Dec  6 Today was Daisy's first true goose hunt...,,,.....hide, snow and all. She was terrific!

             We arrived at the bean field at 6:30 am and set out only 12 flocked shells along a row of un-harvested
             soybean plants. It was about 80 yards from the area broken up by my ATV a couple of days ago.  Daisy
             was tucked into the hide and everything was covered with two white sheets. I  wore my white field
             trial jacket over my "camo".  Geese started arriving about 7:30 am, but they were landing down near
             the pines about 200 yds away and too close to the road. Two other small groups "buzzed" over once
             and disappeared. With more to show, I passed on one long shot.

             More geese were heard and then again nothing. Glancing to my right, I could see the "decoys". Wait
             a minute those aren't my decoys.......they are walking south about 70 yards away. I moved, and they
             flew off with no shots. About a half hour later, there were more geese sounds behind me and then
             nothing. Sitting up and turning around, I spotted several heads sticking up from the rise behind us.

             Crouched down on my knees and dressed in white, I inched forward.......very slowly. They didn't seem
             to notice me until about at 50 yards a sentry stretch her neck up. She jumped and then everyone
             jumped. Why did I opt for improved cylinder today? I dropped the sentry (barely).  She was angry,
             lively and running, but 11 inches of snow slowed her down some. 

             Calling Daisy out of the hide (where she stayed nicely during my sneak), she came flying. I cast her
             toward the goose........but now she was just standing there in the snow. Daisy must have thought it
             was a decoy because she ignored her.  She kept looking for a bird. Each time the goose moved or
             ran, Daisy was looking elsewhere, and each time the goose stopped she'd look over (at the "decoy").
             It would have made a great cartoon. Finally, she ran when Daisy was looking and the "light went on".
             Daisy bowled her over and soon brought the goose back.

             She was banded!  One more goose wouldn't make the day any better........so we quit. The geese can
             feed the rest of today, and more dropped into the field as we were leaving.

             update: The he was changed to she when the USGS Banding Certificate arrived.
                          female hatched in 1998 or earlier & banded July 1999 at Thunder Bay, Ontario  
             note: At 3:30 pm (this afternoon) about forty geese were feeding right where we
                      had set-up. 
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   Dec 10 set-up early farther south in the field, with two groups of mallards (18 and 12) up on the high part and
               goose decoys in two families down lower (left a 100 yards between them) and put layout up from the
               geese with plenty of room for another "family group" to set down I placed lot of decoys on their "bellies"
               with no stakes to look different. The geese liked the mallards so much that they were determined to
               land farther up in the field..........decided to move the layout position. As I stood up, 15 - 20 geese
               committed to the duck decoy area and were starting a swing. They must have been so mesmerized by
               the "duck deeks"...they never saw me. At twenty yards out and only about 20 yards high, they were
               coming straight to me. I picked one out and shot. No need to pick out another one....two dropped. I was
               done and Daisy had two retrieves. More geese kept landing as I tried to get out of the field as quickly as
               possible. The original plan was to have a group target my position by putting decoys "everywhere"
               worked. These are not "migrators", educated and feed in families. Therefore, they are looking for their
               own space or "landing zone" (in theory).  
                            note: Daisy was just perfect....again quiet and patient. One goose put up a fight (which she
                                     enjoyed). Afterwards while I was picking up, she got away with chasing off a
                                     bunch & gave me the "How come you aren't shooting?"................look.  
                                      note: left house at 6:30 am, set-up by 7:44 am and really sweating, home
                                     at 9:30 am, no issues with left fingers
                             note: last day of deer in Wisconsin, afternoon drove up to Steve's and
                                      finished the day in a tree........nothing was moving
                                                                          (left click on thumbnails)

   Dec 12 Kwick goose hunt in the bean field with Daisy. The snow was going fast and with the fog, they'd be
               coming in really low. Threw three decoys down and sat in what little snow was left wearing one of
               my Tyvak stickmen "suits" (the one with Doc-E on the back). Geez, it was muddy, so I walked in light.
               The plan was changed after a couple of "familes" checked out the decoys and only made one swing.
               Not sure but just three decoys must have not been very inviting.

               So I left the decoys where they were and moved up the rise to another small patch of snow. The new
               plan was to take advantage of the "swing". The next group approached the field at 60 plus yards up,
               but when they started their swing they flew to "being right in range" on the rise. The rise made them
               unwittingly drop down and it worked.

               A good rule for hunting pheasants is "You only have to fool them once". I guess it applies to geese, too.
               After "whacking" this one for Daisy, we left and didn't educate any more.
                                                                               (left click on thumbnails)