Avery® Hunting Journal Entries Eastern South Dakota 2003
 The Last Day Eastern South Dakota, January 24, 2004 By Jim Thompson, Jr., Avery® Pro-Staffer
LOCATION: Central South Dakota-Pierre SUNRISE/SUNSET: 8:11 a.m./5:36 p.m. WEATHER: Overcast, light snow TEMPERATURE: 18 degrees a.m./ 22 degrees p.m WIND: East 20-30 mph EQUIPMENT USED: Greenhead Gear® Full Body Canada Decoys, Greenhead Gear® Over-Size shells, Greenhead Gear® Universal Motion Stakes, Avery® Blind Bag, Avery® Pit Bag, Avery® Fleece Neck Gaiter, Avery® Shooter's Gloves, Avery® Yukon Hood, Zink calls, Remington 870's, Drylok 3" #1's, Columbia bibs, Rocky boots HUNTERS: Mike Cogley, Steve Cogley, Pat Cogley, Kyle Dringman, Nic Allen and Avery Pro Staffer Jim Thompson, Jr. JOURNAL NOTES: Our Canada goose season officially closes Tuesday, January 27th but today would be our last day in the field. Our spread consisted of two dozen Greenhead Gear® Canada oversized shells with sleeper heads and two dozen Greenhead Gear® full bodies, half with their feet removed. With the inclement weather I was sure that the majority of the geese would hit the ground shortly after landing. I chose to set up in my stubble wheat field knowing that it would protect us from the ground level blizzards that existed in the open cornfield. Grade pits are a bitch under these conditions. Geese began to exit the water shortly after 12 p.m. and poured into my cornfield. We began to slowly pick off birds one and two at a time. A minute didn't pass where geese weren't present crossing my field. The strong winds kept the majority of the birds under thirty yards as they fought to reach the field. It's been a long time since I've witnessed such a flight or such a strong due easterly wind. Our last two birds were shot by Pat Cogley after firing only one round. The old fart still has it. By 2:15 we had our 18 bird limit. What a way to end a great season. It's now time to get ready for next year or should I say this year.  Nic Allen, Kyle Dringman, Mike Cogley, Steve Cogley, and Pat Cogley show what the last day brought them. Photo by Avery® Pro-Staffer Jim Thompson, Jr. Thirty Minute Flurry Eastern South Dakota, January 23, 2004 By Jim Thompson, Jr., Avery® Pro-Staffer
LOCATION: Central South Dakota-Pierre SUNRISE/SUNSET: 8:11 a.m./5:35 p.m. WEATHER: Overcast TEMPERATURE: 27 degrees a.m./ 39 degrees p.m WIND: Northwest 15-25 mph EQUIPMENT USED: Greenhead Gear® Full Body Canada Decoys, Greenhead Gear® Over-Size shells, Greenhead Gear® Universal Motion Stakes, Avery® Blind Bag, Avery® Pit Bag, Avery® Fleece Neck Gaiter, Avery® Shooter's Gloves, Avery® Yukon Hood, Zink calls, Remington 870's, Drylok 3" #1's, Columbia bibs, Rocky boots HUNTERS: Pat Cogley, Steve Cogley, Mike Cogley, Jim Thompson, Jr. JOURNAL NOTES: The morning started off quiet as anticipated. By 11 a.m. birds filled the skies to the north, west and east but very few strayed our way. A large concentration numbering into the thousands gradually built in a field three-quarters of a mile west of our location. When our birds finally rose from the south they all v-lined to this large feeding flock and we had little luck changing their minds. It's literally impossible to compete with the real thing, especially this late in the year. By 3 p.m. only two birds laid in the pit. Things looked tough but they suddenly changed. Birds appeared from nowhere showing great interest in our location. I'd guess they'd been here recently. Over the next thirty minutes we harvested ten more geese to fill our four-man limit of twelve birds. What really made the hunt special was spending time with Pat and his two sons-what a great bunch of guys and awesome shots to boot.  Mike Cogley (left) and Steve Cogley enjoy a great hunt with their dad, Pat. Photo by Avery® Pro-Staffer Jim Thompson, Jr. Another Great HuntEastern South Dakota, January 17, 2004 By Jim Thompson, Jr., Avery® Pro-Staffer
LOCATION: Central South Dakota-Pierre SUNRISE/SUNSET: 8:13 a.m./5:29 p.m. WEATHER: Hazy, foggy a.m./ cloudy p.m. TEMPERATURE: 33 degrees a.m./ 40 degrees p.m WIND: Northwest 10-15 mph EQUIPMENT USED: Greenhead Gear® Full Body Canada Decoys, Greenhead Gear® Over-Size shells, Greenhead Gear® Universal Motion Stakes, Avery® Blind Bag, Avery® Pit Bag, Avery® DayPack, Avery® Fleece Neck Gaiter, Avery® Shooter's Gloves, Avery® Yukon Hood, Zink calls, Remington 870's, Drylok 3" #1's, Columbia bibs, Rocky boots HUNTERS: Avery® Pro-Staffers Jim Thompson, Jr. and Eric Larsgaard, Dean Sands, Myron Hofer, Chris Biren, Rob Kirschenman and Brad Rippentrop JOURNAL NOTES: With a forecast similar to the previous day's hunt I was optimistic that our results today would be similar. I awoke to find a non-forecasted light drizzle but fortunately air temperatures were above freezing. We were set up around 9 a.m. but the light drizzle formed into a fog as it crossed over the river. We could hear extensive shooting in the distance but couldn't see much beyond 500 yards. Considering that birds hadn't been feeding actively in our area we relied on visibility to catch passing geese. The haze lifted around 11 a.m. and things quickly began to hop. Singles, pairs and threesomes decoyed with reckless abandon. Large flocks gave us a good looking over but only a small number of birds would make the final commitment. By 2:45 we had our limit of 21 Canada geese.  