2021 waterfowl migration~

[snow1]

 is underway...hunter's willing to travel west are in luck,even the minesota/dakota border along the minnesota river area's are seeing a major influx of northern birds,all species from widgeon to big northern mallards.

This started last sunday....

FYI.

[Rebel SS]

The geese have been flying here at dusk, honking away...a sure sign Fall is here!
I love seeing and hearing that first string going overhead at dusk....add the smell of some wood smoke/burning leaves, and whata hit of nostalgia.  Always makes me think of a certain Redlin painting.....

[snow1]

Reb, I thought chester town shut down the silver lake plant,goose days are long gone,not true?

[Rebel SS]

Yes and no. Plant hasn't been up for 4-5 years, but there are still a fair number of geese all over the place. They like the corn fields around here. Population drops in Winter, since lake now freezes over 'cuz no more warmed output water.  Just not the 40,000 we used to have. Few thousand though, easily. This from last Summer. What it normally looks like; rest are scattered here and there around the lake. (It's a mile aound it)
Turn sound off if ya don't wanna hear Spanish. 

[snow1]

Lol,still laying land mines around the lake IC....

Found some new waterfowl ammo to try,might need to swing by cawchester later in the season when I'm in town to whack a few big honkers.

[Rebel SS]

Gimme a PM before ya do.....I still know some ah...um....hidden places for those water turkeys. 

[snow1]

Absolutely Reb,you can show me the ropes,curious if the city still has public hunting blinds scattered around town? figure they are gone by now,never hunted outof them but always seen folks in them.

[Rebel SS]

Nope. Long gone. Nothing is public anymore....and I'm NOT jokin'!!! Even the old gravel pits where the wounded fowl would land to recuperate, are all private, posted, and chained off. The big one west of 2nd street that was great for fowl was bought by MAYO, and turned into a beach area and employee parking lot controlled by them and patrolled by Security. PO'd me off when I had to go tell folks they couldn't fish in there anymore, and were trespassing. The north line is now within city limits and it's illegal to shoot a gun there, of course.... ....

[LPS]

A buddy and I went on two guided hunts down there in the late 80's.  Was a great time and the guides were really good.  One won the State Calling thing that year I believe too.  He was a maintenance guy at Mayo and could do the morning goose thing before work.  They had leased land and nice pit blinds.  My buddy and I sad together and they would ring a buzzer when you could shoot.  Was a blast.  Unreal decoy spread.  Had coffee and pastries whilst we hunted.   

[Rebel SS]

I could go for one of those!!!! Sounds like a blast!
Old vid with good ol' Dean Olson (now retired) out west on the north line......

[LPS]

Yup fun deal.  Love field hunting geese.  I had a tall yellow lab named Willy and that was his passion too.  He loved to go get the geese and would go for the further one first.  Just did it naturally.

[Bobberineyes]

That's neat lps, my first yellow did the same with ducks. I've sat in those state blinds in the late 80's never had dekes out but never shot anything either.  A group at work booked some pits down that way in November,  I'll probably talk the kid into going so he can shoot his first sky pig..

[snow1]

Good vid Reb,looks like that day the vid was shot was perfect timing,lots of activety,our setup next to HQ was 40 acers of alfalfa,not really the best later in the season but great early when the geese wanted green feed.

We were right on the north city boundry along the river,it was a natural flyway when we had a north wind,geese would follow the river north to feed ,good percentage of the birds always headed into the wind to feed.

Back in the mid 70's minnesota only had a 10 day canada goose season,we hunted Roseau refuge, back then a canada goose was a trophy in the bag,hell I had a 16lb'er mounted,big ole B52,thing had a 72" wing span

good times.

[LPS]

Back in the early 70's my brother and I shot 5 Canadas  near where we lived.  That was as cool as shooting a nice buck back then.  Everyone wanted to talk to us about the hunt.  Pretty cool!

[Rebel SS]

I remember having goose at my Uncles that he shot for xmas dinner a few times....it was great! 

[snow1]

I remember having goose at my Uncles that he shot for xmas dinner a few times....it was great! 

As far as table fare the last few years I always fillet the breast out,cube the meat,soak in cola for 24hrs when possible,wrap in thin sliced smoke bacon.

Buddy did a whole late season plucked 10lb honker , wrapped in a bag like a chuck roast,man did that sucker come out good,fall off the bone tender,stuffed the body caviety with oranges and apple slices,maybe give this recipe a whirl later in the season when hunting slows down.

[LPS]

We took the breasts and soaked them in Italian dressing for a few days and then grilled them.  That tenderized them and added some flavor.  My buddy learned that in meat cutting school. 

[snow1]

We took the breasts and soaked them in Italian dressing for a few days and then grilled them.  That tenderized them and added some flavor.  My buddy learned that in meat cutting school.

Yup,used this method as well,also on venison steaks/chops.

coke tenderizes and sweetens the meat.then a bath of teriyaki iffin I have some onhand for a couple hours,then bacon wrap and charcoal grill med-rare.

[snow1]

Well round two of the 2021 migration,this pic is dedicated to us old timer's,"pass shooting" sure it's a lazy man's hunt,but also when done right and near the "X" offers great shooting opprotunities,just make sure you have plenty of ammo,nothing worse than being surrounded and your ammo supply runs out.