"You bet, let's make sure there are some geese around. I'll let you know," I replied.
That day had arrived. I called Gary that evening to hear a "bull frog" sounding brother.
"Oh man, I'm deathly sick, but let's do it anyway. We'll meet you at Wayne's farm at 6:00am.
"I'll give Randy a call see if he wants to come with us as well," I told Gary. Randy, being a good friend who was also wanting to try his hand at snow goose hunting.
Gary and Levi were waiting when I arrived and Randy drove in while we were meeting. Gary was very sick, but was game to give it the old college try.
Snow geese begin dropping in the moment shooting hours rolled in. Big flocks soared overhead squawking in a combine roar.
We would crouch in the blind and watch as white cyclones formed in the sky above us. Down, down, down they would circle slowly narrowing the gap of shooting range.
The first big flock we shot into I heard a yell down the blind and though something had happened to one of the guys. I looked and Levi was just pumping his fist in the air and shouting his excitement. He had nailed the first snow goose of his life.
Flock after flock of snows dropped into the decoys all day. We were shooting and shooting, the barrels of our shotguns so hot we could hardly touch them. Poor Gary was just hanging on with his flu bug, knowing that this was the best shoot of the entire year.
Our boxes of shells were melting like the polar ice cap...
"We might have to make a run to town for more shells," Gary commented as he stuffed the last of a box into his smoking gun. Levi nodded the same.
"I've got a few boxes left here," I commented, "We'll shoot till we all run out. Randy also had some he could loan.
A big flock started building overhead. We all crouched in the blind.
"Look! Two blue geese in this flock!" I whispered to the guys.
"Let's make sure we get the blues," I commented, "Don't worry about shooting your lane, just get the blues!"
We always try to shoot our "lanes", meaning each hunter shoots the birds in front of his position in the blind. The guy on the right, takes the right side of the flock. The guy on the left takes the left side. The guys in the middle take the birds in the middle of the flock. This works great in insuring that we don't double on the one bird that seems closest and easiest.
The big flock of snows dropped into range and looked so good.
"Let them make one more circle," I whispered down the blind. I wanted those blue geese to be well withing range before we jumped up to shoot.
In Idaho there are not many blue geese mixed in the white snow goose flocks so it is very rare that we even have the chance for one, let alone two.
"Ok, get your doors ready..." I whispered, my gaze glued to the big flock of birds dropping into the decoys. The flock was coming from my end of the blind and I wanted to make sure Gary and Randy had birds to shoot on their end.
"Wait, Wait... Now! Get em!" I shouted.
I dropped my door and pulled ahead of one of the blues and fired. It fell instantly. I swung my gun for the second one and saw it was already down. I switched to the white snows and started banging away at the quickly receding flock.
I hear a huge whoop in the blind beside me and no more shots from Levi.
"What's wrong," I quickly asked looking away from the flock of snows to Levi. He was Pumping his fist, a grin from ear to ear on his face.
"We got them! We got both of them!" He shouted.
I watched a snow goose sail into the Snake River just outside the decoys and quickly let Halibut off the leash she was tied to.
"I'll take the four wheeler and the dog and get the bird in the river," I shouted to the guys as I ran for the four wheeler.
Levi raced into the decoys in search of the two blues.
Halibut made two incredible retrieves swimming nearly across the big Snake River on just hand signals to get the two snows out of the river.
Once back at the blind, I found the boys high-fiving each other. We had both blues and several snows in the blind.
Randy and Gary said that they had raised out of the blind looking for the two blue geese only to find that they were not there. Levi and I had made good shots and dropped them instantly. I'm sure Gary and Randy could have gotten more snows if they had not been looking for the blues.
We shot most of our shells this day having the best shoot of the entire season. Gary toughed it out with his sickness but decided to leave at just after noon. As we drove out of the field there were still flocks of snow geese circling overhead.
"I'll get them tomorrow," I told Gary over the phone as we drove away. Little did I know that this was the migration and those new birds just kept pushing on North and that was the end of the big shoots for the season.
What a day of hunting that was.
I live for those great days of skies filled with birds. The taste of Adrenalin from such a noise of hundreds of birds dropping in on top of us.
Each season I hunt it seems I put in an entire year for that one magical day. Gary, Randy, Levi had just shared that day with me.
Levi with the two blue geese
Gary and Levi with the days shoot
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