Late Season Geese

Never say never, when it comes to hunting Canada geese in the great state of Minnesota. Between Sept. 1 and Dec. 23rd there are only a handful of days when you cannot legally hunt Canada geese somewhere in Minnesota. That is something you can hang your hat on, Minnesota has plenty of geese and opportunities to hunt them.
The first time I went field hunting for Canada geese was in Rochester, MN. I was not even old enough to use a gun but I tagged along with my father and Dean Tlougan, owner/operator of Premier Flight guide service to a permanent pit-blind. We had supermag Canada goose shells in the cornfield, and it snowed. Canada geese were fooled and harvested that day.
Hunting Canada geese in snow filled cornfields is still one of my passions. Most weekends in December you can find me having breakfast before shooting-time at a particular McDonalds in Rochester, MN. There I will be discussing with others in camouflage, not only goose hunting, but whether or not 2 sausage burritos is as good as a single McSkillet burrito.
Historically Rochester has been the place to go to hunt late season Canada geese in Minnesota. Not only is it noted for the re-birth of the Greater Canada goose, or Branta Canadensis Maxima, the city also winters a large portion of the Canada geese from Manitoba.
There are many permanent pit-blinds found in the agricultural fields surrounding Rochester, MN. These pit-blinds are part of the history that comes from being an area that holds geese year after year. Pit-blinds are the most efficient way for hunters to be comfortable and concealed. Period.
When I hunt Canada geese in Rochester full-bodied decoys and excellent callers surround me. This makes for a deadly combination when the birds are flying off of the refuge to feed. Especially when it is cold and there is snow on the ground. The cold temps freeze up the smaller bodies of water and concentrate geese, while the snow causes the birds to lose a few IQ points.
Today Minnesota goose hunters can find geese any where from the Red River to the St. Croix. One does not have to travel very far in any direction to notice flocks of Canada geese flying somewhere in the distance. It is no mystery to the rest of the nation either; for some time Minnesota has led the country in total number of Canada geese harvested.
Lac Qui Parle refuge in Western Minnesota has been nationally known for it’s goose hunting for years, and it has continued to be that way. Recently the Canada goose limit has been raised from 1 bird to 2 birds in the West-Central zone. This has opened up more opportunities for goose hunters to experience hunting around Lac Qui Parle. In previous years, with large numbers of birds close to the Metro, it was hard to justify traveling all the way to Western Minnesota, just to be able to harvest a single goose.
With the mild winters Minnesota has been experiencing the last couple years there has been some lost opportunities due to a later migration. The regulations for the Minnesota 2007 Waterfowl season call for Canada goose hunting in the West-Central zone, the Lac Qui Parle area, to close on Nov. 27, with no late season. I assure you that there will be geese on the refuge well past that date, and I am okay with that. Remember, this article is about opportunity, which there is still plenty of.
I enjoy hunting Canada geese in the September early season, but I prefer to hunt geese later in the year in larger concentrations. Leaving for my home in St. Paul for a morning shoot it only takes me an hour and fifteen minutes to be in Rochester. That makes it the ideal place for a guy like me to focus my late season goose hunting efforts. Luckily my dad and I are still friends with Dean Tlougan, and he allows us to hunt with him and the rest of the Premiere Flight crew.
Most of the goose hunting I do before the weather starts making ice is pretty cut and dry. I scout, find where geese are feeding, obtain permission, and hunt them in the morning. Now that sounds way easier than it really is. For the majority of the hunting season scouting is the most important thing you can do. At the same time it is very costly and time consuming. By the time December roles around I am ready to jump into a heated pit-blind in Rochester. That is of course, following a breakfast at McDonalds.
For more information of hunting geese in Rochester check out www.goosegrinders.com or call Dean Tlougan at 507-252-5957.

Unpleasant Weather Pheasants, SD

My dad said that last weekend was probably the coldest weather he had ever hunted in. However, he has been colder while hunting. These days my dad owns warmer clothing and knows how to dress for the elements. Friday was the warmest day of the hunt; it was a balmy 16 degrees with no wind in Brookings, South Dakota.
This was my first pheasant-hunting trip to the South Dakota. I have chased snow geese there in the spring for several consecutive seasons, and I’ve always wanted to go there in the fall.
The plan was for our group to hunt public land the majority of the time. South Dakota has state funded Walk-In Areas, which are private lands, open for public hunting. The Walk-In program is similar to the P.L.O.T.S. (Private Lands Open to Sportsman), program found in North Dakota. With 13 hunters and 9 dogs we were planning on hunting big cover and using blockers to surround the birds.
Thursday, November 30th was the first day of our hunt. Because of the South Dakota pheasant season being open for several weeks, the birds were skittish and wary. Right away we found them in the thickest cover available, but the birds did not hold very well. A few times there were birds that took off flying while the group was still getting out of the trucks.
Late in the pheasant season I encourage pheasant hunters to be especially aware of the noise they make (no slamming truck doors, yelling at bird dogs, etc.). Walking the cover into the wind helps to reduce noise, while also being the ideal way for sniffing dogs to mind scent. With extra thought and planning late fall hunting can still be successful.
South Dakota pheasant hunting is like Pizza. When it’s from your favorite restaurant it’s great, and when it is a cheap frozen brand it is still pretty good. We managed to have decent hunting, averaging 2 to 3 pheasants per walk. At 10 am sharp, the starting time in South Dakota, our group would be in position to push larger grasslands. Half the group would walk through the fields, and the other half would block the ends of the fields. This system worked well for many pheasant hunters in the past.
In theory pheasants should run through the field, holding near the edge, providing blocks and walkers good shooting opportunities. That is textbook pheasant hunting. Early on in our trip though we found that the birds were flushing ahead of the walkers, flying out the sides of the fields, and therefore avoiding the blockers. With birds flying out on the sides we had to rethink a few things and make adjustments. Still the majority of the roosters we bagged were ones that chose to hold tight rather than fly.
Pheasants basically have two defense mechanisms. Either they fly or they run and hide. The experts say that over time hunters have harvested a higher majority of the flyers making the pheasant more genetically prone to run. We must have been hunting in an area with a high concentration of flyers.
Each day our group saw a lot of birds, but the vast majority were hens. This is to be expected this late in the season because other hunters have trimmed the rooster population down. I read somewhere that up to 80% of rooster pheasants are shot during each hunting season. Don’t worry; there are still plenty of roosters that escaped our hunting party to provide more birds for next year.
In the afternoons we broke into smaller groups and hunted smaller cover. Pheasants are an edge bird; sometimes a small and thick piece cover can provide quick birds.
As the sun was going down across the vast Dakota prairie, 6 of us followed 2 housedogs through the field for the last walk of the trip. On that walk the 6 of us flushed 3 roosters and harvested all 3 of them. It was bitter outside, but it was a sweet way to end my first South Dakota pheasant hunt.

