Got the Chamber of Commerce bird today. Peawanuck, Ontario Chamber of Commerce.
Date: 12/18
Location: About 4.5 miles SW of Braidwood Cooling Lake (Migrators - Pit 1) It worked well yesterday, why change?
Field - Completely snow covered field on the cutline with a bean field to the north and a corn field to the south
Weather - WInd NW 10+ mph, clear, sunny, and cold ~ 5F give or take a few degrees, but enough wind I was optimistic.
At the drawing for the blind, I only had Jeremy with me. On the weekends, groups of 3 or more get first choice before the 1's or 2's get to pick a blind. Saw guy on the board by himself. We found Kris and asked if he wanted to hunt together. He told us he was going to hunt with Ryan as well, but would be happy to hunt with us. We got drawn pretty early and decided to go with what worked yesterday.
The birds were definitely slower getting up with the cold and sunny. Cold sunny and calm and the birds often just don't fly. But with the wind, I was pretty sure we'd be fine. When it got to be around 9 and we had hardly seen a bird, I was still pretty confident, but no longer over confident.
I like to set an order for geese in case we get less geese in than shooters. No point in having multiple people shoot the same goose when you only get 2. Ryan was up first, then Jeremy, Kris, and then me. A little after 9, we pull in a pair. Ryan knocks his bird down. Jeremy empty's his gun and the other bird is still going strong, but the bird swings around over top of the blind and Ryan nails him straight up. And then realizes Oh Crap and dives for cover. He looked like he was coming right in the blind, but I think just enough wind and he hit just in front a foot or so.
Kris is up next. We call in a single that he makes short work of at about 15 yards.
I'm up and a single comes in low nose on and I take the shot when he's about 30 yards or so. Should have dropped him dead, but I think I messed him up because he keeps coming dead straight at me. 2nd shot I put him down and he starts running straight at me. I finish him off with the third. I wish I would have waited and see if how far he was going to run.
Jeremy and Kris make short work of 2 singles. That leaves me and Jeremy with 1 goose a piece. We get a pair, they don't finish quite as nice as we would have liked, but still should have been two dead birds. Jeremy drops his. I hammer mine on the first shot. I need to rotate right and get hung up on the blind cover or something and can't swing through right and we watch him. Thought he was going to go down, but cleared the trees about 400 yards away.
However, my poor shooting turned out to be my good fortune.
About 10 minutes later, a single came in absolutely as nice as you want. I just let him come and come and come and at about 15 yards I made short work of him. Kris was by the ladder to get out of the blinds hops out and goes and gets him.
Then I hear him say "Winner winner chicken dinner"
Species: Canada Goose
Date banded: 08/02/2016
Banding Location: NEAR PEAWANUCK, ONTARIO, CANADA
Age: WAS TOO YOUNG TO FLY WHEN BANDED IN 2016
Sex: FEMALE
Almost didn't see a duck and had planned to leave early, so we called it a day. Another great day.