Grand Passage, The Push,..............

.........or just when the stars all align? I've been a real has-been the last 2-3 seasons, but for decades I was known as a real avid waterfowler. Over the many seasons (I started in the late 1960's) I have seen birds trickle south, drizzle south, and very occasionally flood their way down the flyway in masse. It is human nature to mostly recall those fantastic days in the blind when birds filled the air in flock after flock and you shot til your shoulder ached, or you literally ran out of shells. Have any of you folks ever had a time in the blind when you thought you were witness to a "Grand Passage"? I am of the age now where I am likely called an old timer by many, and I have experienced some days on the marsh when maybe my wing-shooting was horrid, but there was that perfect set of weather, wind, and storm front movement that brought birds down from the north in eye-popping numbers that you seldom see but long remember.

although I didn't start hunting waterfowl until the early 90's, We still had millions on of geese in Southern Illinois. I remember many days watching a "grand passage" and it is truly something to see. Haven't witnessed one in some time now. We are lucky to have 2 thousand ducks and 50 geese on the lake at a time now days.

We don’t get snow geese around here but while fishing on the Columbia River a couple weeks ago a cloud of them got up in front of us. Must have been 15-20 thousand. One of the coolest things I’ve seen.

I once saw a huge mess of Canadians on a wheat field so of a little blacktop road I was on. I might have been all of 22 and was impulsive so when my buddy said get on it so we would pass under them I did. They were pointed north into the wind.

Yikes- geese are just like cattle on wheat pasture. They carpet bombed my jeep in a considerable cloud of green and if I had not topped off the washer fluid, we'd have had to pull over for zero visibility. As it was, I spent $7 at the car was and that was back when it usually took 75 cents. Basically, they made my jeep look like the maryjane van on the Cheech & Chong movie it was bad.

Yes. About 15 years ago in central Saskatchewan we had set about a 1600 deek field set out. We were 6 plus two ministry guys.

It had lightened up, wind was nothing and we’d knocked down a few early ducks that winged in low. To the east the sky was just coming off light orange when we heard what sounded like canons going off in that direction.
Everyone huddled under our cover blankets and watched the clouds rising with the booms to the east, they just kept getting bigger. The cloud started drifting our way and as it came there was no “rear” to it, it just kept growing. Soon enough we started to hear the faint noise of weird pitches and it was growing louder quickly.

A mass of snow geese beyond imagination north to south, I instantly thought this must have been how it was long ago but then again was it modern ag practices that had accelerated the bird numbers? The cloud was up pretty hi and heading our way dead center and as they came the forward most groups were dropping towards us. The back of the cloud was still rising. We have one absolute rule and that is the one designated guy shoots first, he’s shot boss and I knew he’d let them come to heel. Well, heel they did. The noise grew and grew as a massive “tornado” of birds circled above us getting darker and lower all the time. At this point even laying down birds were nearly hitting me with wingtips as they whipped over. I looked over slowly at my son to my left and he was looking my way with huge eyes. The sound had become deafening and a goose landed in the ten yards between us. I looked back towards my feet and saw any number of snows walking around in front.

I thought I heard a faint “thump” and up I came shooting. The shot boss was only maybe 40 yards left of me but barely a thump started it then our shots sound traveled our line. We shot low first of course and kept working upwards. I’d started on my third reload before things slacked off. We rose, took count of the crazy number of birds down, positioned them, laughed at who was the most covered in goose droppings then we went back to hunting. Many straggling groups of course came out behind that mass and we had terrific shooting until we limited up around 10:30 am.

I’ve been in some huge shoots up there but never like this one. I’ve also seen some tremendous big flocks of snows take off south from Last Mountain Lake the day before a front moves down. Those “booms” again. The great flocks of snows are incredibly inspiring to see. I’ve hunted snows farther north, earlier in the season when we had great days because the birds coming down are steady coming in all day, lotta shells shot but the days in central to south Saskatchewan where they flock up are beyond belief.

