2008 Hunts are brought to you by: Click on a logo to visit the sponsor's website                                                 Waterfowl 2008   By Keith Beasley   When the farmers begin to harvest their crops, every waterfowl hunter knows it's time to hunt. When Rob Therrien invited us to hunt a harvested corn field with him, Paul and I jumped at the chance and had a blast. With a full spread of decoys, the migrating birds were filling the air and the three of us bagged our 15 bird limit in no time.         You will see that we spend the majority of our time hunting big game and turkeys. That is because there is just not enough days in the fall for us to chase everything we love. With out a doubt though, waterfowl hunting is one of our true, pound for pound, hunting favorites. The fast action and unpredictable wing-shooting that migratory birds offer is always an exceptional hunt and whether it be on the water or in the field we look forward to each season.     We were very lucky this year to receive an invitation from a local friend and long time waterfowl veteran Rob Therrien. We have known Rob for many years and have grown to respect him as one of the true gentlemen in the sport of hunting. Not only is he an avid hunter but a very accomplished taxidermist in his spare time.     So when Rob called and mentioned that a field he was hunting just had the corn taken off the day before, we knew we were in for a treat. The plan was set to meet Rob well before daylight the next morning. The moon light was fading as we drove down the dark farm lane and the early morning sunrise was evident in the East. As we drove the truck across the combined field the headlights brought an exciting surprise to our attention. Two thirds across the field was standing corn, upon closer inspection the farmer had left 12 rows standing along the length of the 40 acre field. Rob was quick to mention that would be the perfect ambush spot.     Paul, Rob and I quickly set up the decoys and made sure we directed the birds to land close to our location at the edge of the standing corn. We knew many birds would be flying this route so even if they were not looking to land we would at least have the decoys set up to bring them by our portion of the 800 yard long field.     With the decoys in place we quickly found hiding spots in the standing corn which towered 3 feet above our heads. Snapping off the top of the stocks about chest height we were hidden and ready for action.     As day light broke the distant sounds of honking geese filled the air. The first flock came from the North and were heard long before ever seeing them. As we looked intently for their travel route they soon crested the top of the trees and looked to be flying the path to land in our field. As the small flock of 15 approached we realized they were not even looking at our set up and flew well out of range and to the far end of the field. We were all surprised that they did not even circle for a second look and watched them land in our field some 500 yards away near the road. This is every hunter's nemesis as you now have live competition. They were too far to just run after and jump as the next flock was now in ear shot. As 30 birds crested the trees, it looked as though they were going to follow the same path. We got on the calls heavier this time as we knew they would need some coaxing. The lead bird turned and began to circle on our decoys. We let them go wide on the first pass and on the second we opened up on the fly by. We each fired and four big geese toppled out of the sky.     Our hopes were high and no sooner were we out flipping over our fallen fowl and the next flock was seen. Coming from a similar angle the next flock was closing in on us quickly, it was a small flock of six and they were low and heading right for the decoys. With out hesitation and after a few soft calls from us, the landing gear was out and the cupped birds soared in on queue. Rob yelled "pull" as the lead bird was in range of the far shooter and together we dumped five birds as lone one appeared to escape unscathed.     The action slowed for a few minutes before we noticed another large flock in the distance. In fact, it was a huge flock; hundreds of birds in broken up groups. They were not looking at our field so the three of us got heavy on the calls. It seemed to work as the small lead flock broke our way. Eventually, the main group followed and soon we had hundreds of birds circling the edge of the field yet staying very high. We knew that with all those eyes in the sky we would have trouble making them decoy so the call was made to open fire on the first flock in range. They circled five times and seemed hesitant, so when the small flock made their final pass we let loose and dropped three birds at a distance.     With a 15 bird limit, the end was coming quickly. We sat and enjoyed the beautiful fall morning and great company awaiting the next flock. This time, distant honks broke the silence and we noticed two lone geese heading our way. They were not 15 yards above the standing corn and coming straight at us. As they approached Paul whispered to Rob to take them both as they would be passing over his shooting lane first. Rob was ready when the pair came by and with two perfectly placed shots the geese folded mid-flight. It was some excellent shooting and he was rewarded with the only band of the morning.     The final bird soon arrived as Paul picked him from the next flock and as the goose made a loud thud hitting the corn stubble our hunt ended.     It was an excellent morning shoot and we had a great time hunting with Rob and hammering on some big Canadian geese.         Keith is shown here holding a portion of birds from a two-man limit on an evening hunt.     Return to 2008 Hunts Page