Exploring For Autumn Brook Trout

A major thrill when prospecting for those speckled little fish with a square tail, white piping along their fins and blue spots along a dappled flank, is finding them. They can be pretty good at hiding themselves, especially in early September as they head into their spawning season.
This is the time of year when I love old two-tracks through the woods, over-grown and faint trails, and following the twists and turns of a creek flowing through a cedar swamp.

LOCATION

Find flowing water, and follow it upstream or down, and when the trail doesn't peter out at a bridge, then it becomes time to put on your hiking boots and go exploring. It's also a time to carry a good compass, because I've been in some of these situations where it's easy to get turned around or lost.
The fact you are  reading this piece is proof positive that I was able to find my way out. But, on occasion, it meant many miles of unnecessary walking through rugged country.
Often, it's not a long walk but one never knows what they will find. It could be a beaver pond filled with muck and little water, or a gleaming one-acre pond glistening in the early fall sunshine and nearly as beautiful as the fish we seek.
Sometimes the creek remains a creek and is thick and overgrown, and here we dap a single-hook spinner in holes under the root wads of cedar or spruce trees. This water flowing through the roots is caused by centuries of flowing water seeking its easiest route downstream.
There are times when a brookie will be hiding under  every opening that gives access to the water, and these fish are always hungry. One moves from hole to hole, dapping a tiny spinner into each hole.
Some of these creeks will produce brook trout and some will not. That's the thing about these game fish: they aren't always where an angler expects to find them. Some will be found in an open stream hiding alongside a fallen tree branch; others may be in the deeper holes of a larger river; and most require a long and dedicated search.

EXPLORATION

Several years ago, after covering the AuSable River Canoe Marathon, I was heading for West Branch on business. Halfway between Tawas City and West Branch, an urge came to me and it took me down a dirt road for several miles.
The road eventually turned into a two-track, and it took me down a hill and I soon spotted a glint of sunlight off water. I checked it out, and there was a beaver pond. It was one I'd fished nearly 50 years before, and it produced trout again.
"Seek and ye shall find" is an old saying, and it is doubly true for September brook trout anglers. Brookies are easy -- too easy -- to catch once they have been found, but finding the fish can be a definite problem or the perfect reward.
I was lucky to again find that spot near West Branch after all those years that had passed somce I'd last fished it, but if I hadn't taken the initiative, and followed my gut instincts, that experience would have been lost.

IT'S ABOUT BROOK TROUT

I'm a writer, and as a rule writers are curious and inquisitive people. They want to learn things they don't know, and perhaps I was born to be a writer. Many things interest me, but none more so than tracking down a hot new brook trout hotspot.
There have been boot-sucking mud, old bogs that stink, and crystal-clear little creeks where the brook trout are easily seen. Some of these spots where brook trout call home are way back of beyond while others lurk closer than we think.
It's the search that attracts me. It's a bit like fishing, something like hunting, and often a pleasure when we learn that the spot holds brookies. In years gone by, when I was more up to such things, I'd often try to find five or 10 new brook trout hotspots in one day.
The next day I'd do it all over again but in a different location. After two days of searching, and marking spots on my maps, I'd start fishing each one in turn. Some produced only tiny little brookies that were the size of a finned jewel.
Other spots would produce 12 to 14-inch fish, and some were very darkly colored while others were a lighter hue. Often these spots would be within a half-mile of each other, and the fish wore distinctive coats of different colors.
That's the fun and the joy of brook trout fishing. One never knows what color or size the brookie may be, but it's always a pleasant surprise. Brook trout never disappoint me, even when the season ends at the end of the month.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

