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On the Wings of Spring
We joined the hunt in progress a few miles outside of Klamath Falls. Brad Douglas parked the Expedition a quarter mile away. A field of white decoys shimmered in the afternoon sun. Then on the horizon, white snow goose wings winked against the sky, and a mass of birds seemed to lift out of the…
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Winter Wing-Shooting and Waterfowl Habitat
Ducks and geese drifted in and out of my dreams. It’s always hard to sleep the night before a hunt. When the alarm rang, I rolled out of bed and found my camo and my boots. An hour later, we tromped through icy marsh. A biting wind howled out of the west, driving a sullen…
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Stubble Field Anticipation in a Tip-up Goose Blind
A whispered prayer to bring geese out of the west? It seemed presumptuous somehow, but not entirely out of place on a hunt two days before Christmas. That day the mercury registered minus-1 degrees Fahrenheit and there was 18 inches of snow on the ground in Sisters, Oregon. First I stuck my Toyota in Sykes’s…
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Hunting Over a Plastic Flock – Canadian Geese and Decoys
Through a loosely woven burlap blanket I watched the eastern sky pale. I lay in the middle of a group of Canada Goose decoys in a cut-over barley field, the barrel of my double barreled shotgun just protruding from the corner of the straw-covered blanket. My friend, Darren, lay in the middle of another flock…
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Dry Side Ducks
From the outlet of Little Lava Lake, 4,739 feet above sea level, the Deschutes River gets its start. Over the next 252 miles, the river drops 4,579 feet to meet the mighty Columbia. In its upper reaches, it’s a placid stream that winds its way through the pines, gathering its power from the Little Deschutes,…
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Float-Hunting for Ducks
When leaves turn to gold and skeins of waterfowl are on the wing, it’s time to take your shotgun and camouflage out of the closet. Waterfowl season is here and there’s no better place to slow down and focus on the hunt than on a river. If you don’t have a dog or the patience…
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Set Your Sights on September’s Early Goose Season
It’s that time of year again. You can smell a difference in the early morning air. It means school and football are starting soon and coho are moving up the Columbia. It also means September’s early goose season is upon us. The September Canada Goose Hunt is designed to reduce the number of resident western…
Field Guide
Ducks and Geese
Ducks and geese are abundant in Oregon and the hunting seasons are long. If you have an Oregon duck or goose hunting trip coming up, be sure to read Gary’s hunting Oregon experiences first!