YARD HOPPER HUNT 11-12
Small Game
Gobble, gobble!
Gobble, gobble!
February 11, today is the official end to Yard Hopper Season 10. Yesterday, only a few geese and none came close, not even shot gun close, maybe rifle close.
Hunted 12 days, killed four geese, of which one was Jerry's very first. Missed four, lost none that was hit.
This morning, the same as yesterday, a few more geese in the sky but none over the decoys. When I was driving the truck to pick up the blind and decoy, I notice 4 geese north of the barn. Later I tried a stalk and got to within 52 yards and as I was preparing for the shot, they noticed me and walked farther away. I decided to let them go to raise more Yard Hoppers.
Interesting goose hunting season, very dry and that caused many geese to feed elsewhere and none in the goose pasture or surrounding yards. They were there earlier but later when I hunted them, many vacated the area for greener pastures.
A very cold front is coming to the area, and the high on Sunday, the last day of goose season will be 9 degrees and pre dawn temps , -10. Too cold for man or beast. So I picked up the blind and decoys and will store them this afternoon.
Thank you all for following along on the Yard Hopper Series. Ten seasons and a 100 geese later. I am trying to get a contract signed with the Outdoor Channel but have not heard back from them. :) Hell, if Pig Man can do it, I surly should.
Wait, what is that sound? Gobble! Hey, that season is coming up so stay turned for an other exciting adventure. My best, Paul and Chase the wonder dog.
Good stuff Paul. I always enjoy your goose hunts.
Always entertaining, look forward to these every year. Hopefully see you at some Ft. Collins shoots this summer
Thanks, Looks like the Wyoming pronghorns are in trouble when you arrive. Good for you.
Link, a great WT buck from last year, nicely done. Paul
Enjoyed all your hunts, good luck on the thunder chickens!
Your "Yard Hopper Hunts" always make me smile, in the "Off Season", look forward to enjoying them in the Mornings :^)
Thanks again for sharing, Paul !
Always a pleasure following along. Thanks to you and Chase:)
Thanks for sharing again this season Paul. Not a bunch of dead geese, but I enjoyed it none less.
Good luck with the other big birds in a few weeks!
—Jim
The Canadian and Alaska guy all just PM'd me and want me to tell you that -10 is nothing you should get out there this weekend. I'll be in my blind, however some of the more cynical folks could call it my house.
Hey John, I was just outside and unloading the goose decoys to storage and at least, 500 geese flew over heading south and flying high. Not the yard hoppers I am after but I am sure they are heading south in front of this very cold front. If I thought I had a good chance to kill one I would be out there in Sunday but based on my observations, not going to happen. Looking forward now to turkeys, pronghorn, elk, deer seasons. Man, how the time flies by, much too fast anymore. Too bad the Hooters meeting might not happen this season. That always brought smiles to our faces. my best, Paul
Well done Paul, I enjoyed following along.
Well Paul another season in the books! Look forward to your next adventure which will probably be turkey.
Thanks for sharing your hunts.
Paul, I have been enjoying your hunts from MA, thanks for sharing. I’d watch you and Chase on TV!
Good stuff. Pigman has a pretty good abrasive motor mouth to me. You have that motor fingers.lol
Paul, will you be making your new pup a goose dog also ? What will Chase think if you do ?.....Bob
Great stuff, thanks for always sharing your stories!!
Always fun following along Paul, thanks for sharing!
It was still a good season Paul. At our age, just being above ground, pursuing some kind of game is a good season. Having a fine companion is a bonus. My best to Chase, and good luck this year !
Paul the Man! Thank you for all the great stories and pictures you post every year, you make this site a better place! Now when could we get you and Chase to run for Prez and Vice Prez?
Paul, thanks for sharing your hunts and introducing us to Chase. Looking forward to meeting the new puppy as well. Have you got a name picked out yet? As you are such a good story teller, I think you should consider Tale. Plus, if you call both dogs together, it has a really nice ring to it...all my best, Jeff
Paul, thank you and Chase for another great season! I thoroughly enjoy you sharing your hunt recaps and outstanding pictures with all of us. All the best to you. -Jim
The Yard Hopper series is one of my favorites, sorry to see it end. Good luck with the turkeys, I'll be watching for the story. Percy
Always entertaining and as others have said, great fun to bring up your posts, especially when it -26 below outside "again" here today. Raise up my glass, toast to a great team! Thanks Paul & Chase.
Thanks for another great season Paul. Always enjoy reading your write-ups!
I really enjoyed your hunts. Take care of Ol' Chase and make sure he gets his snacks.
9 weeks old
9 weeks old
first goose
first goose
first duck
first duck
Badbull, Chase is my 6th male black lab. and I have never had one reach the age of 13 years. Yea, early to late 12, but not 13. So this was the reason to consider a new pup in the near future to replace Chase when he has passed in the next year or so. We had a Colorado breeder lined up to produce us a male dog in May but we postponed that for the next breeding and litter next Dec or Jan. Chase may or may not be around but based on his current health, he may be around and into this 13th year, hence, we will have two dogs for a while.
I still enjoy hunting geese, ducks, and pheasants and while the duck and pheasant hunt for Chase can be a greater effort, the local geese hunts are just great for him at his age and keeps him in the game.
You bet, the new dog will be introduced to ducks, geese and pheasants just as Chase was and I have trained all of my dogs and may, like Chase, introduce the new pup to Hunt Test field trials as excellent training and the introduction to live birds.
Have not figured out a good name for the new pup yet. Past dogs have been named, Jim, Governor, Jim (again), Jet, Cannon, Chase. Chase has been that "special" dog over the years, and still shows a lot of eagerness in the field. Here are a few pictures of Chase as he grew up.
Congrats on another year's goose hunt! And thanks much for taking the time to take us along. I know alot of work goes into these stories. It's a real gift to make it roll along so smooth, so entertaining and look so effortless. Love a good story. Much appreciated.
Turkey? Chase is gonna be whining at home wondering why he can't go along. Our bird season ended two weeks ago and the girls are in deep depression already....
Tom, tell me that it is not 72 degrees in Hawaii. It is 1 degree here in Ft Collins.
Always enjoy following you and Chase on your hunt's together, good luck in the future and we will be waiting on your next adventures and the best of luck when you get your next Lab pup.
Kurt
Great story telling as usual Paul. Looking forward to the Yard Hopper threads next season.
Hey Randy, I just went out to the goose pasture to run Chase and this is what I see as I turned into the driveway. Go figure. Just means more Yard Hoppers for next season.
Paul, thanks for taking us along for another year, and good luck on the new dog decision. I was lucky enough to hunt my Lab till she turned 13, but that was with the help of some drugs for her pain. And I had a new dog that year that did most of the difficult retrieves. She didn't quite make it to 14.
Yea, just when they have trained us well for 10-12 years, they leave for "puppy heaven".
Paul..... I won't tell you that it's about 76-77 today..... sea level. Have have thicken my blood up first, dumping me into 1 degree likely kill me..... =D
We did get some snow a week or two ago on the mountain. But it's 10,000 feet.
End to another great season. Thanks for taking us along with you and Chase!
BTW.....I’d watch “The Adventures of Paul & Chase” 8 days a week, before I’d turn on “PIGMAN”!
Paul, That’s always the case, “Shoulda been there”. Chase probably had sensory overload with all of that scent on the ground. Good luck chasing Turkeys.
