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2008/2009 Waterfowl Archive
Late January RNT Micro Goose field trial hunts 2009
(From left to right: Michael Cripe, Denny Glisson, Ben Smolen, Casey Self)
In most states in the Midwest the last weekend of the goose season is marked by the end of January. This has been the case for a long time in the southern zone of my home state of Illinois, where I found myself most my January 31st sitting in a pit blind off of Crab Orchard National Refuge with my long time High school friend Denny Glisson. Denny and I have been hunting together since I was a Freshman in High school. Although I moved 300 miles away in 1999 to attend college in Kansas City we still find ourselves hunting together at least once a season out in Kansas or Missouri. Last year Denny came out during one of the coldest snaps of the year and we had a tough weekend only killing 8 honkers while he was here, so this year I was bound and determined to make sure we had some good hunts lined up. Denny had asked if he could bring his wife Cami's Cousin Michael Cripe along in hope of killing his first goose, so the two of them came to Kansas where our season goes until Feb 15th.
Denny and Michael arrived Thursday night late and after a few Wal-mart stops to find someone to sell some out of state licenses. Afterwards we shared a few past stories and prepared for the next day as we headed out to run traffic on a corn field in Kansas. One thing we hoped to do this weekend besides killing geese was to field test the new RNT Micro Goose on some traffic fields, even though we normally try and hunt the X 95% of the time. The new Micro Goose is a goose call that is only a 1/4 inch longer then a Micro Hen and shaped almost identical only with a bulkier feel. But down't let the 4 inch call fool you because boy does it have some meat to it, designed by World Champion Goose Caller Shawn Stahl, the Micro Goose is a call built to get the attention of geese from a distance with its super loud and powerful sound but can get low and goosy and is a call you can keep in your hands all the way from start to finish on any flock. So this weekend would put this thing to the test because lets face it, its late January and these geese have a pre-determined mindset and we wont be hunting the X, the Micro Goose (see pic below) should hit the shelves in mid February 2009. Continued below.....
The next morning we met up with friend Ben Smolen and Shawn Cambell for the hunt, we got set up with a 10mp South wind and 28 degree temps. The first few flights of the morning headed away about 400 yards out, I immediately got the Micro Goose out and started to work them over, next thing I know geese are coming with their feet down from about 60 yards up and without making a pass dumped right into the kill hole giving us shots at less then 10 feet, the rest of the morning continued the same and we were soon picking up with a limit of honkers and a bonus band after some poor shooting. Continued below.....
Friday evening after some mediocre scouting reports we decided to hit a bean field that had a big grass pasture butting up to the field. I have had some great success on warm sunny days mixing my spread into the grass and crop field as the geese really like to loaf on grass when temps get in the upper 50s. Well this was just the case, the local weather forecast showed for abnormally warm temps reaching the upper 60s so this confirmed my idea and we headed out to the field early in hopes they would leave the roost at first light. Once again the Micro Goose did its part on these late season birds as they headed out in the oppisite direction of us to feed. The loud sharp crack of this call(and a lot of it) convinced group after group to pile into our spread to finish up a 4 man limit in time to make and early lunch. We found that the birds on this warm day were split up, some put there feet toward the beans and some put them toward the Grass, luckily we were set up in the middle of both and we had some great shooting. Continued below.....
