Ready set When do we get to go

[salthunter]

Then I realized that there is a lot of dead time in between.

Some days there is but some days there is constantly birds around somewhere.
And having somebody on one side or the other, has gotten kind of nice too

There is either a lot of mud or snow.

You nailed it

Getting up real early, setting out thousands of decoys.

You got to realize we're 64, 65 and 67.
There is none of that 2:00 a.m. 3:00 a.m. setting decoys in the dark thing going on around here anymore.
We set decoys for two 3 hours one day and then another day another two three hours and another day at 2-3 hours and about the time we get all the decoys out it'll be time to pick them up

I'm a 4-5 hour guy.

Some days that is the case but certainly not out of boredom
But we then use excuses
Oops I got to go back I forgot to take my meds
a backsore
I'm hungry dang I should have put on more sunscreen

I assume you feel similar to me on my 12-14 day big game hunts. Not always in them, not always comfortable, always tired and sore
Every single mountain I climb or ridge I go over, in my brain my 180" buck will

I've learned to pace myself elk hunting.
I hit it hard when my daughter is in camp.
Then I'll rest for two or three days..
And I've got the deer rifle hunt figured out a good lunch pee bottle warm clothes reading material.

Above.
3/4 mi hike and 120 ft elevation to where I set up a pop-up line for elk
Below it's just shy of a mile hike in to where I set up a pop-up blind over a meadow for deer

My bear blind is a little bit bigger and more comfortable.
Since I'm on the edge of grizzly country I go with something or if a grizzly comes after me I'll know what's happening before I die

. My glass is full for weeks.

Absolutely

 

[jpallen]

Salthunter,

As Someone who lives in SD and hunts waterfowl in SD from August to May I love seeing guys like you enjoying the sights of SD. Until you witness the spring migration of waterfowl in the Dakotas you have never really experienced the migration. The shear numbers of all species in one area is a true spectacle of nature. Enjoy your stay in SD and hope for great hunting.

 

[salthunter]

Salthunter,

As Someone who lives in SD and hunts waterfowl in SD from August to May I love seeing guys like you enjoying the sights of SD. Until you witness the spring migration of waterfowl in the Dakotas you have never really experienced the migration. The species in one area is a true spectacle of nature. Enjoy your stay in SD and hope for great hunting.

That is a hage part of it
We are just so amazed.
Yesterday Tim asked her farmer how many years are like this and he says every year is like this.

Idaho has a lot of great things to offer., But oh so different than here..
I wish we had reasonable ice fishing in Idaho and if we did I might not make it out here until really late spring.

 

[salthunter]

We've been seeing big feeds surrounding our spread some within the mile. Our field has plenty of corn left in it but I discovered today that between the cornrows rye was planted and the geese really love that rye grass.
We have had a few nice spins work the decoys but they never gave us that back wing or 20 yd shot.
Today young Charlie left Minnesota at 1:00 a.m. and has been in the spread all day.
He killed all four birds today.

Our local clean up crew a coyote seems to be waiting for every chance when we shoot and sail a bird.
The coyote got another one of ours today.
I think we've all been sunburned.
The majority of the snow is gone, North facing slope still have about 50% snow cover.
Pintails and Mallards everywhere.

 

[fishmunkee]

Great sights and sounds. Wish I were there. Glad it isn't in my back yard for several months.

 

[MDUXSRLO]

Did you guys quit hunting? The updates that we all were enjoying have stopped.

 

[salthunter]

The killing is slow but plenty of birds in the air.
Yesterday was Tim's birthday so we ran into town did laundry got propane got gas got water lot of camp needs ate dinner for Tim's birthday activity.

I spent nearly two and a half hours on the phone with my wife dealing with some leaking plumbing some bad plumbing and electrical at her dad's 101-year-old house.

Hayden Hunter did get his goose from sitting in camp yesterday.. He really did get close to dropping it on his truck.
We all set out 300 more socks yesterday.

Just waiting on juvies
The water was high in the creek and with the cold weather Hayden's little Suzuki ATV was having problems.
I dropped my Arctic cat ATV in a snow drift, with two of us it wasn't too bad and pushing it out.

My back still bothering me some so I didn't go out right awaytoday. I tried stretching out and to be able to get to hunt but it just wasn't working until almost noon.
Around noon Hayden drove out to check on Tim and while they were visiting for a few minutes a goose got up and flew out of the spread Tim emptied his gun and missed every time and while they're laughing another bird got up out of the spread in a different area.
We've been having some cold nights.
Hayden Hunter and Tim both use generators and electric heaters to keep their trailers warm
Both guys need to fill their generators up during the middle of the night so
Hayden ran to town to pick up an auxiliary gas tank for his predator 2000, and got that rigged for the night

I didn't head out until 2:00.
Tim had killed two singles each gave him close easy shots. All afternoon we were facing into the sun not too bad of a day except that it was constant 15 to 20 mph winds and eventually that catches up and we were chilled.

We both missed a pair as they were coming in they dropped into the sun to make their escape.

A Single came in and we double tapped.

And then a pair dropped from the statospere came in and we each took our bird.

Back at camp Hayden and gotten his generator all squared up and had a great supper lined up for us.
Not that it was that cold today but with the wind it really took a lot out of us.
Five birds today we packed it up about 20 minutes before sunset..
My little girl was starting the shiver.

 

[salthunter]

Yesterday we watched a solid wave of birds for 50 minutes south of us. Tim suspected they were going to hit a snow line and come back sometime later that night.
While we don't know but we had 40,000 geese sitting on the pond behind us this morning.
We sat in the truck and watched the geese pile in our field and feed it out for 2 and 1/2 hours.

 

[salthunter]

Birds fed within 45 yd of us sitting in the pickup and camp.
Shortly after Gill quit missing, for 55 minutes the birds piled in the field before they started hopping.

20 to 30 mile an hlour winds


notice how Gil's camo blends in with the white trailers

 

[salthunter]

I'm still waiting for a big spin of 5,000 birds under 100 yd s rain snow wind predicted for tomorrow morning. 50° picked for this evening hoping that blows up some new young birds and in tomorrow's storm turns stupid.

I'm willing to have bad weather turn me into a good goose hunter