The Saskatchewan Waterfowl Double-Double
The sun brightened the eastern sky, but a dense blanket of fog made visibility challenging. The ducks and geese didn’t seem to mind the adverse weather conditions and relied on a built-in GPS to return to an exact spot on the harvested barley field to find breakfast. Whistling wings and quacks let us know birds were incoming. Hunters sat with eager anticipation of fast-moving fowl emerging out of the fog, hoping to get a shot before the cloud of moisture ate them up again.
The morning activities started hours earlier, setting up decoys and concealing a blind to keep hunters hidden. Strategy, planning, and great scouting had put the crew on the “X” for an early morning mixed bag of ducks and geese. The smell of fresh coffee wafted through the dense air as a reminder of what could be in store. Canadian coffee aficionados know a double-double is a coffee with two creams and two sugars. It is the moniker thousands use to order a favourite cup of java. A double-double is also a waterfowl hunting term that references a limit of ducks and geese on the same hunt. To have big honkers, specklebellies, and an assortment of mallards and pintails makes for a special adventure. It was clear that there was potential to shoot good numbers of ducks and geese from what was seen while spotting the field the previous day. However, as hunting often goes, shooting a limit can be challenging, and one never knows if the birds will cooperate.
The excited cackles of incoming geese provided a direction to look for birds. Calling to them worked like air traffic control, lining the birds up to intercept decoys and see a potential place to land. Birds emerged from the fog, set wings, and coasted over the decoys. Tyler Mann, with the Saskatchewan Goose Company, barked the ‘take them” command, and shotguns erupted. Mann’s black lab went to work collecting the bounty. Before the job was complete, the shrill call of specklebellies refocused attention. Another volley of shots sent more birds to the ground.
The action was hot and heavy for an hour, with various geese working the spread. As the sun started to burn off some of the fog, the ducks showed up in number. Hundreds of mallards buzzed the field, and when they saw the decoys, wings were backpedaling to find a place to set feet on dry ground. Shotguns roared, hunters giggled, and dogs raced to retrieve the prized birds. We stopped the action twice to count the birds and ensure the body count was correct before finishing off the limits of dark geese and ducks. Our party had ten shooters, meaning we could harvest 80 ducks and 80 geese.
A double-double hunt was well underway, and individual shooters shot one bird at a time as we finished up on geese and looked for the last two ducks. A pair of mallards winged over the decoys and banked hard toward the center of the flock, but before they could land, two shots rang out to officially bring our hunt to an end.
Excitement ran rampant, with hunters rejoicing and marveling at the incredible colours and beauty of the feathers and features of each bird. The birds were lined up for photos, and friends talked about future meals with the bounty of organic fowl to take home.
Saskatchewan is at the top of the central flyway and offers some of North America’s best waterfowl hunting. Outfitters offer a wide variety of opportunities during the fall for big Canada geese, smaller cacklers, specklebellies, snow and Ross’ geese, and dozens of dabbler and diving species of ducks. The Land of Living Skies is where dreams are made and a hot double-double takes on new meaning.
To plan a waterfowl hunting adventure in Saskatchewan, go to https://www.tourismsaskatchewan.com/things-to-do/hunting/bird-hunting with all the information for planning, finding an outfitter, and making your double-double dreams a reality.
Brad Fenson | Outdoor Write/Communicator & Photographer
Brad Fenson is a passionate outdoorsman who enjoys hunting, fishing, cooking, camping, and sitting around the fire. Fenson started writing over 36 years ago and has been in print in over 65 publications in North America. Fenson has over 80 national communication awards for his writing and photography.