Ethics & Hunter Education Is The Glue That Holds Hunting Together

All people are bound by the laws of man to live by a code of ethics, but sportsmen have additional values to be considered if we are to be judged for what we believe are ethical actions.
Hunter ethics reach farther than many sportsmen believe. They include a feeling and a deep appreciation for the fish we catch, the animals and birds we hunt, the outdoor environment we and wildlife need and share, and the deep inner stimulation we feel when pursuing our pastimes in an ethical, legal and well regulated manner.
This personal ethics policy hinges on those deeply-seated feelings sportsmen must have for the well being and continued health, welfare and habitat improvement of game animals and birds as well as non-game animals and birds and fish. Sportsmen must care deeply about what happens to all wildlife, and not just those species for which there is an open or closed fishing or hunting season.
The habitat that the small warblers call home in Michigan is every bit as important to everyone in this state as that used by ducks, geese, pheasants, ruffed grouse, wild turkeys and woodcock.
But fishing and hunting ethics go far beyond this simple, yet personal, concept that govern our actions. Michigan laws place additional ethical demands on hunters, making our special-interest outdoor groups the most regulated in the state.
Young or older beginning hunters no longer can pick up a firearm and head for the woods, fields or marshes without lengthy and well supervised Hunter Education training class. The same rules apply to anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1960. Any first-time hunter born on or after that date must possess a valid hunter education certificate to purchase their first hunting license.
These hunter safety certificates also are required to buy a nonresident license in other states and some Canadian provinces. Many tales are told about trying to buy a Colorado over-the-counter elk tag. Hunters without the proper certification must take an expensive test to prove competency or go home disappointed.
They must pass a rigorous examination and satisfy qualified instructors on their capability to hunt safely without endangering others, themselves or the property of landowners. They must understand the laws that govern their conduct while hunting, and now is when people should attend fall classes.
These training classes teach students how to handle bows and firearms safely, give explanations of wildlife management, teach game laws, and make certain that students understand the laws of safe hunting. They are common-sense rules that can help keep us safe.
All are necessary to obtain an in-depth knowledge of hunter safety, but ethics -- personal ethics -- are almost spiritual inner feelings, something that must come from deep within each individual. They are as much a part of fishing and hunting as carrying a fly rod onto a stream or a firearm or when hunting from a tree stand with a bow.
Hunting, and the freedom to hunt, is a part of our American heritage that should be as rich and deep as love of our family and this great country. The American Constitution guarantees us the right to keep and bear arms, but those arms must be used in a civilized and lawful manner.
This constitutional guarantee obligates sportsmen to abide by local, state and federal fish and game laws, and to have respect for themselves, the lives and property of others, and obviously, for the fish or wildlife they pursue.
Recreational fishing and hunting is a sound management policy designed to keep fish and wildlife around in desirable numbers for the enjoyment of future generations of sportsmen and those who have no desire to fish or hunt but enjoy the recreational value of viewing deer, elk and other game or a day on the water with rod in hand.
These pastimes satisfy a deep personal need for many people, and hunting can be a deeply moving experience. But they are as individual as our fingerprints. Each of us who fishes or hunts has a different viewpoint on how we should view our days afield.
Ethics, and the feelings hunters have for their sport and the wildlife we hunt, is an emotional package so deeply rooted and meaningful that it's difficult to put into words so non-hunters or anti-hunters can understand.
We, as anglers and hunters, must develop our own personal code of ethics which goes beyond those laws and rules established by any sporting agency or group. Our sport will be judged by its personal and collective sense of ethics, and the public actions of its many individuals.
Fishing and hunting actions and needs require a code of personal ethics to survive ... not only now but well into the future. How we behave now will determine whether we will have fishing and hunting in the not-so-distant future.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

My Archaic Sense Of Justice

It was something of an insult. I'm sure the reader didn't mean it the way it sounded, but it came across as a personal insult.
A reader told me that I have an archaic sense of protecting our fish and game and other natural resources from poachers. He chided me for being so concerned about the welfare of our poached birds, fish, fur and game.
He said I should let the DNR worry about it. They are trained to do the job, and if they can't catch the poachers, too bad. I wondered whether he had ever picked up the phone and dialed the RAP Hotline phone number (800-292-7800) to report a poaching incident in progress.
I'm sorry but I don't feel the same way he does. Poachers are basically opportunistic people, and break the law whenever they think they can get away with it. That line of thinking is dead wrong.

