A Christmas Eve hunt

[Lefty]

If I remember correctly this took place in 2006. I posted the story on another forum about 6 years ago.

Years ago I had an unusual goose hunt. The night of December 17th I placed my layout and as many decoys as I could fit inside my layout blind anticipating a short morning hunt before I had a series of planned surgeries for severe sleep apnea. I had hauled 7 decoys 650 yards onto a neighbor’s field.
The next morning just at first light I received a phone call form the surgery center, Could I come in early? Right now for the surgery.
I was off to surgery leaving the blind and decoys in the field.

Fast forward to Christmas Eve afternoon. We had a nice meal with my teenage daughters, we opened a few gifts and all three of my daughters were off to friend’s homes for the early part of Christmas eve.
My wife suggested I go sit in the blind the last hour of shooting time, since the geese had been fairly regular the last hours of the day for the past week. I grabbed my gun and hopped-on the ATV. I unloaded the 7 goose decoys from inside the blind, shook out the snow that had blown into the layout. I was exhausted. I drove the ATV back to a fence line just 120 yards away and drug myself back to the blind and my goose spread of 7 full body decoys.

I was just making myself comfortable and my dog Holly ( Holly Hunter Hauser the Christmas Dog) dropped to her belly as she had been trained with approaching geese, I looked up and 25 geese were coming onto the field. I pulled the blind doors shut. The geese landed 15-30 yards to the hard right of us, my gun still empty, I dug some shells out of my blind bag. I was too tired to move, too tired to care,.. maybe I passed-out from the exertion, pain, pain medications, weakness and hunger since I hadn’t had 1000 calories and real food for over a week.
My dog is really good in the blind, (and the truck and ATV etc,..) She woke me a few times with her cold wet nose on my face and a whimper; she had been my constant bed-side companion since the surgery. She was just taking care of me.
After a licking and whining episode she woke me; I checked my watch; It was just minutes from the end of legal shooting time. I peeked out of the blind flagging hole, the geese were still out there; only some geese were much closer, some just outside my blind.

I loaded my gun, shells falling all over the inside of my blind. I could hear the murmuring of feeding geese, and the sound of geese feet all around me. Really, not thinking at all or even fully aware ,

Well, time to shoot them up!!

I sat up and swung the direction where the 25 geese had landed an hour before. I focused on one standing goose 20 yards out and fired, I pumped the action as I swung to another bird and fired I pulled on the third birds as it was running to gain flight as this strange noise started to happen, the third shot connected as well. But the goose was hit hard but not dead. I reached into my shell bag as hundreds and hundreds of geese got up in front of me. Some geese had been literally at my feet. The chaos was deafening. I loaded a shell and finished off the 3rd goose. Some of the hundreds of geese were flying right over the top of me, I put in another shell and dropped my forth goose just as it left the ground 20 yards in front giving me the perfect shot. Four geese to finish my limit.
Even with the adrenaline it was pure drudgery walking the 120 yards to the ATV. I drove back tot he blind, picked up my gun, shell bag and three geese while Holly in her usual fashion proudly carried the forth goose back to the house.
I walked into the house. My wife helped me into a waiting hot bath, after the bath I then crept into bed for a few hours nap. I woke to a lively house, the smell of Christmas treats.

My daughters had surprised me, They had retrieved the decoys and layout blind, stored my gun and gear, I still don’t know who cleaned the birds.

We then enjoyed a few more hours celebrating the real meaning of Christmas as a family.

Merry Christmas to all!!!

[Indian Summer]

Good read Lefty. I do recall that story and it was a pleasure to read it again. You have yourself a Merry Christmas my friend.

[Lefty]

My middle daughter and I goose hunted this morning. 35 degrees warmer than yesterday morning.
My wife sent me out of the house ( nicely). I could see the storm rolling over the mountains to the south. 20 minutes later visibility was 150 yards.
While parked on the edge of a small bluff some sort of bird of prey drifted along the bluff.I realized it wasn't a bird I had ever seen before and was quite striking in appearance. Minutes latter it glided past me again at about 10 yards. I keep pouring over the bird guides on line and it appears to be a white-tailed kite, but defiantly doesn't belong in Idaho

[JKaboom]

Great story!

[Elkhunttoo]

thanks for the story!! Birds and dogs are a lot of fun

[Old school]

Thanks for the story. Memorable hunts right around Christmas stick in my mind as well. Family, food, hunting and reflecting on the reason for Christmas - doesn't get much better than that!

--Mitch