Great Outdoors
My first goose was one to remember
It wasn’t very cold the day I got my first goose. But we’d set up the portable blind in about six inches of water, and the water wasn’t what you’d call warm. We’d been there […]
waterfowl
Great Outdoors
There are some bizarre bird migration myths
My friend Ken Keffer wrote a fascinating article for The Nature Conservancy’s blog, Cool Green Science. He focused on some of the myths that have surrounded bird migrations in years and centuries past, and some […]
Great Outdoors
Making my pasture more attractive to geese
I looked out in the pasture a couple of weeks ago, in the middle of a pretty nasty snowstorm, and I watched about 250 Canada geese hover a foot over the ground right out in […]
Great Outdoors
There’s plenty of hunting this time of year
The holiday season is upon us. It’s a time of joy and celebration, as you rush from store to store, spending all your money on gifts for loved ones. Maybe even a few gifts for […]
Great Outdoors
If you’re hunting waterfowl, know your ducks
Waterfowl hunting is a lot of fun, and ducks and geese can make for great meals. But it’s not very hard to screw up when you’re duck hunting. A former game warden once told me […]
Great Outdoors
The geese are coming … be ready
You can be a hunter and also be a birdwatcher. In fact, being a birdwatcher can actually help you when you hunt. The more practice you get watching ducks, for instance, the better you’ll be […]
Great Outdoors
Nobody ever said duck hunting was cheap
A friend of mine recently asked me what he’d need to get started hunting ducks. He’s pretty well-off, and he asked if money were no object, what would I get? The first thing that came […]
Great Outdoors
Bird hunting is a great excuse to get outside more
I’m pretty excited for bird season this year. That’s nothing new, though. I’m always ready for bird season. Any hunting season is welcome, but I always have better luck with birds than with big game. […]
Great Outdoors
Waterfowl bands aren’t just a trophy
Though the bulk of Canada goose banding takes place on the nesting grounds in Canada, some happens here in the States, too. Hunting season is rapidly approaching, so it’s important to know what to do […]
Great Outdoors
Be careful of avian flu if you’re hunting waterfowl
It seems like we just keep getting hit with outbreaks of disease, and about the time we get past one, another one crops up to take its place. A few years ago, it was the […]