My buddy Ray invited me to go with him to some private land to go goose hunting. I was pretty pumped since I havent had the chances at geese I was hoping for so far this season. He invited two other guys to come with us at we were set to meet them at 530am...I was thinking legal shoot was 659 and with the drive time, set up, etc we would be cutting it close. Well we waited for those guys to show up but they never did so we took off at 545.

We parked the truck at about 625 and had to make a good walk with the flag decoys. After we figured out where we wanted to set up we were really running behind. As we started trying to put in the rag decoys we quickly descovered another problem...the ground was so hard we couldnt stick most of the flags in.

It was a bad start...and we were still trying our best when legal shoot rolled around. We ended up with the worst looking spread and only being able to stick half of the flags in the ground and just laying the other ones out. On the plus side we had a good wind so the ones that were in the ground looked good. We pretty much had to find ant piles and stick them in there.

Anyway it was a slow start but we ended up getting quite a few snows, a couple blues, a Ross, and 3 specks.

The highlight for me was when Ray was walking back to the truck and I started picking up. I see two specks flying low and looked like they wanted to come in...so I get down. They make a round and start heading off so I said what the heck I have nothing to lose and got on my call...they turned! It was pretty cool...but they come back around and tried to land in the tank...so right as they were starting to land I hit the call again and wouldnt you know it they came right at me. Boom, Boom...I got a double...it was pretty cool. Ray had been doing 90% of the calling and he's pretty good with snow and speck calls...so I was really happy to do it on my own.

Ray came back and said...you didnt do what I think you did. It was a great feeling. I shot them both with some 3.5" Black Clouds BBs and they were stone dead. I was using some Win Expert BB and Kent BBB and had quite a few cripples with those...Black Clouds are some good shells.

Anyway....here are some after hunt pics...the first is just showing what we were seeing a lot of that day:



This is a pic of the birds we got 14 total and Ray's dog.



This is My-Way-Ray (nicknamed that because when you go hunting with him you do stuff his way, lol. He likes to think he's my guide and to be honest I've learned a lot from him over the years...just have to be able to wade through some of his BS at times...but he's a hell of an all around hunter and a good friend of mine):



This is me...I Kill Geese not Time...AKA TIMEKEEPER...Clocken the birds!



All and all...it's not like it's the most birds ever shot on a goose hunt but for just a couple of guys who started the morning with things not going exactly as planned...I thought it was a great hunt and I had a ball!

Finally I have to be a dad and post this pic of my girl Kate...she's just so damn cute I have to share!

Very nice! The speck in the middle is a nice bird!

Yeah it was real barbed up (is that the right term?)...the other one didnt have any on his belly...those were the two I doubled on.

cool. I have a little girl about the same age. They are great.

Will mom let you put the babe in camo? I think she is real cute, but would even be better in a little Max4HD. Tell Ray that WT says howdy! A guy can learn a lot from him for sure.

Great story Marc, nice birds to go along with it

you and Ray both suck

not hearing my phone ring

Well it turns out there was room...but then again I was invited myself.

Hey, gr_elliott, piss him off, maybe he'll invite me next time.

Hell if I could I'd be inviting myself tomorrow morning to go out there. I kept saying how this season I'd take a few mornings off to go hunting...havent really done that but once all year.

Great story, great hunt, great photos, cute looking kid glad she took after her mother!

great hunt and good job callin' the birds back

Nice!

I'm still waiting on my first goose.