Myron, Chris, Rob, Dean and Brad hoist birds after our second successful day of hunting. Photo by Avery® Pro-Staffer Jim Thompson, Jr. Tough AM Great PMEastern South Dakota, January 16, 2004 By Jim Thompson, Jr., Avery® Pro-Staffer
LOCATION: Central South Dakota-Pierre SUNRISE/SUNSET: 8:14 a.m./5:28 p.m. WEATHER: Cloudy a.m./ Sunny p.m. TEMPERATURE: 31 degrees a.m./ 42 degrees p.m WIND: Northwest 5-10 mph EQUIPMENT USED: Greenhead Gear® Full Body Canada Decoys, Greenhead Gear® Over-Size shells, Greenhead Gear® Universal Motion Stakes, Avery® Blind Bag, Avery® Pit Bag, Avery® DayPack, Avery® Fleece Neck Gaiter, Avery® Shooter's Gloves, Avery® Yukon Hood, Zink calls, Remington 870's, Drylok 3" #1's, Columbia bibs, Rocky boots HUNTERS: Avery Pro Staffers Jim Thompson, Jr. and Eric Larsgaard, Dean Sands, Myron Hofer, Chris Biren, Rob Kirschenman and Brad Rippentrop JOURNAL NOTES: Considering that I've had a tough time recently finishing birds I chose to run a small spread of approximately 30 decoys. I'm still convinced that the lack of realistic bird movement is the doom of all layouts. Birds in the a.m. seemed totally unresponsive. With nothing in the bag at noon I sent a member of our party to grab the decoy trailer to increase our spread size. I needed to make some type of change. By the time he returned five birds had been harvested. It was just like turning a light switch from off to on. It may have been a subtle change in my calling style, the fact that the sun now shined or that the birds switched to a more positive mode or possibly all combined. Whatever be the case 18 birds were harvested when we chose to call it an early afternoon. I also give credit to Eric Larsgaard's ability to read birds correctly and hit them with a flag at the moment it was crucial.  Chris Biren, Myron Hofer, Rob Kirschenman, Dean Sands and Brad Rippentrop show their take of the afternoon's success. Photo by Avery® Pro-Staffer Jim Thompson, Jr. (I was elevated on Eric Larsgaard's shoulders when photo was taken.) Fogged In Eastern South Dakota, January 10, 2004 By Jim Thompson, Jr., Avery® Pro-Staffer
LOCATION: Central South Dakota-Pierre SUNRISE/SUNSET: 8:16 a.m./5:21 p.m. WEATHER: Fog a.m./ Sunny p.m. TEMPERATURE: 18 degrees a.m./ 38 degrees p.m WIND: South 5 mph EQUIPMENT USED: Greenhead Gear® Full Body Canada Decoys, Greenhead Gear® Over-Size shells, Greenhead Gear® Universal Motion Stakes, Avery® Blind Bag, Avery® Pit Bag, Avery® DayPack, Avery® Fleece Neck Gaiter, Avery® Shooter's Gloves, Avery® Yukon Hood, Zink calls, Remington 870's, Drylok 3" #1's, Columbia bibs, Rocky boots HUNTERS: Dave Dringman, Kyle Dringman, Pat Cogley and Jim Thompson, Jr. NON-HUNTERS: Avery® Pro-Staffers Jim Thompson, Jr. and Eric Larsgaard JOURNAL NOTES: The early a.m. drive was a little nerve-racking as areas of heavy fog built ice on the windshield and roads. I prayed heavy fog wouldn't exist at our chosen gunning location but unfortunately it did. Several thousand geese sat just two miles southeast of our location but most held tight until the fog lifted. When the sun finally broke through it revealed a cloudless sky. It was now about 12 noon. Large flocks numbering one hundred plus birds began to leave the water and quickly climbed to a safe range to avoid the guns of those hunters waiting in the road ditches hoping to ambush them. The flight continued steadily for three hours but we struggled to convince birds that it would be better where we were. Some twenty thousand Canadas fed in a field a mile from our location and seemed to draw every goose in sight. It also didn't help that some blast happy Eddie's were just north of our setup and shot at birds well beyond a feasible range. Gun vollies always to seem to coincide when birds were working us. Go figure. In the last half hour of shooting light three small bunches made the final commitment and turned what appeared to be a skunked hunt into a fantastic one.  