There had been many geese in that area the previous weekend. A flock of honkers just above the stubble dragged us off the main highway. We had a hell of a time trying to find where they went down. Our game of hide and seek ended when we discovered about three dozen lessers.

We kept going now as it was getting near dark. We found ourselves on the north side of Alice. There was a lot of something in the air ahead of us. A closer look revealed a major concentration of mallards circling a field. Wouldn’t you know it? We hadn’t seen another hunter all day. But, now there was a vehicle about a half-mile ahead of us with a hunter looking at the same flock. We drove ahead and talked to the hunter in the vehicle. He was also a Minnesotan from Chaska who was on his cell phone. He told us that the field was controlled by another guide. It would cost $150 if we wanted to get in there on Friday morning. We weren’t interested.

It was really getting late now. We proceeded eastward where there were a few strings of birds moving back toward the lake. We found an unplowed wheat stubble field that looked like it might be a good candidate for decoys in the morning.

We were only a few miles from Cando. We got to Mike’s Place just in time to ring the door bell and yell, “Trick or Treat.” Mike just said, “Oh you guys, get off the sidewalk and make room for the little kids.” We spent the evening helping Mike hand out candy to the cute little kids in their costumes.

The next morning, we put on our hunting costumes and headed for that wheat stubble field. Fortunately, the hunting costume included polypropylene underwear, turtle-necks, polar fleece jackets, and then our insulated boots, jackets, facemasks, heavy hats and gloves. IT WAS COLDER THAN HELL – just 17 degrees to be exact. And, the wind was gusting to over 25 MPH.

The stubble field turned out to be hard as a rock. The Last Look metal stakes could not penetrate the ice cap on the stubble – even when pounded with a hammer. We just laid out the decoys flat on the ground and got into to our low profile blinds that cut most of the wind. Strings of honkers started coming our way about a half hour into our polar plunge. Unfortunately, they were attracted to something else about a half-mile away. Our flagging had no effect on them.

We were out of our blinds by 9:00. We packed up and headed for Leeds for breakfast.

More scouting that day revealed virtually nothing in the area. The ice had firm control on the rest of the hunting season. The fat lady was singing loudly in this part of North Dakota.

Jerry and I left early Saturday morning to return to Minnesota. We arrived at Devils Lake north of Minnewaukan just as the sun was peaking over the eastern horizon and reflecting off the partially frozen bay. The few pink clouds made for a stunning sunrise. We stopped to take some pictures.

Two snow geese walked slowly away from the truck on top of the ice on the west side of the road as we were taking pictures of the sunrise to the east. They were in no hurry. They knew that these hunters had their guns packed in the back of the truck and were heading home.

The drive back home took a detour through the Sand Lake area of South Dakota. We were going to find those darned geese if it killed us. We found them. They were only about ten miles south of the North Dakota border. Big swarms of birds filled the air near the refuge.

Our season was a big disappointment in that there was very little shooting this year. In a way, I was not surprised. I almost expected the goose gods to get even with us. They always do. After our great success in 2001, they were going to show us who was boss and kick out butts this year. Boy, did they ever.

So, the score is even once again. Wait ‘til next year!

(Part 2 of a 3 Part Series)

There have been many changes in waterfowl hunting in North Dakota in 27 years. This is the second of a three part series and describes the changes in waterfowl equipment.

Equipment

Waterfowl hunting equipment has changed substantially in the last 27 years. Perhaps the biggest change is that there is a whole lot more of it. There are more catalogs selling the stuff and it gets harder to resist the latest gadgets that marketing gurus tell us will fill our game bags with more birds. We had virtually no equipment other than our guns when we first started hunting. My first hunting trip to North Dakota was in a two door Ford Granada sedan. Now, I have a four-wheel drive SUV and a 10’x5’x5’ enclosed trailer that is barely big enough to carry all the equipment that we think we “need” for a waterfowl hunt.

Decoys

The decoys we use now are far lighter and more compact than they were in the old days. That’s good, because so many more decoys are needed now compared to 27 years ago. Of course, the fellow that we hunted with in Jamestown in 1975 did use some pretty light weight methods to attract geese, but I can’t really call them decoys. He set out newspaper pages in the plowed field that were weighted down by clumps of black dirt. Now, that was primitive, but cheap. Anybody could hunt snow geese in those days! But, that was the last time I saw that kind of “decoy.”

