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OUTFITTER REVIEW ON:Top Gun Guide Service
Part 1:THE HUNT
Snow Goose Hunting Northwest Missouri With Top Gun Guide Service
By Dan Wennerlind
Many spring snow goose hunters have taken the opportunity through the past 10 years to get out and experience the spring snow goose migration and most likely have even bagged a few of the white devils through one method or another. But not many hunters have actually had a chance to enjoy a relaxing, successful spring snow goose hunting experience where the birds actually decoyed in closer then 35 yards. I too have spent countless days fighting the muddy spring fields after putting thousands of miles on my truck trying to locate the perfect field, in an attempt to lure these wary adversaries into gunning range, with limited success. After years of trial and error, buying and selling spreads of decoys in the hundreds to thousands each spring and then covering almost everything I own in mud.
It was a much welcomed break to pull up to a field and with in minutes climb into a clean layout blind overlooking a spread of just over 2,000 decoys.
Not only was I impressed with Jerry’s professionalism from the stand point that he made sure the geese were fully committed and in range before calling the shot, I was also comforted by the fact that safety in the field was Jerry’s number one concern. Before we even started the hunt Jerry had all 6 hunters gather round and informed us of the Do’s and Dont’s in the field for the day. He stated that under no circumstance were there to be anyone walking in front of the blinds with out prior consent from him. If that were to happen all guns were to be facing up with the actions broke. Jerry had total control during the entire hunt which gave me a sense of reassurance.
As more geese started to pour out of the refuge and make their way over our spread, more and more geese were put into gun range and on the ground. It was also nice that there were only a handful of hunters in our spread and when Jerry called the shot from the middle blind, he usually called it on one side or the other so all six guns did not take aim at a single goose. This really added to the overall quality of the hunt.
“It sure seemed to work on this day as we had multiple opportunities to take geese well in gunning range of less than 35 yards with not an ounce of wind.”
When the action finally slowed down we had a few minutes to take a break, stretch our legs and round up any cripples that may have been dropped. I also had a chance to ask Jerry a little bit more about our set up for the day. Jerry shared with me that we had a spread of over 2,000 windsock decoys on 3 foot stakes with braces in each bag. This allows the decoys to spin into the wind on their own when a switch occurs and does not take valuable time from the hunt switching all of the decoys around. This also makes sure that on a no wind day the decoy bags do not hang limp and look unnatural. It sure seemed to work on this day as we had multiple opportunities to take geese well in gunning range of less than 35 yards with not an ounce of wind.
Jerry also pointed out that the field we were hunting was located in a major flight path, well away from the refuge, on a hilltop with a lot of scattered grain still available to the birds. It seems to be a well known fact when hunting around the Squaw Creek Refuge that the birds will fly up to 20 miles or more away from the roost before settling in to feed for the morning. Therefore picking the right field to set up in is a very important aspect of the hunt. These guys were on their game that was for sure. Jerry also shared with me that the electronic calling system they used and how they controlled the volume also played a very important part of the day’s success. Jerry had everything on remote and was constantly changing the song tracks as well as the volume throughout the hunt. It sure paid off on this day as after the mornings hunt was over we had 32 snows and blues on the ground with several beautiful mature geese in hand. Many avid snow goose hunters know that this is no easy task.
Part 3: Booking Information
Contact Information For Top Gun Guide Service
Outfitter: Matt Kostka
Email: matt@topgunguideservice.com
Address: 3640 Livingston Ave Wayzata, MN; 55391
Additional Hunts Offered
Top Gun also offer fully guided Fall Waterfowl hunts in Saskatchewan Canada, Rochester, Minnesota and Squaw Creek, Missouri in addition to their spring snow goose hunting in Squaw Creek Missouri and South Dakota.
Click here to read an article on Top Guns Fall Canada Goose Hunts…