Avery® Pro-Staffer Jim Thompson, Jr., (L) and friend, Pat Cogley, show their take of the day's birds. Note scuffed and torn up areas near the feeder decoys to emulate real bird activity. (Man, those decoys look like geese.) January ColdEastern South Dakota, January 3, 2004 By Jim Thompson, Jr., Avery® Pro-Staffer DATE: Saturday, January 3, 2004 LOCATION: Central South Dakota-Pierre SUNRISE/SUNSET: 8:17 a.m./5:15 p.m. WEATHER: Partly Sunny TEMPERATURE: 5 degrees a.m./16 degrees p.m. Wind Chills -20 degrees WIND: North 5-15 mph EQUIPMENT USED: Greenhead Gear® Full Body Canada Decoys, Greenhead Gear® Over-Size shells, Avery® Blind Bag, Avery® Pit Bag, Avery® DayPack, Avery® Fleece Neck Gaiter, Avery® Shooter's Gloves, Avery® Yukon Hood, Zink calls, Remington 870's, Drylok 3" #1's, Columbia bibs, Rocky boots HUNTERS: Dean Sands, Chris Petersen, Allan Beck, and Chad Nelson NON-HUNTERS: Avery® Pro-Staffers Jim Thompson, Jr. and Eric Larsgaard JOURNAL NOTES: The thermometer dropped drastically starting at mid-afternoon on Friday. By Saturday morning temperatures were at 4 degrees above zero and wind chills reached minus 20 degrees. We arrived at the field alittle after sunrise but I chose to stall setting decoys for a few moments to make sure that frost wouldn't form on them. Under these conditions it only takes a matter of minutes to heavily frost a decoy. When it is this cold the sun's not sufficient enough to dissolve frost quickly especially on the shadowed side of the decoys. The morning flight consisted of birds heading south, not something I really wanted to see. We managed to pull two singles and a threesome before 3 p.m. Feeding birds (those to the south of me) then began to rise from the Missouri River some ¾ of a mile from my location. One after another large high flocks flew directly overhead without a single bird ever showing interest. We began to pick off singles and pairs but found a difficult time getting any sized groups to make a final commitment. The cold weather slowed the actions of the guns and heavily dressed hunters struggled to shoulder their guns properly. The forecast overnight low was to reach five to ten below.  (L to R) Allan Beck, Chad Nelson, Dean Sands, and Chris Petersen show off their birds after a very cold January day. Photo by Avery® Pro-Staffer Jim Thompson, Jr. Starting 2004 with a New Year's BangEastern South Dakota, January 1, 2004 By Jim Thompson, Jr., Avery® Pro-Staffer
Thursday, January 1, 2004 LOCATION: Central South Dakota-Pierre SUNRISE/SUNSET: 8:17 a.m./5:13 p.m. WEATHER: Mostly Sunny TEMPERATURE: 25 degrees a.m./45 degrees p.m. WIND: West 5-10 mph EQUIPMENT USED: Greenhead Gear® Full Body Canada Decoys, Greenhead Gear® Over-Size shells, Avery® Blind Bag, Avery® Pit Bag, Avery® DayPack, Avery® Fleece Neck Gaiter, Avery® Shooter's Gloves, Avery® Yukon Hood, Zink calls, Remington 870's, Drylok 3" #1's, Columbia bibs, Rocky boots HUNTERS: Kyle Dringman, Dave Dringman, Eric Larsgaard and Jim Thompson, Jr. JOURNAL NOTES: I couldn't have found a better way to celebrate the New Year than goose hunting with a few buddies (I hope my family doesn't read this). We left Sioux Falls at 9:30 a.m. with plans to work in a late afternoon hunt. The three and a half hour drive put us in the field a little after 1 p.m. We were set and ready a little before 2 but saw very little bird activity until 3:30. As tough as the birds have been lately I chose to run a smaller spread of about 2 dozen decoys. The combination of Greenhead Gear Over-Size Canada shells and Universal Motion Stakes puts the needed movement in a large spread but with the lack of wind we were unable to use them. I'm thoroughly convinced that the finishing power of a decoy spread relates directly to the ability to portray movement. Smaller spreads need not near the movement as larger ones. That's just common sense. With the help of three time South Dakota State Junior Goose Calling champion, Kyle Dringman, Avery® Pro Staffer Eric Larsgaard, and myself we were able to coax what limited birds were available into easy gunning range.  (L to R) Avery® Pro Staffer Eric Larsgaard, goose calling champion Kyle Dringman, and Cabela's employee Dave Dringman hoist the birds after a great New Year's Day afternoon hunt. Photo by Avery® Pro-Staffer Jim Thompson, Jr. Windy ConditionsEastern South Dakota, December 28, 2003 By Jim Thompson, Jr., Avery® Pro-Staffer
Sunday, December 28, 2003 LOCATION: Central South Dakota-Pierre SUNRISE/SUNSET: 8:16 a.m./5:08 p.m. WEATHER: Overcast, light snow TEMPERATURE: 22 degrees a.m./31 degrees p.m. WIND: Northwest 25-35 mph EQUIPMENT USED: Greenhead Gear® Full Body Canada Decoys, Greenhead Gear® Over-Size shells, Greenhead Gear® Universal Motion Stakes, Avery® Blind Bag, Avery® Pit Bag, Avery® DayPack, Avery® Fleece Neck Gaiter, Zink calls, Remington 870's, Drylok 3" #1's, Columbia bibs, Rocky boots HUNTERS: Eric Larsgaard, Andy Larsgaard, Pat Cogley and Jim Thompson, Jr. JOURNAL NOTES: We arose to find a light blanket of snow on the ground with total accumulations not to exceed two inches. It would be nice to get six inches or more. The area is under a severe drought and it would help settle the dust. I've always loved