Doug Steinke
03-03-2008, 12:21 PM
http://webpages.charter.net/silverbellies/hdcb2.jpg
http://webpages.charter.net/silverbellies/hdcb3.jpg
http://webpages.charter.net/silverbellies/hdcb7.jpg
http://webpages.charter.net/silverbellies/hdcb5.jpg
This past weekend, Dan Barney and Jason Jobe from Northern Ohio took part in one of the last Hunting Down Cancer hunts of the season. I had some information on Dan before we met because he also bought Jeff Wallis’ HDC Hunt in Arizona. Dan, an anesthesiologist, and Jason, a machinist with Lear Automotive, are great guys who were eager for a show. What they saw were thousands upon thousands of migrating waterfowl.
These fine fellows arrived two days after the first snows had arrived in our area. When my blind cohorts and I were setting up this hunt last July we were thinking this past weekend would be on the downhill side of the peak of the snow migration. This “past peak” time of the migration usually means fewer birds seen, but a higher percentage of birds willing to decoy. I personally dread hunting the front edge of the snow migration. From 15 spring season under my belt I knew we’d be banging our heads against the muddy tarmac most of the time and this was pretty much what happened.
We were hunting a flooded field with 200 GHG snow full bodies and 140 GHG snow floaters and one e-caller. This past weekend was a culmination of the spread and e-caller configuration theories we had formed over the past 3-4 seasons of hunting this location. We headed out to the blind on Saturday morning with about 1000 snows in the decoys and another 2-3000 waterfowl on the water. We pushed the birds out and got setup and 15 minutes into the hunt we sucked in a flock of snows and called the shot at 30 hanging snows 20 yards above the floaters. I was thinking “Oh man, this going to get good.” That was pretty much it. We had a few more singles come in but most of the day was staring at mile high birds heading to South Dakota.
Sunday welcomed us with even more snows in the decoys and near 40 degrees and clear skies. By 3 Pm it was dropping into the low 30s, a 45 mph north wind and a moderate rain. As it started to rain we were all telling stories about how bad of hunting we’d all had in the rain…. And then our luck turned. We hadn’t seen a snow goose since about 9 Am and I asked, “Is the e-caller on?” We looked up and a huge line of snows were headed back south in a hurry. We turned most of the flock and they were all laid out for almost a half mile downwind of us reaching for the spread. After nearly 6 hours of nothing, we weren’t about to let the opportunity escape us so we took the first few birds that came within range. After we picked up the birds it wasn’t much longer until we had another group of 15 drop in. I saw them drop in over the top of my dripping wet bill of my cap already 30 yards high and 100 yards out. I told everyone below to get ready and peeked back out to see 3 ross geese landing 10 feet outside the pit lid. But that was pretty much it as the wind and rain kicked up even more and grounded most of the birds.
Every year is the same. We beat ourselves up mentally, nearly to the point of giving up on these early birds and we can’t let that dictate on how we hunt them even a week later because you are dealing with what seems like totally different bird.
In the end, it was not only about the birds and everyone knew that going into the hunt back in August. It was trying to make a difference and helping out in the grander scheme of things. I met two more people who I will always call friends and got the opportunity to share one more weekend with friends before we hang up the guns for another year. Thank you to Dan and Jason for buying the hunt hunt and to Todd, Gill, Ron, Ryan, Dirty Steve, Mcdermott and Livingston that all helped in all of thier special ways in pulling off this hunt.
http://webpages.charter.net/silverbellies/hdcb1.jpg
http://webpages.charter.net/silverbellies/hdcb4.jpg
http://webpages.charter.net/silverbellies/hdcb6.jpg
http://webpages.charter.net/silverbellies/hdcb3.jpg
http://webpages.charter.net/silverbellies/hdcb7.jpg
http://webpages.charter.net/silverbellies/hdcb5.jpg
This past weekend, Dan Barney and Jason Jobe from Northern Ohio took part in one of the last Hunting Down Cancer hunts of the season. I had some information on Dan before we met because he also bought Jeff Wallis’ HDC Hunt in Arizona. Dan, an anesthesiologist, and Jason, a machinist with Lear Automotive, are great guys who were eager for a show. What they saw were thousands upon thousands of migrating waterfowl.
These fine fellows arrived two days after the first snows had arrived in our area. When my blind cohorts and I were setting up this hunt last July we were thinking this past weekend would be on the downhill side of the peak of the snow migration. This “past peak” time of the migration usually means fewer birds seen, but a higher percentage of birds willing to decoy. I personally dread hunting the front edge of the snow migration. From 15 spring season under my belt I knew we’d be banging our heads against the muddy tarmac most of the time and this was pretty much what happened.
We were hunting a flooded field with 200 GHG snow full bodies and 140 GHG snow floaters and one e-caller. This past weekend was a culmination of the spread and e-caller configuration theories we had formed over the past 3-4 seasons of hunting this location. We headed out to the blind on Saturday morning with about 1000 snows in the decoys and another 2-3000 waterfowl on the water. We pushed the birds out and got setup and 15 minutes into the hunt we sucked in a flock of snows and called the shot at 30 hanging snows 20 yards above the floaters. I was thinking “Oh man, this going to get good.” That was pretty much it. We had a few more singles come in but most of the day was staring at mile high birds heading to South Dakota.
Sunday welcomed us with even more snows in the decoys and near 40 degrees and clear skies. By 3 Pm it was dropping into the low 30s, a 45 mph north wind and a moderate rain. As it started to rain we were all telling stories about how bad of hunting we’d all had in the rain…. And then our luck turned. We hadn’t seen a snow goose since about 9 Am and I asked, “Is the e-caller on?” We looked up and a huge line of snows were headed back south in a hurry. We turned most of the flock and they were all laid out for almost a half mile downwind of us reaching for the spread. After nearly 6 hours of nothing, we weren’t about to let the opportunity escape us so we took the first few birds that came within range. After we picked up the birds it wasn’t much longer until we had another group of 15 drop in. I saw them drop in over the top of my dripping wet bill of my cap already 30 yards high and 100 yards out. I told everyone below to get ready and peeked back out to see 3 ross geese landing 10 feet outside the pit lid. But that was pretty much it as the wind and rain kicked up even more and grounded most of the birds.
Every year is the same. We beat ourselves up mentally, nearly to the point of giving up on these early birds and we can’t let that dictate on how we hunt them even a week later because you are dealing with what seems like totally different bird.
In the end, it was not only about the birds and everyone knew that going into the hunt back in August. It was trying to make a difference and helping out in the grander scheme of things. I met two more people who I will always call friends and got the opportunity to share one more weekend with friends before we hang up the guns for another year. Thank you to Dan and Jason for buying the hunt hunt and to Todd, Gill, Ron, Ryan, Dirty Steve, Mcdermott and Livingston that all helped in all of thier special ways in pulling off this hunt.
http://webpages.charter.net/silverbellies/hdcb1.jpg
http://webpages.charter.net/silverbellies/hdcb4.jpg
http://webpages.charter.net/silverbellies/hdcb6.jpg