WaterfowlForum.Net

We set up for our first Aleutian Goose hunt in the morning.
Personally I think it's to soon.
I like to start once I see them feeding in the oats.
But a couple of the guys in our group want to try and run traffic on them.
So I'll do my part but I'm not expecting much.
Here's a couple pictures from previous years hunts.

Dang Joe , you fellas sure did put a pounding on them !

I've never set-up for Aleutians so I'm totally impressed . I know driving by the Mapes Ranch ( certain times of the year )
they are quite plentiful from what I've seen . We are having more Geese in the fields ( by the day ) , looks to be a like
a normal year ? A lot of birds earlier this year , with flocks building with Specks and Snows !

Never heard of them, they look like a smaller Canada that we call a Hutchy around here. Is that the same thing?

Flyway Stalker wrote:Never heard of them, they look like a smaller Canada that we call a Hutchy around here. Is that the same thing?

They are in the cackling goose family about 4-6 lbs they look like a small Canada except they have a white ring around their necks
They were on the endangered species list beginning in 1967 if I recall correctly but the eradication of a non indigenous fox that was introduced by Russian trappers to the Aleutian Islands allowed an unbelievable come back and now the limit is ten per day.
Just an example of what predator control can do to help waterfowl.
They work like snow geese in large numbers , we have had as many as 1-3 thousand over us at one time.
Our fields are oats and wheat so we do not hunt them until they turn to green feeding patterns.

3200 Man wrote:Dang Joe , you fellas sure did put a pounding on them !

I've never set-up for Aleutians so I'm totally impressed . I know driving by the Mapes Ranch ( certain times of the year )
they are quite plentiful from what I've seen . We are having more Geese in the fields ( by the day ) , looks to be a like
a normal year ? A lot of birds earlier this year , with flocks building with Specks and Snows !

They fly , mingle and feed with snows regularly and we actually use snows decoys in our spreads , this also allows us to shoot snows that are working as well..

As noted they're a different subspecies. Though I know first hand that Aleutians sometimes get seriously lost from the NW wintering grounds and hang with Hutchinson's/Richardson's, as we shot a neck collared one of the former the first year the later were legal game in Louisiana. At the time Aleutians were fully protected and there was some concern that killing more of them coincidental to the H/Rs could screw the pooch.

As I had expected the little guys are still foraging for corn and grain and have not turned to green yet.
So they passed us over by the thousands but we did coax in a few Ross geese and a couple of snows we knocked down 12 and let a couple groups go that were low but not working as we wanted them to.
This is my grandson and I with 6 Ross and the two snows.

Nice Spread Joe ! I see your little buddy is a happy camper ? Nothing better , that's for sure .

3200 Man wrote:Nice Spread Joe ! I see your little buddy is a happy camper ? Nothing better , that's for sure .

Yes he was, he is a little trooper as well we started setting up at 4:30 and he worked his tail off until 6:30am

Very nice set up! Good information on them, Thanks

My buddy got into them the other day.

Another day of picking.......the right spot !

With having so many species of waterfowl to hunt in our area......what is there not to like , with sun in our eyes ?

Like they say , every Dog has his day......with some......more than others ! I see