waterfowling under white conditions. The strong northwest winds reduced visibility to under 300 yards at times. Ground blizzards were prevalent as squalls constantly moved across the field. Under these conditions birds would have to be in our laps before seeing us. A rule of thumb I always adhere to is to call hard when winds prevail. The sound is so broken that birds only hear a small percentage. It's also important to call them hard to the ground. Ten yard birds offer one good shot as they drift off quickly. We also chose to run a very small spread which included ten Greenhead Gear full body decoys and two dozen Greenhead Gear Overi-Size shells all with sleeper heads, to portray what would be natural for the birds under these conditions. It worked out great!  (L to R) Pat Cogley, Avery® Pro-Staffer Eric Larsgaard, and Andy Larsgaard display their harvest after a hunt under extreme conditions. Photo by Avery® Pro-Staffer Jim Thompson, Jr. Tough Birds
Eastern South Dakota, December 26, 2003 By Jim Thompson, Jr., Avery® Pro-Staffer DATE: Friday, December 26, 2003 LOCATION: Central South Dakota, Pierre SUNRISE/SUNSET: 8:16 a.m./5:08 p.m. WEATHER: Mostly sunny TEMPERATURE: 22 degrees a.m./38 degrees p.m. WIND: Northwest 15-25 mph EQUIPMENT USED: Greenhead Gear® Full Body Canada Decoys, Greenhead Gear® Over-Size shells, Greenhead Gear® Universal Motion Stakes, Avery® Blind Bag, Avery® Pit Bag, Avery® DayPack, Avery® Fleece Neck Gaiter, Zink calls, Remington 870's, Drylok 3" #1's, Columbia bibs, Rocky boots HUNTERS: Eric Larsgaard, Andy Larsgaard, Pat Cogley and Jim Thompson, Jr. JOURNAL NOTES: It's been one of the toughest years I can remember. Success rates have been fairly decent but I'm not used to sitting all day everyday to get the job done. I can place the blame on the lack of birds. Mild temperatures to the north haven't pushed many geese into my area. I've been hunting the same geese for seven weeks and most know the story. Small flocks of birds will pass at 70 yards and never show interest or change wing beat. They know what I'm up to. One automatically begins to question their skills. Am I calling too much? Too little? The wrong way? Are my decoys set up correctly? Are we well concealed? Just what the heck's wrong? I'm always quick to remind myself to keep confident and be patient but sometimes uncooperative birds get under your skin. Tomorrow's another day and I'll approach it as just that.  (L to R) Pat Cogley, Avery® Pro-Staffer Eric Larsgaard and Andy Larsgaard show their birds after a tough South Dakota hunt. Photo by Avery® Pro-Staffer Jim Thompson, Jr. Day TwoEastern South Dakota, December 19, 2003 By Jim Thompson, Jr., Avery® Pro-Staffer
LOCATION: Central South Dakota, Pierre SUNRISE/SUNSET: 8:13 a.m./5:04 p.m. WEATHER: Sunny TEMPERATURE: 23 degrees a.m./47 degrees p.m. WIND: Southwest 5-10 mph EQUIPMENT USED: Greenhead Gear full body Canadas, Greenhead Gear Over-Size shells, Greenhead Gear Universal Motion Stakes, Avery Blind Bag, Avery Pit Bag, Avery DayPack, Avery Fleece Neck Gaiter, Zink calls HUNTERS: Eric Larsgaard, Derek Rambo, John Bascom, Cody Mahon, Jim Thompson, Jr. JOURNAL NOTES: Day two of our hunt presented us with what has seemed to become the norm this year, undesirable conditions. Warm temps and a lack of wind have created little urgency for the birds to feed. It was evident as very few birds left the roost and took wing during the morning. Those that did flew miles beyond our location. Though I was hunting with a group of experienced waterfowlers I reminded everyone that verbal conversations when birds were working close was an absolute no-no. With the lack of wind it's not uncommon to hear conversations amongst hunters several hundred yards away. This small detail is often overlooked and the blame placed in other areas when birds are uncooperative. We were presented with three good opportunities all day long and convinced two of the groups to make the final commitment. A mixture of tall grass prairie, interior, and western Canada geese made up our bag of ten birds.  Avery® Pro Staffer Eric Larsgaard, John Bascom, Cody Mahon, and Avery® Pro Staffer Derek Rambo with their mixed bag of Canada geese after a day under tough conditions. Photo by Avery® Pro-staffer, Jim Thompson, Jr. Details Equal SuccessEastern South Dakota, December 18, 2003 By Jim Thompson, Jr., Avery® Pro-Staffer
