Thinking of Spring Birds.

Been thinking of Spring lately and figured Id posta few older pix as well.

My favorite is my second son, with his first Goose.

We really love the Geese/Duck hunting that we get to do in our few months of Summer.

In Spring, around the end of April, birds will arrive from down south after having been gone since Mid September. Seagulls will arrive 3-4 days ahead of the Geese, and Ducks somewhere inbetween, as they are often following the cracks in the ocean ice.

For us, Springtime birds are a change in diet, and something delicious to share around.

We have differing seasons with Spring arriving earlier, we have more water around, and the birds spred out abit more, nonethe less, we still score 'em by the pound and by the ton........

Sometimes we hunt across the ice, sometimes ina blind by a favorite lake....

Swans are fair game as well. We can score three each year.

We usually pluck them right away, 'cept for the Decoys, and here my oldest son simply shot a bunch right outside the house, so we had a mornig plucking party.
the wife saves the feathers for when shes working on Seals and other oily animals. The Feathers redily absorbe the oil that shes working with all the blubber and such, and she can easily wash the blood off her hands in cold water and have them very clean.

Where I like to hunt, the ice is effected by tides, and often the water will quietly rise and make a short walk into miles........

Sometimes the hunting is so good, we just stay untill we have a loaded sled, so taking the wife and a daughter is fine for company

All done, a pict by the former decoys.....

The quicker plucker in action.....

These were plucked in the blind and put in grain sacks, about 16 per sack.

Spring birds that arrive from down south are FAT!

they are usually looking for a mate and flying about without worrys..........this is their demise.

We hunt them intensively for about 3 days. By then, we have to go home and share around. After 3 days, there is usually water all around and the birds are spred out a bit, and sled is loaded.

We stop hunting the birds and jar them up, repair our stuff and get a boat ready, as the water will soon erode the ice and snow on the land, and break up is close.

With break up, we boat around, and we hunt other animlas, Muskrats , Beavers and water animals. We will shoot Ducks/Geese for fresh meat, but in limited numbers.

With break up over, the water going down, we will start fishing.

Depending on where we are, it will be for little Smelts or big Sheefish.

Right after the smelts go by, the birds will all nest, and we will gather Seagull eggs, 3 days inna row , 3 from each clutch, as thats what they will lay every time. We do Not gather Geese/Duck eggs, as we give 'em evry chance to grow. After we stop gathering eggs, the Seagulls will still nest and have babies.

Now we will stop hunting Geese at all, and now shoot only male Ducks for fresh meat, as they do not pair up or help raise the young.

Later, in late August, we hill hunt the young Geese that are just learning to fly, and put them in our freezers for winter. They have LOTS of fat then, and big legs, so we call them "Drumstick Geese", because all they have ever done is walk.

They come when called and fly very straight and unscared.....sometimes its crazy.