USA: Conservation Goose Hunt NY 2023

[BeeMaa]

I’m in the planning and packing stages for another goose hunting trip to NY with my friend, known to the internet at IGS. For those who are unaware and to recap from last year, this is a conservation goose season from the 1st to the 25th of September. Bag limit is 15 Canada goose/person/day in the areas we will be hunting. The reason for the high limit is to reduce the number of Canada geese that are non-migratory (resident) because they consume the resources that the migratory geese are trying to eat. During migratory season (starts toward the end of October) the limits range from 3 to 5 geese/person/day depending on the area you are hunting. In short, take (all) the geese that won’t leave and go easy on the migratory ones. The meat from our hunt will be given to friends who make breakfast sausage from it along with a few guys from work who love it in stew.

The plan… Opening day is unto itself, there will be no other day during the season like it. Last year (2022) we met one of the people who took a total of 87 geese in one morning. There were a total of eight hunters in the field that morning and the birds just kept trying to land on them. IGS has been scouting several areas and has one in particular that has at least a hundred coming in every night. He’s doing the legwork at the moment, but I’ll be up there in a few days to help out.

Beyond opening day, we have at least 4 or 5 spots on a nearby river to float and hunt with the lessons we learned from last year. There is another river about 1.5 hours away that offers incredible trout fishing along with goose hunting and absolutely zero pressure from hunters. This is what we call a “Cast & Blast”…fish until the goose show up then knock ‘em down. Doing this is a real treat for both of us. We’ve also been invited to Long Island for an open field hunt with some other guys. Not sure if we are going to do it, but it sounds like fun. Lots of options out there.

The gear… IGS will be using a Browning Maxus Wicked Wing and possibly his Cynergy Wicked Wing while I will have the trusty SBE3 by my side. All of these are capable of shooting 3.5” shells, but we mostly use 3” for waterfowl. Speaking of shells…what am I going to use? Ha! Federal Black Cloud TSS BB/7 of course. I’ve also packed some Federal Heavyweight Turkey 3.5” TSS shells if a long shot is needed, along with some cheaper stuff if finishing shots are required. As for chokes, we both use Carlson’s Black Cloud Chokes that are safe for use with TSS. I almost always use FULL, but IGS will change it up depending on what he wants. Last year I took two other chokes and they just sat there while I used my FULL the entire trip.

Other items that impressed me last year and deserve another trip to the hunting fields… Dive Bomb Industries Blind Bag, Havalon Piranta knife with lots of blades, Simms waders, Korker’s wader boots and Patagonia rain shell. Never leave home without a rain jacket of some sort. This might be the last year for the Dive Bomb Blind Bag because it’s showing signs of wear at the pinch points. If it leaks, I’ll just replace it and consider it the price of doing business. It’s a great bag but it needs to remain fully waterproof and it’s not like I’m easy on stuff. Further evaluation to follow.

New additions to the kit are TETRA Custom Shield earpro, Leica CRF 3500.com handheld range finder and a Drake Side-Opening gun slip. The TETRA was ordered at SCI 2023 and this will be its first hunt. I’ve also packed a backup set of non-electronic earpro just in case. The new Leica RF uses a class 3R laser that offers more accurate readings during times of fog, rain and snow. It’s also more capable in terms of range. I think the Leupold topped out at 800 yards while this goes all the way to 3500. Not that I can see 3500 yards, but to have the option is nice. The new gun slip should correct the issues from last year and the “waterproof” gun slip. Turns out a waterproof gun slip prevents water from getting out of it the same way it stops it from going in. Which is perfect if it never rains or your gun isn’t wet and you never (EVER) get any moisture inside of it…because if you do it will hold that moisture right against your shotgun. Yeah, not so good and nearly impossible to get it properly dried out. This new one can be opened up the full length for cleaning and drying overnight, plus will float with my shotgun inside…ask me how I know. We’ll see how the new stuff shakes out and I’ll report back.

I typically post about our hunt once a day…depends on how much we hunt and what else we have going on. I like to get it down on paper while the memories are still fresh and I can remember the details. As always, I’m open for discussion and trying new techniques and kit. Love to hear what others are doing that works as well. I’ll be arriving in NY on Thursday, the day before opening day. Happy hunting to all and I hope you enjoy.