LOCATION: Central South Dakota, Pierre SUNRISE/SUNSET: 8:12 a.m./5:03 p.m. WEATHER: Sunny TEMPERATURE: 21 degrees a.m./37 degrees p.m. WIND: Northwest 15-25 mph EQUIPMENT USED: Greenhead Gear full body Canadas, Greenhead Gear Over-Size shells, Greenhead Gear Universal Motion Stakes, Avery Blind Bag, Avery Pit Bag, Avery DayPack, Avery Yukon Hood, Avery Fleece Neck Gaiter, Zink calls HUNTERS: Eric Larsgaard, Derek Rambo, Cody Mahon, John Bascom, Kendall Smith, and Jim Thompson, Jr. JOURNAL NOTES: The first day of our three day planned hunt. Things could have been much easier. Conditions were ideal but a lack of workable birds didn't make things easy. We took advantage of the limited opportunities that were presented. The combination of a pit full of good callers and 300 Greenhead Gear decoys convinced most birds that came within workable range. I must also mention that good shooting played a major role in our success. It would be nice to see a day here and there where birds poured into your lap with reckless abandon. The last few weeks have been as tough as I've seen it. Paying attention to the smallest details is necessary to get birds to finish. We took the needed time to cover and rake out our tire tracks, made sure our pits were near invisible and hauled natural field cover from adjacent areas to dress up high foot traffic areas. It was also a pleasure to have first time goose hunting dogs in the pit. Both Champ Rambo and Gus Bascom did great on retrieving birds and were very well mannered as we sat from sunrise until late afternoon before ending our hunt.  Eric Larsgaard, Derek Rambo, Cody Mahon, John Bascom and Kendall Smith display their birds after a great Pierre, South Dakota hunt. Photo by Avery® Pro-staffer, Jim Thompson, Jr. Great Hunt Eastern South Dakota, December 12, 2003 By Jim Thompson, Jr., Avery® Pro-Staffer DATE: Friday, December 12, 2003 LOCATION: Central South Dakota-Pierre SUNRISE/SUNSET: 8:07 a.m./ 5:02 p.m. WEATHER: Partly cloudy a.m./ sunny p.m. TEMPERATURE: 13 degrees a.m./29 degrees p.m. WIND: Southeast 10 mph EQUIPMENT USED: Greenhead Gear Life-Size Full Body Canadas, Greenhead Gear Over-Size Canada shells, Greenhead Gear Universal Motion Stakes, Avery Pit Bag, Avery Yukon Hood, Zink SR1 HUNTERS: Dean Sands, Todd Tilberg, Pat Pierson, Keith Elliott and Jim Thompson, Jr. JOURNAL NOTES: I think my group of hunters were relieved to know that my plans for departure from town wasn't until 7 a.m. allowing everyone to sleep a little longer and have time to enjoy a relaxing breakfast. I honestly didn't think we would see much activity until mid to late afternoon. The geese will take advantage of the full moon stage and clear skies to feed at night, avoiding some of the pressure of gunning. We were ready to hunt by 9:15 but as predicted we gazed into empty skies throughout the morning and afternoon. 2 p.m. came and went, then 3, 3:30, 3:45 and 4. It was starting to look weak. Suddenly all hell broke loose as wave after wave of Canada geese rose off Lake Oahe, a Missouri River reservoir. Well the majority poured into a field a mile west of our location, enough made the mistake of slipping our way. I kept all but busy flagging and calling during the time. It was as hard a 50 minutes that I had put into anything but the results made it worth the time.  Dean Sands retrieves a fallen Canada during a late afternoon hunt. The Greenhead Gear® Full Bodies did the trick again. Photo by Avery® Pro-staffer, Jim Thompson, Jr. Oh Deer IIEastern South Dakota, December 7, 2003 By Jim Thompson, Jr., Avery® Pro-Staffer
LOCATION: Southeast South Dakota SUNRISE/SUNSET: 7:46 A.M. / 4:50 P.M. WEATHER: Partly cloudy TEMPERATURE: 17 degrees a.m./31 degrees p.m. WIND: Southeast 10-15 mph EQUIPMENT USED: Avery Fleece Pullover, Avery Yukon Hood, Avery Quick-Cutters HUNTERS: Jim Thompson, Jr. JOURNAL NOTES: On the second day of my hunt I chose a stand in a different location some 10 miles away from the previous day. As always, my expectations were high. Would today produce the buck I've been waiting for or would a needed doe come within range? Heavy deer traffic was once again evident at my location. Turkeys mostly Toms easily numbering over 100 scurried, fought, and fed within 100 yards of my stand. Numerous does and small bucks passed well out of range. The constant movement of game kept my optimism high and passed time quickly. Similar as the day before a small forked buck appeared to the west and gradually made his way toward me. At 15 yards he suddenly lifted his head and looked directly at me, a thirty second staredown insued. I could tell he wasn't quite sure what I was but sensed something wrong. He slowly took five steps backwards, turned and positioned himself downwind. His snout lifted high in the air as he attempted to detect an unnatural odor. I bet he didn't move from that position for 15 minutes. He then slowly walked off. Afterwards it struck me that I should have scared him off immediately. Maybe he was waiting to warn other deer. The last half-hour of the day grew silent, no turkeys, deer or crows. The full moon combined with the snow kept the forest bright long past sunset. I left once again with no game in hand but in this sport, that's more than norm than not. Oh DeerEastern South Dakota, December 6, 2003 By Jim Thompson, Jr., Avery® Pro-Staffer
