Cody Williams
Well-known member
I got out this afternoon for what will most likely be my last hunt of the season-our duck season ended last Saturday, and in my part of the state our goose season runs for a week later than duck season. I have started a tradition for myself the last few years of going on a solo goose hunt that last week of the season, and trying to use it as a time to reflect back on the season as a whole and really appreciate the quiet and lonely beauty of the deep winter marsh.
Today I left work a bit early, got loaded up with my sled and goose gear-almost everything is frozen so the boat is out of the question-loaded up my pup Cedar, and set out for the marsh. The first spot I tried had re-frozen since I scouted it a few days ago, so on to spot 2-looks promising, plenty of open water, but to get there will take about a 3/4 mile walk, down a steep slope, through thigh-deep snow-not feeling up to that one today. That leaves spot 3-it's a bit of a ways to pull the sled, about a half mile, but it's mostly on ice so it's easy going-let's do it! I got the sled loaded up and set off to the open water.
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Got to my spot to find an ideal setup-shelves of ice on either side of some open water with enough current to stay open, not too deep so the dog can get out easily, and some good cover that's in range of the decoy spread. We're in business! I set up my favorite late season spread-a dozen shells, a few full-bodies, and 7 floaters. Looks good to me, hopefully it will look good to a goose or two as well!
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I pull my sled over to some cattails, get everything arranged and pull some cover over the sled-nice and hidden, and a comfortable dry spot for the dog and me to sit. Nothing to do now but enjoy the peace and quiet and wait.
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It hasn't been long, maybe a half hour or so, and I can hear a distant goose honking...where is he? I scan the sky for a bit-there he is, a black speck against the white mountains- man he's out there! Maybe 700 yards or so? I grab my call and give a few of the loudest, sharpest clucks I can muster....and it works! He turns and starts coming my way, still way, way out there but now headed in the right direction. I give him a few more honks to keep his attention, he's dropping altitude and still coming this way, honking up a storm-there! He's seen the decoys, starting to cup up to lose more altitude, Man! he's coming in on a rail-I put down the call, no need to call any more and risk saying something wrong-200 yards out-100-locked up tight-50, 40, 30, he's backpedaling with his feet about to touch the water, right in the middle of the channel-BOOM and he's down!
I can feel the sled shaking from Cedar quivering behind me, I know she watched the goose come in and drop, something she's learned to do in her last few hunts, but she didn't break-good girl! Fetch 'em up!! I whisper....and a streak of black lightning shoots by my shoulder, breaking cattails along the way, and tears off across the ice, making a beeline for the dead goose. Wait a second-what are you doing!! She plows full speed into a group of goose shells like a running back, and it looks like a bowler hitting a perfect strike-bodies and heads go flying everywhere, skidding across the ice and into the water, and then for good measure as she leaps into the water a 10 foot section of the ice shelf breaks off, and decoys go spilling off into the water and start drifting downstream. I drop my gun and take off trying to save what I can-G&H goose shells are about the best money can buy in my opinion, but they don't float for long, or at all really! I start grabbing heads and bodies and throwing them back onto the ice, and follow one down to the end of the hole and grab it just before the current pulls it under for good-I grab everything I can see and do a quick count.......10 bodies and 12 heads-where did those 2 bodies go? I look around in the water for them for a good 10 minutes or so, but they are gone for good. Small sacrifice to make I suppose.....here's the aftermath of Cedar's mad dash to the goose-somewhere under the ice lay those 2 shells!
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The wrecking ball with her prize-I don't know if she was so focused on the goose that she didn't see the decoys, or if she saw them and just didn't care-either way I can't really be upset with her! We all could us some of that laser focus sometimes I suppose.
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Once things settled down we were visited by this fellow-the fishing must not have been very good in this spot, he only stayed a few minutes and headed out. Sorry for the poor cell phone zoom-
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It was quiet the rest of the afternoon, but there was a beautiful sunset that lit the whole mountainside with bright pink alpenglow. It was a cold time packing up and pulling the sled back to the truck-the thermometer read 8 degrees when I headed back home.
