Pat and I travelled to Quebec Canada in late-May 2010 for what became one of the best goose hunts either of us have ever experienced. Greater snow goose hunting in Quebec is a far more rewarding experience than snow goose hunting anywhere else in the world.
Going to Quebec is like going to France in many ways. It's like stepping into another world and culture with the architecture, mannerisms and of course the language which is more French than English. On the mighty St. Lawrence River, I almost expected to see war canoes, enactments of The French and Indian War and the Last of the Mohicans in this area steeped in history. Ramsey and I flew to Quebec City, Quebec and entered another world, another adventure and a promising destination for future clients to enjoy as we did. I must admit I was pleasantly surprised by this trip and wish I could have stayed longer. It easily ranks among the top 5 or 6 destinations I have been to in my world travels.
Our target was Greater Snow Geese and before I go any farther, let me give you a little history on this grand bird. In the early 1900's the population of them was down to around 2,000 birds and scant hope was given for their recovery. But with the restricted hunting and establishment of refuges the population was estimated at 90,000 by 1969 when I first hunted them on the North Carolina Coast and by 1984 were some 400,000. Today's population is 1.4 million and the unique thing about this species is that the total world population funnels through Cap Tourmente, Quebec both in the fall and spring.
This is the area we hunted on the St.Lawrence and miles of birds lined the river. Twenty foot tides coming up the river dictated the movement of them and it was almost like hunting the ocean as the water level fluctuated so much. At low tide the birds fed in the flats on spartina and other emergent grasses and as the tide rose they came inland for feed on wheat, rye grass and even people's yards. Seeing greater snow geese feeding inside the towns within yards of buildings and traffic was much like seeing resident Canadas here feeding on ballfields and golf courses. In fact, these birds act more like Canada Geese than the Snow Geese we are used to hunting elsewhere.
Greater snow geese weigh an average of 8+ pounds in adult males and 7 in females. Small flocks of family groups and sub-adults decoy well and are nothing like trying to decoy Lesser Snows in the huge flocks we are used to seeing in our part of the world. At first glance, when you pick up your first bird you will notice the large head, mandible a third longer than a Lesser, longer neck and overall anatomy. Fresh birds up from the Atlantic coast were mostly pure white, but after several days grubbing in the riverbed mud for grass and roots the iron oxide content stained them a rusty red on their heads, necks and chest. Every bird we shot were with 1 1/8 oz. of #2 steel that we were provided with and it crushed them.
Ramsey and I shot 92 birds in 3 days,but numbers were overshadowed by the hospitality, cuisine and treatment we received. We spent as much time taking pictures and soaking up the culture as we did hunting it seemed. We hunted the tide movement just like I have done when in Alaska and other maritime areas.
We felt like family in such a short time there and that made the stay much more enjoyable. The culinary delights presented to us by Benoit, and that's not Ben-o-it as in Mississippi but Ben-wa as in France, were as pleasing to the eye as to the palate. Each meal was several courses plus deserts and the ever present Bordeaux wines and even wines from Chile made their way to the table for a wonderful meal.
His assistant, Franzi, was like the wind, delivering one course after another, serve from the left, take away from the right and magically appearing when something was needed. Our guides were local young men that were raised on the river and much opposite of the "Black Hoodie Mafia" many their age have become in other areas. Their knowledge of the quary, the area and the history made for good conversation. They would be welcome at my camp anytime. We met Pierre Dupuis who is the Black Duck guru of Quebec as well as a retired field biologist that spent years with Greater Snow research projects both at The Cap and on the arctic nesting grounds. His wealth of information was fascinating, especially for an old Black Duck shooter from East Tennessee like me. Spending time with him was an educational experience in waterfowl lore.
We stayed busy either hunting or taking hundreds of photos of the ever present geese and they were willing models. Many would continue feeding as we stopped within mere feet of them on the roadsides. It was a nature photographer's dream. Even I got a few good pictures but nothing like some that Ramsey got with his cameras. I think we read the numbers off of eight or nine neck collars that we will report.
What's more, the outfitter only books hunts for when he knows the birds will be migrating through the area. Even though the spring season is open for several months, he will not hunt till he's confident the birds will be there. When we arrived there were about 400,000 geese in the area, when we left 3 days later the number was 750,000. This is about a third of the world's population with more arriving each day. Now I want to go there in the fall and take advantage of both Canada and Snow Geese and also ducks.
Ramsey Russell's GetDucks.com
Our target was Greater Snow Geese and before I go any farther, let me give you a little history on this grand bird. In the early 1900's the population of them was down to around 2,000 birds and scant hope was given for their recovery. But with the restricted hunting and establishment of refuges the population was estimated at 90,000 by 1969 when I first hunted them on the North Carolina Coast and by 1984 were some 400,000. Today's population is 1.4 million and the unique thing about this species is that the total world population funnels through Cap Tourmente, Quebec both in the fall and spring.
Greater snow geese weigh an average of 8+ pounds in adult males and 7 in females. Small flocks of family groups and sub-adults decoy well and are nothing like trying to decoy Lesser Snows in the huge flocks we are used to seeing in our part of the world. At first glance, when you pick up your first bird you will notice the large head, mandible a third longer than a Lesser, longer neck and overall anatomy. Fresh birds up from the Atlantic coast were mostly pure white, but after several days grubbing in the riverbed mud for grass and roots the iron oxide content stained them a rusty red on their heads, necks and chest. Every bird we shot were with 1 1/8 oz. of #2 steel that we were provided with and it crushed them.
Ramsey and I shot 92 birds in 3 days,but numbers were overshadowed by the hospitality, cuisine and treatment we received. We spent as much time taking pictures and soaking up the culture as we did hunting it seemed. We hunted the tide movement just like I have done when in Alaska and other maritime areas.
His assistant, Franzi, was like the wind, delivering one course after another, serve from the left, take away from the right and magically appearing when something was needed. Our guides were local young men that were raised on the river and much opposite of the "Black Hoodie Mafia" many their age have become in other areas. Their knowledge of the quary, the area and the history made for good conversation. They would be welcome at my camp anytime. We met Pierre Dupuis who is the Black Duck guru of Quebec as well as a retired field biologist that spent years with Greater Snow research projects both at The Cap and on the arctic nesting grounds. His wealth of information was fascinating, especially for an old Black Duck shooter from East Tennessee like me. Spending time with him was an educational experience in waterfowl lore.
We stayed busy either hunting or taking hundreds of photos of the ever present geese and they were willing models. Many would continue feeding as we stopped within mere feet of them on the roadsides. It was a nature photographer's dream. Even I got a few good pictures but nothing like some that Ramsey got with his cameras. I think we read the numbers off of eight or nine neck collars that we will report.
What's more, the outfitter only books hunts for when he knows the birds will be migrating through the area. Even though the spring season is open for several months, he will not hunt till he's confident the birds will be there. When we arrived there were about 400,000 geese in the area, when we left 3 days later the number was 750,000. This is about a third of the world's population with more arriving each day. Now I want to go there in the fall and take advantage of both Canada and Snow Geese and also ducks.
Ramsey Russell's GetDucks.com
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