North Platte River Hunt

The second day we were back at the sand pits.  The wind continued out of the northwest at 20 to 25 mph.  This is western Nebraska and it does get windy at times.  After the decoys were out and the layout blinds in position, we began to wait for the first flight of birds.  Geese locked up to the southeast of us and just began locking up and floating with their wings cupped into the wind.  Gripping my gun I was really tensed up and ready to knock open the spring loaded covers.

The Canada Geese are locked up and coming toward us.

All of a sudden they just stopped coming and flew off to the south.  We were shocked and all three of us said we should have had those birds.  Another group came from the north turned and started into the wind, then turned away. What was it?

We got out of our blinds to check what it was that was turning them off.  There it was right behind us.  We had failed to put out a stack of silhouette Canada decoys and they were stacked upon the bank right behind us.  We fixed that in short order and distributed them along the shoreline.

RedHead Canada Goose Sleeper Shells

Click on the link or the pic to buy from Bass Pro. 

It was dark as we put out the decoys and left a dozen of sleepers all in a neat stack.  This was immediately corrected and we put them out where they would be effective.  That changed the nature of things and we immediately had some geese come in and finish.  It was easy shooting.  Slam, the guide's dog, was quick into the water to haul them in to the shore.

When I hunted in the club north of Tekamah  it seemed that everyone had a different type of shell they were trying out.  I was glad to see that our guide had the same shell we were shooting.  He stated that he had better luck with this shell than others he had used. I could not agree more.

HEVI-Shot HEVI-Metal Waterfowl Shotshells - 12 Gauge - #2 Shot - 1-1/4 oz. - 25 Rounds

This is the best shotgun shell that I have ever used and highly recommend it for your waterfowl shooting.  I shoot 3.5 inch shells for geese and 3 inch shells for ducks.  The way we were having birds decoy to us coming right into our face, I could have used 3 inch shells on the geese.  

As it got more light it began to thin out.  Up to this time we had not shot one duck and had not seen any.  We are basically duck hunters, but will take geese if that is all to harvest.  Little by little they got higher and finally quit altogether.  The wind was still up and had gotten stronger.  The decision was made to take a break and come back about 3 p.m.  That would give us a couple more hours of daylight as shooting time ended at sundown. 

Lunch was at the Windy Gap again and my partner and I decided to eat tonight at Ole's Big Game Bar and Steakhouse.  If you come to Paxton, you must eat at least once at Ole's. 

Back at the pit by 02:30 p.m. we got the decoys all out and got in the layout blinds.  Once inside, I was warm and comfortable and after lunch it was hard keeping my eyelids open to watch for birds coming back from the fields for water and sand.  A single duck came in and was quickly dispatched.  Slam was out of his camo covered crate and immediately into the water to retrieve the bird.  The dog was a really strong swimmer and it was fun to watch the dog work.  

The evening came and the sun sat on the horizon.  It was all over for the day.  Shooting was good in the morning, but the afternoon produced just the one duck.  The next morning the plan was to go to the North Platte River.  That was the beauty of hunting with this outfitter.  There were lots of choices from two different rivers to sand pits and cornfields. 

Next morning the temperature really plunged and the wind picked up out of the north.  We headed to the North Platte River for some action.  Decoys were place in the calm waters and were set up above the river in a blind along the edge of an embankment.   

Looking west out of the blind, you can see the decoys in the calm water and along the sandbar. Up against the embankment with the wind at our back created a lot of calm water along the shore line.  Perfect for birds wanting a drink.

Looking east out of the blind you can see the decoys in the calm water next to the sand bar.  This is perfect duck water and with the good strong north wind we felt we would have some excellent shooting.  

That is Riley our guide, adjusting the decoys.  Here is a good shot of the blind after it is opened up.  

We stayed till noon and did not see a bird.  The general feeling was not positive and we picked up and headed for home by 2 p.m.  Even though we were not coming home with a possession  limit of ducks, we did have some really good goose shooting and it was an excellent trip.  The food in the two restaurants was good and plenty of it.  The motel had really good accommodations and we were able to get our coffee in the morning.  They serve a breakfast in the morning, but we left at 5 a.m. so we used the micro wave in our rooms to heat up a grocery store breakfast.  This more than filled us up. 

The equipment used by the outfitter was excellent and the locations we hunted were also very good.  A great guide with his dog, and a total good hunting experience left us both with the feeling to try again next year.  It is called hunting, not shooting. 

Click on the banner for great buys. 

Good hunting, good fishing, and good luck Hank. 

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Goose Breast Stir-Fry

Chop desired vegetables into bite sized pieces such as:

• green and red peppers
• mushrooms
• snow peas
• squash
• sweet potato
• broccoli
• carrots
• goose breasts
• milk
• 2-3 tablespoons oil
• soy sauce

Prior to cooking, marinate breasts in milk to tenderize and get rid of the blood. Be sure to rinse meat thoroughly fully removing extra milk. Cut breasts into ¼ inch strips for ease of consumption and cooking. Use a wok or frying pan with hot oil to cook the vegetables in order of needed cooking length. Add garlic to taste. Remove vegetables from the pan when they are done, holding them in a large mixing bowl. Once the vegetables are done, brown meat through and add soy sauce to taste. Mix vegetables back into the pan, cooking until all of the ingredients are heated through. Place on top of a bed of steamed rice for a great meal.

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