POACHER HABITS HURT

Years ago I did a newspaper story about a joker who was proud of being arrested more times than anyone else in the state for fish and game law violations. He boasted that he'd been arrested on one or more charges more than 50 times. When I had those numbers checked, it was well over 60 violation. He’d forgotten some of them.
The guy is a bit younger than me, and I once figured up that he'd spent several years in the hoosegow. Man, everyone wants to be popular and known for something in their life, but being the state's most famous poacher?

One rule to keep in mind: It’s nice to be important but it’s more important to be nice. Poachers aren’t nice people.

Is poaching something to be proud of? I think not. One might think he has fish eggs for brains after having speared as many steelhead as he did during a long and largely unproductive poaching career.
A few weeks ago I wrote about anglers and hunters who really don’t care about the fish and game. It's becoming even more prevalent by the day. Apathy is alive and well in the sense that poachers are seldom apprehended even though their family and neighbors know they are potting deer out of season. No one wants to speak up.
Does this make a poacher feel proud? It apparently must, because for them, outwitting the conservation officer is a big game they love to play. If they get caught, they pay their fine, and go right back to breaking fish and game laws again.
Apathy is running rampant as people shake their head and mutter: "Old Uncle Pete got himself another deer last night about midnight. Oh well, Pete’s a bit of an odd one!"
It makes one wonder why they don't turn Uncle Pete in. Ten or more days in the pokey might wake him up, but even that is doubtful. For most poachers, it is a game of beating the local game warden at their own game. Trespass is a major problem throughout the state, and most poachers trespass on a regular basis to do their dirty deeds.

DEVIANT MISQUE

Some poachers are ingenious in their willingness to test the game warden's skills. They go out of their way to concoct ways to mislead the officer so they can operate in impunity elsewhere.
Sooner or later, their worst nightmare comes true. The conservation officer steps out from behind a tree, and catches them red-handed with a freshly killed deer that was taken out of season or after dark.
Those who catch and keep more than their limit of fish are just as guilty as deer poachers. So too for those who put out 10 tip-ups during the winter, and when caught, shrug their shoulders, pay their fine and do something else that breaks our fish and game laws.
People dither, complain a bit, and soon everything blows over and they go back to the meat market in the woods. Family members, who could call and ask to remain anonymous, sit on their hands and wonder why nothing ever gets done. The answer is they are afraid to take that first step by making a phone call to the authorities.
Sad but true, there seems to be little improvement in the number of people arrested for breaking our wildlife laws. Conservation officers are spread too  thin, and in some counties, there is only one fish cop to cover too much ground. If he is patrolling the north end of the county, and things are happening at the south end, the chance of the violators being caught are very small.
Our sense of protecting our fish and game tells me that this is a matter of education. We must start with the school children, and teach them that what Uncle Pete does to make his weekly beer money is a crime against everyone else in the state.
Children must learn that shooting game out of season, setting a web (small gill net) across a spawning stream, jacklighting a deer at night, and all the other things that poachers do, is wrong.
In days of old, when knights were bold, poaching of the King's fish and deer in England, was a risky proposition that some poachers gladly accepted.
In some parts of Africa today, poachers are summarily dealt with. The law officers who try to protect the elephants and rhinos are both judge and jury, and the sentence is delivered immediately. A hail of bullets and a sudden death is what happens to many African poachers. Most don't have the guts to do that again.
A snide and very impersonal remark? I don't think so. Poaching is big business, and educating long-time fish and game thieves is a battle we seldom win. Caught, they are fined and may possibly serve a short prison sentence, and then return to poaching again.
Where is the justice in that? There isn't any.
Of course, in this country, using some of Africa's short and swift punishment would be considered cruel and unusual punishment. Poachers think little of our rights, but we must consider theirs when they are caught. A flaw exists in this argument.
Shooting poachers may be too harsh, but locking them up for a longer period of time and handing out much stiffer fines and restitution fees might make a difference.
It's my thought that we must deal with this problem in a different way, and teaching our children that poaching is wrong, is just the first step. If the kids start ragging on the old man whenever he takes game out of season, perhaps knowing that the kids are watching would do the trick.
It's certainly a good place to start.