Playing the Wind

Picture yourself in a cornfield. It’s late October, the previous night this particular field was lined shoulder to shoulder with Northern mallards. Standing in the headlights of your SUV you toss a few crispy corn petals up in to the air, and watch as a gust of wind takes them back to the ground. From your best estimates the wind is from the Northwest, now time to place out the decoys.
Wind will always play a critical role when it comes to waterfowl hunting. Ducks and geese will always take off and land into the wind. It is best to position yourself in a spot that offers the most effective shots according to the wind. This will increase your shooting odds and decrease the chance of crippling birds.
Decoy placement is not the only part of waterfowl hunting that is affected by wind. If there is too much wind, birds may lay low on the roost and avoid flying. High winds also make shooting more difficult. No wind and birds can approach decoy spreads from any direction. Usually landing at will, somewhere behind my blind.
When upland bird hunting it is important to walk into the wind. The birds have a harder time hearing your approach them for the downwind side. Plus, it is easier for bird dogs to smell game when they are working into the wind.
Now imagine yourself at the deer shack on a November morning. Stepping onto a porch the floorboards creak beneath you as you raise your moist index finger into the air. You gaze at the stars as you ponder the wind direction and the position of your tree stand. Will the deer be able to smell you as the travel from their morning resting spot to feed?
“If the wind is wrong, I don’t even go out to my stand. Most hunters won’t do that.” Said Brian Trachsel, an avid bow hunter. Wind direction plays an even bigger role when it comes to the pursuit of big game animals. Deer, Elk and Bear all have a very keen sense of smell. Hunters have to use the wind, which carries their smell, to their advantage. Especially bow hunters, who have to be close to these mammals for high percentage kill shots.
I feel that one of the biggest mistakes most hunters commit is not using the wind to put the odds in their favor. A lot of hunters think they can mask their own scent by washing themselves, and their clothes in various products. Hunters also purchase clothing that is supposed to trap their natural scents.
These devices give the hunter some piece of mind before heading into the field, which can be a plus. A little confidence can go along way for all of us. The truth however is that; your house has smells, your truck has smells, and the place you stop get a cup of coffee in the morning smells. By putting yourself in a position where game approaches you from the up wind side you can eliminate these smells.
There are a few different ways to tell basically which way the wind is coming from. Some guys will listen or watch the weather report, but most will check or re-check the wind in the field. When I lived in Grand Forks, North Dakota I hunted with a pilot named Dave Easton who would call a 1-800 number for a VFR Aviation Weather report. That might be the coolest way a hunter can get the wind direction, still once you get to your hunting spot you have to re-check it.
I found a new product that helps to nail down the exact direction of the wind more accurately. This item conveniently fits into a pocket, blind bag or glove box. It is a small plastic ball that contains a scent-free wind powder by Windage LLC. Basically you squeeze the soft plastic ball and one can visually see scent-free wind powder get carried away by the wind. Information about this product can be found at bowloco.com.
The scent-free wind powder will help to depict exactly how the ducks will try to land and how your scent will travel from the tree stand. Sure tossing grass into the air or licking your finger may help to build your confidence in the wind direction, but in the field, sometimes you need more than confidence. When heading into the woods this fall try to put the odds in your favor by paying attention to the wind direction and using it to your favor.

Motion In the Decoys

Nothing will cause wary waterfowl to stay clear of shotgun range like lifeless decoys. Allowing your decoys to appear alive or have motion will increase your success in the field. Motion will bring birds closer to the decoys providing better and less-crippling shots. In this article I will discuss several tricks and products that will help to add motion to your decoy spread.

Water Spreads
On windless days water decoys may not be very effective. When live ducks and geese swim on calm water they cause small ripples from their motion. There are several techniques and devices to mimic these ripples caused by live waterfowl.
Jerk strings may be the easiest to operate and the most cost effective. Jerk strings can be attached to both goose and duck water decoys. Basically a jerk string works the way it sounds. Hunters can tie 15 to 20 yards of decoy line to a weighted keel decoy, then thread the line through a couple pound weight. Hunters can make their own weights, or I have found that down rigging weights are available and affordable. After placing the decoy and the weight in the water spread hunters “jerk” the string, moving the decoy and creating ripples across the calm water.
There are many types of shakers and swimming decoys available on the market today. All of these decoys serve the same purpose and can be affective when used properly. I recommend that you purchase one that you feel comfortable operating. For me I keep two shaker decoys in my bag when legal to do so. They operate on AA batteries and I only turn them on when needed. Plus I always keep extra batteries in my blind bag.
Often times hunters in flooded timber move their legs when standing in a couple feet of water to create the ripples caused by feeding ducks. This can easily be done when hunting spots where you have to stand in water. However, be careful not to move too much and attract the unwanted attention from passing birds exposing your location.

