High-Volume Hunting

BAGGING BIG NUMBERS

You don’t need to go to South America for a high-volume bird hunt

BY BRAD FITZPATRICK

The author holds a snow goose in a field of decoys.

he rst ock of snow geese

Tthat passed over my head numbered more than 100 birds. They ew in an extended V-formation, a cackling silver cavalcade against the cloudless Missouri sky, and as they passed I leaned below the waving white sock that was positioned to prevent the birds from seeing the shine of my face.

With my head low and eyes upturned, I watched the geese pass until my guide, Keaton Kelso, hit the speaker remote, and all sound was drowned out by the electronic echo of a thousand snow geese.

Most of the birds continued on, but a handful dropped out of the group and sailed toward our decoy spread. Four birds committed, then a fth and sixth, and eventually a dozen birds broke from the high- ying ock and turned toward our spread. Most were white snow geese, but on the far left was a large blue-phase snow goose, commonly called an “eagle head.”

The birds made a narrowing circle overhead. On the rst pass, a couple birds dropped out, then another on the second pass, but by the third turn over our spread nine birds (including the eagle head, still on the left) cupped their wings and set their legs to land.

“Take them if you can!” Kelso shouted, and the members of our hunting party burst through the doors of our cof n blinds. The geese made an abrupt turn and Keith Heinlein, product manager for Stoeger Industries, killed a bird, and behind it came another that I shot at, missed, and then hit with my second shot. Up and down the row, shotguns roared until six of the nine birds were on the ground and the echo of shotshells was lost in the cacophony of the electronic snow goose calls.

SNOW STORMED

When we think about high-volume bird-hunting locales, places like Argentina may rst come to mind. To curb their overpopulation of doves (and appease farmers who were suffering near-total losses to massive ocks), the Argentinian government allowed hunters to bag unlimited birds, which contrasts greatly with the tightly regulated harvest of migratory birds in the United States.

In the late 19th century, commercial hunting of migratory birds took a heavy toll on waterfowl numbers in North America, but the passage of the Lacey Act in 1900 limited commercial hunting, and in 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt signed an executive order >

A welltrained retriever is always beneficial on a goose hunt.

that named Pelican Island in Florida as the nation’s rst bird reservation.

A decade later, the rst comprehensive migratory bird law was passed by Congress, and in 1916, the U.S. and Great Britain (on behalf of Canada) signed the rst bilateral treaty for the conservation of migratory birds. In 1918, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act was signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson. In 1991, lead shot was banned from waterfowl hunting nationwide.

These conservation efforts worked, and waterfowl numbers increased dramatically during the 20th century. Each spring since 1955, biologists have been conducting aerial surveys of waterfowl breeding grounds to determine the quantity of a variety of waterfowl species, and the 2015 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) waterfowl populations survey indicated that there were roughly 10 million more birds that year than when the survey began 60 years earlier.

Of course, not all species recovered at the same rate. While many waterfowl populations remained stable or increased slightly over the last several decades, the number of “light geese” — a general term that refers to lesser and greater snow geese and Ross’s geese — has increased by more than 300 percent since the 1970s. The increase began when marshes in the southern United States were drained for agriculture in the 1970s, and these new agricultural lands offered a bounty of waste grain left behind by farmers.

This forced adaptation turned out to be a boon for the birds, but it has been a disaster for farmers and for the Arctic nesting habitat that light geese use in the winter.

Ross’s and lesser snow geese nest extensively along the vulnerable Hudson Bay Lowland. In 1996 scientists estimated that overgrazing by light geese had destroyed 35 percent of the habitat along a 1,200-mile stretch of coastline along Hudson Bay and James Bay, and that another 30 percent of the remaining habitat had been severely damaged by the birds. Likewise, overwintering light geese have outcompeted other waterfowl species, such as sandhill cranes, which rely on the same waste grain the geese use for winter forage.

CURBING LIGHT GOOSE POPULATIONS

To help combat the damaging effects of snow and Ross’s geese overpopulation, FWS issued a light goose conservation order in 1999. A conservation order is a special plan put in place to help control populations of speci c species when traditional management methods do not work.

Under the 1999 order, light geese could be hunted during special extended seasons, shotguns did not have to be plugged to hold three shells (although nontoxic shot was still required) and electronic calls may be used. In addition, hours were extended and there were no bag limits for light geese.

The light goose conservation order offers hunters a chance to extend their hunting season while helping reduce light goose populations and preserve Arctic nesting habitat that is vital for other birds.

Snow goose hunting looks different than most other waterfowl hunts. For starters, most every hunter wears white to blend in with the decoy spread, which may number more than 1,000 full bodies, silhouettes and socks. That type of a goose spread takes a long time to set out — typically three hours, if everything goes smoothly. Why go to so much effort? Because snow geese gather in huge numbers. A “small” >

ock contains 1,000 birds, while an average ock may consist of 10,000 or more. Setting out a few dozen dekes typically won’t even draw a glance from a passing ock of snow geese.

