# Throwing in the towel



## Old Hunter (Mar 8, 2002)

It would appear from the classifieds on this site and others that more than a few guys are giving up snowgoose guiding.Its a young mans dream to hunt all spring or fall and get paid .After a year or two the romance wears off. The mud, the blood, and the beer isn't so much fun anymore. A bad year with few birds and cancelations is enough to make a sane person hang it up. You guys that want to jump into the game now is the time.


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## Northern_Skies (Aug 28, 2009)

I don't think there are two many guys giving it up. A lot of guys just sell there equipment and buy new every year that way you are always hunting over good quality decoys and blinds. As far as the mud, blood , no sleep and such the only way you will make it is if you truly LIVE AND BREATH waterfowl hunting. As far is it being a tuff spring well it was not a give me like last season but it was hunting and those that moved and where not afraid to think outside the box and hunt new areas did alright I know are daily average dropped from 43 birds per field per day last season to 37 per field per day this year.


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## beard (Mar 27, 2008)

WOW! That is a really good average per field. :beer: Any Pics?


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## Andy Weber (Nov 18, 2009)

I agree that alot of people are throwing in the towel, and one of the reasons could be because of the money it takes, and what I consider the dedication it requires to consistantly put up decent numbers. I am not going to lie, we had our fair share of days this year with only 5 or 6 or 7 birds being shot, but that just made us think "out side the box." We used some really wierd sets, hunted in some really wierd areas-fields-conditions, and just did alot of different stuff that we had never done before to bring the birds in. I talked to two guides that are turning in the "full body spread" towel purely because of the amount of effort it has taken this year to set large spreads. When they are hauling 500-700 full bodies through water or FEET of mud on sled just to get to into a field to a dry spot, and thats if they can even get to the field on the road. So many roads were destroyed this winter and spring that it made scouting and getting to fields very difficult. I bought two big lots of full bodies in the last month from guides getting out. I am young, so I have the energy and resources I need to get into fields, and get access to fields, so it is not causing a problem with me, but it did have an affect on some hunters this spring.
just a thought!


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## PJ (Oct 1, 2002)

Damn my only regret is not hunting more this spring because of how dry it was! :fro: Every field I hunted in the Dakotas I could drive into.


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## Northern_Skies (Aug 28, 2009)

beard said:


> WOW! That is a really good average per field. :beer: Any Pics?


Yea we have a pile of pics they will be up on the website soon and we also got some solid video this season I will post a link when I get it up on you tube.


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## Andy Weber (Nov 18, 2009)

Northern_Skies said:


> beard said:
> 
> 
> > WOW! That is a really good average per field. :beer: Any Pics?
> ...


PM me man how did you end up doing the days after I talked to you?!


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## Mallardboy (Feb 8, 2006)

Northern_Skies said:


> I don't think there are two many guys giving it up. A lot of guys just sell there equipment and buy new every year that way you are always hunting over good quality decoys and blinds. As far as the mud, blood , no sleep and such the only way you will make it is if you truly LIVE AND BREATH waterfowl hunting. As far is it being a tuff spring well it was not a give me like last season but it was hunting and those that moved and where not afraid to think outside the box and hunt new areas did alright I know are daily average dropped from 43 birds per field per day last season to 37 per field per day this year.


arent you a guide?


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## Buck25 (Mar 27, 2008)

Mallardboy said:


> Northern_Skies said:
> 
> 
> > I don't think there are two many guys giving it up. A lot of guys just sell there equipment and buy new every year that way you are always hunting over good quality decoys and blinds. As far as the mud, blood , no sleep and such the only way you will make it is if you truly LIVE AND BREATH waterfowl hunting. As far is it being a tuff spring well it was not a give me like last season but it was hunting and those that moved and where not afraid to think outside the box and hunt new areas did alright I know are daily average dropped from 43 birds per field per day last season to 37 per field per day this year.
> ...


I would assume so sherlock


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## Andy Weber (Nov 18, 2009)

Buck25 said:


> Mallardboy said:
> 
> 
> > Northern_Skies said:
> ...


Guide or no guide, he still thinks, lives, breathes, eats, and survives on the white.


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## Devon D. Charette (Apr 20, 2010)

Snow goose hunting is definitely not a lazy man's sport by any means. I have seen quite a few young guys get into it thinking it is a walk in the park, only to find out that there is a lot more work to be put in than the waterfowl videos show. I for one started guiding about 4 years ago, and now at the age of 23 I am finally realizing that...lol slow learner I guess eh? I do in fact think there are a lot of new guys that come into it for a year and realize it is not what it is all cut out to be. I for one love it, I love putting in the extra effort to get on the birds, and I love seeing the results after all the work has been done...and I love waking up the next day and doing it all over again.


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## mudhunter (Dec 10, 2007)

Still in withdrawal 2 months after the fact. Be back there again next year. Gonna change the box a little, but still stay in it.


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## snow (Dec 7, 2007)

Truth be told about northern skies~ I've done the spring hunt since day one,blue collar style,started in NoDak back then,as stated above,its alot of work and costly to be effective in this sport,I dumped all my gear and trailers 5 years ago,then one spring day two years ago I bumped into Matt from Northern Skies in a little town in SoDak one spring day as he was changing out batteries for his squawkbox,We hada big front mov ing in with blizzard warnings for the following day,as Matt and I chatted over a sandwich I noticed waves of snow geese off in the distance,just then his guide called who was still in the field,said "get your arse out here,they're piling in,bring ammo" we did'nt have far to go,as we approach the field we could see birds working the spread,I thought to myself "sweeeet" He only hunts small groupes unless its a special deal with friends which I like,8,10 or more strangers does'nt cut it in my book,we had non-stop action until dark,just enough time to re-load and once or twice to pickup the dead and criples,one of those you'll never forget hunts with juvies landing @ our feet sucking in the entire flock,1st class operation and a hell ofa nice guy,no BS either.

We shot 74 birds that afternoon,6 guys including Matt who did'nt shoot much unless he had to defend himself,he hunts hard and has many contacts from MO,NE,SD and ND,"NO BIRDS" he finds'em,whatever it takes.

+1 in my book guys,whether your just starting or want to learn or a die hard that wants a quality hunt w/o all the scouting and work that goes along with the sport,check him out and pull the trigger.Some guys onle have a couple of days to get out for this hunt,this is a great way to use your time,and not dump a bunch of cash to get setup.

Tim


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