December Blizzard Delivers Fantasy Goose Hunt

Credit: (Iowa DNR)

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LAKE MILLS - By late morning the stage was set. The season's first major winter storm system was cranking up and within hours would be roaring into Iowa. The predictions were grim. Rapidly plunging temperatures, snowfall measuring a foot or more, wind speeds gusting to 40, even 50 miles per hour. Local weather forecasters were reaching a point of near hysteria and the approaching system had even captured the attention of national news anchors who were categorizing the storm as a 'Monster.'

For normal folks, the forecast signaled a quick trip to the grocery store before heading home to batten down the hatches. But for Iowa goose hunters --- who are not normal folks --- the impending blizzard was a call to arms.

For hunters already keeping an eye to the sky, the signs were obvious. For several hours now, a steady and vocal procession of southbound honkers had been streaming overhead. Sometime between now and sunset, many of those flocks would be making their own stops at the grocery store which, for Canada geese, means a visit to freshly harvested corn stubble.

A fantasy in the making, the winter storm had everything needed to produce the kind of day that no goose hunter would want to miss. It was also the kind of day that is best shared with likeminded friends. After loading the decoys, I immediately dialed Curt Stille.

Stille is a Thornton area farmer who has a remarkable passion for waterfowl hunting in general and for Canada geese in particular. It was a tough fall for area farmers, but with this year's crop now safely in the bin, I knew Curt would be up for the outing. When he answered the phone, I was not surprised to learn that he was already enroute to Rice Lake.

By the time I arrived at the field, afternoon flurries had turned to steady snow. Stille's decoys were already in place, and I hurriedly began to add mine to the set. Mission accomplished, I stashed my vehicle as Curt put the finishing touches on the spread. Although no geese had been spotted since our arrival, we were confident that some would eventually appear.

Reaching the far corner of the field, I parked the truck and killed the engine. Opening the door, my ears were immediately treated to the noisy clamor of Canada geese. Snapping my head toward the direction of the sound, I was amazed to see a flock of at least 75 honkers descending into the decoys. Suspended at a height of mere feet, the lead birds were already back peddling for a landing. Although I knew the geese must be hovering within feet of my hunting partner, there was no shot.

"What in the world is going on out there?" I thought to myself. Could it be that the flock was so big, so close, and so loud that Curt's mental circuit board had just "shorted out" as the geese took possession of the field? Maybe the birds had pinned his shotgun to the frozen ground. Had the honkers actually taken him prisoner? What?

The suspense ended abruptly when Stille finally rose and quickly shouldered his shotgun. At the sound of his shot, two giant Canada geese fell stone dead from the middle of the flock. At that moment, the hunter's strategy became crystal clear. He had been "lining up heads" as they say --- patiently waiting for two crossing birds to present an opportunity to bag the two goose limit with a single shot. As I came puffing into the spread a few minutes later, Stille was grinning from ear to ear.

"That certainly was an impressive display of trick shooting," I exclaimed.

"I've always heard about people doing this, but for me it was the first time," he laughed. "I have to admit that the whole thing was pretty exciting. Man, were those birds loud. Goose hunting just doesn't get any better than this."

Our conversation was cut short by the sound of approaching geese. Diving into the decoys, I quickly uncased my double 12. The honking grew louder until I finally spotted the flock --- a wavy line of dark shadows coming out of the storm. The flock was headed directly for the decoys and, within moments, the birds had arrived.

When the geese were within 20 yards, I rose and fired. The shot was a clean miss! So much for trick shooting. I was suddenly in a state of panic as the alarmed flock fell back into the wind. But at the report of my second barrel, the goose I had missed on the first shot crashed to the stubble.

I was still reloading when Stille announced the arrival of more geese. It was another huge flock and the sound was incredible. But instead of dropping straight in like the first two bunches, this flock seemed wary and ended up skirting to the outside of the decoys. As they passed, our incessant pleading finally managed to peel a group of four from the rear of the flock. As the Canadas hooked around for a second look, the birds suddenly locked their wings, dropped the black webbed landing gear, and began to descend. At less than 15 yards, the huge birds presented a chip shot.

And just that quickly, our hunt was over. In less than 15 minutes from set up, we had bagged four round breasted, hog fat, giant Canada geese. But neither of us was ready to leave the field just yet. The snowfall was increasing, and the stinging flakes had begun to blow horizontally. Best of all, our decoys were now attracting the attention of a near constant parade of storm driven Canada geese. Days like this are precious few and we decided to stay and enjoy the spectacle. For more than an hour we continued to lie in the decoys, calling in flocks and enjoying the show. I shot photos until my exposed fingers burned from the cold.

The weather continued to close in, and we finally decided to call it quits. After a couple more rounds of high fives, we reluctantly began to gather the decoys. Although we hated to leave, one thing was certain. This would be a day that both of us would be talking about for a long, long time to come.

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