(From left to right: Daisy, Ben Smolen, Denny Glisson, Michael Cripe, Casey Self)
Saturday evening we decided to try the Micro out in a completely different situation, over water. Everyone always thinks you need a soft wood sound over water which is usualy the case for finishing birds, however you gotta get them there first. A friend had a pond that was near the corn field we hunted Friday and we watched a lot of geese that day fly over this pond but since we haven't seen open water in almost a month on this pond we decided it was worth a shot getting a hole opened up and seeing what would happen. We got to the pond about 6am and got the axes, sedge hammers, and even a chain saw to break through the 7 inches of ice on this pond while others set up the entire trailer load of full bodies on the bank around the blinds as if they were milling up on the grass. Sundays forecast called for temps in the upper 60's, so we knew they wouldn't be flying much so we knew we better be ready and grassed up good for the ones that did come out. The morning started out slow only pulling a few singles off big groups and some big groups skirting the spread not willing to land in our 20 ft by 20ft hole. Knowing we needed to change something we decided to try breaking the hole out a little farther, the only problem was we couldn't touch much further out. After a little while of trying to get the hole further broken out, I grabbed 2 active full bodies and a looker and took them out to the edge of the ice as if they just landed on the ice in front of the hole in hopes that would convince the bigger groups to just try and land on the ice versus the water. Boy did this work, the next 20 minutes we finished 3 different bigger flocks of 20+ birds and finished out our 5 man limit of 15 big Kansas Honkers to end the weekends grand total of 35 honkers and with enough time to get Denny and Michael back on the road to watch the Super bowl from Illinios (See Basel on the retrieve below)
Check with the RNT Shop at 870-673-4274 to get your hands on the best traffic call on the market, it has definitely earned a spot on my lanyard. For more pictures see 2008-2009 Late Season Ducks and Geese *NEW*
Written by: Casey Self
(Casey's Lab Basel finishing up the last goose for the 5 man limit)
2009 The Ice Hunt (below)
(From left to right: Mike McSperrit, Basel, Casey Self)
An arctic cold front blew through Kansas mid week freezing lakes and ponds thick enough to drive a truck on them. I left after work Friday to do some scouting in high hopes with the slight warm up for the weekend the geese would get back into a twice a day feeding schedule as they have been feeding only in the afternoons. To my disappointment the birds didn't seem to want to focus on any particular fields so we had to choose to run traffic for our Saturday morning hunt. With the warm weather for the day getting up into the 40s all the snow melted while we were in the field and we had to watch the birds sit comfortably on the roost all day, only able to scratch out a few honkers to get the skunk out of the bag. Sunday we decided that a evening hunt on a frozen pond was in order, although not usually a great option, there were a ton of honkers in the area so we though it would be worth a try. We called around to find takers and no one was up for the hunt so just my cousin Mike McSperritt who was visiting for the weekend and I set out with a small spread of only 2 dozen GHG Sleeper Shells and 6 rester fullbodies to give it a try, we got set up around 3pm and thought we'd be sitting there for a while when the sky erupted with honkers looking for a place to sit down. We took our time finishing birds and watching singles slide in on the ice as they frantically tried to land in our deeks. After about 30 minutes of good shooting and great dog work by Basel we were limited out with our 6 honkers and wishing we had some more people to enjoy this incredible hunt, we weren't quite ready to pick up so we just sat back for a while watching honkers fight each other to drop in on the ice covered pond. As soon as the flights stopped we packed up our small spread and headed for the truck. This just goes to show that you don't always need a monster spread to finish geese, and who says you need open water?
Written by: Casey Self
2008 The Ice Age of Kansas Hunting (below)
(From left to right: Front Row: Casey Self, Ben Smolen, Gary Self, Shane Self, Corey Self; Back Row: Jody Niccum, Shawn Cambel, Dan Lynch)
(From left to right: Casey Self, Basel, Ben Smolen)
(From left to right: Casey Self, Shawn Cambel, Corey Self, Daisy, Ben Smolen, and Dan Lynch)
(From left to right: John Eckers, John Mueller, Caden Lynch, Ben Smolen, Casey Self, and Basel)