We started our decoy acquisition in 1976 with 20 dozen heavy rubber Quack shell goose decoys. I think the total cost was about $400. How would you like to buy shell decoys today at $20 a dozen? Our spread consisted of 100% snow and blue shells. These decoys were extremely durable. We could drive over them with a truck and not break them.

The Quack folks still make these decoys, but you never see them in any of the major catalogs. I think I know why. They are heavy and require the assembly of all the heads. Pulling all these decoys out of a field by hand in 1985, because it got too muddy for us to drive out and get them, almost killed Ken Ziegler and me. Those babies had to go. We also had to insert more movement into the decoy spread.

Movement came from Northwinds. The first Northwinds had a cloth windsock and a stuffed cloth, rather than plastic, head. They came out in the late 70s. The first production of these decoys was in Devils Lake. They then moved to Fergus Falls, Minnesota and were manufactured there until recently. We bought our first five dozen Northwinds in about 1988. They were made with plastic heads and stakes much like they are now. I have been adding to the supply each year. I now have about 235, which is considered a pretty small set by most snow goose hunters.

The windsocks have proved to be more durable than one might think. Although, they have required continued maintenance each year. Our oldest ones are now 15 years old.

When we didn’t have many of them, we assembled them each morning and disassembled them when we left the field each day. Then we started to get too many to do that. We put them in mesh decoy bags. However, the stakes sometimes got smashed in the decoy trailer under the crush of the rest of our equipment. So, we built special compartments to add to our make-shift hunting/boat trailer to hold just the Northwinds. This technique worked pretty well until we got so much other stuff that we had to buy an enclosed trailer.

Then, we started putting the Northwinds in 50 gallon plastic tubs. This system has worked great. The lids for the tubs keep the decoys from getting smashed and breaking the heads off the plastic stakes. The tubs also have rope handles and can be pulled easily around the field to set up and take down the decoys.

The latest step in the evolution of our use of the Northwinds is the removal of 90% of the heads. The remaining heads are in the sentry position. The socks without heads are held on the stake with cable-ties and a rubber gasket made from a small diameter black rubber hose that has been cut to fit on the end of the stake. The removal of the heads, except for the sentries, has decreased the overall bulk of the Northwinds by about 50%. They now take up far less room than they used to, but are just as effective in the field.

In about 1991, we went to steel shot. The faster steel actually helped some bad shooters who shot behind birds. It’s speed made up for lack of adequate leads and a lot of birds fell at shorter ranges.

Now, there are the expensive combinations of tungsten and bismuth. I have not used them, yet. Some guys shoot both steel and the combination shells by loading the steel first and leaving the tungsten and bismuth for the second or third shell for longer-range shots. That’s a little too complicated if you ask me. When the action gets heavy, the hand just goes into the pocket and jams shells into the gun as fast as possible. There’s no time to figure out which shells are which.

Blinds

The new blinds have made a huge difference in the comfort and ability to hide the goose hunter. Our concealment method in 1977 was to dig a shallow trench and pile up a little dirt for a head rest. We then laid flat on the ground and covered up with camo nets that also covered our faces. It was a bit crude compared to nowadays.

White coveralls or pullovers became popular in the 80s. Our trench got shorter. But, we built up a bigger back rest and lined our trench with a couple of boat cushions. We were off the cold ground. This was a very comfortable way to hunt. The hunter had a nice back rest and was seated in a very good shooting position.

Eventually, the marketing wizards convinced us that those low profile blinds would be nice. They didn’t have to work at it too hard. The 1990s brought a lot of rain and wet field conditions to the hunting experience. I don’t like rusted guns and being soaking wet – even in supposedly waterproof Gore-Tex. We bought our low profile blinds in the spring of 2001. They are nice. I have survived some below 20 degree hunting days and had geese right in my face. But———I still would like to shoot from a more upright sitting position without being in the blind, if I could stay well hidden.

Clothes

Hunting clothing has also changed greatly and improved the hunting experience. Some of you may take your modern hunting clothes for granted. You shouldn’t. Some of the old stuff was miserable.

Waffled, cotton long underwear is what we used in 1975. We almost froze to death when it was 45 degrees. An hour or so of putting out those Quack decoys brought on a good sweat. The cotton underwear soaked it up and kept that cold sweat next to the skin all morning. Layers of sweaters and jackets had to be worn to counter the effect of the cotton underwear. The total clothing package was so bulky that the hunter could hardly shoot his gun.

