# Specs



## PJ (Oct 1, 2002)

Does anyone really get into the Specs? I have never seen many in the fall.


----------



## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

Take a look at this website:

http://mercury.bio.uaf.edu/~eric_rexsta ... me2003.htm

As you can see by the tracked geese not many go through ND in the fall...but in the spring. Many of the geese hook up with the Missouri R. and follow it south to migrate. There are some areas in ND that do hold specks for short amounts of time, as they stop temporarily during the migration. These are all out along the Missouri and the big lakes.


----------



## PJ (Oct 1, 2002)

Thanks Chris, I've always wanted to bag one of these guys.


----------



## Decoyer (Mar 2, 2002)

I will never forget pheasant hunting by Linton in 97 or 98 and seeing 1000's of specks migrating over going south. The weird thing was that they weren't all that high. I have never seen as many specks as I did that day in either the spring or fall.


----------



## duckslayer15 (Feb 11, 2004)

people in the south get into specks more i think..i dont think its really a northern sport


----------



## Dan Bueide (Jul 1, 2002)

Decoyer we may have watched the same thing. Halloween weekend '98 we were duck hunting East of Linton (quite a ways) and saw more specs that day than I've ever seen in the Fall in ND, all headed south and all relatively low. :huh:

ds, we don't harvest many specs in ND (about 2k/yr), but it's not just a Southerner's game. Those to the NW of us do very well on the "gourmet goose".


----------



## Decoyer (Mar 2, 2002)

Dan I think we are talking about the same weekend. The sky was full of specs and all were relatively low. My best guess is that they were headed for the Missouri somewhere in SD as I have heard a fairly large number of them stop there in the fall for a short time.


----------



## PJ (Oct 1, 2002)

The specs I've seen in the spring never seem to be flying very high either. I wonder if they are "low flyers"


----------



## J.D. (Oct 14, 2002)

In the fall the ones that are headed for Texas without stopping come over us in Nebraska WAY up high.


----------



## Blake Hermel (Sep 10, 2002)

We harvested Specks last fall in central NODAK. I also shot a few in KS this fall. They fly over Bismarck every so often, you can hear them at night if your outside.


----------



## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

During the first blizzard in early Nov. in 2000 (remember the tornadoes/hail in Bismarck the day before?) the specs flew over my place in Washburn for 2 days straight. It haunted me in my sleep....best days to be in the field and they fell on a Tues-Wednesay...typical luck.


----------



## Waterfowlerguy (Mar 4, 2004)

I saw alot in south eastern sodak during spring snow hunts. All decoyed nicely of course since you could not shoot them. As far as your days afield falling on a weekend Chris I have one thing to say, "You don't look so well, are you coming down with something?"


----------



## Kansas Kid (Nov 20, 2003)

We decoyed our first specks the week after their season closed while Canada season was still open for a week. We had a nice sized group come in and then a pair while the warden was sitting in his truck watching us. It took him a while to figure out why we didn't shoot.


----------



## Brad Anderson (Apr 1, 2002)

The one day everything worked out. (pre 1999)









We were hunting in Chris's favorite snow goose spot. I keep hearing that distinct spec call. So after we pounded enough ducks/snows, we decided to see if we could get some shots at specs. We had to let quite a few flocks of snows pass before we even saw a spec. They were mixed in with the snows.

When you're looking for one particular bird outta a flock of 200-500, you had better be proficient at long shots. The orange feet and beak always give them screamers away. I got 2 and my buddy managed the other.

I have never had a shot at one since. I do know quite a few people who have got them in the fall, just doesn't happen all that frequently.

I should've mounted the one on the right, as it was the size of a decent canada. Young, dumb and dirt poor. They do taste mighty fine though!! A picture is worth...


----------



## PJ (Oct 1, 2002)

Sweet!


----------

