REALITY CHECK. As the sun sunk low to the west, the Canadas stretched for what I’d guess to be 3/4 mile in freshly harvested grain field, long lines and vees of them descending in escalator waves. “The killing field,” said Troy, explaining that’s what some non-resident hunters that watched it for years had named it. The morning game plan was simple: lots of decoys. Knowing we’d not stop them all and they’d build up elsewhere, we needed to attract incoming birds. Two trailers worth, the spread stretching 100 yards wide. At least. It worked. Big Canadas. Sailing in on outstretched wings like commercial jets. Black-paddle landing gear outstretched beneath them. “Churchills” they call them, indicating the Eastern Prairie Population honkers originating up on Hudson Bay. Probably the same ones that flew to the deep south back during grandad’s day. Char Dawg working the east side of the spread, a big yellow male working the west, non-resident and resident honker limits plus an impressive number of mallards and pintails accrued when we called the hunt, ceding the field to hungry geese. Months of season remaining yet. Breakfast afterwards with new friends that felt like family since day one. Amazing the countless nooks and crannies throughout North America like here between 2 giant lakes that real waterfowl hunting culture is deep rooted. Found myself wondering when it was that Dustin Doll and Troy Bennett and company realized the paradise existing in their own back yards.
INTERLAKE RELIGION. Manitoba’s fabled interlake region located between massive lakes Manitoba and Winnipeg (12th largest in the world), an area always wanted to hunt. Fell in with the right crowd, too. Fog and no wind was the hand dealt this morning. We played it anyways. Not too far away, renowned Oak Hammock. And in the spread, savvy young guns, plenty old enough to realize how truly special their own backyard is. The dad showing me the pump shotgun his own father gave him 41 years ago, countless waterfowl since felled, proud that his son and friends are skilled waterfowlers. “They get it,” he said quietly, later saying he’d never before hunted with a 28-gauge shooter either. Genuine waterfowl culture thrives here. Proof: over a hundred folks attending last night’s pulled pork dinner at a local hockey rink, culminating an annual goose rodeo keeping youth facilities going. Long line of community-donated raffle items, great food, camaraderie, cold beer, boy and girl hunters all ages attending, the entire community and surrounding areas involved. Like it should be. First volley this morning, wood ducks popping out of purple fog into our laps, welcoming me to Mississippi Flyway headwaters i s’posed. Char Dawg’s first interlake Canada goose retrieve, banded (she don’t care). More ducks and geese tallied throughout the morning, keeping Char and Bailey busy until our growling bellies demanded fried egg platters. Often find myself wondering about ever living in places visited. Here? Definitely. If only it wasn’t so damned cold during winter. But then again hear the ice fishing’s world-class! So far away, yet feeling perfectly at home thanks to Troy Bennet, Dustin Dole and Cole Kilpatrick.
Try this francolin recipe! Francolin are sporty gamebirds, excellent tablefare. Theyre hunted in South Africa over pointing breeds, german shorthairs and english pointers. They’re meat is white and mild. This is an excellent recipe we tried while hunting in South Africa. Serve as main dish over pasta or as an appetizer with crackers. Here we used Swainson’s Francolin. Substitute your favorite gamebird, such as ruffed grouse or pheasant.
related link: South Africa Wingshooting
Egyptian Goose, which is more closely related to shelducks than other geese, are indigenous to the eastern and southern parts of Africa and have been listed on the Invasive Species Compendium for North America. In South Africa they’re agricultural pests and are hunted rigorously. They’re among a favorite waterfowl species to target there, and are often pass shot while flying towards decoys. Here, Ramsey Russell provides a run down of Egyptian Goose following a South Africa waterfowl hunt.
related link: South Africa Waterfowl Hunting
Ramsey Russell compares Cape Shelduck with Egyptian Goose. Both are hunted in South Africa. While a goose – and barring any genetic studies that say otherwise – Ramsey is convinced that Egyptian geese are related to shelducks. Comparing wings, there’s only one small notable difference.
related link: South Africa Waterfowl Hunting
Southern Pochard (Netta erythrophthalma), a duck species in Africa that is an elegant and sleek dark-colored duck when at rest. In flight, their white wing band is visible that highly contrasts with the rest of the plumage. There are populations in South America, but they’re most common in South Africa. Southern pochards are among 3 species worldwide in the genus Netta to include rosy-billed pochards and red-crested pochards. Here, Ramsey Russell gives a run-down of this plain brown but otherwise interesting diver duck species, the last remaining of the Netta genus collected while hunting ducks in South Africa.
related link: South Africa Waterfowl Hunting
African yellow-billed duck are among 13 mallard-like species worldwide. Here, Ramsey Russell explains the process of collecting tissue samples for Dr. Philip Lavretsky’s genetic studies database. Africa yellow-billed duck photos and measurements collected were also used in a graduate research program that’s developing an artificial intelligence app to speciate, age and sex wild ducks. Hunting is conservation, and the opportunity to collect meaningful biological data pursuant to worldwide hunts is an honor.
related link: South Africa Waterfowl Hunting
Swans may be hunted with lottery-style or over-the-counter permits in 10 states throughout the US. In most cases, hunting swans boils down to the trigger pull on a single majestic bird, but there’s more to the story. Way more. Formerly protected for decades, shooting North America’s largest waterfowl species is sometimes misunderstood by hunters and non-hunters alike, but as this video demonstrates, swan hunting epitomizes the role of waterfowl hunters as conservationist. Here’s why. Join GetDucks.com’s Ramsey Russell as he hunts Tundra Swans in Utah’s Great Salt Lakes wetlands, explaining why modern-day US swan hunting originated in Utah and proving again that you don’t always have to go halfway around the world to experience something special.
Ramsey Russell Instagram @ramseyrussellgetducks
#getducks #itsduckseasonsomewhere #utahswanhunting #hunting #benellishotguns #bossshotshells #kanatiwaterfowl #kanatitaxidermy #huntingisconservation #chardawg #whyihunt #waterfowloftheworld Tundra Swan
Duck hunting is subjective. Some hunters collect species. Others are hunting for their next meal, or for fun times among close friends and family. I’ve learned over time that I’m more a collector of experiences. The world is a whole lot bigger than our back yard. For me, chasing ducks is like walking through the pages of national geography but with a shotgun. ~Ramsey Russell, Experience Collector