 

[BourbonTrail]

I’ll be on the lookout for the upcoming posts!

 

[BeeMaa]

I’ll be on the lookout for the upcoming posts!

Welcome back my friend.

 

[HankBuck]

I’m in the planning and packing stages for another goose hunting trip to NY with my friend, known to the internet at IGS. For those who are unaware and to recap from last year, this is a conservation goose season from the 1st to the 25th of September. Bag limit is 15 Canada goose/person/day in the areas we will be hunting. The reason for the high limit is to reduce the number of Canada geese that are non-migratory (resident) because they consume the resources that the migratory geese are trying to eat. During migratory season (starts toward the end of October) the limits range from 3 to 5 geese/person/day depending on the area you are hunting. In short, take (all) the geese that won’t leave and go easy on the migratory ones. The meat from our hunt will be given to friends who make breakfast sausage from it along with a few guys from work who love it in stew.

The plan… Opening day is unto itself, there will be no other day during the season like it. Last year (2022) we met one of the people who took a total of 87 geese in one morning. There were a total of eight hunters in the field that morning and the birds just kept trying to land on them. IGS has been scouting several areas and has one in particular that has at least a hundred coming in every night. He’s doing the legwork at the moment, but I’ll be up there in a few days to help out.

Beyond opening day, we have at least 4 or 5 spots on a nearby river to float and hunt with the lessons we learned from last year. There is another river about 1.5 hours away that offers incredible trout fishing along with goose hunting and absolutely zero pressure from hunters. This is what we call a “Cast & Blast”…fish until the goose show up then knock ‘em down. Doing this is a real treat for both of us. We’ve also been invited to Long Island for an open field hunt with some other guys. Not sure if we are going to do it, but it sounds like fun. Lots of options out there.

The gear… IGS will be using a Browning Maxus Wicked Wing and possibly his Cynergy Wicked Wing while I will have the trusty SBE3 by my side. All of these are capable of shooting 3.5” shells, but we mostly use 3” for waterfowl. Speaking of shells…what am I going to use? Ha! Federal Black Cloud TSS BB/7 of course. I’ve also packed some Federal Heavyweight Turkey 3.5” TSS shells if a long shot is needed, along with some cheaper stuff if finishing shots are required. As for chokes, we both use Carlson’s Black Cloud Chokes that are safe for use with TSS. I almost always use FULL, but IGS will change it up depending on what he wants. Last year I took two other chokes and they just sat there while I used my FULL the entire trip.

Other items that impressed me last year and deserve another trip to the hunting fields… Dive Bomb Industries Blind Bag, Havalon Piranta knife with lots of blades, Simms waders, Korker’s wader boots and Patagonia rain shell. Never leave home without a rain jacket of some sort. This might be the last year for the Dive Bomb Blind Bag because it’s showing signs of wear at the pinch points. If it leaks, I’ll just replace it and consider it the price of doing business. It’s a great bag but it needs to remain fully waterproof and it’s not like I’m easy on stuff. Further evaluation to follow.

New additions to the kit are TETRA Custom Shield earpro, Leica CRF 3500.com handheld range finder and a Drake Side-Opening gun slip. The TETRA was ordered at SCI 2023 and this will be its first hunt. I’ve also packed a backup set of non-electronic earpro just in case. The new Leica RF uses a class 3R laser that offers more accurate readings during times of fog, rain and snow. It’s also more capable in terms of range. I think the Leupold topped out at 800 yards while this goes all the way to 3500. Not that I can see 3500 yards, but to have the option is nice. The new gun slip should correct the issues from last year and the “waterproof” gun slip. Turns out a waterproof gun slip prevents water from getting out of it the same way it stops it from going in. Which is perfect if it never rains or your gun isn’t wet and you never (EVER) get any moisture inside of it…because if you do it will hold that moisture right against your shotgun. Yeah, not so good and nearly impossible to get it properly dried out. This new one can be opened up the full length for cleaning and drying overnight, plus will float with my shotgun inside…ask me how I know. We’ll see how the new stuff shakes out and I’ll report back.

I typically post about our hunt once a day…depends on how much we hunt and what else we have going on. I like to get it down on paper while the memories are still fresh and I can remember the details. As always, I’m open for discussion and trying new techniques and kit. Love to hear what others are doing that works as well. I’ll be arriving in NY on Thursday, the day before opening day. Happy hunting to all and I hope you enjoy.

