Tag Archives: Goose

August Goose Management Take

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Here is a link to my story about the August Goose Management Take. http://www.mitchellrepublic.com/event/article/id/55843/

There are a few points I really want to drive home about the season.

  • First off, when talked with the GF&P I found it astonishing that there are 227,000 resident Canada geese in South Dakota but they feel that number should be only 80 or 90k . With those numbers hunters could kill half the geese in South Dakota and we would still be over populated. South Dakota creates a near perfect habitat for geese with abundant water and food sources the population could grow to become even larger.  Kudos to SD GFP for taking this progressive and visionary approach lets hope it pays off.
  • If you aren’t going to eat all the geese you shoot please donate them. Luke and I did this after Saturday’s hunt and the whole process took 3 minutes.  At Mitchell Locker you drop them in a backroom, go upfront and fill out a one side piece of paper. We were the first ones to try the donation system at that locker but hopfully not the last.
  • If you have time and like to hunt get out there and help control the population. Access on farmers land is generally pretty easy to get during goose season because most farmers see them as an animal who eats their crops.

Did you go out goose hunting this weekend?  If so let me know how you did by commenting on the blog.

 

My Hunting Year in Review

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I may have spent more days hunting in 2010 than any other year. From a spring bear hunt in Montana through waterfowl and pheasant season to a elk hunt in the hills it has been a great, and successful hunting year for me. 

Bear Hunting

My 2010 hunting season really started in May when I traveled with my dad outside Thompson Falls Montana to take in a spring bear hunting. This wasn’t your sit above bait bear hunt.  Hiking over 10 miles a day along logging trails, drainage ditches and hillsides this was hard work but in the end it was worth it.  The second to last day I took this mature brown phase black bear and I couldn’t be happier.  One side note.  Bear ham is delicious. 

Montana, as I said in my last post with the Black Hills, should be on every hunters bucket list.  Whether you are hunting, elk, bear, deer or fly fishing along one of it’s blue ribbon rivers it’s a wild place that anyone who loves the outdoors would enjoy. 

Click on images for a larger view

   

Goose Hunting

When SD GFP upped the early goose hunting limit to 8 this year I knew there was possibility for some great hunts and that is exactly what we had.  Whether it was with Luke, My dad and brother, or Father in law and brother in law we never got skunked when we went out this year.  My most successful day was hunting over a small dugout the geese were using to rest after feeding.

 

 

Duck Hunting

Luke and I spent a lot of days this year duck hunting and we had some great times. I estimate I bagged around 80 ducks this year by myself and I know Luke exceeded that number. Whether flooded corn, sloughs, picked corn or big water if Luke and I had a day off together during the season we were probably out in the field trying to shoot ducks.

Deer Hunting

I didn’t get to deer hunt as much as I would have liked but it was no ones fault other than my own.  I have yet to fill my archery tag and I have doubt that I will.  After passing on some small bucks on my days spent on the stand rifle season was here before I knew it.  I took a respectable buck on the opening weekend. He tastes delicious. 

 

Pheasant Hunting

Pheasant hunting since I can remember has been good.  We took large numbers of birds throughout the season, but perhaps more important than shooting birds is the time I get to spend with my family, great memories are made stomping through the fields every year.

I can only hope my 2011 season is as successful both in game taken and memories made as this year was.