Field Spreads
The most common technique for adding motion to field decoys while hunting all species of geese is flagging. There are many different types of flags available and they can be deadly when used properly. I hunt with a lot of guys that would choose a flag over a goose call if they could only hunt with one.
There are two basic types of flags that I use while goose hunting. Pole flags are 8 to 12 feet long and are used to attract geese at a distance. Hand flags are on a short pole and when used correctly, look like a goose stretching its wings. Hand flags, like the Final Approach Double Trouble Goose Flag are used when geese are closer. “Often times when geese are committed, I give them a few flaps with my hand flag and the motion pulls them to my side of the spread.” Explained Lyle Sinner a Fargo, North Dakota native.
Flapping wing decoys, like hand flags, recreate motion caused by geese stretching their wings. Flappers however are placed away from the hunters drawing attention away from the concealed field blinds. When used properly different types of wing flappers do an awesome job of bringing geese in feet down.
After purchasing a wing flapper, you may have to make some minor adjustments to the decoy. Typically more weight has to be added to the foot base.
When flagging or using a flapper decoy it is important not to use them too much or when geese are directly above your location. I have found that flagging is the most effective when geese are at a distance or going away from your spread. I never use a flag if the geese are with in 100 yards, however flappers may be used in this range because motion is away from the concealed hunters.
Motion stakes add natural motion with just a 10 mph wind. These stakes can also prop-up shell decoys giving them the appearance of a full-body. Today there are some full-bodied decoys on the market you can use motion stakes with to add movement, like the FA Last Pass HD Field Honkers. These decoys appear to be birds that are walking or feeding to airborne flocks.
Windsocks have been used to hunt geese out of fields for a long time. These decoys operate the best with a 10 mph wind and are used almost exclusively for snow geese. Snow geese feed through fields very quickly, therefore the walking motion the wind creates in the socks makes the decoys look real.
Using too few windsocks is the biggest mistake I see hunters making when snow goose hunting. You cannot buy just a dozen or so windsocks and expect to shoot geese. I know that everyone is not made of money, but each member of your party should try to contribute to the spread. It would be best to buy by the 100s rather than dozen’s.
Windsocks can also be used to add motion to Canada goose decoy spreads. A couple buddies of mine mix them in with their full-bodies to add realism. They have found that using one windsock for every dozen full-bodies is about the right ratio.

Spinning wing Decoys
Spinners for ducks can be highly affective in fields and over water. The studies that have been done on them prove that they work, especially for Mallards. Spinners are now banned during some parts of season in Minnesota and completely in some states. Personally I will continue to use one as long as it is legal to do so.
Spinners are like any other device used to add motion to your decoys. When they are used properly they can help and when they are not they can hurt. Some days they will work, and other times ducks will decoy better without one. There are a few things to keep in mind when using one or more.
Make sure that the wings on your spinner do not reflect in the sun. An easy way to fix this is by re-painting them with flat paint. When using multiple spinners try setting them at different heights. Make sure to turn your spinner off if there are geese working towards your spread. Spinners don’t seem to scare geese but often the geese will continue to circle waiting for the duck to land.
Hopefully you can take a little away for these tips and good luck adding motion to your spread in the fall.

A Different Duck Camp

Whoever said that youth is wasted on the young, never attended the Minnesota Waterfowl Association’s Woodie Camp. I returned as a counselor again this year for the second year in a row. It was another great experience for me as a waterfowl hunter and a person. I attended the camp as a youngster and cherish the memories that are triggered from that experience.
Hunting has allowed me to make many friends and hunt in many different places. The least I feel that I can do is give something back to the sport. I feel that if I am not here for the younger generations of waterfowl hunters, then who is?
There are many different aspects of waterfowl hunting that are taught at the Minnesota Waterfowl Association’s Woodie Camp. Each one of these topics serves a purpose; helping to mold young hunter’s aged 13 to 15, into educated waterfowl enthusiasts.
It would be harder to rate the specific topics of the Minnesota Waterfowl Association’s Woodie Camp on a scale, than it would be to discuss them in any detail. If I were to discuss all of the aspects of the many topics I would certainly fill all of the pages within this publication. With that said, I will discuss only a few.
With 70% of all ducks being produced in the prairie-pothole region of North America, it is hard to ignore habitat. Luckily, the camp is held at the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center or PWLC, in Fergus Falls, Minnesota were there is plenty of prairie for the campers to study under the guidance of educated instructors.
Instructors walk with the campers along prairie trials and discuss different aspects of the prairie while they are in the field, so to speak. Campers learn about different prairie plants, their root structures, and why the different plants are important.
They also learn about the drastic decline of the prairie. The grasslands of North America are just as vital to our Ecosystem as the rain forest. The grasses produce valuable oxygen and actually contain more types of life forms. Still you don’t see ‘Save the Prairie’ bumper stickers plastered on cars.
Not only do ducks face habitat decline, many different predators also target them. The predator that kills the most ducks on the prairie is the Red Fox. It is important to remember that roughly 87% of all ducks never make it off the nest, because of the abundance of predators.
Campers are taught how to build nesting structures for waterfowl, and the importance of them. Mallard ‘hen houses’ are designed to keep the female ducks elevated and away from predators. Wood duck ‘boxes’ are used by female Wood ducks in the place of tree cavities.
Bird banding has been one of the many highlights of Woodie Camp since the camp started. Band data allows biologists to track the life spans of waterfowl and the migration patterns of waterfowl. The bands help to insure the future of hunting through this data, and provide a souvenir for waterfowl hunters.
There have been approximately 300 ducks banded by the Minnesota Waterfowl Association’s Woodie Camp attendees since 2003. Since then hunters have harvested 22 of those banded ducks and 1 was found dead. These bands were recovered in 8 different states: Minnesota, Missouri, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Alabama. 5 of the 23 ducks were Mallards and 18 were Wood ducks.
The Minnesota Waterfowl Association’s Woodie Camp runs for 1 week, from Sunday to Saturday. Like any summer camp, it starts slow and finishes fast. Even after my third year at camp I am impressed by the amount of information that can be taught about waterfowl hunting in one week.
As hunters it is important for us to share our passion for the outdoors with others. Edmund Burke has been given credit for saying, “Tell me what are the prevailing sentiments that occupy the minds of our young men, and I will tell you what is to be the character of the next generation.”