BeeMaa good luck on your trip - you are certainly the most well prepared and organized waterfowler I know of - and your equipment quality is 2nd to none....those geese are in big trouble !!

 

[BeeMaa]

BeeMaa good luck on your trip - you are certainly the most well prepared and organized waterfowler I know of - and your equipment quality is 2nd to none....those geese are in big trouble !!

Thank you so much for the compliment. I’ll have to spend a lot more time on the clays range to approach your level of proficiency. I’ll catch up with you when I get back. Cheers.

 

[BeeMaa]

31 AUG Travel and scouting. Early start today, was up at 2:30am too psyched to sleep. I finished some packing and loaded up for my drive to NY. Got here before 10am and settled in. IGS was already hard at work planning the upcoming days. We paddled in on inflatable kayaks and scouted a location for a morning hunt on the river that several other will be attending. IGS and I will essentially be guiding these guys because he did the scouting and I’m the only one he trusts with the plan we have in place. We saw geese in this location but it was after 11am, so they had fed and were coming back to the water to loaf before going back to feed again. Geese are always here in the mornings so we expect a good haul.

Dried off our butts from the first kayak trip only to arrive at location 2 for another one…the site of what is to be our evening hunt for opening day. We made a plan based on what IGS has observed over the past few days. We paddle out to the location and discuss what’s been happening and how to set up for it. After leaving we decide to come back in a few hours to observe the geese flying in before dark. A way of putting them to bed tonight to make sure they will be coming back the following evening. We arrive just before sunset and find a place to park on the road where we can clearly see where we want to set up. 15 minutes left of shooting light and the sky comes alive with the sound of geese. We wait and hear them circle but can’t see them yet. More honks come from the sky…still can’t see them. A third string comes honking in…nothing. Well crap. We drive around and found where the geese landed, not in a place we can get to. Damn it. The pattern changed so it’s time for us to improvise, adapt and overcome.

We go back to the house and consider our options over a drink. For now, we know that the morning hunt is set, we have a river float planned in the afternoon and have to settle on what exactly we want to do for the evening hunt. In all, a day well spent not being at work. With any luck at all I should be able to post my first picture of this thread by tomorrow sometime.

 

[Rickmt]

Best of luck! Knock ‘‘em dead!

 

[BRICKBURN]

Good luck!

 

[CoElkHunter]

Good luck!

+1!

 

[A Frame66]

Good luck with the local birds up there, love to shoot the one's here in GA and FL during the early season. Now if that damn hurricane didn't blow them completely out of both states!

 

[BeeMaa]

1 SEP Everything is more difficult in the dark. We wake up…coffee up and hit the road early, arriving at the meeting point an hour before shooting light. There are more people than we had expected, looks to be a total of about 8 hunters including us. Most of these guys are not what I would call “experienced”. IGS and I conduct a pre-hunt brief on the plan and how we are going to execute. It includes fording three to four feet of water across a river and breaking up into three groups. Group 1 at the head of island, group 2 at the tail of island and group 3 at the head of another island. It’s about this time that a couple of guys start asking me if I can remove the plug from their magazines…sorry fellas, that time has passed and you will hunt with what you have.

To say there are a lot of moving parts in this hunt is an understatement. I lead the way into the river with all my gear and also carrying IGS’s shotgun. IGS has picked up the additional duty of bringing out one of the inflatable kayaks loaded with 10 decoys, and several of the shotguns. I slowly wade through the fog covered water and make to the island easily. I look back expecting to see a train of hunters following me…not the case. Turns out some of these guys are not comfortable fording water, let alone up to 4 feet deep and in the DARK! IGS has been bogged down trying to get everyone across. I’m finally able to make out the shape of the kayak in the mist and go about halfway back to help. We get the kayak, decoys and shotguns up on the island. Several stragglers lag behind.

IGS has me make a path to the top end of the island so others will have trampled weeds to follow…shooting light is approaching quickly and someone needs to be there and knock down the birds if they fly. I high tail it to the top of the island, and to my surprise there are already three guys (also with our party) already there. Cool, but man this hunting party is growing and it’s not what I expected. About 15 minutes later IGS and one other guy show up, our group of six shooters are set and waiting.

