50 Nebraskaland • December 2020
fl oating decoys in the river and shells
on the sand bar, while I put together
Robo ducks, got our gear situated in
the pit, hid the sleds in the weeds and
lit the heater. Warming in the pit, we
were glad we weren't sitting in the
weeds like the young guy we met
along the trail and his friends; we've
done that many times in our younger
years.
Luckily, when shooting time arrived,
there were great numbers of ducks and
geese fl ying back and forth from the
refuge to Lake McConaughy following
along the river channel, giving us
and the guys hunting from the weeds
ample opportunities for shots.
Teal did their normal acrobatic
fl ight, eluding several of my shots, and
many landed in front of the pit out of
sight along the edge of the river out of
the wind. Mallard after mallard came
to our calls, and we got our fair share
as we lured them close to our decoy
spread. What really made my day was
watching my dog on her fi rst duck
retrieve.
After the sun popped out, the
geese started to fl y, starting with four
that came to check out the dozen
goose shells. With wings cupped, the
big birds called to us and circled in
perfectly for us to drop two. This time,
my dog got to retrieve her fi rst goose
out of the water. Anyone who hunts
with a dog knows how great it is to
watch them work and love what they
were born to do. It also saves birds
from getting away in the current that
my old body could never chase down.
A little while later, a fl ock of eight
geese came to our calls. The birds
circled three times before locking up
over our decoys. Tom shot two as I
tried to get my shooting fi nger out of
my fold-over mitten to touch my safety
off . Laughing in disbelief, I shook my
head. What else can you do in the heat
of the moment when things don't go as
expected?
As the sun came out, the entire area
changed from cloudy and bitterly cold
to a warm 14 degrees.
Our cohorts from downriver were
making their way past our pit back
to the parking area with almost
three limits of ducks — a good day of
hunting for them. Tom and I started to
pack up for the day with seven geese
and six ducks between us — not bad
for a few hours of hunting. We were
glad we packed that third sled.
We'll be back to hunt Clear Creek
again. Perhaps you should make a trip
there yourself.
For a map of Clear Creek, visit http://
o u t d o o r n e b r a s k a .g o v / w a t e r f o w l
checklist/.
Tom and Julie Geiser and their dogs, Tikka and Annie, played a winter advisory just right and had success on ducks and geese
during this hunt.