LOCATION: Southeast South Dakota SUNRISE/SUNSET: 7:44 A.M. / 4:51 P.M. WEATHER: Hazy/Overcast TEMPERATURE: 16 degrees a.m./29 degrees p.m. WIND: Southwest 20-30 mph EQUIPMENT USED: Avery Fleece Pullover, Avery Yukon Hood, Avery Quick-Cutters, HUNTERS: Jim Thompson, Jr. JOURNAL NOTES: I chose to take a weekend off from waterfowling and concentrate my efforts on taking a deer with my bow. (Gosh, something must be wrong with me.) It's too bad all the hunting seasons "fall" at the same time. Unfortunately the winds were much stronger than the previous days forecast, great for waterfowl hunting but not for stand hunting. Witnessed no buck chasing doe scenarios as were present just two weeks ago. Post rut is here. Nice to see a fresh snow on the ground, heavy deer traffic near my stand was evident. Still waiting for that right buck to come along and have a bonus doe depredation tag to fill due to an increasingly overpopulation of females. As predicted movement was very minimal due to the winds. Sat in stand from 2:30 p.m. to sunset, damn cold. Watched small forked buck scratch and dig for feed for over a half hour. The full moon rising through the trees combined with the snow reminded me of why I do it. Mild Temps, No WindEastern South Dakota, November 29, 2003 By Jim Thompson, Jr., Avery® Pro-Staffer
LOCATION: Central South Dakota SUNRISE/SUNSET: 7:55 A.M. / 5:04 P.M. WEATHER: Clear Skies TEMPERATURE: 27 degrees a.m./48 degrees p.m. WIND: Calm EQUIPMENT USED: Greenhead Gear Life-Size Full Body Canadas, Greenhead Gear Over-Size goose shells, Greenhead Gear Universal Motion Stakes, Avery Fleece Pullover, Zink SR1 Canada Call HUNTERS: Lee McManus, John Willging, Denny Ernisti, Chuck Wentler, Wayne Miller and Jim Thompson, Jr. JOURNAL NOTES: Mild temperatures and a lack of wind would undoubtedly make for a tough hunt. I enter the field each and every day optimistic and confident that we will be successful. As we placed over one hundred decoys, mostly full bodies, with shells scattered throughout it was quite evident that geese in large numbers roosted just over the hill some three-quarters of a mile away. Their constant vocalization put excitement in our group but would they come our way? As the day progressed it was evident that they would not as we watched flock after flock head to the fields miles east of our location. Most were only visible with the use of binoculars. I would have to estimate that somewhere around 50 geese came within 800 yards of our location the entire day and those birds were not to be fooled easily. I can never remember a time when birds circled and circled and circled, exhausting my lungs to the point where calling became a struggle. Patience paid off. It reminds one to never become discouraged or pessimistic. The long day ended with a two bird average per hunter. Not shabby by any standards. Several deer also crossed through our decoy spread during the day.  Confidence and persistence paid off for this group of hunters when given very limited opportunities. Photo by Avery® Pro-staffer, Jim Thompson, Jr. Afternoon HuntEastern South Dakota, November 28, 2003 By Jim Thompson, Jr., Avery® Pro-Staffer DATE: Friday, November 28, 2003 LOCATION: Central South Dakota-Pierre SUNRISE/SUNSET: 7:53 A.M. / 5:05 P.M. WEATHER: Mostly sunny TEMPERATURE: 17 degrees at sunrise/27 degrees afternoon high WIND: Calm a.m./ Southeast 15-20 mph p.m. EQUIPMENT USED: Greenhead Gear Life-Size Full Body Canadas, Greenhead Gear Over-Size goose shells, Greenhead Gear Universal Motion Stakes, Avery Pit Bag, Zink SR1 Canada Call HUNTERS: Pat Cogley, Roger Oltmanns, Steve Brockhouse, Chris Brockhouse, Kim Brockhouse, and Jim Thompson, Jr. JOURNAL NOTES: My initial plans for the day really didn't include hunting. I left Sioux Falls at 5 a.m. Friday morning with a planned arrival in Pierre at 8:30. I wanted to first visit friends and then proceed to Capitol Lake (Pierre is the capitol of South Dakota) where city resident geese and ducks abound. It's still intriguing to me how a bird that will take bread from your hand in town won't finish to decoys in the country. After over an hour of studying the birds and taking photos I grabbed a bite to eat and headed north out of town. It was now 1:45. My intentions were to do some touch-ups on a pit I had yet to visit. I needed to make sure my roller lids still functioned, the covers were intact, add a bale of straw to the bottom to help keep feet warm, and remove unnatural vegetation from around the pit area (my land owner farms around them). As I crossed the south side of the property a gentleman in whites laid on the section line road in an attempt to pass shoot geese (a common practice in South Dakota). I stopped and visited with him for a few moments but unfortunately he had yet