The two other hunting parties are downstream of us. Waaaay upstream are 75-100 geese and one of our guys (not hunting and without a shotgun) is slowly herding them towards us. I’m watching them though the RF and the geese are getting agitated and starting to honk. It takes a while but the geese eventually fly downstream…right towards us. Here we go…

 

[BeeMaa]

TAKE ‘EM!!! The sky is alive with the smell of gunpowder as geese fall, some wounded but at least six are down. We hear more shooting as the guys from groups 2 & 3 are downing their share as well. I spring from the hide and run out into the river to recover the birds. I’m able to get three and throw them on the bank before the next wave of birds starts to fly by. More birds fall. More shooting. More birds fall. It’s opening day and raining feathers. I could not be more excited.

I go back and forth between the banks, picking up geese and taking down the wounded in the river. I know some have escaped onto the banks, but everything on the water is collected. When it’s all done there are at least a dozen birds on the bank for photos.

It’s fully light now and everyone is in good spirits. At least one of the birds was banded so they will have a drawing for it later. I know it’s a band and it means something, but I really believe that it would mean more to one of them than it does to me. IGS and I will not be in the drawing for it. With the first morning hunt over, most of the guys are staying right there because the geese will be coming back to this place. IGS and I have plans to float a river so we head to the house to dry off and have some breakfast.

IGS and I reflect on the morning hunt as we clean our gear up. We know the birds we shot at dropped like stones, each of us accounting for at least four. A couple of the guys in our group took note of our shooting…and the ammo we were using. TSS is getting it done again. As I write this we are getting ready for a float (just IGS and I) followed by an evening hunt with two close friends who couldn’t make it this morning. Stay tuned for more…

Apologies for no pictures. I'm working on getting them...

 

[BeeMaa]

Afternoon float resulted in a crime scene, report to follow.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Well, that’s a first for a bird hunt description.
Congrats, the plan obviously worked.

 

[A Frame66]

Congratulations on the hunt!!

 

[BnC 04]

Good shooting @BeeMaa , well done!

 

[BeeMaa]

Combined afternoon and evening hunt total was 21, with IGS and myself taking 15 of them. To tired at the moment for a total hunt report so a picture will have to suffice.

 

[BnC 04]

Outstanding! Will standby for the details of afternoon hunt.

 

[Tra3]

Awesome!!

 

[BeeMaa]

Opening day afternoon float and evening hunt. To say that it’s been a morning is an understatement. The guys we were hunting with couldn’t believe that we had two more hunts planned for the day. Well, there is only one opening day and we are here to make the most of it.

Float plan is to scout the river between a bridge and the rapids which can’t be seen from the road. About a mile after the rapids is the take-out point and we know for sure that geese are loafing during the day on the rocks that accompany them. We put in the float boat and proceed to see nothing in the way of geese for the next six miles. People are getting their places ready for the Labor Day weekend with lawnmowers and leaf blowers making simultaneous and almost returning calls to each other. We float on.

About 300 yards from the rapids, we really start thinking. If we just float down to the geese, we have a chance of getting about 3 of them max, but it will be tough for IGS to control the boat and still try to maintain a clear window for me to fire. A plan is hatched… I’ll pack up my gear and put my shotgun (unloaded) in a gun slip and walk parallel to the rapids on the road. With any luck I can find a place to drop in at the bottom and we can put a squeeze on them.

I get out and hit the bricks for about half a mile. It’s not looking good with a 100-foot drop to the water through thickets and poison ivy. I spot a house with a manicured lawn that goes all the way down to the waters edge, looks perfect. I knock on the door and after some dog barking, a lovely woman answers it. We have a great little chat and she gives me permission to use her property as access to the water…FREAKING AWESOME!

I get to the river’s edge and laydown some of my gear on the bank. I can clearly see the geese 300 yard upstream. I’m sure they see me, but pay me little mind. IGS starts his push from upstream and the geese start to get nervous. There are about 50 of them milling back and forth. I’ve chosen a rock in the middle of the river to sit on so IGS can see me and it applies pressure to the geese to stay between us. I allow four geese to slip by not wanting to bust the potential of what’s to come by blasting the first goose to me. I slip off the rock and am now standing in the middle of the river with my arms spread, the geese don’t know what to do. IGS from above and me from below, they are caught and I know this is gonna be goooood.