IF YOU GO

Most light goose hunts take place in agricultural elds where the birds may land and feed for hours, so expect to lay out from well before dawn. And while you can hunt until a half-hour past sunset, it’s been my experience that the action slacks considerably as midday approaches.

Toward evening, the large ocks ll the sky, and one of my most breathtaking moments as a hunter came while hundreds of snow geese circled overhead in a spiral of white. The sound of it all was fantastic, and the sight of so many birds was disorienting and made picking a single target challenging.

You’ll have slow days snow goose hunting, but when the action is hot, this is highvolume hunting at its nest. Being lost in a twisting cycle of white bodies is unlike anything else we do as hunters, and if you want to take part in the experience, I suggest you hire a competent guide.

On my last hunt, I used Kansas-based K&K Out tters. The Kelso brothers haul an enclosed box trailer lled with decoys and electronic calls to the eld and set everything up for the hunters, which makes the process much more relaxing for their clients.

Arkansas, Missouri, Louisiana, Illinois and Nebraska are among the best states for high-volume snow goose hunting. Keep in mind that these birds are migratory, and great ocks that cover elds in your hunting area might vacate overnight. Our hunt was originally scheduled for Nebraska, but because the Kelsos watch the migration and have access to hunting leases in other

Most snow goose hunters wear white to blend in with the decoy spread, which may number more than 1,000 full bodies, silhouettes and socks.

states, we were able to call an audible at the last moment and transition to Missouri.

The gear list for client hunters is short: You’ll need an unplugged shotgun (usually a semi-automatic), hard-hitting goose loads, a white or earthcolored camo out t and perhaps a cof n blind if your guide doesn’t provide one.

Licensing rules vary by state and can change rapidly, so it’s best to check with the state department of natural resources prior to your hunt. Most light goose seasons begin in February and run until mid- to lateMarch, coinciding with the migration period for the region.

If you aren’t using a guide, hunting light geese is much more challenging. You’ll need decoys and an electronic call, and a well-trained retriever is always bene cial. Most importantly, you’ll need land. Most light goose hunts happen on private land, and if you’re lucky, you may nd a farmer who will offer you the lease rights to hunt birds on his or her property.

Hunting light geese is a lot of fun, but it also conserves vital nesting habitat. By transitioning swampland to agricultural elds, we have unwittingly provided light geese with an almost endless winter food source, and as a result, great sections of the Arctic have been overgrazed and the habitat destroyed.

Over the course of a successful three-day snow goose hunt, you can help stem the damage caused by light geese and ll your freezer with enough meat to last throughout the year. Snow goose pastrami is one of my favorite wild game dishes, but I’ve had smoked goose and marinated goose steaks that were equally delicious, and the meat makes excellent jerky — and a lot of it, if you have a successful hunt. l

Gear for Light Geese

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MOUTH CALL: ZINK SNOW STORM Most serious snow goose hunters use e-callers, but almost all use mouth calls on occasion. Why? A quality mouth call allows a serious snow goose hunter to instantly deliver a variety of different vocalizations to coax wary birds from the sky. Snow Storm, which was designed in collaboration with legendary snow goose caller Scott Butz, allows the caller to accurately mimic a variety of clucks, honks, cackles, murmurs and barks and might be just the tool you need to make wily birds commit to your spread. $127.99, zinkcalls.com

èAMMUNITION: FEDERAL MEATEATER BISMUTH This nontoxic load hits harder than steel and costs less than tungsten. With a density of 9.6 grams per cubic centimeter, bismuth approaches the density of lead pellets. The Flitecontrol Flex wad helps ensure consistent patterns, and because bismuth is softer than tungsten or steel it works in older guns. Federal Premium MeatEater available in 12 and 20 gauge. $62.99 to $71.99 for 25 rounds, federalpremium.com; Federal Premium Blackcloud with Flightcontrol Flex available in 12 gauge $249.89 for 250 rounds, cheaperthandirt.com

ELECTRONIC CALL: FOXPRO SNOW PRO This e-caller comes with 37 snow goose, nine crow and 29 predator sounds pre-recorded and can store up to 300 calls. The unit is powered by a 11.1 lithium battery pack and can accommodate up to four speakers (two 10-watt external speakers are included). The unit is USB programmable and includes a remote control. Snow Pro calls are great for light geese, but can also call in foxes and coyotes in winter and crows during the spring and summer. $599.95, gofoxpro.com

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SHOTGUN: STOEGER M3500 SNOW GOOSE With its optional distressed white Cerakote finish and 10-round extended magazine tube, the M3500 is built for chasing snow geese. With a full magazine tube this gun tips the scales at under 10 pounds, and that significantly helps reduce recoil with magnum loads. I fired more than 75 rounds during my last hunt and never had a single issue with cycling or feeding. I especially like the oversized controls and extended chokes. $669, stoeger industries .com