Osky

Don’t think I’ve been in a mass migration, but I was fortunate enough to witness some unbelievable waterfowl hunts. One in particular had all our pits froze up except one. They rotated 7 groups of 6-7 hunters each through that pit from daylight until about 10am and everyone walked out with a limit of mallards and two bonus ducks. You literally waited in line in your trucks watching it all unfold. As one group would be close to their limit, the next group would get ready as the call came in. We were walking in as they were walking out.
Been in a camp house and got no sleep because of the sound of waterfowl all night, both Snows and ducks.
That’s been many many years ago.
I don’t hunt waterfowl much anymore since my company changed vacation allowances. And to be honest, after hunting Arkansas and coming back here to shoot a few Woodies, it just lost its luster. It was cool to take my son, 12 then, and the head guy in the pit asking him what ducks he’d never shot before and then letting him alone shoot different species. He took his first Gadwall, Pintail, and Snow (all drakes) on one hunt.

Twice. About 1999, my office was adjacent to a major river and I used to walk down there most evenings. The Eve before our second duck split there was a major storm brewing north of us, however we were just to get a couple inches of snow. This is late october. Anyway on my evening walk, I saw a huge number of ducks bombing out of the sky. It honestly looked like someone turned the duck faucet on and left it running. We piled them up quickly the next morning and the second morning was only slightly longer in terms of time. Then they were gone.

Second time was in the middle of a snowstorm. Thousands of cranes, ducks, geese dumping out of the sky onto my home stretch of river. Canada goose season wasn't open yet making it impossible to shoot cranes or ducks because every time ducks or cranes came by, there were hundreds of lesser Canada mixed in.

Somewhere within these two events I remember the news report saying that air traffic control shut down various radar systems because of all the ducks. True or not I don't know

Where you at ClayCreech? I know you've seen this b4!!!

Remember in the late 1970’s early 80’s Cario Illinois being the hot spot for Canada goose hunting. Made a few trips there as a kid

I live and hunt on Pool 7 of the Mississippi. It is the confluence of the Black River and the Mississippi on the north end of Lake Onalaska. In my younger days I used to hunt just about every day of the season and have some spectacular hunts under my belt that I will remember my whole life.

I don't think I have ever been in a true Grand Passage or Big Flight as my Dad used to call it. Some incredible migration flights have come through ahead of storms and other weather fronts. One that I clearly remember was in November about 30 years ago. Things looked good outside and I knew I had to go out. I stepped into my Herters Model Duck and Goose Skiff with a 9.9 lowboy on it. Yup, I was not supposed to have a motor of that size on there but it gave me plenty of power and speed if needed...and that night it was. I set up on the south end of a big cattail patch with a strong NW wind. A little while after I got set up I could see the ducks starting to move. I was seeing a ton of Widgeons on the wing and decided this might be the day to fill up on drake Widgeons. I picked my shots carefully as the wind was starting to pick up more. The birds were everywhere I looked. I killed the last drake, filling my limit, and when I looked to the north there was a big, black front moving in fast. I picked up as fast as I could and fired up the motor, and headed south to where I keep my boats. Things got rough and when I looked at my dog, an American Water Spaniel at the time, and I could see fear in her eyes. i was very lucky I had "over-motored" my boat and made it into shore just ahead of a huge storm.

My Dad used to tell me of a "Big Flight" that he witnessed in the 40's. It may have been the Armistice Day Storm that took so many lives. He was hunting Horicon Marsh and said the temperature dropped fast and the winds picked up a lot. He said ahead of the wind there was a wall of ducks in the air. While some shooting was going on, most hunters set their guns down to watch the show.

I just turned 71 on Monday and I do not take the chances I used to. I am not 8 ft. tall and bulletproof anymore but i sure do love duck hunting. Always have and always will. My son is 39 now and has spent more hours than most out on the water with me. I started him when he was 3 and he has grown up to be a great duck hunter and fine Father to his two boys. We started the oldest, now 7, a bout 3 years ago. We started the youngest last Fall when he was 3. I am quite sure I have a couple of dyed in the wool duck hunters that will drag me out there in the future. Just the other day I got a big lump in my throat when the youngest, when he called on the phone to wish me a Happy Birthday, asked "Bumpa, when are we going duck hunting again?"

Moosetrot