My New Spring Obsession

This time of year, usually in February, I start to get a little twitchy. The reason for this little twitch is because of my spring obsession. For a lot people, their spring obsession is the wild turkey. From the Eastern to the Osceola in Florida, to the Rio Grande down south, and then Merriam’s… The wild turkey is heavily pursued across the country every spring. Don’t get me wrong, I love chasing and calling in big ole long breads. But for me, I have found a new true love of mine, and that is Spring Snow Goose Hunting.

Hunting waterfowl has been one of my passions since I was 8 years old. It’s an itch I can’t scratch enough; the love and drive to keep me going everyday. Waiting for fall always drives me nuts through spring and summer. Until six years ago, when I was talking with a good friend and hunting buddy of mine about trying to extend our waterfowl season. Since we had nothing to do in the spring time, at least until the lakes thawed out and we could get to catching some crappies and walleyes, we decided to try our hand at some snow geese.

In the spring time between February and May, the snow geese go on their migration north to their nesting grounds in the tundra of northern Canada, Alaska and the Pacific, and ending in northeastern Russia. There is literally 10s of millions of these beautiful birds. Believe it or not, they are actually destroying their natural habitat; the tundra. With the tundra being a greatly needed ecosystem, its also sensitive to over population of one kind creature. This is why the U.S fish and wildlife and also Canadian officials opened up the spring season to try to help control over population of these birds. If we as hunters don’t try to help this situation, Mother Nature will step in and possibly wipe them out. If it were to be in the form of disease, it could potentially wipe out millions, or even all them. It could even destroy the tundra to the point of no recovery.

So by opening up this spring season, they have changed the rules from the normal fall regulations, to very liberal regulation. Meaning, during the spring snow goose hunt there are no daily limits and no position limits. You can use electric calls, have magazine extensions, or even no plugs. This can make hunting these birds exciting, as snow geese are not easy birds to hunt. It doesn’t matter how liberalized the regs are, but with these loose regs, it can make for some epic days in the field. This is everything waterfowl hunters dream about. A 100 plus bird day is not a fairy tale anymore. It is still far and few apart, but with the right weather conditions, location, the X, and of course the shooters, this can be possible!

So for all you waterfowl hunters and big game hunters alike, you must experience a spring migration. The snow geese will spin over the top of you with up to thousands of birds in a flock, and the many species ducks will fly so close you could touch them! It is truly a sight to see. Don’t forget about the amazing sunrises and sunsets that you will encounter. Enjoy the beauty! So if your looking for a new adventure, look into a weekend of laying in a pile of white decoys, and enjoying the spring migration. But be careful, you might end up with a new spring obsession.

-Andy Meeks, Fall Obsession Field Staff