I just got back Sunday night from my annual week-long waterfowl hunting trip to Saskatchewan. While there were still plenty of geese in the area, they were hard to pattern and generally did not decoy as well as they have in the past.

The four of us only shot 50 geese for the trip (our worst year ever); however, 15 of these were greater Canadas - more than any other species of goose that we shot (which is unusual). Monday afternoon we shot a dozen of the greaters - an outstanding hunt for these big, wary loner birds. Here’s a photo of Don and me with some of them.

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x273/kitefisherman/CropofIMGP1006.jpg

and one of George on bird dog duty:

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x273/kitefisherman/CropofIMGP1002.jpg

The good news was that there were plenty of ducks and they generally decoyed well. We shot 148 ducks (102 mallards, 45 pintails and a gadwall) - our second best year ever. We had several large flocks come wth 250 or more birds. We saw more pintails than we have ever seen in our 7 years of hunting there. Don took a beautiful drake mallard that he is having mounted. Our best duck hunt was Tuesday afternoon when we limited out on a field hunt with 20 mallards and 12 pintails. Regrettably we didn’t get around to taking pictures.

A new addition to camp this year was Bailey - a young female chocolate lab. She hunted a slough with us Wednesday afternoon and did a fine job retrieving.

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x273/kitefisherman/CropofIMGP1010_resize.jpg

Thursday morning we had our best goose hunt (by the numbers) and shot 14 geese (3 lesser Canadas, 3 specks and 8 snows) along with 17 ducks (9 pintails and 8 mallards).

We had one flock of a few thousand snow geese over us as we laid on the ground in our coffin blinds staring up into the loud vortex of multiple layers of circling birds. I’ve never had so many snows over me at one time. It was hard to pick the right time to call the shot, but we still downed several.

Back at the camp after that hunt:

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x273/kitefisherman/CropofIMGP1007.jpg

Friday morning, we finished strong with 9 geese (3 lesser Canadas and 6 specks) and 27 ducks (16 mallards and 11 pintails). We hunted the edge of the slough in the background along our strip of decoys. The birds were way more interested in the water than our decoys. We could have very quickly limited out on ducks and shot way more geese if we had set up along the water. Still it was a great hunt to be remembered.

That's Dave holding the head of a hen pintail over my head. My shot decapitated the bird - never done that before.

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x273/kitefisherman/IMGP1012.jpg

Awesome, congrats on a good hunt. I love duck hunting, especially in the southern swamps.. I'd like to hunt where they were coming in flocks of 250, that would be nice! We're lucky if we get 10 flying together. Again, nice hunt man, looks like you had a great time.

Nice report Kite. Looks like you guys had a great hunt and a good time as well. Thats one of my dream vacations, a Duck and Goose hunt in Saskatchewan. I am so looking forward to Duck season, just hope its better here this year than it was last year.

Helping out with the guiding this year was Arron Perry - the famed retired Canadian Army sniper. Arron has the distinction of having in 2002 made the second longest combat kill in history with a 2,310 meter shot in Afghanistan on an al-Qaeda observer that was directing an artillery barrage on the U.S. 101st Airborne. Arron told me that he actually missed his first shot but that he quickly reloaded and the second lethal shot was on the way before the enemy heard the report from the first shot.

The record for the longest combat shot is held by fellow Canadian sniper Rob Furlong at 2,430 meters - also in Afghanistan . Both shots were fired from .50-caliber McMillan Brothers TAC-50 rifles.

Prior to his retirement in 2005, Aaron also served as a sniper in other modern theaters of war such as Bosnia and Somalia. In appreciation for his efforts in protecting U.S. troops, Arron was awarded the Bronze Star by the United States.

Arron had never guided hunters before this goose season. However, he worked his ass off with military precision scouting the birds and drawing maps of the fields that the birds were using and their observed times of arrival and departure. He always had a very optimistic and energetic attitude for every hunt, and we very much enjoyed having him with us.

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x273/kitefisherman/Arron1.jpg

Friday morning, we finished strong with 9 geese (3 lesser Canadas and 6 specks) and 27 ducks (16 mallards and 11 pintails). We hunted the edge of the slough in the background along our strip of decoys. The birds were way more interested in the water than our decoys. We could have very quickly limited out on ducks and shot way more geese if we had set up along the water. Still it was a great hunt to be remembered.

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x273/kitefisherman/IMGP1012.jpg
Man, I don't know if you noticed, but there are like 50 ducks right behind you...:banghead::rofl:

This year I did something new between hunts - I made goose jerky. It turned out better than I had hoped. Our outfitter had asked me for the recipe, so I thought I’d share it with you guys too. As jerky marides go, it’s pretty basic but also pretty good.

1. Make the marinade by mixing 3/4 cup soy sauce, 3/4 cup worcestshire sauce, 3/4 cup teriyaki sauce, 1.5 ounces of Liquid Smoke and 1 cup of brown sugar in a large tupperware container.

