I sure do love my waterfowl hunting. As a child, I wanted to hunt anything and everything that was possible. My Father, Grandfather, and my uncles were waterfowlers. I recall stories of my Grandfather riding train cars to different areas around Cape Breton for a weekend hunt and returning home with a large sack of ducks that my grandmother would have to clean. I remember the hatred that she possessed for ducks and I can see why. Other stories from my Dad and uncles of great shoots on the ice for sea birds and other of hunts gone by only made my desire to hunt waterfowl grow.

Circa 1998 I had moved back to Cape Breton. I had gotten away from hunting due to the nomadic lifestyle of a young cook but was to be taking a semester at Marconi community college to finish up my apprenticeship. This landed me smack dab in the heart of hunting season. Dad was still working offshore then but we would go on the weekends that he was home and shoot some of his old haunts. We hunted from a flat back canoe that we’d strap to the top of my 1990 VW Golf diesel and tour around the island. In the early 2000's I would sometimes hunt 40+ days a season when I was working rigs. Frosty mornings, long days burning lots of fossil fuels, and eating gas station pizza burgers was the norm.

In the last few years, I haven't done much waterfowling and I must say I missed it. For years I have been trying to get together with Doug to go on a guided goose hunt. I have had some decent goose shoots in the past and have a setup of my own but have never been guided and it was nice to be a guest. I have never been so close to decoying geese. Such a great experience and the fire is burning strong again.

Thanks again Doug for a great hunt.