Hard to kill: Snow geese prove allusive for local hunters

Three generations of cold snow goose hunters. Pictured from left to right: Ken White, Liam Chandler, and Henry Chandler. (Photo by Ken White/Special to the Daily Mail)

It sounded like a perfect setup; more than a million snow geese in the Squaw Creek area, a top-notch outfitter who had put out 2,000 decoys plus electronic calls, ideal weather and a conservation order that allowed hunters no limit of snow geese ---- while the only permit required was a $5 permit for resident hunters.

It sounded like a person could take a handful of rocks and get all the geese they wanted. Wrong!

After flying in from Atlanta, Ga., my son-in-law, Henry Chandler and grandson Liam were ready to go after the snows. Just before sunrise, outfitter, Dan Guyer took us to the cut cornfield where he had placed 2,000 decoys and had layout blinds ready to go. After giving instructions about what to expect, the hunters settled into the blinds waiting for the flocks of snow geese to appear.

Guyer started hunting with his dad when he was 8-years-old. His father David, was inducted into the Waterfowl Hall of Fame and took great pride teaching his sons to hunt ducks and geese. From all the reports we had about him and the success other hunters had while hunting geese with him, it looked like it would be a no-brainer that we would have all the shooting we could handle.

As the sun appeared over the eastern horizon Guyer said, "get ready" as a flock of snows were heading our way. We were ready, but the geese had other plans and flew out of range to join thousands of other birds heading north. Then, a pair of geese, one blue and a snow, were heading our way and once again Guyer said, "get ready." When the geese got within gun range, Henry dropped the blue goose for the first kill of the day that turned out to be the only kill of the day.

We watched waves of geese flying out of the Squaw Creek Refuge a mile or more from us, but there was no more shooting from our spot. At 10 a.m. Guyer said "lets go to town and have lunch. The geese we shot yesterday were in the afternoon around four, so it might be that way today."

This time we were sure to bag birds as they headed back to the refuge.

Unfortunately, we had the same results in the afternoon that we did in the morning hunt. There were plenty of snow geese in the area, but none near enough for us to fire a shot. The weather was going to be colder in the next morning so maybe we could play catch-up then.

As we headed for the blinds, a cold north wind and temperatures in the 20 degree mark made us think the million geese would be looking for corn to eat to help keep them warm and strong for the flight farther north. The geese did fly out, wave after wave chattering and gabbling as they moved into the cold north wind. We thought that the field we were in with ears of corn missed by the corn pickers would help attract them.

Then it looked like the sight we had been waiting for was near as a flock of several hundred geese set their wings coming in right at us getting closer and closer. Disappointment moved in as the geese suddenly flared away and passed by out of range. One hunter was able to fire a shot at the closest snow and watched as it fell.

Snow geese are hard to hunt because they are very wary, working fields at altitudes high from gun range. After being shot at on the migration routes in the fall and now in the winter they check a spread of decoys very carefully before they settle down. They are unpredictable and rarely drop into a hunters blind.

A small flock of geese headed our way and it looked promising until Guyer noted that they were specs, meaning white-fronted geese which are not legal during the conservation order. So we watched as they sailed away in the wind.

During the mid-day break, we took a tour of the Squaw Creek Refuge where we saw hundreds of thousands of snow geese resting on open water. Gene Rogers, a local hunter, said, "This has been a mild winter for us. Usually there isn't much, if any open water, it's frozen ---- but this winter is different.

"The hunting has gone about like the saying for fishermen that it is always fishing, but not always catching. In hunting, it is always hunting, but not always shooting."

That was the case this time for us. Too bad about the geese, but the three of us got to spend quality time together and nothing can replace that time making memories.

In the late 1990s, biologist across North America recognized that the snow goose population was outgrowing it's breeding ground habitat in the arctic and sub-arctic. Left unchecked, the birds would destroy the habitat posing a serious threat to the long-term health of the arctic ecosystem and its wildlife communities.

The scientific research pointed to the need to reduce the light goose population by 50 percent. Hunters were asked to do the job through a special season along with a few other changes designed to increase the harvest.

Ducks Unlimited chief biologist, Bruce Batt, chairs the Arctic Goose Habitat Working Group. He said, "The group is assessing the impact of the special snow goose conservation season since its inception in 2000. Clearly, we haven't met the goal of cutting the mid-continent snow goose population in half, but we have doubled the snow goose kill from what it was historically."

The Conservation Order season started Feb. 1 and runs through the entire month of April. Electronic calls are allowed and shotguns may be unplugged. Non-toxic shells may only be used. There are no limits on the number of light geese taken. The Light Goose Conservation Order is for snow, blue and Ross geese only. Hunters need only a conservation order permit. The cost is $5 for residents and $40 for non-residents.