As usual, our goose hunting started out before the actual "hunt". We try to keep track of the birds' locations for feeding, watering and roosting prior to hunting. The week leading into the opener was less than ideal for a stable patterning. As it turned out, the final decisions were made on the last evening before the hunt(actually, at 5:30 pm the night before).
We had discussed this particular hunt several times in the past but, the tides and number of birds didn't warrant attempting it until now.
We would be hunting lowtide mostly and, in layouts mudded up to look like the sand. The spread included about 5dz geese and another dz floaters out front on the waters edge. Off to the side we laid out 1/2dz full body mallards and maybe a dz mixed floater ducks. Threw in 1 wind duck for more motion and to help us pull ducks for the near hour of shooting time before goose O'clock.
We started out right off the bat with ducks. Just enough to hold our interest and pass the time. At 7:40, 6 cacks dropped in the deeks (isn't that the way it always goes?). As it got closer there was some shooting in the near distance and all but one cack left. We even shot a couple ducks and that one cack just stayed there with his plastic kin (maybe he was deaf?)
. 2 minute after goose O'clock we jumped the cack up and my son's buddy busted the first bird of the day.
We had thought our set up would last a few hours into tide swing....we were wrong. We had to start moving up the flats sooner than intended. As luck would have it, that was when the huge flights took place. We started dispersing the spread further up when it became obvious we would have to move further. When we finally got set, the birds were still moving but not nearly as big numbers. Immediately, it was obvious we had something not quite right. The birds were flaring.We decided the layouts just didn't meld in with the sand on the higher ground. So, we backed up to the brush line and brushed them up a bit. Now it was finally working. Problem now was it was getting late in time and tide. We did manage to pound out 4 more geese between the 3 of us.
The lesson learned was....move sooner.....set up further on the flats to buy more time when it counts most.
We ended up with 1cack, 1tav, 3 westerns and 12 assorted ducks between the 3 of us.
Sorry no pics. My digital cam was drowned on a sturgeon trip in the spring. Shotshells,licenses and gas are mor eimportant on the budget for now.
Saturday permit zone success...er kinda.
duckboy
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