Anyone who wants to help stop poaching can follow these tips:

• Don’t try to be a hero. Never try to stop a poacher.
• Instead, note the make, model and color to the car or truck being used. A license plate letters and numbers are very important.
• Note the number of people in the the vehicle and the direction it is traveling. Give them the time of the poaching incident.
• If possible, write down physical descriptions of all poachers, including height and weight, color of hair, approximate age, any distinguishing marks such as scars or tattoos, how the person is dressed, and who, if possible did the shooting.
• Making positive identification at night is very difficult, but if the individual is identifiable, give this information to a DNR officer. Get involved, and a tip can lead to an arrest. Most such anti-poaching lines allow callers to remain anonymous.
• Call the Michigan DNR Report All Poaching hotline phone number at (800) 292-7800 and offer them this information.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

Outdoor Ethics

Outdoor ethics are like laws and rules that no one can enforce except each of us after examining all of the issues. Ethics are those hard-to-explain things that keep sportsmen from breaking fish or game laws if we believe someone might be watching our actions.
That’s fine, as far as it goes, but it’s a gross oversimplification of a very complex personal outdoor issue that all sportsmen should think about. And, frankly, these issues baffle many sportsmen.
Outdoor ethics are those complex but unquestionable rules that sportsmen must adhere to whether other sportsmen are watching or not. They are those things we must endorse if fishing and hunting is to survive this century.

Want a few examples? Chew on these:

• I had six chances to arrow a big 10-point buck last October. He always showed up five minutes after the legal shooting time had ended. No one was within 500 yards of me, and no one would have known if I had cheated by shooting that buck late.
  No one, that is, except me. It would have ate at me like a malignant tumor until the taking of that big 10-point would have been reduced to a humiliating experience. It would have ruined my hunt as well as my perception of myself as a law abiding sportsman.
  
  

• One night last fall I climbed into my bow stand, tried to remove my wallet from my back pocket, and it wasn’t there. My bow license was home on the dresser in my bill-fold. I had a valid deer-hunting license but it wasn’t in my immediate possession so my bow was stowed away in its case and lowered to the ground.
  That evening was spent watching deer through binoculars. It was a fun evening, even without a bow in my hands.
  

• A big problem with outdoor ethics is they are impossible to legislate and difficult for many people to understand. Only one person – you or me – can deal with these ethical situations whenever a potential problem arises.

• For instance: we shoot a rooster pheasant and it drifts across a fence on set wings and falls on posted land. Does shooting that bird give us the right to pursue it without landowner permission? Nope! The ethical sportsman would determine who owned the property, and make every attempt to gain permission to cross the property line.
  What happens when it’s virtually impossible to track down the owner? No one wants to see the game go to waste. The next decision would be to contact the closest conservation officer. If he says you can’t cross the line, it still remains an ethical question. Cross without permission means breaking the law. Do you go or stay? Laws and ethics. Right or wrong.
  

• We’re fishing flies-only water for native brown trout and a stiff breeze puts down the mayfly hatch. Is it ethical to fish worms here? The answer, both ethically and legally, is no.

• Or, as I mentioned earlier about the 10-point buck, could I have cheated in that instance and shot? Sure, but I would have had to deal with my emotions and my personal sense of right, wrong and/or my guilt.

• Mallards pinwheel down on a freshening breeze to spill into the bobbing decoys. It’s a perfect morning, and five minutes before legal shooting time, hunters in a nearby blind shoot and drop two hen mallards. Does that make it legal for other hunters to shoot early?
  The answer is an obvious “No” but some sportsmen would shoot any way, and be ticketed by a conservation officer. If they are not caught, they must still deal with their conscience.
  

