Driving out there, I realized I may have made a mistake, as there was no snow once we reached Yorkton. Great….. But all the small lakes and sloughs were locked up, and I wasn't sure what birds would be left.
Avery and I set out to bait for some deer, and I noticed a huge flock of geese with ducks mixed in. We were in hot pursuit, thinking they will be feeding nearby. 40 miles later and the birds still high, it wasn't looking good. We did a huge loop, and ended up near the Melville dam. And there were the only birds around. Canada geese had 2 big holes kept open on the dam, and there were birds in the air. We took chase and found they were feeding in a corn field. Things were looking up!
I made some phone calls, and got my blinds sent up. We would meet a good friend and client Corey in a couple of evenings to scout out the field prior to the hunt, and he would bring his decoys. We met up with him on the field approach on the evening of Nov 10th, and there were ALOT of geese. It was looking promising.
The next morning we woke up to -26 C (-15F), and this was before windchill kicked in. It was cold cold. Avery and I got somewhat dressed, and headed out. We stopped at Robins Donuts and got some donuts and coffee. As we got close to the field, I saw geese. Are you kidding me? How did they bear us, they shouldn't have left the roost till at least 11. As I drove closer I noticed the geese were not moving….decoys…and not ours. Two other hunters also got permission to hunt the field. I chatted with them quick, and offered them to hunt with us. They weren't to excited to move in this cold, but we they were not set up where the geese fed the evening before. I assured them this would be a good move, and they got their trucks and started to load up.
We figured out where we'd set, and I thought I'd be warm enough getting the set ready. I was wrong, I was freezing. All my snowmobile gear got pulled out, as it was a necessity. We got ready, got the trucks parked, and waited. And waited. And waited. Time to eat some donuts….and they were frozen. And we waited some more. Finally- we spotted a small flock. They came right in to our J hook perfectly, and we let them have it. And Avery shot his first goose! Soon another flock came in, and again, Avery shot another one! He was giving it to them!
It took most of the day, but it did warm up some. And we did end up getting our limit. Avery shot VERY WELL, and even shot his first double. I also gave him some pressure shots with him being the only shooter when singles came in, and he never let them get away!
This hunt was loaded with firsts. Avery's first waterfowl hunt, my first hunt with Corey, my coldest waterfowl hunt ever, first time I had calls freeze up during a sequence, and my first corn field hunt. And I am sure it will be one of the "firsts" when I think about waterfowl hunting for many years to come! The only thing I would have changed is to have had my lab Maggie with me because I was tired with all those retrieves!!!
5 hunters, 40 Canada Geese, and Smiles All Round!
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