Polypropylene and Gore-Tex arrived in the mid 80s. This made a tremendous difference. The number of layers of clothes that a hunter wore were cut in half and the hunter could stay warm and comfy at much lower temperatures. I remember sitting out in morning temperatures of 17 degrees in 1987 and not really feeling cold at all for the first time in years. Of course, when there are geese in your face all morning long and you are blowing a call for three hours straight, it tends to keep you a little warmer than normal.

The camo patterns available are almost beyond counting now. In 1975, there was one pattern – the old army circle pattern.

Polar fleece jackets, neck-gaiters and lining of pockets and collars are also great comfort features that were not around in the 70s. Polar fleece next to the skin rather than canvas or nylon is true luxury, in my opinion.

Next month – hunting tactics and communication.

Part One of the Series

There has been a lot written about the tactics needed to shoot snow geese. There are decoyers, sneakers, pushers and pass-shooters. We will see all kinds this spring as we look for opportunities to thin the population of snow geese. They may all have their place. I am one of the old school that enjoys shooting geese over decoys even though it may be getting more difficult. Here are some of the reasons why I decoy hunt.

I enjoy the peace and quiet of sitting in the decoys.
There are times when a guy just has to get away from it all. There is no better place than sitting in a decoy spread waiting for snows to make a pass. I watch the clouds and decipher shapes just like I did as a kid. My ear is always tuned to the frequency of a lone goose looking for companionship. However, sitting in the decoys is not always quiet. There is, of course, the roar of the flock. This is acceptable because I usually get a chance to quiet a few members of the flock. On the other hand, the constant chatter of nearby sandhill cranes, especially near the Platte River in Nebraska, drives me nuts. You can’t shoot at em and they keep you from napping.

 I can take a nap if I am sleepy.

Sometimes, it is so quiet that the fact that you got up at 4:00 a.m. begins to make your eyelids pretty heavy. I never look at a quiet time in the decoys as “boring.” It is just an opportunity to catch 40 winks that will help you through the tedious chore of scouting in the afternoon. I have never fallen asleep to the point that I don’t hear the squawk of a goose approaching our decoy spread. But, I know that my brother in law, Ken has missed some point blank shots on mallards because he has been napping.

I enjoy the coyotes yelping in the distance as we are setting up decoys in pitch-blackness.

When they start yelping at o’dark thirty, it sounds like they are standing in the fence line watching me set out decoys. I keep an eye on my flanks half expecting one to dart out and try to get me or my decoys. The piercing yelp is one that reminds me of the old days and that, despite our modern conveniences, we still have the old coyotes around. They have their place in nature. It would be too bad if they were destroyed.

It’s fun to see the fox run along the edge of the decoys checking us out.
I don’t have much love for foxes though. Maybe they help control the field mice. But, they also eat duck eggs and destroy nests. It gives me great pleasure knowing that they have been fooled and have wasted their time stalking decoys that they think are the real things. “Too bad boys. Go somewhere else!”

I have turned around and seen a half dozen antelope that have sneaked up on us from behind and are grazing upwind of the decoy spread.
How about the time we popped up from our ground camo and discovered six antelope contentedly grazing in the early morning sunshine? Obviously, we weren’t discharging our shotguns at any waterfowl or the antelope would not be there. It was a pretty quiet morning. But the unexpected appearance of the antelope sure made the experience worthwhile that morning. You won’t get close to these guys if you are stomping all over the countryside chasing geese.

I can talk to the dog lying next to me and scratch him behind the ears when there is not much else going on.

Maybe one of the greatest pleasures of decoy hunting is the opportunity to be really close to your favorite hunting companion. Old Kirby, will lie right beside me and keep me warm. He will often face me rather than downwind. When he does that, I can watch his eyes to see where the birds are when they are behind me. Nothing, beats watching him retrieve a bird shot from our decoy spread.

I only have to ask permission to hunt once or twice until we get a good field to hunt. When sneaking, the hunter is running around madly all day long.
This idea of racing all over the countryside chasing geese is crazy! That’s no way to hunt. I save money on gas by not driving around all day. I do drive a lot in the evening and get permission to hunt. But, it usually only takes one or two inquiries to get permission. I am not bugging the hell out of local farmers who might not appreciate all the traffic on their gravel driveways.

