Gary Greene’s Memories from an Old Hunter…….#35
I have mentioned that I have been on hunting trips ranging from great to poor. The reader should be able to establish where this hunt fits into that great/poor spectrum. My son Nate and I wanted to extend our 2013 waterfowl hunting season so we researched spring, Snow Geese, guided hunts near the Yankton, South Dakota area. I had heard from several of my hunters that I guide that Yankton could be the place to go for our best chance at success.
Nate Greene positioned in his layout blind for forty hours of no shooting.
One of my hunting partners Jim Wick told me that his buddy Jeff Barber goes to that area every spring and hunts with the same guide. Some years are fantastic with hundreds of birds harvested and other years they might come home with 40-50 geese. I talked in length with Barber and received all the information I needed regarding the area, motels, guides and costs. After reviewing his guide’s moderate website, I searched more deeply for other guides in that area.
I knew that Barber had some great years and some just fair years, but I thought I found the guide that would definitely get us on the birds. He stated that they would travel hundreds of miles each day scouting for geese and if necessary, he would move us a hundred miles to hunt. He also stated that we should bring a case of shells for each hunter, because even on their bad days, a hunter can go through two boxes.
One morning, before guiding at Wisconsin’s Milford Hills Hunt Club, I was discussing my trip with Mitch, who was in charge of the club’s hunting guides and field assignments. He stated he and his hunting partner Dave had been talking of going on a spring hunt. After checking out several websites, he too, decided I made the best choice of guides and location.
The highlight of our trip was the beautiful rainbow over our decoy spread.
I called the guide, and was impressed with his energy, knowledge, and experience….so I booked a four man, four day guided hunt with his guide service.
As we drove west to Yankton, South Dakota, we were very excited with the thoughts of a lot of extra waterfowl shooting. We met our guide at a motel room that they had booked for the entire spring season and he shared with 5-6 other guides. Our guide for the four days, was a 25 year old young man from Minnesota.
We headed out to the field, which was about a fifteen minute drive and the cut cornfield was already set up and all we had to do was uncase, load up and lay in professional layout blinds that were already in position. I would estimate that there were over 500 Windsock decoys and the electronic goose calling system was as loud as advertised. Minutes later, the first large flock of Snows flew over and started dropping down in waves as they do. They almost got into shooting range, but broke off. For the entire four day hunt, that was the last flock of Snows that gave us a look. We shot ten geese that first day, including a mixture of Snows, Blues and Ross, but they came into our decoys as singles and pairs.
During the next 3½ days and over 40 hours, we never fired a shot. Barber, who stayed with the same guide he had for numerous years, had a better day than us. After scouting the area, his guide moved all their hunting groups and decoys over a hundred miles south to northeast Missouri and had great success.
Our hunting guide, on the other hand, never scouted evenings for geese, and we never moved from the field that was set up for us that first day. Our guide evidently was told by his boss to just stay where he was. My question was: “What happened to the hundreds of miles of daily scouting and then moving us to the geese?” We never did meet the owner and head guide of the business as we were told he was back in Minnesota.
Our guide slept most of the day in the layout blind and Nate and my hunting partners wanted to go home after day two, but I persuaded them to stay, always hoping the next day would be the day. That day never came.
The layout blinds somewhat resemble a coffin, so they are also referred to as coffin blinds. I prefer to use that more colorful term. My health had been failing, so I repeatedly joked that I was preparing myself for the future, and practicing my death position in the coffin blinds. As previously mentioned, we were in those blinds for over 40 hours. We were all deeply disappointed and our nerves were a little edgy. I love the Milwaukee area, but I even added: “That I could have been in a Milwaukee Restaurant all that time and seen the same amount of shooting, or possibly more.” Not in the best taste, but it drew laughs.
The entire time we were out there watching the empty skies, my son Nate kept asking why we didn’t use the same guide as Jeff Barber, since he had some success and experience. I was foolish enough to think that I could find a better guide. I did not! I was wooed by a far superior website and a salesman on the phone that sold me on his skills that were advertised, but not delivered.
That trip cost each hunter $1000 for the hunt plus gas, motel, food and a case of unused, 12 gauge, 3 inch, steel, BB loads.