Memorable Retrievers

Memorable Retrievers
Life is just a series of moments were you connect with another person, place or feeling. Every bird dog I have ever owned has had it’s own moments. These were times when dogs did remarkable things based on minimal training and experience. These moments seem to burn deeper in my memory for the dogs I only had for a short period of time. I do not know exactly why this is but I believe that it falls into the category that only the good die young.
I would like to say that one of the best dogs I ever owned was named Java. The female black lab was my family’s second dog and we purchased her when I was 13. The first hunt my dad and I took her on was stopped short due to a thunderstorm. It was opening day of the duck season and the wood ducks were coming into the decoys like kamikazes. Unfortunately, lightning forced us off the lake shortly after the noon opener of the Minnesota duck season. Java was barely six months and was the only one in the boat without fear in their eyes.
The thing I remember most about Java was that she had a knack for doing blind retrieves. I did not do a lot of extensive training with her but we seemed to have an understanding. She completed one of the best blind retrieves I have ever seen on my younger sister’s first duck. It was a beautiful drake wood duck that now graces a coffee table at our cabin.
At only two years of age Java was killed crossing the street in front of my house on Halloween night. She was a runner and was greeting trick-or-treaters across the street. Java had made her last retrieve a few days prior on a green-winged teal. I had shot the bird moments after shooting time at Carlos Avery Management Area in Minnesota. It was a blind retrieve through an ever-changing maze of cattails.
Daisy was not supposed to live past six weeks. When she was brought into the vet with her two siblings they were aged at ten weeks and marked stray. When she pranced into my college house the “duck shack” she was six months. A little Shorthair Pointer with a love for retrieving. She was not only the best looking dog I ever owned she was the fastest.
Daisy spent spring break my senior year of College in South Dakota snow goose hunting. At eight months she gained tons of experience about traveling and hunting. She slept on hotel beds, chased pheasants and tried to retrieve snow geese. Daisy would try and try to remove the birds from the ground with her mouth but could not even move a Ross goose.
Daisy, like Java, was a runner by nature. She would have made a great field trail dog; she had the speed and the nose. Daisy was the only dog I have ever had that caught turtles in the weeds and muck at my cabin. Shortly after graduating from the University of North Dakota I took my first job in the Twin Cities. Daisy however was not a city dog and I had to give her away to a nice family in Northern Minnesota after countless efforts to urbanize her.
When reminiscing about dogs I often forget about the dog that is lying by my feet as I write this. Cullie is a ten-year-old black lab that has retrieved more game for me than any other dog. At ten, she is also the oldest dog I have ever owned. Although she is not steady enough to hunt from a field, she always helps me find the birds that sail at the end of the day.
Cullie has embarrassed and amazed me every season. She is only dog I have ever hunted over that has a knack for flushing pheasants back towards approaching hunters. This unorthodox approach gets me more than a few raised eyebrows when she is working on the fringe of shotgun range. I don’t know how many times I have been thinking to myself she is a little rangy, when the next thing I know I have a rooster barreling towards me that I have to dispatch in self defense.
Cullie has an excellent nose; in nine hunting seasons I have lost very little game while hunting with her. I refer to her as my jump-shooting retriever because it is the style of hunting that she excels at. She is one of those dogs that has a hard time sitting still in a duck blind. She makes unusual marks on fallen game and searches with her nose not her eyes. “It looks as though she is chasing the falling ducks shadow.” Phil Bettenburg, a friend, commented once on an afternoon duck hunt. Cullie is an average retriever, but most importantly she is an excellent family dog and companion.
Every dog has its day; it’s just easier to brag about the ones whose days are over. Dogs are like kids, only they never really grow up. So if your retriever embarrasses you or steals a bite of your sandwich, remember to take it easy on them.

