Hunting Reports from Canada
The reports from Canada are very encouraging. Many hunters are reporting easy limits and excellent numbers of Juvenile geese. The Ross geese had an exceptional hatch and are swarming decoys. Specklebellies also had very good juvenile production. The limit on Specks is three and in good young-bird years it is very common to harvest limits.
The strong front last week kicked off the specklebelly migration. Andy and Chad have sent videos of feeding birds in Arkansas. To say the least, I am stoked. The peak of the speck numbers will be in mid-December.
Arkansas winters the bulk of the specks in the Mississippi flyway. Specks are just a fun bird. They respond to a call like a mallard and decoy like a teal. They are the best eating of all the geese.
Ross geese are a subspecies of Snow geese and are very acrobatic -- they flip or whiffle. Sometimes they will decoy so fast that you can't get a shot off. They make a very distinctive peeping noise and are usually very gullible.
I am also encouraged by reports of young snow geese. Reports on the latest groups of arriving snows are 50 percent young. To be honest, I have also heard reports of 10 percent young. I will go out on climb and predict a juvenile ratio of about 25 percent young to adult.
We are looking at a good season. Weather affects the hunting. Predictions for northeast Arkansas are that this winter will be colder than normal. (Whatever normal is.) The season starts Nov. 23. I AM EXCITED!!
