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I had my decoy trailer in tow. It was time to scout for waterfowl and find the winning spot… And ask permission. Hunting sure comes with its hurdles.

Like any migratory gamebird, wanton waste, which means to intentionally waste, neglect, or use inappropriately, comes into play. The job of cleaning hundreds of birds can be daunting, but a production line of hunters can make short work of a mountain of snow goose meat. Few people pluck snows, and the birds are typically breasted. The legs and thighs are some of the best eating, so make sure to include them in the processing line. Hundreds of pounds of meat can accumulate, and here is the best way to process and prepare snows.

Here’s a secret weapon that doesn’t involve buying any gadgets. Most of us know this but feel powerless to do anything about. I mean, if our scheduled Saturday hunt coincides with 80 degrees and no breeze, what are we going to do? Well, how about rearranging our lives to be more flexible? Trade your boss a Saturday off for a Thursday or Friday.

The perfect decoy spread, The invisible blind, The killer call. Duck hunters have been seeking the magic pill for at least the last 150 years. And I think I may have found it. Or maybe two. Or three … Of course, it’s not a magic pill at all. It’s a magic place. To find it we must also learn to scan for perfect weather and the perfect date.

I pulled into the field, and my headlights lit up barley stubble for as far as the eye could see. With no moon, when the truck was turned off it was darker than the inside of a black cow! My hunting companions had been stumbling through the field, trying to find their headlamps when I went opened my decoy trailer and turned on the light switch.

A crew of good friends was in for the better part of a week to hunt ducks and geese in central Alberta. We were enjoying a few days of hunting with some great friends who had incredible knowledge of the hunting area we decided on.

How about a late August drive through the countryside? If you’re an avid wing shooter, it’s one of the best ways to be ready for the waterfowl season opener in early September (depending on the area).

The biggest mistake goose hunters make is not leaving a large enough landing zone. A mature goose has a wingspan of two meters, so 10 geese landing wing tip to wing tip need at least 20 meters of space. If the birds don’t have enough room, they’ll often circle the spread again, then land short.

The sun was high in the southern sky, burning like a signal flare across our decoys. The white socks waddled in the wind, like snow geese trying to outwalk each other to the next morsel of grain. I could feel my face turning red, as the wind and sun began to take a toll on my white winter skin. We had been watching several large flights of birds working back to the south in their daily routine of bouncing between fields. A flight of close to 300 birds winged across the section south of us, and I turned up the volume on the electronic caller in the hopes of drawing their attention. It worked.