All My Heros are Duck Hunters

The Old Man and I spent many summer afternoons discussing the usual topics: investing, religion, fishing and of course duck hunting. He was a strong Catholic, the kind that kept a painting of the last supper by the dinner table. We said grace before we ate our meals, and we enjoyed many a glass of Burgundy from the box he kept hidden in the cupboard. It is important to understand that the Old Man and I had no blood relation. He wed my Grandma’s sister in the forties and spent the summers of my youth across the lake from my cabin. Regardless he was referred to as Grandpa, although I never said it to him in person.
The Old Man loved to tell stories about waterfowling in North Dakota, particularly Devils Lake. Years ago a good friend of his owned a duck shack and a piece of land North of Devils Lake that was engulfed by Wildlife refuge. It was the kind of place where mice would scamper out the front door when the shack was first opened for the season. For years he would go there, bringing a handful of my cousins along in the station wagon, and hunt ducks and geese.
I was a quiet child and could sit and listen to him for hours. We had a few things in common; crappies were our favorite fish to catch, and chasing ruffed grouse was our passion. The old Man could remember the smallest details of hunts that had occurred years ago. Like how the sun caste shadows the day he doubled on ruffs near Bemidji. The stories I would hear more than once were his favorites, and the memories would bring a smile to his face.
I usually would bring one of my bird dogs across the lake with me. The Old Man called my dogs: mutts, soup hounds or lap dogs. They were allowed in my cabin and not in his, so they sat outside whining. He loved to tell stories about his Golden Retriever, Ginger, that had spent some nights in the finest hotels in North Dakota, but never in his house. Unless the weather outside was predicted to be well below freezing, then exceptions were made.
Once on a trip to Devils Lake a young man he worked with complained that Ginger was stinking up the station wagon. “What’d ya bring the dog along for anyway?” the young man inquired. The Old Man, who was not so old at the time replied, “She will retrieve our game for us.” He looked into my eyes and a smile swept across his face like a gust of wind across the prairie.
He explained to me that they used to pass shoot snow geese coming off a body of water North of Devils Lake; I have to believe is what we now call Dry Lake. “The geese came off into the wind real high. About like the ceiling!” The Old Man would lift his arms and smile up at the imaginary geese.
“The young man, boys and I were on the East side and I cannot remember how many geese we dropped but we sailed one into the sheet water.” He sent Ginger on the long retrieve. “She got about as far as half way down the point and stopped and looked at me like. ‘Dad, you cannot shoot this far.’” He sent Ginger out into the ankle deep water another hundred yards and stopped her with a whistle blast. The Old Man paused and made a motion with his left arm like he was a quarterback dropping the football over an incoming defensive tackle on a screenplay. “Like power steering she turned left and caught the wind.” With her nose to the ground she plucked the white bird the muddy field.
When Ginger returned with the bird the young man noticed something odd about it. “The snow goose was wearing a target!” It was a collared bird that had been banded earlier that year in Canada. The young man asked if he could have the collar and the Old Man graciously gave it to him keeping the leg iron for himself. “The young man commented that he had never seen a dog perform such a task.”
Yes the young man in the story certainly did learn the value of hunting with a well-rounded retriever. Losing birds is a waterfowler’s worst nightmare. When his last dog passed on, Blaze, I was about Eleven. I offered to let him take my Water Spaniel, Cocoa, hunting anytime he wanted. As I was leaving he gave me a bag full of steak scraps for Cocoa. He brushed his white hair down his brow with his palm and said, “I shoot big ducks PJ.” The Old Man chuckled and returned to his coffee.
The Old Man still has the goose’s leg band and we still sit at the lake. When he is not yelling at the television during a Twin’s game the Old Man still tells stories. Now that I am older I have my own stories too, but I’d rather listen to his.