Ethics prevent us from doing illegal or quasi-illegal acts. Hunters don’t shoot ducks on the water or grouse on the ground or off tree limbs. We don’t snag fish, and we don’t keep undersized fish or fish over our limit. We don’t ignore slot limits wherever they exist. Such things are just not done.
Buying a fishing or hunting license is no guarantee of a full game bag, a trophy buck, a hefty creel or a brace of pheasants. The license only grants us an opportunity to fish or hunt during the legal season. It offers sportsmen nothing more and nothing less.
Ethical behavior is a topic as personal as the color of our morning toothbrush. It also serves as the bare-bones foundation on which our sports are built.
We are judged by our conduct, in and out of the field, and those who wink at fish or game law violations or encourage any breach of ethical conduct, do themselves and others a great disservice.
If we can’t fish or hunt ethically, and within the confines of the laws that pertain to these pastimes, we should not be considered sportsmen.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

Teach children about bow hunting

Spending time with someone else, and watching them take a shot at a buck, is just as exciting for the watcher as for the shooter.

It's long been said that turkey hunting is a one-man game, and that, for the most part, is true. Hunts can be shared by people who hunt alone but share the trip with someone else.

FAMILIES + CHILDREN 

More families than ever before have come to share their hunts. My wife, Kay, once shared a successful bow hunt with three grandchildren. The youngest was still sucking on a bottle, and Kay had the kids all seated in an elevated coop. 

"Look," she whispered, "there is a nice buck. Sit real still, don't move around and don't make a sound. Grandma will see if she can shoot it."

She eased the elevated coop window open, made sure all the kids could see without moving around, and waited for the buck to walk in. It stepped into her shooting area, and was slightly quartering-away, and Kay waited for the near-side front leg to move forward before drawing and shooting. 

The buck ran off, and Eric who has eyes like an eagle at the ages of four, said: "You got him, Gram, you shot him right in the heart. Let's go find him."

She got all three kids safely to the ground, went back up, lowered her bow and quiver of arrows to the ground, and began following the Game Tracker string. She had to rein in the kids to keep them from running ahead and getting tangled in the line. 

It was starting to get dark in the woods, and she took the kids back to the car. She knew the deer was dead, and soon her daughter Nancy, and son-in-law Roger, and I, arrived.

The kids were right into it. We  quickly found the dead buck, and set about field-dressing it. The girls stood and watched as the entrails came out, and when I held up the heart, Eric blurted: "I told you, Gram, right through the heart." 

The youngest of these kids was about two years old at the time, and it didn't gross them out. They probably would have helped with the field dressing but we didn't want them to get bloody for fear some well-meaning person might have thought we'd been beating them. They probably wouldn't have understood taking the kids out hunting either.

BOW HUNTING: TEACHING LIFE LESSONS 

Children must learn to have patience, and it is a necessary part of a bow hunt. Most kids, especially those who do not hunt, have a patience level of seven or eight minutes -- the time between television commercials. That type of patience won't work in a deer stand. 

Kids must learn to sit still, and to remain silent. They can learn what an adrenalin rush feels like when Dad, Mom or Gram takes a shot. They learn, first-hand, that hunters always try to kill cleanly and quickly, and utilize the flesh of this animal for the nourishment of their body.

SIX POINTS OF LEARNING THROUGH BOW HUNTING

• Adults can get their children into shooting a bow. Never give a kid a hand-me-down adult bow that is too long for them. Shop around to find a short-draw bow that will work fine for two or three years. Make certain the draw-weight isn't too much for the child to pull. 
• Teach them how and when to shoot, and how to read deer sign in the sand, snow or mud. Show then how to determine wind direction, and why it is so important to be downwind of deer.
• Show children what a broadside and quartering-away shot looks like and coach them that these are high-percentage shots. Show them which shots should not be taken and why they seldom Sproduce a killing shot. 
• Teach them respect for the animals we hunt and the property of others. Allow them to learn to read the body language of a deer, and how the animals will react when danger threatens. 
• Take them out when preseason scouting during the next month, and take them out once the season opens. Teach them tree stand safety, how to use a full-body safety harness, and how to stay safe in an elevated stand or tree stand. 
• Most of all, talk to them afterward. Listen to their stories, and share yours with them, and give up your time to sit with them if they are not 17 years of age. Be supportive of their efforts, and install a sense of needing to practice to avoid having to make a long trailing job on a poorly hit deer. 

