watched 1,000 geese for 2 hours this morning

[mazzgolf]

You ever go out hunting, and just not be in the mood to kill? Sometimes I'm weird like that. But sometimes you get an awesome day out of it.

I went to my friends' farm today by myself - haven't been here in, I think, at least 2 weeks - too busy doing the deer and duck thing. Anyway, I put out my 4 dozen silos and I sat next to an old corn crib. And I just wasn't feeling it - it was beautiful out, perfect weather, but it was just one of those mellow kind of mornings. . Not sure if anyone else has ever felt that way? I loaded the gun, but I told myself I wasn't going to shoot today. I just wanted to watch and see what happened.

7:30am rolls around and a group of 7 geese circle over head. I put out a few calls. Watch them fly away, and I thought they left. I thought maybe my calls were no good or maybe the silos didn't look good. But then they circled around and came back, and 3 peeled off and landed in my set. Neat! I thought. 5 minutes later, a duo fly in, and land, too! Interesting! So I now had 5 geese walking around my silos. So I guess I could have limited out by then if I wanted. Consider it a success.

And then it was as if the floodgates opened! A dozen geese fly over, circle, land. Then another dozen. Then another 2 dozen! And on and on it went for about 2 hours!  I eventually stopped trying to count after 500 or so, but I sat and watched at least 1,000 geese pour into this field. I couldn't get enough of watching these big, dorky-looking geese turn into graceful creatures when they cup their wings and glide in for a landing, then flap while the landing gear is lowered, and then bend their neck looking downward to see where their feet are going to land. Amazing how they all do it the same way.

Had I limited out with those first few that came in, I would have left and missed all this... glad I waited. 

Here's the scene of some coming in. I figure about 60 or so were in this sorte that came in for a landing. This was about the time I already had 500 or 600 on the ground - you can see some on the ground in front (a few of those up close are my silos - the rest are the real thing), I had hundreds more to the right outside the frame.

Anyway, 9:30 rolled around (some stragglers are STILL flying in) and I had to go to work. What to do with all these geese around me? I figured, OK, I had a good time, so I'm OK with taking just one bird now. So I shot one that came in, but most of the geese still didn't know what was going on and it took like 20 seconds before they all decided to leave. They still never saw me and I don't think half of them even heard the shot with all the honking going on; but once the 10 or so geese that did know what just happened flew off, the rest eventually left with them. That was a sight to behold, too! A thousand geese in unison taking off in flight.

Moral of the story - sometimes, it's good to just take a morning to smell the roses and don't pull the trigger at the first chance you get. God's creatures are amazing things, it is nice to sometimes just enjoy watching them (and then, at the end, maybe take one home to eat )

 

[megavites]

sounds like a great day Mazz!

[SPEARFISH]

It happens more as you get older.  Just enjoy it.

[Batsto]

Nice! 

[rocky]

Too bad you finally learn how to slow down and enjoy the scenery when you get older.

Lord knows I wish I did that with all the girls that I dated in my younger days. 

[Stewey]

I probably wouldn't have been as kind as you 

[jerseyducker]

Sounds like a perfect hunt. Its always nice to bag something, but hunting is not about killing. Glad you enjoyed your hunt and be thankful for the access to such a beautiful place.

[Buck154]

Nice. 

[Bad64chevelle]

Successful day in my book ! 

[Joeybeets]

Some of the best days out are exactly how you described it. 

[Rusty]

Fun morning.  

[Live to Hunt]

3 hours ago, Rusty said:

Fun morning.  

[allmann]

Tell the truth you forgot the shells at home and didn't want the embarrassment of explaining to your wife of what you have done. 

[mazzgolf]

4 hours ago, allmann said:

Tell the truth you forgot the shells at home and didn't want the embarrassment of explaining to your wife of what you have done. 

 My wife would be happy if I brought NOTHING home. She wants nothing to do with me cleaning game at the house and she doesn't eat it. 

Oh, and ssshhh... don't tell her I currently have skull-capped antlers in a bucket of hydrogen peroxide in the bathroom. 

[allmann]

haha