Spring Snows

[M.T. Pockets]

I got invited to tag along with a group of friends to Western Missouri on a snow goose hunt the last weekend of February. I've been invited before but never went because of required Fire Dept. training on that weekend. This year I can break loose.

This is a guided/outfitted hunt where you show up with your shotgun ready to hunt. $150 per gun per day - 2 days. No limits, no plugs, electric calls are legal, and used.


What do you guys think ?

And, better yet, what do you do with all those geese ?

[DogYeller]

Snow Goose Jerky

4 halves snow goose breasts
6 oz. soy sauce
3/4 cup water
1-1/2 T brown sugar
1/2 T liquid smoke flavoring
1 T Salt
Dash Worcestershire sauce

Cut breast meat lengthwise in thin strips, about 1/8 inch thick. Mix soy sauce, water, brown sugar, liquid smoke flavoring, salt and Worcestershire sauce to make marinade. Place meat in marinade for 10 to 15 minutes. Arrange meat on dehydrator racks and sprinkle with pepper. Dry meat for 48 hours. Or place meat on bread racks, sprinkle with pepper, and bake at 250 degrees F for about 4 hours.

(Taste like Bacon)

[skeet]

NO LIMIT...NO PLUG??? Can I go?? Please!! can I bait 'em too?? I always wanted to be a legal poacher!!
Jerky recipe sounds good too!

[gspsonny03]

M.T.,
I'd do it in a heartbeat. Don't even second guess yourself. You'll have the time of your life. All I ask is take some pictures for those of us who have to stay home.

[fabsroman]

M.T.,

If I were the type to get jealous, I would be jealous right now. Congratulations on getting the invite.

If you really get into the birds you will have to make about 30 batches of DogYeller's jerky recipe, but it should last you through to next year. That is a dream hunt my man if the birds are coming to the field.

I have heard of incredible snow goose hunts where people have killed well over 15 birds a piece. Of course, both stories ended with the game warden being present. In one story, the guys were out in the field and when one of them started counting people he figured out that there was one extra in the field helping them pick up the birds. I guess it really sucks to hear the game warden tell you to put them in piles of 15. These guys were trying to sneek extra birds in each pile.

The other story ended with the game warden showing up after all the shooting was done. Four guys killed about 120 snows by ambushing them over a rise on a pond that is pretty high and provided great shelter from the wind. All four of them were shooting 10 gauges and they had the opportunity to reload twice as the birds were circling to try and get out of the area. Of course, the birds just went to the other side of this huge pond and began to wait for the hunters to leave. These guys got on the phone to some of their buddies and invited them to come over to try and surround the geese. As they were trying to surround the geese, the game warden showed up. How would you like to be one of those buddies. They all got a ticket, but the farm owner, one of the first four, paid the tickets for everybody.

You'll have a blast.

[M.T. Pockets]

I told them I'm in and ordered a case of 3.5" BB's. Hope that Super X-2 can handle it. Better pack a spare - I think there are 5 of us shooting them and about the same shooting Benelli's with an 11-87 and 870 thrown in.

Last year they averaged about 7-8 geese per person per day.

I have to keep reminding myself - we're harvesting them for their own good.

[fabsroman]

Believe me, it was all I could do to resist ribbing you about the Super X-2 holding up. I truly hope it does because I would hate for you to have a bad experience with it the first year you own it.

As far as killing the snows, it is something that needs to be done or we could possibly lose other waterfowl species and the snows in the long run. In the short run, we could possibly see a reduction in the amount of waterfowl.

I try to feel the same way over here about resident geese and deer. When we fill a truck up with 25 birds at the end of the day and I shoot 8 does in a single morning within 2 hours, I used to wonder about it, but then realized that if the game weren't this plentiful I wouldn't be shooting so many of them.

[M.T. Pockets]

Don't worry Fabs, I'll have a tool kit and the owners manual with. With 5 of us shooting those Super X-2's we've even thought about bringing our own gunsmith.

Maybe I'll have to bring my old Browning for a backup....oops maybe something else.

Maybe I'll just stay busy cleaning geese for all the Benelli guys.

We're looking forward to it, this is the first hunt out of state for me that wasn't for big game so it's a bit more laid back (and cheaper).

I think I'd rather quarter an elk than clean a dozen geese though. And I know which I'd rather eat.

[fabsroman]

Your post had me laughing like crazy.

The elk is definitely better tasting than the geese. When I used to have Piranha, I fed them goose breast to save on the cost of feeder gold fish. When I went to Italy 4 years ago, the girlfriend, at the time, ended up killing all of my Piranha and sending me an e-mail about it. I checked my e-mail while I was in Rome and started crying in the middle of the place when I found out about it.

Have a great time and see if you can take some pics to post.

By the way, a couple of people I know went to Canada to hunt snows for a week. They found a local Oriental restaurant that would take the geese. The restaurant owner loved them the first day. By the end of the trip, the owner was telling them not to bring any more geese because I bet he was sick and tired of cleaning them too.

[M.T. Pockets]

We're hitting the road at noon today. Should get us to our destination in time for a little social hour & supper. We hunt Saturday and Sunday til about noon. The spring migration can be weather dependant so it could be feast or famine. I've spent a day or two (lots more) in a blind without firing a shot.

I've got a case of 3 1/2" BB's, a shotgun and one change of clothes and I'm ready to go. I'll post the results next week weather it's good, bad or ugly.

[M.T. Pockets]

Made it back last night. Overall I'd say hunting was average. We averaged between 2 & 3 geese per person per day. We saw thousands and thousands of geese but they weren't interested in the decoy spreads. None of the shooting was within 65 yards and most was further. I'm glad I went and had a good time with some good hunting friends, I'll likely go again if we decide to next year.

I've always heard that snows were really dumb and would decoy to anything. I think the last few years of heavy hunting has changed all that. When they see 500 rags and hear electronic calls they know that means that there is probably 7 or 8 loaded unplugged shotguns down there.

The Winchester Super X-2's all performed without flaw, so did the Bennelli's. There were two 11-87's and one 1100 that got taken apart in the blinds, one was replaced with an 870.

It was a different way of hunting than what I am used to. Electronic calls kind of take away from the peaceful time I like when hunting. The distance of shooting is much, much further than I like, and further than I would shoot at home.

It was fun, but I prefer hunting in the fall, with a friend or two over a small spread with a couple calls in one of my favorite sloughs. But, if I can hunt in February I'll go.