Canvasbacks of Lake Catahoula
The Internet is a beautiful thing. It has given me hunting opportunities I only dreamed of as a young boy paging through outdoor magazines wishing to hunt ducks in the exotic places featured in the stories. So… when I got the chance to hunt waterfowl on Louisiana’s Lake Catahoula how could I say no?
My good friend Matt Jones has been in contact with a great man, a true waterfowl hunter known only in this article as “Duckster”, for many years on various hunting websites. Duckster and his hunting buddies have a comfortable duck camp on Lake Catahoula with a beautiful view of the lake. Matt is a taxidermist at the Sportsman’s Taxidermy Studio in East Grand Forks, MN and wished to travel to Louisiana to hunt full-plumage ducks. Joining him would be the owner and operator of Sportsman’s Taxidermy Studio Jim Benson, Matt Vanderpan of Grand Forks and myself.
Lately Minnesota hunters have not been blessed with a high abundance of waterfowl. I enjoy hunting my traditional Minnesota spots, but every once and awhile I like a change of scenery. One thing I believe Minnesota hunters need to do more often is visit other states to pursue waterfowl and see how other states manage and hunt waterfowl.
When the four of us arrived at Duckster’s hunting camp on Thursday afternoon it was dark. Waves from Lake Catahoula quietly swept up against the shore and the stars shone extra bright against the Southern sky. It was the last weekend in January and the last weekend for waterfowl hunting in Louisiana. Pork chops, sausage, white beans, rice and fresh brownies awaited us. By the time I would return to the North, I would understand the true meaning of “Southern hospitality”.
The duck camp was a haven where people could relax and enjoy themselves. Duckster only had one rule for us Northerners, “Do not wash the caste iron pans with dish soap.” Other than that, anything went. It was my kind of place.
On the wall of the duck shack there is an article about the 1985 duck season forecast. “Duck Shortage Means Shorter Season” is the title of it. The old paper has turned yellow but the message is still clear. Droughts across the prairie and changes in farm practices had resulted in less than ideal breeding conditions. Fortunately today the duck populations indicate “liberal” hunting seasons. As waterfowl hunters we must still keep one eye on conservation to keep the topic from the 1985 article from repeating.
Duckster had informed us that the water levels on Lake Catahoula were about twelve feet higher than normal. The abundance of water had spread a lot of the ducks out into the rice fields. Hunting had been slow the last couple days, especially for puddle ducks.
Friday morning we awoke to fresh biscuits and a plate full of sausage and bacon. Duckster was kind enough not to wake us weary travelers until coffee was brewed and breakfast was ready. Outside it was calm with the familiar summer sound of crickets chirping. I was glad to be in a more comfortable weather.
After gear was loaded into a duck boat that rested upon a trailer we headed to the lake to launch. The four of us Northern boys rode in the boat while Duckster drove his tractor that pulled the boat. It reminded me of going on hayrides as a kid to pick out the perfect pumpkin for carving.
After an easy ride across the calm water to a hole surrounded by flooded treetops we slipped into a floating blind. I was highly impressed by these floating blinds; they are probably the slickest structures I have ever hunted ducks from. Already set in front of us was a mix of mallard and pintail decoys. In the mix there was also several dozen bleach jugs with the ends painted black to mimic resting Canvasbacks. The five of us quietly awaited the morning flight.
The ducks that flew Friday morning did their best to stay clear of our decoys. The lack of wind did not help our cause either. Most of the ducks did not fly, and rested instead on large rafts in open water bays. That is hunting.
We did manage to take a single canvasback before we broke for lunch back at the camp. The wind was going to pick up towards evening and we would surely hunt again. On the way back Duckster checked one of his “trot lines” that was set the previous day. It was a twenty five-hook set but there was only one catfish on the line. It was my first experience checking a trotline.
As we drove across the lake we could see the sun reflecting white off of thousands of rafting canvasbacks. There were so many birds that they almost appeared to be snow geese. Wide eyed, Matt Jones leaned over and whispered to me, “This must be what Lake Christina and Heron looked like years ago in Minnesota.” Today Lake Catahoula in central Louisiana winters between 150,000 and 200,000 canvasbacks.
By the time the sunset across Lake Catahoula, signaling the end of the first day of hunting, several firsts had occurred in my life. It was the first time I had been to Louisiana, the first time my hunting party has taken a limit of Canvasbacks, and the first time I had shot a duck in January.
I awoke on Saturday morning to the smell of fresh biscuits, sausage and bacon. Even after feasting on boiled crawfish, corn, and potatoes the night before I managed to scarf two biscuits and multiple pieces of bacon. Staying at Duckster’s duck camp on Lake Catahoula in Central Louisiana was like being royalty.
On this particular morning, the second of our three-day trip, we would be hunting in a Cyprus swamp named William’s Lake. Duckster, our friend from the South, has a permanent blind and another duck shack there. The sky was spitting light rain and the temps were in the mid-20s. We let the two Ford pick-ups warm up for awhile before heading out with a single boat in tow.
A quick, twenty-mile drive brought us to a locked gate, which was the only access I know of to the private Cyprus swamp. It was still dark, but I could make out ghostly outlines of flooded Cyprus trees wrapped in Spanish moss at the boat launch.
The five us loaded gear and guns into the duck boat, and Duckster backed it down the launch into the quiet water. By the poise Duckster had on the boat landing, and the way he kept his boats rigged, you could tell this was not his first voyage into the swamp. Duckster tied a rope to the trailer, which was also attached to the boat. By doing so when he backed the boat into the water, it did not float away. What I cherish the most from new hunting experiences are the little things like that which can be applied to waterfowl hunting everywhere.
Duckster slowly maneuvered our boat through the trees in the predawn darkness. It was exciting and eerie to be in place I’d never see before in any light. Before we reached the blind we made a quick detour to the duck shack, which could only be accessed by boat with the high water levels in the area. The shack had no electricity or running water. Duckster had earlier decided that as “Northern Boys” we should probably stay with the comforts of the camp at Lake Catahoula for our first Louisiana trip. Our next trip however, may be a different story.
Just before shooting time we pulled the boat into the boat garage attached to the back of the blind and climbed up onto the shooting platform. As I loaded my scattergun I heard the cries of distant wood ducks in the trees surrounding the swamp. Shortly afterwards wood ducks began to fly. Singles, doubles, and little flocks flew, staying out of our blind’s reach, knowing instinctively the safe passages through the trees.
Duckster explained to us that wood ducks are one species of duck that are born and raised in Louisiana. Sure most wood ducks are migratory, but some have been around those Louisiana waters since the opening day of the season, making them just as wary and sly as our own local mallards back home.
Unfortunately, neither the weather nor the birds co-operated that soggy morning. Around ten we left the blind, stopped at the duck shack and took a walk for a different view.
Duckster led us down paths through the woods where he has walked with his father and other family members for years. Like Minnesotans, there are deep-rooted family traditions in Louisiana when it comes to hunting and fishing. The terrain we walked was very similar to ours as well. If I hadn’t known better we could have been in Northern Minnesota, except for the unique tracks left by the Armadillos.
Along the way Duckster pointed out some of the better spots for harvesting squirrels and deer. Louisiana has both a fall and spring squirrel season. For some reason squirrel hunting is not as popular in the Midwest as it is in the South. I believe that the South has more of a tradition of hunting and fishing for substance. Duckster told me one of his observations while visiting the North was, “Seeing all the critters running around.”
The five of us hunted that afternoon and the following morning back on Lake Catahoula. We shot a couple more birds and ate terrific home-cooked food. Memories were made and good times were had. Duckster apologized for the lack of decoying birds, but it was not necessary as we were all very satisfied with the trip. The experience of being part of the last day in the Louisiana duck season, the company, beautiful scenery, and pleasant weather were enough to keep me satisfied.