to have any luck. Geese haven't went out, he said. My eyes grew big, I knew what this meant. Just as he spoke two birds crossed the road some hundred yards down the line. It's 2:15 and the birds have less than three hours until sunset. Do you want to try a decoy hunt, I said. God yes he replied. Are you by yourself, I asked. No, I have two buddies down the line. They also accepted my invitation without hesitation. One rode with me to grab the decoy trailer while the other two waited. I called my friend Pat Cogley who was in the area on a pheasant hunt and told him that an afternoon shoot looked good. Let's see, three pheasants or three Canada geese in the dekes? We're on our way, he said. We pulled into the field at 2:45, threw out 40 Greenhead Gear fullbody Canada decoys and a dozen oversized shells and quickly removed the vehicles. By the time we got in the pit workable birds had already passed. While the others loaded their guns I got my flag assembled and hung my calls around my neck. Before I could uncase my gun a small flock approached and with little coaxing from my call they descended on the spread. Two birds of the seven left. My friend Pat and his buddy arrived shortly thereafter. In a little over an hour's time our hunt was over. Not a bad day's hunting when I hadn't planned on doing any at all.  Another successful hunt over Greenhead Gear full body Canada decoys. A day when hunting wasn't even part of the plans. Photo by Avery® Pro-staffer, Jim Thompson, Jr. Great Goose Hunt Eastern South Dakota, November 19, 2003 By Jim Thompson, Jr., Avery® Pro-Staffer
LOCATION: Central South Dakota/Pierre SUNRISE/SUNSET: 7:42 A.M. / 5:11 P.M. WEATHER: Mostly sunny TEMPERATURE: 43 degrees at sunrise/68 degrees afternoon high WIND: light a.m., 10-15 southwest in the p.m. EQUIPMENT USED: Greenhead Gear Life-Size Full Body Canadas, Greenhead Gear Over-Size goose shells, Greenhead Gear Universal Motion Stakes, Avery Pit Bag, Avery Caller's gloves, Zink SR1, Remington 870's, Drylok 3" #1 shot and BB's HUNTERS: Pat Cogley, Mike Cogley, Dave Dringman, and Jim Thompson, Jr. JOURNAL NOTES: Unseasonably warm temperatures the last three days have put the birds in a loafing mode. Lack of a need to feed was quite evident as many birds left the water, stretched their wings and then appeared to head back. From the total number of geese that ever became airborne it was apparent that most settled for chowing on vegetation that has been flourishing on mud flats due to unusually low water conditions on the Missouri River. Unfortunately for the birds that left the water and were looking for more they easily succumb to our decoy spread. While all other field decoys that I've ever hunted over appear to be goose decoys the Greenhead Gear full body Canadas look like geese. There's no doubt in my mind that they were the key to our very successful hunt.  Hunters take aim on incoming Canadas that fell for the Greenhead Gear Life-Size Canada goose decoys. Photo by Avery® Pro-staffer, Jim Thompson, Jr. Tough DayEastern South Dakota, November 15, 2003 By Jim Thompson, Jr., Avery® Pro-Staffer
LOCATION: Eastern South Dakota SUNRISE/SUNSET: 7:20 A.M. / 5:02 P.M. WEATHER: Mostly cloudy TEMPERATURE: 29 degrees at sunrise/41 degrees afternoon high WIND: Northwest 5-10 mph EQUIPMENT USED: Greenhead Gear Life-Size mallards, Greenhead Gear Life-Size Pintails, Avery Pit Bag, Avery Decoy Bags, Avery decoy gloves, Browning Citori, Remington 870's, Drylok 3" #1 shot HUNTERS: Steve Oviet and Willy, Pat Cogley, and Jim Thompson, Jr. JOURNAL NOTES: After Wednesday's hunt with Eric Largsgaard I thought today would be a piece of cake. Once in a while a hunter needs to be reminded to never trust a duck. While we saw good snow goose activity there was very little when it came to mallards. Had a couple small bunches work us but couldn't get them to finish in close. Opportunities for 40 yard passing shots were let go. I'm a firm believer that you must let birds have one more pass and on this day it wasn't working I guess. Recent freezing over of smaller bodies of water concentrated the birds on large area lakes. Quite often once this happens they're hesitant to use their smaller bodies again. These large bodies of water have now become refuges and the birds find safety in great numbers. I feel fortunate to have the quality of gunning opportunities that South Dakota has to offer. I think days like these, when one ends up birdless, reminds the hunter just how lucky they are to be afield. High WindsEastern South Dakota, November 12, 2003 By Jim Thompson, Jr., Avery® Pro-Staffer
