First time snow geese hunting this weekend.

[42769vette]

I'm leaving Friday for a Saturday/Sunday snow geese hunt in Illinois. This will be my first spring goose hunt so I'm pretty excited. We are hunting with "show me your snows" guide service. They had a 700 bird day last week so this should be a blast.

Anyone ever gone?

 

[midget]

I went a few years back to Nevada, Missouri. We pretty well got skunked. 3 day trip, only saw 6 birds and those were all on the first day. Hopefully you have significantly better luck that we did.

 

[42769vette]

I hope we have better luck as well. That's the thing about waterfowl. Feast today could easily be famine tomorrow.

 

[DocIndy]

One of my foremen went to Missouri a few weeks ago on a snow goose hunt. He goes every year. Last day there, the outfitter had his highest one day number...almost 1300 from 8 groups. The picture was a sight! You have any good goose recipes? I smoked a half dozen breasts and they were pretty good. Usually they make sausage out of what they bring back.

 

[phylodog]

I just witnessed the snow goose migration for the first time last month while driving down to and back from Baton Rouge. The sheer numbers were pretty amazing. I'll get out for a hunt one of these days. Good luck, hope you bring all of them back you hope to!

 

[Wheezy50]

So, how did the trip go???

I've been wanting to go on a snow goose hunt but haven't made it happen yet.

 

[42769vette]

So, how did the trip go???

I've been wanting to go on a snow goose hunt but haven't made it happen yet.

I guess I forgot to update. We had 11 shooters, and killed 11 birds in the first 30 minutes. No more birds showed up all weekend. The weather just didn't cooperate, and that's just part of the game. I went with a bunch of guys from Vortex who I talk to weekly, but its quick question/quick answer type talking, so even though we dint get into the birds, we had a great time catching up on non work stuff, and playing with 2019 products.

On Saturday, the guide made the comment there were 300k-400k birds on the lake about 1 mile away. We took a drive over, and I dont know what 300k-400k birds look like, but It was close enough not to call him a liar. The lake was probably 1.5 miles across, and you could have walked to the other side without getting wet. When its cold they just dont fly, and it was cold the weekend we were there.

 

[KGS]

If you don’t mind me asking, what is a ballpark figure of how much a trip like that costs? I think that would be a blast but don’t have a huge budget for things like that. I hope you can go back again sometime and have better luck!

 

[42769vette]

Its really not much as far as an out of state hunt goes.

It was in Peoria, so its 2.5 hours from you, so you wont have much gas.
250 dollars per gun per day
60 dollar hotel
50ish dollar licence.

 

[midget]

I guess I forgot to update. We had 11 shooters, and killed 11 birds in the first 30 minutes. No more birds showed up all weekend. The weather just didn't cooperate, and that's just part of the game. I went with a bunch of guys from Vortex who I talk to weekly, but its quick question/quick answer type talking, so even though we dint get into the birds, we had a great time catching up on non work stuff, and playing with 2019 products.

On Saturday, the guide made the comment there were 300k-400k birds on the lake about 1 mile away. We took a drive over, and I dont know what 300k-400k birds look like, but It was close enough not to call him a liar. The lake was probably 1.5 miles across, and you could have walked to the other side without getting wet. When its cold they just dont fly, and it was cold the weekend we were there.

The time we went, we got to see a "duck tornado". Was told there were probably 20-30k birds, it is unreal.

 

[DocIndy]

My guy goes to Dexter Missouri every year. There is no daily limit on the snow geese so they all pack Benelli's with 9 shot extensions. A couple of them double up on the Benelli's and have one loaded in the blind in front of them so if the birds are thick, they run one dry and drop it for the second gun. I was impressed with the 25 cases of 3 1/2" 12 ga. shells they drag out there every year. They had 14 of the normal 17 guys that go make the trip this year. Its their annual get away from the wives trip.