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Morning Decoys By Todd AlischCHESTER HIGH SCHOOL "The birds circle once and look hard at our decoys. Something isn't right for them and they flare off to the north."
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The decoys make a soft crunch on the stubble as I place them in position. Light breaks through clouds across the distant prairie horizon in combinations of pink, blue, red, and orange. Another beautiful sunrise. I prepare my blankets and pits, check my guns and ammo, spread my brown camouflage blankets over the end of my pit. When everything is ready, I still have about 15 minutes before the geese start to come off the lake. Adrenalin brings me fully alert as I sit on the frozen ground waiting. The beautiful sunrise fades as the sun continues rising. The area is serene and beautiful. I lie in the pit hearing the beat of my heart and an occasional chirp of a bird. The last star slowly fades out, and I realize it is just about time. I blow warm air into our chilly hands to give to warm my fingers. It is just about time, so I cover completely up, lying on the frozen ground, thankful for my big Carhart coat. Honk! Honk! The geese are coming. They sound like a train from a distance. I listen closely. Just the sound of these majestic birds getting louder makes me feel hyper and so weird that I can't even begin to describe it. When I hear the sound of the geese flying it sends chills throughout my whole body. The feeling is unbelievable. It is kind of like the feeling people talk about called true love. If this is that feeling I wouldn't be surprised. It isn't a feeling for everyone though. I know for a fact that if some people heard this sound they would feel nothing at all. I place my wooden goose call in my mouth and wait for a few geese to
get close enough to call in. A group of about 13 are coming from the south. I honk twice
on the call, and then wait for a reply. The birds circle once and look hard at our decoys. Something isn't right for them and they flare off to the north. "That's okay." I say to myself, my heart racing. I lift my head and see a trio coming for me. I can tell they are interested in landing. Small groups are best. They usually come right in. I honk a couple times. They respond. They circle once looking the whole time for the spot where they want to land, then they fly about 70 yards out, turn around and come right toward me. All I can hear is my pounding heart. I grasp my shotgun, my finger ready to click off the safety. They are coming in perfect. About 10 yards away they cock back their wings to land. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The shots echo through the desolate fields. Two of the geese fold and fall in a lump to the tundra like ground. Thud! Thud! The geese fall dead on the quiet, snow-covered stubble. I lie back down and cover up. More are coming in. I honk and they answer. They scout my setup and decide to keep on moving. But minutes later around 3,000 geese come right overhead. They fill the sky like raindrops in a thunderstorm. I lie there, thinking how lucky I am to be here. I think that I and every other goose hunter are inferior to these birds. Most people just take advantage of the geese and don't really appreciate all we have in this world. I think this is one of the most beautiful and majestic birds I have ever seen. I am in total awe. About a minute later they are gone. Now just the occasional single bird that got separated from the rest flies by. Just as quickly as they came they are gone.
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Stars still
shine above the chilled stubble covered with snow when I get there. The razor sharp air
chills my throat and lips as I quietly shut the door of the '76 Ford pickup. While I
unload decoys from the back, I think of majestic Canadian Geese filling the air and making
my heart race.