Hunting Archives - Page 4 of 4

I walked outside this afternoon and I thought I heard the sound of a Canada goose honking. Maybe there were two. Maybe just wishful thinking, but the sound of geese honking is a sure sign spring is nearly here.

These were not the only sure signs of spring today. In my mailbox today was both the Outdoor Canada Annual Fishing issue and the Cabelas Spring and Summer catalog. How much more can I stand? I still have 2 feet of snow in my yard and the ice on the lake was still 3-1/2 feet thick this weekend. The only open water will be a couple mile stretch on the river, so if there are geese here, they are roosting on the river.

Our last two springs have been late, very late. Spring snow goose hunting last year barely got started until May 1st. Then the birds were in a hurry to pass through, although the 2nd week of May was full of limit shoots. With the late melt, many lakes still had too much ice on them to launch a boat for opening fishing weekend.

Spring comes in waves here in central Saskatchewan. Sometime we get this warm spell in early March and then winter returns for another month (see 2013, 2014). The experts say that this year is a return to normal so let’s hope they are right and we can get the spring snow goose hunt finished and then launch the fishing boats for some pre-spawn pike and walleye.

Today is a cold windy snowy day in Saskatchewan. -23 and with the windchill its -39. (For those of you on the Fahrenheit scale, that’s -40). Not as cold as it can be, but enough to make you wear gloves and pull up your hood. We have a winter storm warning so the snow shovels and snow blowers are going to be put to use in the near future.

As I look out across the fields and watch the wind blow the snow across the drifts, I am reminded of how white it can be in Saskatchewan. As I watch the weather, I add a little more Creme de Menthe to my coffee. It’s important to prime the system with some anti-freeze today in preparation for tomorrow’s ice fishing trip.

All the white Reminded of a thought that occurred to me a few years ago, as I was slogging through the mud during a spring snow goose hunt set up, it occurred to me that “In April, Saskatchewan is the Ugliest Place on Earth!”. This was the thought I had in response to Field Hudnall (Host of DU TV) who had remarked on how beautiful he thought the countryside in Saskatchewan is.

In Saskatchewan it’s all grey and mud and leafless trees. Ugly. Ugly. The snow in the tree lines and ditches is slushy and dirt covered. The trees, without their leaves still, are lifeless and stark. On a cloudy day, the ground is grey and the sky is grey, it’s grey from the ground up, ugly.
If it was April in Saskatchewan all year long, I’d move, and come back for snow goose season. Fortunately we have an outdoor playground in Saskatchewan. In May, the ground and trees change from grey to green, fishing season opens again, and for the next 6 months, Saskatchewan may be the most beautiful place on earth. But, in April, I do say, Saskatchewan is the ugliest place on earth.

Did you Honk at Me?

Saskatchewan in April – Ugliest Place on Earth