Reports

2022 Fall Report

Good news is not that common these days. The US/Canadian border has finally deleted any covid restrictions. I am thankful.

Some years we are fighting weather issues but 2022 was kind. One week we had a strong and consistent wind that didn’t change direction over night for nearly a week…great for snow goose hunting. We have been desperately dry but not having to navigate rain when field decoying makes life easier for an outfitter. We didn’t have one morning of the dreaded combination of still, sunny, and frost. I noticed that my stress levels were lower…

Surprisingly, some of the earlier flocks of snows had a fair number of juveniles. Our Hungarian population is the best it has been on a long time. The sharp-tail are in good shape as well. The honkers and specs are more numerous than any time I remember. Ducks: that is a different story. Our dry cycle continues so there are very few smaller ponds, and the ducks were bunched up on places that are difficult to hunt. Further, if they can find a pea field (peas are white and can be seen in very low light), they can feed before or after shooting light so it is disappointing to try to field decoy them. I feel like it is about time our dry cycle should be over.

There were several highlights. One party of six shot 400 birds in 4.5 days which hasn’t happened for a few years. The same group dropped 13 specs (whitefront) in one barrage. That may not be unusual with snows but, at any rate, it shows that some guys can shoot well and know how to work together. We also had a couple of great upland game bird hunts. Overall, we had solid, consistent hunts.

As an outfitter with years of Basketball coaching experience, I am always planning for next year. The last few days have been spent on repairing and improving equipment. If a person can become more efficient in routine projects, like setting a big decoy spread, brushing blinds, or loading equipment after a shoot, it saves everyone energy and time. I would admit to enjoying the details of preparing almost as much as the actual hunt itself.

God Bless,

Carl Hinderager

Thunder Creek Outfitters

 

 
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