After what seemed like an ice age in Kansas for 2 weeks with temps staying under freezing and mostly in the single to negative temperatures we watched some pretty predictable duck and goose feeding patterns across the state. Typically in KS and most places in the country when the temps fall under 10 degrees birds will slip into a feeding pattern of only feeding once a day and typically in the warmest part of the day which can lead to some frustrating hours spent in the field waiting on the birds to fly. I've gotten to were I sleep in when the temps drop that low and head out around 9 or 10 am and prepare for a mid day hunt and that is where I find my best success during those times. Although I hate when we get into this type of situation it makes for some awesome hunting when you put in the effort. Two days before Christmas we finally saw a break in the weather and it warmed up enough in the morning bringing it to a 19 degree start which allowed the birds enough warmth to go back to a twice a day feeding schedule, both Tuesday and Wednesday we found ourselves picking up decoys at 10am with 5 man limits leading into Christmas Eve. Christmas Day marked the first day in nearly 2 weeks with temps above freezing reaching the mid 40s. After watching the weather we decided to take a gamble and hit a spot we new we'd find rotten ice and open water and it paid off with a 4 man limit of Mallards and a bonus Goose. That evening as we waited for my Dad and 2 brothers Shane and Corey to arrive in Kansas we hit the roads scouting to find birds in several fields. With the temps in the mid 60s we knew some weird weather was in store and waking up Saturday morning to a down poor of rain sent us scratching our heads on what to do as our X field was a winter wheat field. Since we didn't want to ruin the field we decided to use Saturday as a scouting day, after many miles in the truck we found a buddy's pond with about a hundred geese in it. Knowing it would be the least muddy option we got out for the pond hunt with friends Shawn Cambel and 2007 World Champion Duck Caller and close friend Jody Niccum. The problem was when we got there the birds were sitting on ice and the temps had dropped into the lower 20s. The pond had about 1/4 inch of ice on it, we were able to break a hole open but no longer did we get set up and the hole was already froze back in making tough conditions for a pond hunt. After several trips back into the decoys breaking ice finally the wind picked up and we got enough open water for the geese to drop down in the kill hole. At 11am we picked up with our 8 man limit of 24 honkers, 3 gadwall, and a very wore out dog from dealing with the icy conditions. Sunday's highs hit in the 50s so we chalked up the plan for a Monday morning hunt on a Pond that Ben found and it brought us a 5 man limit at 9am to close the holiday break. For more pictures from the holiday hunting see 2008-2009 Late Season Ducks and Geese *NEW*
Written by: Casey Self
2008 Kansas Buck Bow Kill - Jeremy Romain
2008 Kansas/Missouri Hunting Ahead of the Storm
(From left to right: Ben Smolen, Eric Jernigan, Shawn Self, and Basel)
A weird start to a December that usually brings tons and tons of mallards to the Kansas and Missouri central area has left us stuck with stale ducks from our first big push the second week of November. Tribal Outdoors Graphic Artist Shawn Self and his friend Eric came out from IL to enjoy some late season hunting with us. The forecast for Saturday morning was low overcast clouds and 35 to 45 mph winds out of the south. We decided to hit my favorite layout boat hole at my buddy Nicks Farm in Missouri and we were surprised to find that all the ice had melted over night which left us with high hopes of somewhat mindless ducks returning to open water again after they had vanished for a few days. As we pulled up we didn't hear a duck one get out, as we motored up to the layout hole still nothing came out of the marsh. It was when we were pulling the boats through the Millet field and within about 10 feet of the hole that we flushed about a half of a dozen out in the dark. With not much excitement we decided we'd set up and just see if we'd get lucky. Fist light came and a group of pintails finished right over the hole then it died off for a while, about 830 we started seeing group after group of mallards and gadwall coming down the river and from a couple hundred up they were dropping straight down in the wind and coming within 10 feet of our layout boats. Now is were the story gets interesting, and the excuses begin. Hunting Kansas normally we are use to high wind days every year, and the only thing you can do on those days is bring extra shells and try and get them as close as you can. Well we were finishing ducks back flapping at 10 feet, but when I yelled the killem command they would be at 50 yards with about 2 wing beets, this made for a lot of shooting and a small bag of birds when we finished out the day with 10 ducks. One of the best hunts of the season and the picture just didn't do it justice. What can a guy do, everyone has those days. The next day we made up for it on a pond in Kansas after honkers, I had to sit out to get stuff ready and Nicks farm before the extreme weather, but Shawn, Ben, Eric, and World Champ Jody Niccum got after them, killing a 4 man limit by 9am and with a few bonus mallards. The highlight of the morning was the banded honker that was killed out of a group. There is something about Shawn when he comes to Kansas he must carry a magnet in his pocket because we always seem to find a band or two (picture above). This just shows you that if you work hard that even during the rough parts of the season you can have some succefful hunts. The good news is, the recent cold front came through the Midwest pushing snow and Ice everywhere and subzero temps, so time to get the gear ready and out for some new fresh birds. See more pics from this hunt by clicking on this link 2008 Duck Pics (current)