I am not strong enough or inclined to crawl on my belly for a quarter mile or more just to get one or two shots.
Hey, I have to admit this guys. I’m too old to be crawling on all fours to sneak some geese. That’s too much work. Eating dust in a road ditch isn’t my idea of hunting either. Nor is getting soaked and muddy. I’ve fouled enough guns with mud just sitting in my blind much less dragging them in the mud. I don’t think it’s real safe either.

It isn’t very personally gratifying to shoot into a flock and see what drops.
So you have crawled up on a flock of geese. All you have to do is rise up and ground pound the whole flock. You shoot. How do you tell a good shot from a bad shot? You can’t. There is no real skill in the shot. You are just lucky or you aren’t. Besides that, you can wound a whole lot of other ducks and Canada geese when you flock shoot or ground pound. You see, it’s just wouldn’t be that gratifying.

It’s fun to razz and be razzed by my hunting partners for missing some pretty easy shots.

Who has bragging rights when three guys unload 15 shots at a spooked flock? You can’t tell who got what or who missed what. It’s a lot more fun to alternate shots or at least know who is doing what. I know what a triple means and I also know what it means to miss one at 25 yards. That’s part of the fun. Chasing geese for 45 minutes after a ground pound? Not for me, thanks.

I have been hunting snow geese for 25 years and have assembled a good set of decoys, trailer, and blinds.
I have paid my dues in the form of a lot of equipment. A little analogy might help explain the situation. You can’t play goalie without spending a lot of money for equipment. Try it sometime! That gear may cost you $1500 bucks. The same is true for snow goose hunting. If you want to play the decoy game you have to be committed and assemble your spread over several years. I have my decoys now and can sit in them whenever I like, which is most of the time.

I don’t want to screw up a hunt for somebody else by sneaking geese and making them more wary or chasing them out of an area.
How many times have you read about guys sneaking the roost and blowing the birds out of the county? Or if you are sneaking a flock, somebody else does likewise and messes up your sneak. I just don’t want to do that to other hunters or make the birds so jumpy that nobody has a chance to shoot a few.

It’s fun dropping birds from right overhead and having them fall on top of you.
I’ll bet the pass shooters enjoy that too. That’s a real challenge if the birds are up there a ways. There is nothing like sucking in those geese to the point where you try to see who can drop one closest to the blind. That’s a lot more fun than winging one going away at 65 yards or ground pounding fifty of them at one time. It’s really fun to be right under the “tornado” as it is spinning down.

It is fun to see a flock of a half dozen birds turn over on their backs and spill air as they are really fooled and come sweeping into the decoys.

You can’t appreciate this wonderful site when you are sneaking birds or even pass shooting them. Those birds that flip over seem to double their speed as they spill air. And the acrobatics makes for some erratic flight and incredible skill necessary to down one of these guys.
It’s even sort of fun to just lie there and watch thousands of geese fly right on by — if I have already got a few.

There have been many changes in waterfowl hunting in North Dakota in the last 27 years. This third part of a three part series covers tactics, communication, and access to information that will enhance the hunting experience.

Tactics

Despite all the changes in snow goose hunting equipment and decoys, there are still three basic ways to hunt snows – in the field with decoys, sneaking, or pass-shooting out of a fence or tree line. The most effective method seems to be changing, however.

Decoy hunting was the popular way to hunt snows when we first got started pursuing this magnificent bird over 25 years ago. It is still a popular option and what we like to do but is getting more difficult and less popular with snow goose hunters. However, nothing gets the hunter’s adrenaline pumping like being under the “tornado” as it comes swirling in on you in a decoy spread. There is also the bonus of being swooped by the greenheads and experiencing the sun’ rays brighten the sky and tint those eastern clouds.

The traditional field hunting tactic is that the hunter finds a field in the evening where the geese are feeding and then returns there in the morning to set up the decoys and hopes to get the geese to take a real close look. That is the tactic we employed when first hunting in North Dakota. We still use it.

However, recently some hunters are passing up the field where the geese are feeding and trying to locate their spreads either between the roost and the feeding field or another mile farther out than the feeding field. I can see their logic on this one. I have been passed over many times on morning hunts when the geese seem to fly another mile or two farther out and pass up the field they were in the night before. The hunters who pick different fields than the previous night’s feeding field hope to entice a few geese out of the flocks on the way out to feed or to get them going past where they were the night before.

