Spring Snow Goose Magic

The April air still had a hint of the past winter in it as we strategically placed Snow Goose decoys across the harvested barley field. Big snowflakes illuminated in the headlights of the trucks looked like cylindrical snow globes elevated across the field. The squawks and honks of arctic geese anxious for a morning feed could be heard in the distance as birds on their night roost anticipated sunrise.

The guides from Prairie Sky Outfitters had played this game many times and whisked decoys into position like worker bees collecting pollen. The final touches were added to the blinds to keep them concealed, and the truck taillights left us in the field alone to wait for Snow Geese.

Waterfowl managers determine that Saskatchewan, located in the heart of the Central Flyway, has well over 4 million Snow Geese and Ross's Geese wing through the province every fall, returning in the spring. The prairie province is a cornucopia for white goose aficionados. 

With the hint of light on the eastern sky, the first waves of snow geese started to fly. Birds strung out to the horizon for the next four hours. The hunting was incredible and we often found ourselves just lying still to watch the spectacle of birds in front of us. 

We shot and ran to retrieve birds for the opportunity to stretch and get the blood flowing. The morning culminated in a crescendo of white geese that burst into flight at the far end of our field. The ominous gray sky was the perfect backdrop to tens of thousands of geese in a huge flock that floated through the air as a choreographed flight to finish our day afield.

Author: Brad Fenson