Written by: Casey Self
2008 Maryland Goose Opener (below)
(From left to right: Case Self, Steve Strevig, Cory Dukehart, Jody Niccum, and Dave Strevig)
(Letting them Land)
Jody Niccum and Myself traveled out to Easton Maryland to compete in the World Goose Calling Contest and to hunt the Maryland Goose Opener. Our good friend Cory Dukehart picked us up from the airport late Thursday night November 13th. Coming off a time change in our flight we sat around shooting the bull and next thing we knew it was 530am and we finally headed to bed. The next morning began a long warm day at the calling contest prelims. Coming from Kansas the thought of goose hunting this time a year in warm weather just seemed out of the ordinary as normally just getting our first push of mallards this time a year. Goose hunting doesn't get good in Kansas until mid December usually so we just keep a goose call on the lanyard for those fly by days. After the second rounds of the contest came to an end at 11pm we pealed away a little disappointed in not making the final cut, but had high hopes for the goose hunting (which is the whole reason we got into contest calling in the first place). At 3am the alarm went off and we got up to the sound of pounding rain on the roof. Hunting in the rain is never fun but it was slightly warm outside and we were hunting in a pit blind so we knew that it wouldn't put a damper on the day. We met up with friend Steve Strevig and his brother Dave and began the hour drive to the winter wheat field. As we pulled up to the field we got out and heard hundreds of honkers going nuts on the Roost pond just a hundred yards from where we parked. We unloaded the ATV and hooked it to the trailer full of deeks and made our way to the pit.
As we scrambled to get the mixed decoy spread out of fullbodies and real geese silhouettes we started to hear the early shots from the neighboring pits. Knowing that we still had plenty of time we got everything out and got settled in the pit. First group of the morning appeared above the tree line flying very low do to the low cloud cover and after a couple passes put the landing gear down and came slightly off our right shoulder. Killem was the command Cory yelled out and we scratched 4 out of the flight. The next few flights of geese didn't seem to want to finish the way we wanted, they were coming in range but weren't finishing in the hole so we stayed patient and Steve's brother Dave fired up the grill and started making the egg sandwiches. It was at that time that we realized Cory forgot the sausage and orange juice. The rest of the morning began some good ribbing to Cory about forgetting it. But before we could even get a bite out of our sandwiches Maryland erupted with geese and next thing we knew a group of about 25 birds dropped from way up and on a single pass finished about 2 feet off the ground before I gave the killem command and 6 birds dropped to finish out our 5 man limit of 10 honkers at 730am. Since we were done so early and not ready to pack up the deeks we sat back, ate breakfast and watch the show. We then went on to land around 200 + honkers in the spread and when we finally decided to get out of there, another thousand birds landed all around in the field making it sure that the next weekend hunt would go just as good. We'll definitely be back next year. For more pictures see 2008 World Goose, MD
Written by: Casey Self
2008 Missouri November Duck hunt (below)
(From left to right: Ben Smolen, Nick Roberts, Ryan Gale, Gary Self, and Cory Self (after the camera got wet!!)
A long Friday awaited of watching weather reports and the wind direction hoping for that cold West wind to change to a strong North West Wind. I had gotten word that the Dakota's were getting hit with heavy snow and that the ducks were on there way down. The problem was, the wind wasn't shifting as of 3pm Friday afternoon and Nick had hunted that morning with limited success and a report of zero new birds. Around 5pm the winds shifted finally but as I talked to my brother Corey and Dad who were on there way to Kansas City I didn't have a very optimistic feeling but thought we'd still have a decent shoot as usual. We set a game plan to hunt the timber hole since there was a fair amount of woodies going in there and some mallards when I got the call about 630pm from Nick that he found several hundred mallards sitting near one of the pit blinds. High hopes now rose as we prepared our gear the night before, and got licenses for my family at the local Wal-Mart.