The other tactic they are trying is morning scouting rather than evening scouting. Hunters have noticed that often the geese feed in a different place in the morning than they do at night. Often, they are farther out from the roost during the day because they have all day to feed, whereas, at night, they need to be a little closer to the roost in order to get “back home” before it gets too dark. (Do you suppose that is why they seem to ignore you when you are set up in a good field and they go right on by?) This scouting method requires one of the hunters to abandon the decoy spread after about an hour of banging ducks in order to follow the geese out to their morning feeding location.

We have not personally employed this new method yet in our party. However, if the geese continue to play hard-to-get, we may have to use this new tactic. It is now in our list of options.

The actual decoy setup is also evolving.

Our first spread was a long I shaped string of shell decoys. Then, we went to two parallel strings separated by about 40 yards so that the birds could fly up the middle in what they thought was a “safe zone.” However, our guns could still reach them. More recently, we have set virtually all of the Northwinds in an upwind triangle with one or two strings of Last Looks and shells downwind from the mass of Northwinds. The mass movement is supposed to capture the attention of the snow geese as they approach the spread. We hide toward the downwind end and surprise the snows when they are focused on the Northwind movement 75 yards or more upwind of where we are. The tactic works pretty well, but you have to be ready to move within your spread if you find the birds cutting in behind you. This will happen when there are subtle wind shifts aloft that you don’t yet detect on the ground.

The practice of sneaking geese has exploded in the last few years despite being very hard work. As decoying has becomes more difficult, more people are sneaking. Sneaking geese can be very effective in killing large numbers of geese. It is probably the best way of inflating the body count, especially in the spring.

There have always been those hunters that are too impatient to sit in the decoys or don’t have them. These folks like to sneak geese. An area can handle a FEW of these sneaking parties, as it helps move the geese a little so that they don’t get too settled in at one location. But, a large number of sneakers can create chaos with the whole goose hunting experience. The sneakers apply too much pressure and the birds take off – not for the roost, but for the next state.

Unfortunately, in my opinion, the cost of decoys and the popularity of the spring goose season has resulted in way too many buckaroos out there running and gunning (sneaking). The spring season has brought in a lot of opportunistic, novice hunters who never had hunted snow geese before and are encouraged to do their patriotic duty to kill as many snow geese as they can, all in the name of saving the tundra. It can be a real circus in some locales.

I am not the one to talk much about what has changed in a generation of pass shooting. I rarely do it. However, I do not think this tactic has changed much over the years. My limited experience with pass shooting has occurred on those first days when I have arrived in a hunting area and am out scouting and an opportunity presents itself that can’t be passed up. For example, we arrived at a hunting location early one morning rather than in the late afternoon. It was a nasty and extremely windy that day and the geese were flying low toward their feeding fields. There was a convenient tree line that we could stand in and practice our different ways to lead birds. There were a lot of misses that day! Hunters can also crawl up a fence line on a windy day and have a heck of a time. I have heard some great stories about windy days, snow geese and fence lines.

Some hunters refer to a form of decoy hunting as pass shooting. This occurs when the hunter has a blind a hundred yards or more downwind from his decoy spread. A hundred yards out is where snows often decide to flare from your decoys. The tactic of locating the blind far downwind from the decoys is a relatively new tactic employed as the snow geese have become more decoy shy over the years.

Communication and Hunting Information

 As the eastern sky began to show signs of light, our anticipation mounted. We had been looking forward to this moment for months. Day was breaking on the North Dakota Early Canada Goose Season Opener. As the sun began it’s ascent it was evident that it was destined to be a very memorable morning. Mallards were the first to arrive and began to appear, almost magically on the horizon. They were following their morning feeding ritual in the field that we were setup in. Soon they were circling our decoy spread, the sights and sounds of hundreds of mallards were simply exhilarating!

The mallards began landing within feet of our blinds and were putting on a dazzling show. It was evident that our decoy spread had recreated the scene the birds had become accustom to and felt security in. The decoy spread consisted of three dozen Canada goose silhouettes and two dozen Full Bodies. The decoys were spread out in family groups consisting of 6 to 12 geese. The family groups were spread out and formed a horseshoe, with the horseshoe opening to the north. Since the wind was out of the south, the horseshoe opening created a landing area for the birds as they came to feed in the field. As the mallards continued to drop into our decoy spread, I reflected on the preparation and anticipation for this waterfowl season and realized this is what any waterfowler lives for!