Leg Irons

Every year the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service, and agencies ran by the states, place leg bands on a variety of birds across the country. Migratory birds, like ducks and geese, are some of the most commonly banded birds. Harvesting a bird with a leg band on it is a special joy for waterfowl hunters.
After harvesting a banded bird, most waterfowl hunters place the band on their lanyard, which holds the hunters duck and goose calls. “It’s like earning a buckeye sticker and putting it on your football helmet. It’s a badge of honor.” Explained Lyle Sinner, an avid waterfowl hunter and Fargo native.
Traditionally one must harvest a lot of ducks and geese before shooting a banded bird. Therefore, it is assumed that if a waterfowl hunter has a lot of bands, they have shot a lot of birds.
Some people can hunt their entire life and never shoot a bird that is banded. Other waterfowl hunters have shot quiet a few banded birds. It all depends on where you hunt and how many birds get banded in your area. However, you could potentially shoot a banded bird anytime, in any location.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service uses data reported from leg bands to track the flight paths of migratory birds. Bands are also useful in determining harvest information and life span data of specific bird species. A few years ago I witnessed my friend shoot a banded drake mallard that turned out to be 12 years old and was banded in North Dakota about 50 miles from where it was shot.
Each band has a unique number that identifies the species of bird and the specific information about it. When you call a band number in, an operator will ask for the date and location of where the bird was harvested. You will then receive a certificate in the mail containing your name and information on the banded bird.
Along with regular bands, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service puts ‘reward bands’ on some birds. Usually they put these bands with a monetary value on adult birds. Reward bands are typically worth any where from 25 to 100 dollars. The government sends you a check only after you report the information regarding the banded bird to them. Getting paid to hunt, now that’s a nice bonus for anyone!
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service are not the only ones that band birds. Some hunt clubs put leg bands on birds they release. Pheasants Forever, an organization for the preservation of pheasants, sometimes bands pheasants that they raise and release.
One of the rarer forms of waterfowl bands are Jack Miner bands. These bands have bible verses engraved on them. The Jack Miner family bands the birds in Ontario, Canada. It would be an incredible feat to shoot a duck or goose that was carrying a Jack Miner band.
Nicknames for leg bands are a common place among my friends and I. They are often referred to as: Jewelry, bling-bling, shine, hardware or leg irons. We refer to hunters who shoot a lot of banded birds as having “the force.”
Roughly 3.1 million leg bands have been reported to date. That is pretty small considering that since 1904 about 58 million birds have been banded in North America. Both of these numbers represent hundreds of different species of birds.
It has often been speculated in duck shacks and blinds across the country just what the ratio of banded birds to un-banded birds is. I have wondered this myself and have decided that there just isn’t any way to know for sure. Anyone could shoot a banded bird, and that is a beautiful thing.
Across North America roughly 85,000-banded birds are recovered or recorded annually. They make the hunt just a little bit more memorable and leave the hunter with a little souvenir. The first thing I do when I retrieve a harvested bird is check for a band. I encourage you to do the same. Band information can be reported to 1-800-327-BAND.

The Old Retreiver

Grey face,
Cloudy eyes,
Never jumps,
Always lies,

Scratch the belly,
Itch the ear,
Toss a treat,
Hold back tears,

Dog of a lifetime,
Companion of the ages,
Friend to the end,
Through all life stages.

Why I Hunt

In the fall of my senior year of college at the University of North Dakota I spent most of my time outside the classroom hunting. Inside the classroom I was learning valuable lessons taught by professors in the business school. One of my Profs was, Dr. Greg Patton, a great storyteller who related classroom information to real life. The class was Organizational Behavior; there I related many of the psychological theories to my own life.
As a hunter I found, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, which maps out the path to self-actualization, to have a special meaning for outdoorsmen. The theory states that a person cannot pass to the next tier towards self-actualization until the lower needs have first been satisfied. I believe that by participating in outdoor activities, particularly hunting and fishing, we can see who we truly are.
The first tier on the hierarchy is the basic physical needs that all humans require. This includes; food, water, shelter and warmth. Early humans hunted and fished not only for food, but for shelter and warmth as well. The pelts from large and small game animals were used make clothing and shelters.
In the U.S. today we have plenty of food and shelter, hence we engage in outdoor activities for more spiritual reasons. Yet nothing brings the hunting or fishing more full-circle like the actual consumption of the game. With food on the table and a roof over your head, most humans can easily step onto the second tier in the Maslow theory.
Safety; is security, stability and a freedom from fear in one’s life. Stability can be witnessed first hand with the changing of the seasons. With the end of winter comes spring, with green grass and warm water. Being in the outdoors and witnessing sunrises brings a sense of security that there is more important things in life. Interacting with nature gives one the feeling of actually being alive.
Belonging-Love is the third tier humans most face on the road to self-actualization according to Maslow. This sense of belonging can be received through family, friends and life partners. Spending time with others while hunting and fishing strengthens relationships. A love for the outdoors has taken me many places and allowed me to relate to many people along the way. The hunting trips of my youth brought me closer to my cousins and uncles.
Self-esteem comes from achievement, mastery, recognition and respect. With a passion for the outdoors you strive to be successful at what you are doing. One reads articles, studies game habits, surfs the web, learns new techniques and spends time participating in outdoor activities. Mastering anything is a continual process.
Once you become confident in yourself and abilities one can move to the fifth and final tier of self-actualization. Discovering oneself is all about pursuing your inner talents, creativity and self-fulfillment. Through hunting and fishing you discover who you are by overcoming obstacles and challenging the elements.
I often get asked why I hunt and I try to explain to people that it is my total existence. I am not saying that the outdoors is for everyone. There are many ways in which humans search to discover who they truly are. Through my college education I discovered that I belonged outdoors. I am as sure of it, as I am that the sun will rise over the St. Croix in the morning.

