Scattershooting

Specks still a trophy bird

Mon, January 02, 2012

I suppose it is true that familiarity breeds contempt. Maybe that’s why I’m not real fired up about getting a Canada goose mounted but I am fixated on mounting a specklebelly.

And over time, if specklebellies (or white-fronted geese as they are also known) become more regular in the area, I suppose they will not be so intriguing to me.

But for the time being, specks intrigue me. And while I’m never bored with Canada geese, specks are what I’m really after right now.

Fortunately, we’ve got a fair number of white-fronts around the Elmwood-Canton-Farmington-Trivoli-Lewistown area. Numerous hunters report shooting specks in the past week, including the bird pictured above that was shot by Jon Sarver in a Fulton County pit last Friday.

Sarver hopes to have that bird mounted. And that’s exactly what I hope for if I can shoot a cool-looking white-front in the days to come. In fact, I’ve already lined up a good taxidermist: Ryan Patterson, who works with Bob Hammerich out of Glasford. Patterson is doing plenty of waterfowl mounts these days and has a cool speck in the shop.

Well, that caught my eye. And I’ve got a spot in the HO office where a hanging speck mount would go perfect! (NOTE: Wife does not agree.)

Only problem is, those spooky rascals have not been cooperating. We’ve had big flocks over us several times in recent hunts, only to watch them fly away. On Sunday three specks passed over numerous times but never committed. This morning we saw very few birds flying early, specks or honkers. All we got out of today’s hunt was cold. Very cold.

Now my dilemma heading into Tuesday’s hunt is where to go and how to set up.

Will the water still be open? Should I hunt a field? Morning or afternoon? Or should I wait for warmer weather?

So many questions. The one certainty is that I have will have speck decoys in the spread. I really want one of these still-unfamiliar birds.

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