Take children hunting this fall or winter. Show them. Teach them, laugh with them and be proud of them and hold them if they cry over their first deer kill. Give of yourself, and that giving will be returned ten-fold in the years to come.

 

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

Mandatory full-body safety harnesses for tree stand hunters?

Falling from a tree while hunting is caused by one or more things: 

• a simple brain lapse when the mind goes off the air for an instant, 
• slipping, 
• taking an unnecessary chance, 
• loss of balance, 

and the list is endless. The problem is that every one of these reasons has caused a fall that can cause a disabling injury or death.

Is tree stand hunting inherently dangerous? 

Of course, and especially so if the sportsman has had a beer or two, has done some recreational drugs or is just plain stupid. There are no laws that legislate against stupidity in the
woods but we see evidence of this problem every year.
This begs the question: Should sportsmen be required to wear a full-body safety harness when hunting from an elevated position? There are pro's and con's on both sidea of this issue, and I'd appreciate if you would weigh in on the topic.
Should there be mandatory legislation? Yes or no? It's an easy question. Right?  Let me know what you think. Vote by clicking the link below.

Should sportsmen be required to wear a full-body safety harness when hunting from an elevated position?(polls)

How would we enforce state-wide law for safety-harness use?

Like the motorcycle helmet law, which many people ignore, this is a matter of personal safety and common sense. Some people feel invincible, and believe that getting hit by a car and smashing head-first into the curb only happens to other people. Some folks pay for their errors of judgment in a swift and deadly fall from a tree stand.
Most people, intelligent or not, will make personal decisions on their thoughts about personal issues. A full-body harness is a bit restrictive, but someone may try to legislate common sense and make their use mandatory, but the reality is how or can any such law be enforced?
I¹ve walked the woods many times with conservation officers, and have seen very few hunters in trees. Some may have seen us coming and left without being seen. Others we have seen have not been wearing any form of body restraint. They are literally taking their life into their own hands, but no
one can force people to change their mind on this or similar issues.

So when do most of the tree stand accidents occur?

Most falls from tree stands occur while climbing up to and into an elevated stand, while in the stand and while climbing down. Slips can occur during very cold weather or when ice or snow covers the steps. Numb hands and feet often lead to a fall.
Some falls occur as a hunter leans forward to shoot at a bear or dear. Lack of sleep, vertigo, or many other cause can send a hunter over the edge. A few people walk away from a fall, many break their back or neck, and become a paraplegic or worse. A few people escape with just a broken arm or leg and some bruises. There is no explainable reason why some people walk away while others die in a fall.

Some safety tips

• Use a full-body harness when hunting from a tree. Be sure the harness is  securely fastened to the tree at all times. Visit www.mountaineer-sports.com for an example of a full-body harness. Many  other restraint systems are available for tree stand hunters.
• Remember the three points of contact rule. This means a hunter should always maintain three points of contact (one hand and two feet or two hands and one foot) when climbing or descending from a tree stand. Using just one hand and foot can lead to a deadly fall.
• Once in the tree, don't fidget around. Sit still and don't move. Fewer tree stand accidents would occur if more hunters learned to shoot while sitting down. Any standing hunter is more affected by swirling air currents, and if the tree shifts at the wrong time, a tumble could occur. Few sitting hunters fall from trees.
• Take the bow quiver off a bow while hunting. I talked with a hunter a few years ago that raised his bow to shoot at a buck, and the nock-end of his arrows got tangled in a small tree limb. He jerked the bow upwards, and as the bow came free, the lack of pressure upset his balance and he fell 20 feet to the ground. He was badly injured but did not die.
• Always use a haul rope. This rope can be attached to the stand or a nearby limb, and the bow can be tied to the opposite end. Tie the rope off at waist level while sitting. Haul the bow and/or backpack up, and never reach down for and item. Lift it directly to you.
• Make certain a tree stand is securely attached to a tree. Test all steps before use.
• If snow or ice covered, try to remove it from steps before climbing up. Use extreme caution when descending a tree in bad-weather conditions.