2. Half freeze and slice the goose lengthwise into strips about the thickness of bacon (partially frozen meat is much easier to slice thin which is very imprtant). Place the strips in the marinade for 24 hours. Move the strips around in the marinade half way through to make sure the marinade gets to work on all the meat.

3. Remove strips from marinade and let the excess marinade drip off. Place strips on a double thick layer of paper towels. Place a single layer of paper towels over top and press lightly to remove excess moisture. Place dried strips on dehydrator trays. Dehydrate 10 hours and then reverse the order of the trays (top tray placed on bottom, etc.). Dehydrate an additional 10 hours and remove dried strips. If strips are still soft, dehydrate those strips an additional 4 hours.

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x273/kitefisherman/IMGP1014.jpg

Very cool, John! Looks like there's gonna be some roasted duck for the holidays!

great trip john. suxs it was slow with the geese, but you still got into some good shooting it looks like. i am sitting in ga. right now land spearing some bambi:)

jeep

Great report, John!
Did Don wash his face off before he got on the plane?

Glad you had a good trip :)

Sounds like an awesome trip. Love the duckiedoos.

Great stuff, John!! Can't wait to get into some of the jerky when I get back - if there is any left!!

What a great report!

Good to see you making your annual pilgrimage to wingfowler mecca in Canada. I look forward to your reports of it every year. Reading them makes me want to beat the dust off of my waders and give it a go here locally this year. Thanks for sharing your story and pictures.

I don't remember how many times I almost got in an accident because of those Canada geese. They walk across the street with impunity ducklings in tow and cars stop pretty damn fast to avoid running them over. I thought you couldn't touch them, at least in Toronto you can't. Always did want to catch one though.. Are they good eating or make extra soft pillows?

I'm making a motion to postpone the last WCC tourny next year till after John goes on his annual trip to Saskatchewan :smthumbup: I bet that jerky kicks ass!! Very cool report John....the pictures and write up are top notch.

I always look forward to these reports, John. It gets me in a fall...huntin'...thanksgiving kinda mood.

Very cool, John! Looks like there's gonna be some roasted duck for the holidays!

I don't remember how many times I almost got in an accident because of those Canada geese. . . Are they good eating or make extra soft pillows?

IMO, the ducks are better eating than the geese. Grilled mallard breasts with a zinfandel/blackberry preserve reduction sauce has become a standard for Christmas dinner. Mallards and pintails (dabbling ducks) are my favorite as they feed primarily on grain and peas - as opposed to the diving ducks which tend to have a more aquatic diet.

The geese are good cooked in a gravy or stew. Right now, jerky is my favorite way to eat goose.

Here’s some boneless pintail breasts that I grilled medium rare last night after vacuum sealing the rest for the freezer. They are topped with the zinfandel/blackberry preserve reduction sauce and served with a side of grits.

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x273/kitefisherman/IMGP1016.jpg

Damn Kite that looks scruptious:thumbup:, you gotta post that recipe, I use to hunt up in Talisman (they use to flood the sugarcane fields), but the ducks always tasted to gamey, the best IMO were the blue & green winged teal.

You looked like Rambo in that first pic John.Hows it been going brother?

I have a feeling he was looking at his spreadsheet while typing this.

Damn Kite that looks scruptious:thumbup:, you gotta post that recipe, I use to hunt up in Talisman (they use to flood the sugarcane fields), but the ducks always tasted to gamey, the best IMO were the blue & green winged teal.

The sauce recipe is 2/3 zin and 1/3 blackberry preserves. Slowly simmer about an hour or until you get a nice syrup to put over your grilled duck beasts. Teal are GREAT. We had a dozen or so greenwings, sitting in our decoys, Wednesday afternoon - about 10 feet from where we were hidden in the cattails. We just didn’t want to shoot them knowing what our #2 shot would do and knowing that we could only legally transport 16 ducks home (there is just too little meat compared to a mallard or a pintail). In Florida I would always favor shooting a Florida mallard (mottled duck) or a teal. I LOVE teal.

Where is Talisman?


You looked like Rambo in that first pic John. Hows it been going brother?

How the hell have you been Nick? I’ve been great. Hope to see you - either up there or down here - sometime soon. Let me know if you want to do a road trip down here.


I have a feeling he was looking at his spreadsheet while typing this.

Hank, we live and die by the stats of our previous years when we’re up there - always comparing our progress with prior years. After seven years, I need to enter the data onto a spreadsheet - otherwise too many calculations to have to do in my head at happy hour to let the guys know how we are doing. I'm still working off of photocopies of the previous years' bird counts - by day and AM & PM hunts - too much math to do at happy hour!

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How the hell have you been Nick? I’ve been great. Hope to see you - either up there or down here - sometime soon. Let me know if you want to do a road trip down here.


Weather has been horrible for diving here.Let me know what you have got going on.I NEED TO DIVE.I'll even strap on a steel 120.

I NEED TO DIVE.I'll even strap on a steel 120.

I thought that all you serious rig divers used was AL80s? :D

I'm diving here inthe morning - time to go to bed.