Early Goose Season

[Ryan Tucker]

Well being new to Virginia I haven't really found many waterfowl places for this hunting season. The crazy blind laws make it tough, but I do have a couple of possibilities for hunting. My boat is just to big for most of these waterways that you can actually hunt. Hopefully will kill a few during the early season though. How about everyone else? Any prospects?

[JimHewitt]

I've got a few places to choose from for early goose. Which I use will be determined by scouting Friday evening.

I'm lucky enough to live in an area with a lot of Federal Waterfowl Production Areas (part of the Refuge system, all huntable) and state areas that are not overrun with hunters.

Have private access to a lake (mentioned elsewhere) for opening day, but there's a lot of flexibility if that doesn't pan out very well, all within 35 miles of home.

And lots of little spots to jumpshoot if the ducks just didn't decoy.

Knock on wood!

[JimHewitt]

By the way, Ryan. I've moved quite a bit in the last 25 years, and one of the first places I always "hunt" is the local library. Plat books, recreation atlases, local information abound.

If you've got a university near, you can probably also get connected with collections of the Geodesic Survey Maps in great detail.

[Ryan Tucker]

They have some really strange blind laws in the eastern portion of the state. They are basically designed to keep new hunters from being able to hunt. In the west it is open, but my boat seems to big for much of the rivers systems I have seen so far. I have still in the process of looking and searching though. I imagine I'll find a place or two, but this season may be slow.

[JimHewitt]

Opening weekend was a bust.

I got stuck on an island in a lightning/thunderstorm on Saturday morning. In an aluminum canoe. Nothing flying except mosquitoes and nothing dry, either.

Went home about 1pm when it finally stopped lightning.

Allergies were so bad on Sunday and Monday that I didn't go out. Considering this is the second time in more than 40 years of hunting that I've stayed home because I wasn't feeling well, that probably explains how bad the allergies were.

Won't be goose hunting this weekend. "Have" to go to a church conference on Saturday down in South Dakota, but will just have to visit a benefit shoot at a pheasant preserve on the way back in the afternoon. Darned luck.

You know, I've never shot "tame" birds before in my life. New experience.

[Ryan Tucker]

Good luck to you! If the preserve has handled the birds right it isn't to terribly different than wild ones.