Ape Brain > Bird Brain! Slow day on the beach turned into spot and stalk for honkers

[silveragent]

I had a farm opportunity get canceled on Saturday so while everyone else was watching the Superbowl a buddy and I decided to try Boundary for Canadas.

My previous experience with Canadas there was they were entirely random so to give this a good try we both packed sleds with silos, shells and foamies and dragged them both to the beach where we hoped the visibility would give the honkers a reason to check it out. Previously I had been advised that no one really decoys on Boundary but this year after committing to the bay I've shown this is wrong - decoying, at least for ducks - does work and the extra effort pays dividends. However, for Canadas I found their movements fairly random and except for a spectacular opening day last year was not expecting much.

We didn't make daybreak so may have missed the morning flight but by 8 we were set up a couple hundred meters onto the bare beach. We arrayed silos all around us and hunkered down under canvas hoping the decoys would take eyes away from us. However. from set up for the next several hours it was a bluebird day - except for ducks! I've never had ducks ignore two humans in the open as much as this day. I don't know whether to credit our camouflage or the goose decoys but we had ducks fly well within shooting distance, unwavering, directly cupping to get to the water a hundred meters from us. While we were waiting in vain for Canadas ducks and Brant happily fed near by. Even standing up to stretch our legs they were complacent. Maybe they knew the calendar??

In any case, we were there for geese and except for far off flights we were resigned to chalking this up as a learning exercise until ... a small group of Canadas coasted into the foreshore. We started blowing calls like crazy but my inexperienced calling did not meet their standards. The Canadas surely saw us but were more concerned with strutting the edge of the foreshore, getting up and checking out the pond by the Howeling Nursery or picking up entirely and flying out to the airport. But they kept returning to the edge of the foreshore. There was even one time that a couple paired off and began vigorously humping it up. What a tease!

With the day going long and no indication they would ever decide to check out our static setup, we devised a plan. One of us would get up and start walking the beach in plain sight. The other would make a big circle and use the cover of the foreshore - the logs and depressions - to sneak up on them from the other side. Between the two of us we hoped to flush the birds one way or another hoping the honkers would not go off to the sides. So after agreeing to the plan and talking about timing, we abandoned our decoys and executed our plan.

I chose to be the sneak and nonchalantly walked back to the foreshore keeping an eye on the position of the group. Meanwhile, my partner stood up and began walking in a straight line down the beach trying to angle slightly closer so that we could both benefit by the squeeze play. Once I reached the foreshore I got low and began doing my best impression of a commando. I picked my way through the sticks and mud, occasionally peering up to see where my buddy was at and more importantly where the geese were. The geese seemed somewhat alerted but I hoped more because of my buddy out in the open.

After ten minutes of creeping my middle aged back was crying out for a result but thankfully I had made it to a position behind a log partially shielded by its roots. Just as I reached it, the geese finally became concerned and began stirring. I got up and started blasting. My first shot had no effect but as soon as the leaders launched into the air my next shot took down two in one. The flight scattered and headed toward the open water - where my buddy was waiting. He was able to account for one which sent the flight circling back again toward me. Unfortunately, even with a great opportunity I only managed to pepper another which kept on going.

It wasn't over yet as the two I put down were still alive and were running for it. It took a few minutes of running before both of us were able to track down the big Canadas. Even after giving them a whirl, one of them got up after I put it down with my stuff and I was forced to go after it second time like it was a lost fumble. This time I brained it with my knife. But walking back the second one also got up and tried to make it into the air but this time I reloaded, took aim at its head and put it down for certain. The crazy thing was that these shenanigans attracted a trio of Canadas right into our setup - finally - but I had my hands full so these late comers got a pass.

A very slow day made into a great one because our ape brains came up with a plan that the bird brains couldn't figure out. I still don't know if they saw me coming up at them from the foreshore and couldn't decide how to get out of our 'pincer movement' or maybe my commando skills kept me hidden until the last moment. It was a lot of work and even harder packing them all out in sleds with all of our gear. It was my buddy's first Canada. I hope his second one is much easier.