Drake / Field Experts - Tag Team late season geese

Drake Waterfowl / Field Experts Jeff Dennis and Daryl Hodge
with a pair of late season Canada geese

Hiding in the grass and working the jerk string dekes

A special late season goose season in February allows for the absolute last chance to hunt waterfowl for a while, until September when early teal season comes back in. Two of Drake Waterfowl's Field Experts in S.C. teamed up to take down some late season honkers on February 4 in the Lowcountry. Daryl Hodge of Lancaster is the SE Flyway manager for Drake Field Experts, and Jeff Dennis is the Lowcountry's Drake Field Expert. Hodge's son Blake, a junior in high school, is on the Drake Waterfowl duck calling team - and he helps his father run the Wrecking Crew guide service. Blake Hodge and Julian Clark rounded out the four-man hunt party. With overcast skies, light winds and mild temps in play, the Drake Field Experts deployed eight Canada goose decoys - four Big Foot standing dekes and four Big Foot floaters on a Rig 'Em Right jerk string. Also, a great blue heron confidence decoy was set out, which keeps wary waterfowl in a relaxed state as they approach. At 4:14 a flight of 15 honkers came in and the entire hunt party was caught a bit off guard, demonstrating just how quickly these resident geese can turn the tables on the hunters. Regrouping somewhat when four geese peeled off and came close, two geese were cut out of the group and the rest of the flock departed. We were expecting more geese to arrive before the end of shooting time at 5:58 but even though that did not occur, we celebrated the last outing of the season with friends in style. As the sun set and the temperature dropped, 8 geese came to the pond right at 'hard dark' and we could make out that they landed right where we had been set up! But that's hunting, and we'll check back on them next year.

To view past blog entries about late season goose hunting click here.

Great blue heron confidence decoy

Blake Hodge calling to the geese