Typically, on opening day of dove season our resident goose season comes in as well. I usually end up swinging on the smaller of the two choices but this year we were privy to intel that approximately 150 geese were coming to a cut corn field in Martin County every morning like clockwork. Who am I to turn down such information and so I started planning to put a hunting party together and set up in the field to wait for the opening day morning flight!
Being that I’m not a regular dry ground goose hunter we had to find a way to conceal ourselves in a practically barren field, so we decided to run down to the Greenville Agri Supply and buy some camo burlap and then zip-tie corn stalks to it and lay under it to blend in with the surroundings. Along with putting out 15 decoys, we also had to dig a few depressions in the ground to allow us to be in a reclined position as opposed to laying flat as my aging core muscles might fail me at the moment of truth. After some careful positioning, myself, Kolby Chesson, Brandon Chesson, my son Hayden and friend Eli Coggins were all set up and ready in early coolness of the morning.
It was overcast and spitting rain as the darkness began to give way to the morning. We heard our first honkers in the distance and our casual chatter focused immediately on the approaching symphony of cackles.
I must say the first glimpse of them in the distance made my heart-rate pick up a bit. There’s something about approaching waterfowl. Layered across the horizon in multiple lines of 10 to 20 birds, wing tip to wing tip, while hailing their approach. I estimated there were probably 100 birds coming at once. Not ideal but we’ll take what we can get.
We honked back at them to complete our deception, and their lines started to condense as they prepared for landing. A group of 20 dropped faster than the others and sailed right over our heads with flaps down, landing gear out and heads up but they decided against it and lifted off at the last second to stay with the larger group. On the next pass the whole flock was committing but I knew they were going to land behind us and that wasn’t going to work so as they came into range I yelled “Cut ‘em!” Chaos erupted as we shed our cloaks and filled the sky with steel and copper plated Bismuth. Feathers flew and thuds could be heard all around us as they hit the deck. After it was all said and done, 6 birds fell and just like that, it was over.
As we retrieved birds, picked up our hulls and loaded up decoys, the morning’s spectacle continued to play over and over in my head. I know I’m blessed to have the desire to do this, and to do it with family and friends makes the blessing even better!
Our State Is Your Next Adventure!
-Chris-
Comments