Plan B Opening Morning Honkers....

**David Rearick** · #1 09-08-2008, 11:42 AM

2008 Hunting Journal Entries

DATE: September 1, 2008

LOCATION : Pennsylvania

SUNRISE/SUNSET: 6:46 AM

WEATHER: Hot and Sun, Swimsuit Weather

TEMPERATURE: 80’s by 8:30 AM

WIND: Swirling and Moderate from the East and North

EQUIPMENT USED: Avery® Finisher Blinds, Avery® Finisher Blind Bag, Avery® Sportsman’s Camera Bag Avery® DIY Lanyard, GHG® FFD Elite Honkers and Lessers

HUNTERS: Zink Calls Pro-Staffer Erik Nilsson and his son Mat, Shawn “Smiley” Smith, and Avery® Pro-Staffer David Rearick

JOURNAL NOTES:
After many miles in the vehicle, hopes for a good 1st day shattered, as the geese jumped fields, two days before the opener and vanished. Finding a good X for the opening morning after having three, just two days prior made scouting that much harder with only a little time to scout the morning prior to September first. After coming up short on big numbers on all accounts, I made a long drive up to a field that had geese a week prior, but had just been cut. Hopes were small, but as I drove down the road back to a hidden field, I spotted the darks backs sifting and picking their way through the cut oats. Game on and plans were set for the next morning on an X holding a better amount of birds, than a few others we had floating around that held 1-2 flocks.

That evening Erik and I went back to the field to figure out the set-up and wait to see the birds approach. They came quick with little times between flocks and after half of the geese showed up, we ventured down to the farmhouse to let them know we planned to hunt there in the morning. I was greeted by a familiar face and she quickly told me that another man had asked and that she told him we could all hunt together as we had stopped the week prior, I told her we would do our best and we headed back out not quite as sure about the morning as we had hoped. After a phone call from an old friend and an invite, we decided to let our geese sit and the other gentleman hunt them, or better yet, leave them for day two if ne never showed.

As we drove into the other secured field the flash of headlights and moving bodies quickly put a pickle in the plans. It seems as though their was some confusion about farm lines and fields, so we decided to pull out rather than upset either farmer by waking them up to solve the issue about who was allowed where, and we backed out of the lane with plan B on our minds, but the sun and an hour drive the opposite direction making things look a little bleak. We quickly headed to our back-up spot and pulling into the field much later than to our liking, it was apparent that we were still the first ones there. After quickly setting the decoys and grassing the blinds, all was done, but to wait for the “other” group or the geese to show.

Fortunately, the sun broke the trees behind us and we were still the only ones in the field. Shortly thereafter, some soft honks were heard coming from behind us, and our first birds of the year were on their way to us. As they approached from behind, their wings and moans became louder as they rolled up the field to our spread, and when the shot was called, I rose from my blind stunned as the geese never swung just dropped and turned into the decoys feet in front of us. After a successful volley, 7 geese were on the ground and more birds were on their way. We managed to call back a pair into the decoys and shortly later 4 more were added to the tally. After the four flocks we had visit our spread and the dust settled, we had 23 geese on the ground. The best shot of the day coming from Mat as he rose from his Finisher and smoked a crosser at 20 yards out that was about to pitch into the decoys

Mat picking up his birds...

It may not have been our A game, but plan B worked out just fine for us…