Shot my very first goose today (ever) in eastern NE, about 1/2 mile off of the Missouri River.

That terrible front hit the Midwest yesterday and did a wonderful job of stocking up one of the local sandpits with well over a thousand Canada geese and countless ducks, as well. I had scouted this spot several times before the storm, but never saw it as full with birds as it was today.



A buddy and I waited near the very of edge of public land for the birds to awaken and fly toward us. At about 2:20, the movement started like someone had flipped a switch. We weren't using decoys, so we were at the mercy of pass-shooting opportunities. That said, in just a few short minutes, we had scored a couple of geese.




The bird on the left is mine. The Greater Canada on the right is my buddy's. I thought my bird was just a baby goose. My buddy quickly informed me that it's a full-grown Lesser Canada goose. Look at that - ya learn something new every day. Here's an overhead:



I lost another goose that was hit and broke off from his flock, but he glided forever on his bad wing never to be seen again. It's amazing how far they can fly when hit. We were poking these birds with BBB shot and another one that my buddy hit absorbed the shot and kept flying! Tough birds, man.

Congrats on your lesser,not much waterfowl left in MN..I think our last storm probally pushed what was left out....

Good job Luis ,reminds me of days gone by!! Woody

When you leaving?

noduck -

That last storm was bad here. Bad enough that I thought even the pits we have down here might have frozen and pushed the birds further south. I can't imagine how bad you guys had it up in the belly of the beast.

FlyBoyFlem -

I still have another couple of months left. The great news is that I can buy one last round of Nebraska tags when the year rolls over and be legal all the way until the end of 2011, even if I get moved. Nebraska will still honor me as a resident, even if I move provided I buy the tags before I head out. That means I can (and will) fly back out here for my waterfowl hunting for at least a week or two next year.

Congratulations! Isn't it interesting how sometimes hundreds or thousands of them take wing at about the same time? The day will be going by ever so slowly, with few or no birds in the air...

Then all of a sudden, the sky is full of birds! Love it.

Congrats on your first goose!

While greater Canada's are our local geese I would wager that more of the smaller varieties are mounted on walls around here. The smaller birds are both unique and show a certain dedication to goose hunting. Late season, cold weather birds are a trophy large and small.

Good job !!! It's gets in your blood and will never leave....

i just got my first ones thursday what a rush

Great hunting, isn't it? Definitely a rush. I'm going to post about a hunt I went on yesterday over a cut corn field. Layout blinds and the whole bit. THAT was crazy, especially for a guy who never did it before.

Try the Hevishot "Coyote" "T" 3 inch 12 gauge shells. They are legal in CA, so I am sure they are legal everywhere else. They are effective to 70 yards on yotes, and geese. My game warden gave me the tip a few years ago.

Congrats Luis. Waterfowl hunting is like Turkey hunting - once it gets in your blood you are hooked!

I would love to try T shot one of these days, but the places I jhunt, I have to be extremely careful about pellet overflight. While we're a safe distance from the nearest roads, I don't want to push it. If I find a spot as vast as the places I hunt prairie dogs, T shot will be flying just to see how it does.

Odessa - thank you very much and, yes, I'm in trouble. I ran out and bought a layout blind halfway through my last hunt because I felt like I was going to blow it for everyone else laying on the ground in camo. That tells you where this habit is headed.