Blake's Ice

Blake’s Ice

Ice on the motor,
Ice on the decoys,
Sand beneath my feet,

Ice on the river,
Ice on the gun,
A waterfowler’s treat,

Ice on the waders,
Ice on the gloves,
We never face defeat.


Reflections of hunting the Missouri River with Blake Hermal

Ducks vs. Geese

I have often been asked what I enjoy the pursuit of most: ducks or geese. It is a difficult question for a person who would prefer to spend his time scanning the skyline above decoys for waterfowl. For me, I cut my teeth hunting ducks at my family’s lake cabin with my dad and relatives. On my first hunting trip with ‘the guys’, they harvested the first Canada goose ever on our lake. From that moment on I was hooked on honkers. As the recent years have brought an abundance of geese, dark and light, I tend to tip the scales towards the long-necked waterfowl.
When talking about ducks and duck hunting the conversations often focus on low population counts and the poor state of their breeding grounds. The Mississippi and Central flyways were handed the “liberal” season package for the 2006 season, but these liberal seasons may soon be a thing of the past. Droughts and predators on the prairies have had a negative impact on the duck population.
I will continue to duck hunt regardless of the state of the population and lowered limits. I will just have to hunt smarter, doing little things like making the effort to shoot only drakes. With all the negativity surrounding the population of the ducks, I feel that some hunters are even ridiculed for shooting legal limits of ducks when hunting is not the cause of lower populations.
At twenty-five years of age I have come to the conclusion that Mother Nature plays the biggest role when it comes to duck production. Wet springs and dry summers can help duck populations sustain. Ducks Unlimited does a good job setting aside land for waterfowl, and Delta has done an excellent job raising the need the for predator control. Still at the end of the day I feel that the greatest benefit these organizations provide is an awareness of healthy waterfowl environment and waterfowl hunting practices.
If people are not familiar with the sport, they will never have any interest or concern for it. As hunters we need to encourage others to try hunting, or go at least to gain an understanding of why others pursue it. DU and Delta keep waterfowl hunters out in the public’s awareness through many types of media.
If one looked at numbers, they would conclude that our own government, through Federal Duck Stamp dollars, has done the most for the waterfowl population. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has not only set aside land, they have also trapped predators on that land as well. I know that in the past Delta Waterfowl has encouraged hunters to buy additional Federal Duck Stamps, and I would suggest the same. Funding through the Federal Duck Stamps dollars can produce more birds for your buck.
Personally, I volunteer with a local Delta chapter and help out when I can with the Minnesota Duck and Goose Callers Association. I have helped build wood duck boxes with kids for the Minnesota Waterfowl Association and volunteer at the MWA Woodie Camp. I do my arguing for the ducks behind the scenes in low tones but with firm conviction.
One thing that I have never felt remorse for is bringing a Canada goose to the ground with a load of steel shot. With populations of Canada geese as high as they have ever been, there is no shortage. I encourage others to think of the possibility of more special hunting seasons to help keep their populations in check.
With September seasons for harvesting resident Canada geese and a Conservation Order in place for Snow geese, there has never been more opportunity for hunting. I believe that it is these opportunities that have allowed the younger generations of waterfowl hunters to embrace goose hunting. I myself have fallen into this category where mild weather and liberal bag limits have made hunting geese very enjoyable.
Snow and Canada geese are both vocal and social birds. Their responsiveness to calling and decoys makes hunting them a treat. Goose calling has become a pastime where I live Minnesota, and I embrace it. Calling contests for ducks and geese have created excitement among the younger hunters across the Midwest. It should come as no surprise that Minnesota competitive goose callers have excelled in competitions across the country.
This fall whether I am hunting in Minnesota or North Dakota, I will be setting up for geese. Does this mean that I enjoy goose hunting more? A little, I guess. However I will shoot plenty of ducks along the way. Every waterfowl hunter worth his steel shot knows that ducks decoy better to goose decoys than duck decoys. As much as I enjoy hunting ducks, I will continue to target geese. As waterfowl hunters we could all become conversationalists by targeting the high populations of geese. My suggestion would be to start consulting others for good goose recipes.

Camo Is My Favorite Color

My mother never dressed me in a camo baby suit and I did not hunt at an especially early age. It’s not that I wasn’t extremely into hunting when I was young. It’s just that I wasn’t raised in the biz. Today I go to Outdoor Expos and I see all kinds of young kids wearing camo and getting involved.
I have to believe that I am one of a few children that actually played ‘hunting’ when I was a kid; minus my neighbor Matt and his brother Andy. While most kids were playing with Tonka Trucks and marbles we were in imaginary flooded timber. In the afternoon we would be lying in the rice fields next to a kiddy pool full of decoys.
I have never claimed to be a ‘trend setter’, but I would like to mention that I wore camouflage on regular basis before it was considered in style. Of course the camouflage patterns I wore were shadow grass and Advantage, rather than the green military camo the kids wear.
I may not have started the camo trend, but I have certainly benefited from it. I have a couple old hats I would now feel comfortable wearing out almost anywhere, especially in Northern Minnesota and North Dakota.
Today I wear a pair of camouflage sandals, shorts and bracelet on a regular basis. Not only do I feel cool, I also feel comfortable wearing the patterns I wear when I do what I enjoy the most. Camouflage is my favorite color.