The first bird I shot this season (which was also Cedar's first real retrieve) was a goose, so if just felt right to bookend the season with another honker. We were fortunate that Cedar got a lot of good retrieves in between, she's still a bit rough around the edges but I think she'll make a great duck dog. All in all it was a very satisfying end to a really good season-I hope all you guys have had a good one, and for those with more days to hunt I wish you all good luck!
Today I left work a bit early, got loaded up with my sled and goose gear-almost everything is frozen so the boat is out of the question-loaded up my pup Cedar, and set out for the marsh. The first spot I tried had re-frozen since I scouted it a few days ago, so on to spot 2-looks promising, plenty of open water, but to get there will take about a 3/4 mile walk, down a steep slope, through thigh-deep snow-not feeling up to that one today. That leaves spot 3-it's a bit of a ways to pull the sled, about a half mile, but it's mostly on ice so it's easy going-let's do it! I got the sled loaded up and set off to the open water.
Got to my spot to find an ideal setup-shelves of ice on either side of some open water with enough current to stay open, not too deep so the dog can get out easily, and some good cover that's in range of the decoy spread. We're in business! I set up my favorite late season spread-a dozen shells, a few full-bodies, and 7 floaters. Looks good to me, hopefully it will look good to a goose or two as well!
I pull my sled over to some cattails, get everything arranged and pull some cover over the sled-nice and hidden, and a comfortable dry spot for the dog and me to sit. Nothing to do now but enjoy the peace and quiet and wait.
It hasn't been long, maybe a half hour or so, and I can hear a distant goose honking...where is he? I scan the sky for a bit-there he is, a black speck against the white mountains- man he's out there! Maybe 700 yards or so? I grab my call and give a few of the loudest, sharpest clucks I can muster....and it works! He turns and starts coming my way, still way, way out there but now headed in the right direction. I give him a few more honks to keep his attention, he's dropping altitude and still coming this way, honking up a storm-there! He's seen the decoys, starting to cup up to lose more altitude, Man! he's coming in on a rail-I put down the call, no need to call any more and risk saying something wrong-200 yards out-100-locked up tight-50, 40, 30, he's backpedaling with his feet about to touch the water, right in the middle of the channel-BOOM and he's down!
I can feel the sled shaking from Cedar quivering behind me, I know she watched the goose come in and drop, something she's learned to do in her last few hunts, but she didn't break-good girl! Fetch 'em up!! I whisper....and a streak of black lightning shoots by my shoulder, breaking cattails along the way, and tears off across the ice, making a beeline for the dead goose. Wait a second-what are you doing!! She plows full speed into a group of goose shells like a running back, and it looks like a bowler hitting a perfect strike-bodies and heads go flying everywhere, skidding across the ice and into the water, and then for good measure as she leaps into the water a 10 foot section of the ice shelf breaks off, and decoys go spilling off into the water and start drifting downstream. I drop my gun and take off trying to save what I can-G&H goose shells are about the best money can buy in my opinion, but they don't float for long, or at all really! I start grabbing heads and bodies and throwing them back onto the ice, and follow one down to the end of the hole and grab it just before the current pulls it under for good-I grab everything I can see and do a quick count.......10 bodies and 12 heads-where did those 2 bodies go? I look around in the water for them for a good 10 minutes or so, but they are gone for good. Small sacrifice to make I suppose.....here's the aftermath of Cedar's mad dash to the goose-somewhere under the ice lay those 2 shells!
The wrecking ball with her prize-I don't know if she was so focused on the goose that she didn't see the decoys, or if she saw them and just didn't care-either way I can't really be upset with her! We all could us some of that laser focus sometimes I suppose.
Once things settled down we were visited by this fellow-the fishing must not have been very good in this spot, he only stayed a few minutes and headed out. Sorry for the poor cell phone zoom-
It was quiet the rest of the afternoon, but there was a beautiful sunset that lit the whole mountainside with bright pink alpenglow. It was a cold time packing up and pulling the sled back to the truck-the thermometer read 8 degrees when I headed back home.
The first bird I shot this season (which was also Cedar's first real retrieve) was a goose, so if just felt right to bookend the season with another honker. We were fortunate that Cedar got a lot of good retrieves in between, she's still a bit rough around the edges but I think she'll make a great duck dog. All in all it was a very satisfying end to a really good season-I hope all you guys have had a good one, and for those with more days to hunt I wish you all good luck!