In the midst of watching the mallards continue to put on their show, the first sounds of geese echoed in the background. The sun was now above the horizon and the geese were preparing to leave their roost. The first group of geese to leave the roost was headed in our direction. As the geese approached the field that we were setup in, we began calling. The geese responded to our calls and we answered their calls. As the geese continued on their flight path to our decoy spread our enthusiasm was almost uncontainable. The passion play that the mallards had put on during the early morning had given way to the excitement of Canada geese cupped and committed into our decoys.

The morning continued to inspire our spirits as every day in the field does. The geese decoyed very well all morning and, along with early performance by the mallards, created memories that will last a lifetime. As the morning faded into the heat of the early September day, the action began to slow down. We had enjoyed great success! We reflected on the experience as we picked up the decoys and began preparation for the next days in the field. It was time to get ready for the next opportunity to be rejuvenated by the sights and sounds of the great North Dakota outdoors. As the sounds of geese faded in the distance we took one last look at the eastern sky that had served as the backdrop for the amazing performances that the ducks and geese had put on for us.

We headed down the gravel road and looked forward to the rest of the season. Later that same day we watched hundreds of geese feeding in another field. With the sun setting in the west we were once again filled with anticipation for the dawning of a new day!

As the sun fades in the western sky the splendor of colors serve as a picturesque backdrop for the Canada geese as they return to their roost. This appears to be a sign of success in the dramatic return of resident Canada geese to the Northern Plains. During the height of the drought in the 1980s, resident Canada geese were almost non-existent in the state. The recent wet cycle has been accompanied by a resurgence of resident Canada geese….a great success story, right? Actually the drastic increase in the number of resident Canada Geese has been the source of heated debates across the state. 

Recent conversations with farmers from the southeastern and central part of the state as well as the Missouri River Basin, have demonstrated the formidable adversary resident Canada geese face. The controversy has been triggered by the drastic increase in the number of resident Canada geese across the state. The primary concern is the effect that depredation by resident Canada geese is having on farmers crops. The concerns are echoed by farmers from across the state, contending that geese are simply eating them out of business.

A group of farmers in the southeastern part of the state have formed an organization to rally and address their concerns to local legislators, State Senators, Representatives, the Director of the Game and Fish Department and if necessary the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The primary goal of the organization is to demonstrate the financial hardships resident Canada geese are causing and their inability to legally do anything about it.

Resident farmers feel that under current regulations it is almost impossible to legally reduce the number of resident Canada geese that are causing depredation on their land. Although measures have been taken to reduce the number of resident Canada geese in the state, farmers insist that not enough is being done. Currently farmers are required to have a special depredation permit to harvest geese outside of the fall hunting season. The permits allow farmers to harvest a specific number of geese. The geese must be harvested with a shotgun and strict guidelines are in place once the geese are killed. Only the individual who has been issued the permit can legally harvest resident Canada geese. These permits along with the early September Canada goose season have been put in place to ease the strain these geese are putting on farmers across the state.

However, these methods came under strong scrutiny from each of the farmers I discussed the situation with. They argued that the challenge of harvesting geese with a shotgun in the late spring and early summer, the primary argument being that they just do not have the time to harvest geese with shotguns. Therefore they would like to be able to legally harvest problem geese with rifles. The group has adopted a proposal they would like to see adopted. The proposal requests that each county would be allotted special permits that would allow farmers to harvest resident Canada Geese on their farm land. Farmers could then pick up an unlimited number of the permits directly from the county. Farmers must currently get permits from the state in Bismarck. Farmers would then have the ability to harvest geese themselves or give the permits to other individuals to harvest resident Canada Geese on their land. The permit would allow individuals to harvest geese with either shotguns or rifles.

Following the conversations I realized that waterfowlers and other groups who have enjoyed the resurgence of the resident Canada Geese must work together with farmers and legislators to ensure the success story of Canada Geese continues. It is evident that farmers are very serious about pursuing any means to reduce the number of geese causing depredation on their land. In the past few years, farmers have been harvesting geese in the late spring and summer. The primary target has been mating pairs for obvious reasons. If a farmer harvests 20 mating pairs, that could be up to 200 fewer geese on their land. This efficiency is alarming!

We must all work together to develop a better resolution to the “problem”. The Conservation Reserve Program has been a huge success. Perhaps farmers could be compensated for dollars and acres lost to wetlands and geese depredation. Obviously this would be a huge challenge to get enacted, but the fact is unless farmers are compensated for the dollars and acres lost to geese depredation, it will be impossible to ensure the fate of the resident Canada goose population. Please provide any feedback and/or ideas on what can be done to allow resident Canada geese to thrive in our state in the future.