Folks, I preach hunter safety and tree stand safety. I always wear a safety harness since a minor fall about 15 years ago. I wasn't hurt but that mishap changed my mind forever.
Do I believe it's necessary to legislate the use of a full-body harness? No, I don't  believe that is necessary nor would making it mandatory prevent accidental falls.
Some people march to different drummers than most of us. The sadness of natural selection removing some of these people from the gene pool after they ignore common sense rules is very sad. Being a tree stand death statistic is the primary alternative to using a harness wisely.
It's a sad thing when a fall occurs. It's much sadder when someone dies, and worst of all are those sportsmen who must live out the rest of their lives confined to a wheel chair or a hospital bed. That must be like hell on earth for any hunter, who eventually learns the error of his ways ... the hard way.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

Canada goose season opens next week

A goose is a goose, but a giant Canada honker is one big black-and-white bird. They come, on occasion, to the call or a flock of decoys on the ground but it's nothing you can ever make book on. Of course, much depends on where you live.

Most of Michigan's giant Canada geese live in the metropolitan Detroit areaand across the southern two tiers of counties. They are the birds that cottage owners always thought were soooo cool to have around, but few people share that attitude these days. If there is anything a goose does well, it's poop. Copious amounts.

They cover lawns, golf courses and farm fields with the slimy excrement, and once birds start using a corn or oat field to feed, the only way to drive them away is to shoot them. Try firecrackers, and the birds take off, cock their wings, circle back around and start feeding where they were before being so rudely interrupted.

These birds look like flying boxcars when bearing down on your blind. Things can be a bit messy if you hunt out in the open, covered from head to toe in camouflage, and getting spattered occasionally is part of the outdoor experience, although it's one most people would not wish to experience on a regular basis.

The early goose season opens on Sept. 1 in certain state areas. Consult maps and detailed information from  the 2009 waterfowl season information or from local DNR offices.

These can be very big birds and a 12-pounder looks mighty large as it comes honking through the air, head craning back and forth as they circle a potential feeding area, muttering and honking to other geese in the air or on the ground, and if they are satisfied, in they come like a horde of B-52 bombers. Get one of these birds within 20 yards, and they look immense.

Early Goose season starts September 1

Much of the hunting takes place on dry land. If you intend to hunt, keep these thoughts in mind:

• Unless you are an excellent goose caller, leave the calls home and depend on the standing crops and decoys to toll the birds within shooting range. Many goose hunters blow calls that sound like a ruptured crow, and all the toodling they do only educates the geese.
• Scour the nearby ground area and make certain there are no candy wrappers or Thermos bottles laying around. Shiny brass bases on shotgun shells or other shiny objects glint in the sunlight, and if geese spot them, they will fly away.
• Only one person should be watching the circling geese. They often make two or three circles before deciding it is all clear. The other hunters should wear camo face masks and gloves, and keep their head down. The person who is calling and watching the circling birds should say "Now," and the geese's position should be given to alert the hunters where to look before shooting.
• The bag limit is five birds, and state hunters have had five-bird limits often since the early goose season was established nearly 30 years ago.

This is one sport where the supply of Canada geese far outnumber the people who hunt them. Taking two or three limits of geese from a farmer's field will win you a stout pat on the back and a heart-felt "attaboy."

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors