Wednesday, September 5, 2018

DU TV this week: Arkansas Snow Geese

Watch it on the Pursuit Channel or online

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – This week on Ducks Unlimited TV, co-hosts Cara Harper and Doug Larsen take advantage of the spring snow goose season in Arkansas with Jerod Brown of Greentop Farms. Viewers will also take a trip to Federal Premium Ammunition’s shotgun shell facility in Minnesota with DU Magazine Shotgun Columnist Phil Bourjaily.

“Probably the most exciting part of a snow goose hunt is that moment when all the birds are over the decoy spread,” Larsen said. “You are waiting for that one bird to basically make a mistake. He comes down, then the whole thing comes down with him. Those few seconds are one of the most compelling parts of a light goose hunt.”

The action-packed hunt is part of Arkansas’ Light Goose Conservation Order. Light geese aren't just a nuisance to farmers. The geese are so abundant, they are destroying their nesting grounds in the Arctic tundra.

“I look at the conservation order as a golden opportunity,” Larsen said. “I can’t believe that in our lifetime we, as hunters, have the opportunity to pursue a species, ethically and in a sporting fashion, with guns unplugged, using electric callers and the things we are able to do with the snow geese. To be able to say we are going to go out and put out this giant spread of decoys, do all this work and have the ability to shoot 40, 50 or 100 geese in a morning, it’s incredible.”

And it takes an incredible amount of work to deal with a snow goose decoy spread, but on this hunt, the hard work paid off.

“When Jerod mentioned we would have over 2,000 decoys, I couldn’t even fathom that amount,” Harper said. “I was amazed at the amount of geese that are here. There was just a wall of geese. The sound from the electronic caller and the sounds from the geese, everything happens on such a larger scale that I’ve ever experienced before. Within the first five minutes I knew it was going to be better than any other goose hunt I’ve been on.”

Also on DU TV this week: DU CEO Dale Hall talks about the exploding populations of light geese and the damage they do to waterfowl habitat. Retriever trainer Mike Stewart shares some tips on how to help your duck dog in high stimulus situations, such as a goose hunt with lots of moving decoys.

DU TV airs Mondays at 1:30 a.m., Tuesdays at 8:30 a.m., Wednesdays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays at 8:30 p.m. (all times Eastern) on the Pursuit Channel. All episodes, plus bonus content and classic episodes, can be found at www.ducks.org/dutv.

DU TV is sponsored by Drake Waterfowl Systems, Higdon Outdoors, Federal Premium Ammunition, Purina Pro Plan, Mossy Oak Camo, Mossy Oak Properties, Mossy Oak Biologic, Mossy Oak Nativ Nurseries and SecureIt Intelligent Firearms Storage.

Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 14 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever. For more information on our work, visitwww.ducks.org.

Media Contact:

Gregg Powers

(901) 758-3774

gpowers@ducks.org