At 4am the alarm went off and we began to load the truck and get on our hour drive down to the Muddy Puddle. When we pulled into the bottoms and parked on the levy we didn't hear any birds. Kind of gave us a bad feeling but with high hopes we started trudging out the decoys near the pit. About that time the sky started to fill with sounds of wing beats and by the time we go the last decoys out, we saw a sight of at least 500 mallards dumping about 75 yards infront of our 6 man pit. The site was truly awesome, the first big mallard push of the season and it wasn't even thanksgiving yet! We watched them dump in for a good 30 minutes even though it was legal shooting hours, but the dark cloud filled sky made it tough to pick out drakes so we decided to wait a little while and enjoy the show. Finally we had enough and I let out a crack at a decoying Woody and the mallards erupted out of the marsh. Group after group of mallards and pintails worked our decoys and at 10am we were heading out of the marsh and up to the local diner for breakfast. I keep a log book of the seasons on cold fronts and mallard activity, and we are a good 2 weeks ahead of last year in the migration which should make this one heck of a season. For more pictures on the hunt and more through out the season see 2008 Duck Pics (current)
Written By: Casey Self
2008 On the road with Shawn Stahl (Below)
Shawn Stahl is off to a great start in the filming of Fowl Pursuit 7 while on his first trip up north for the start of the 2008 Goose Season.
Stahl with crew for more early season filming action. (Shawn sporting the black Tribal Outdoors Fleece)
Shawn Stahl a good friend, and counter part on the RNT Team travels all over the country through out the season filming for not only for his successful Fowl Pursuit Video Series but also for Fowl Dawgs,Waterfowler TV, RNT-V, and the RNT Video Series. Shawn the 2000 World Champion Goose Caller and Team World Goose Calling Champion is not just a former contest caller. He is a dedicated hunter and a down to earth guy who recognizes the hard work it takes to be succesful in the field. I have had the pleasure of hunting a few times with Shawn now and have worked a number of waterfowl shows in the past and he is one of those guys that anyone can come up to and carry on a conversation with. Shawn and I have competed against each other, he has been a judge, and a coach in the field of Contest calling to me. While at Buck Gardner Calls together we worked with Shawn Self to design the logo for the SS series calls and I also received a great deal of feedback and help from Shawn as we began to start Tribal Outdoors. Shawn doesn't endorse and wear the Tribal Outdoors gear out of sponsorship, but because he believes in the product and just plain likes wearing something that is edgy and promotes the sport of waterfowl. Be looking for this gear as Shawn appears in the public eye. Also keep watching the site as we put up more pictures throughout the season as Shawn Travels the country.
Written by: Casey Self
2008 Missouri Teal Season Opener Weekend (below)
(From left to right, Eric Finks, Nick (Duck Tape) Sloan, Jonathon Roberts, Ben Smolen, Basel, Casey Self)
Well the start to every season starts for many in the hot goose field during early season among a cut corn field, cow pasture, or pond. For some its a trip to Canada or North Dakota to enjoy the earlier seasons. For us this year and many we took advantage of the Early Teal Season. After a tough farming summer our hard work was validated by a successful weekend filled with limits in Central, MO. Missing out on the opening morning quick limit hunt, I was eager to get up early Sunday morning and meet up with my friends Nick Roberts, Jonathan Roberts, Ryan Gale, Ben Smolen, Nick Sloan, and Eric Finks.
After we got our game plan down we motored out to the Pit blind with Teal swarming like jet fighters screaming around the marsh. We decided to split up in the 150 acre marsh 5 in one group and 2 in the other so we could bounce the birds back and fourth. Five of us at the pit and Nick and Ryan out in the open Millet. The weeds were too tall to see out of the pit blind so we went old school and sat on buckets in the weeds, didn't seem to matter much, the hide was good and the teal were plentiful. After throwing out the decoys we got settled and I got Basel (my yellow Lab) positioned where she could see well and got ready for the Sunrise to open up the day. This year was a little different then most hot muggy mosquito filled teal hunts. It was cool enough for a long sleeve shirt which made it nice and comfortable. Soon legal shooting time began and the screamers started buzzing in undetected with not much need of more then a teal whistle and an occasional Blue Wing Hen call to turn them our way. A couple hours past and Basel retrieved the last blue winged teal to finish us all up.
Written By: Casey Self
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