LOCATION: Eastern South Dakota SUNRISE/SUNSET: 7:17 A.M. / 5:05 P.M. WEATHER: Cloudy a.m., light snow showers, clearing by 10 a.m. TEMPERATURE: 31 degrees at sunrise/44 degrees afternoon high WIND: Northwest 35-40 mph, gusts above 50 mph EQUIPMENT USED: Greenhead Gear Life-Size mallards, Greenhead Gear Life-Size Pintails, Avery Blind Bag, Avery RealGrass, Avery Dog Parka, Avery Decoy Bags, Avery decoy gloves, Remington 870's, Expert 3" #1 shot HUNTERS: Jim Thompson, Jr., Avery Rep Eric Larsgaard as a non-shooting guest JOURNAL NOTES: Extremely high winds kept birds off large bodies of water. Saw very little goose activity though bird concentrations are high in the area. Most seemed to be grounded. Duck activity was good but birds seemed to be on the edge and very cautious, something not uncommon under these conditions. Birds typically wary of moving objects and high winds put everything in motion. Patience played a role in my success as birds fought the gale force winds side to side and up and down taking what seemed like forever to finally descend amongst the decoys. Shot one greenhead from each flock and most of those when pulled upon under 15 yards landed on the water 40 or more yards downwind. Rough water and quick drifting gave Saige a major workout as she retrieved my limit of mallards. Hunt ended at 9:30 a.m. Unsuccessful Deer HuntEastern South Dakota, November 8, 2003 By Jim Thompson, Jr., Avery® Pro-Staffer
LOCATION: Southeast South Dakota SUNRISE/SUNSET: 7:11 A.M. / 5:10 P.M. WEATHER: Cloudy a.m./sunny p.m. TEMPERATURE: 18 degrees at sunrise/35 degrees afternoon high WIND: Southeast 10-15 mph EQUIPMENT USED: Avery pullover fleece, Avery Fleece hand warmer, Avery Quick-Cutters HUNTERS: Jim Thompson, Jr. JOURNAL NOTES: Last week's frigid temperatures locked up all of the state's smaller bodies of water leaving only large lakes open and several of those had only small areas of open water due to bird activity. Forecasted warming temps next week combined with high winds should reopen most waters. Having two archery tags to fill I thought I would concentrate my weekend efforts from the treestand. Sat the afternoon Saturday in my stand and spotted three does, none within 500 yards. Sunday brought me back to the same location and though I was never presented with a clear shot I had numerous deer within 30-40 yards of my stand. I feel confident to about 25 yards with my 45# recurve bow. For some unknown reason I didn't take my camera (boy, that was a mistake). Two small bucks approached to within 30 yards of my stand and proceeded to get into a dominance pushing match. Neither had horns large enough to cause any real racket but they pushed and shoved spinning in circles for more than three minutes. One eventually gave up. Witnessing this alone made my day successful. I guess you needn't harvest something to really enjoy what nature has to offer. Had an awesome five by five (book class) enter the picture at sunset but never got within what I felt was range. There will be another day. All deer approached upwind and none proceeded downwind of my location. They wandered around me at total ease. Frigid TemperaturesEastern South Dakota, November 6, 2003 By Jim Thompson, Jr., Avery® Pro-Staffer
LOCATION: Eastern South Dakota SUNRISE/SUNSET: 7:09 A.M. / 5:12 P.M. WEATHER: Mostly cloudy TEMPERATURE: 17 degrees at sunrise/33 degree daytime high WIND: Northwest 10-15 mph EQUIPMENT USED: Avery dog parka, Greenhead Gear Life-Size mallards, Avery pullover fleece, Avery Decoy Gloves, Avery Decoy Bag, Avery Pit Bag, Remington 870's, 3" Expert #1 shot HUNTERS: Jim Thompson, Jr. and Eric Larsgaard JOURNAL NOTES: Overnight frigid temperatures for the second day in a row required the breaking of inch and a half thick ice to expose open water. Set eight greenhead gear lifesize mallards in the small hole I had broken and another dozen with their keels removed on the ice. Unfortunately Eric wasn't allowed to gun due to the lack of receiving a South Dakota non-resident waterfowl license. Our state has a very restricted lottery license format. Had to be careful about where I dropped birds. Dog wore e-collar to make sure that she didn't cross the ice over what I knew was unsafe depths. Kept her out of the water early on, a thin layer of ice was already building on my opening. Skies full of light geese but didn't see that impressive of numbers of Canada geese or ducks. Action was slow, but I managed to take my mallards by 11 a.m. Warmer temperatures and strong winds forecasted for this weekend and the beginning of next week will hopefully increase the size of the hole I opened and if I'm lucky my entire pond will reopen. Double Retrieve Eastern South Dakota, November 4, 2003 By Jim Thompson, Jr., Avery® Pro-Staffer
LOCATION: Eastern South Dakota SUNRISE/SUNSET: 7:06 A.M. / 5:14 P.M. WEATHER: Overcast skies TEMPERATURE: 28 degrees sunrise, 33 degrees daytime high WIND: Northwest 10-15 mph EQUIPMENT USED: Greenhead Gear Life-Size Mallards, Greenhead Gear Life-Size Pintails, Avery decoy bags, Avery Neoprene Dog Parka, Avery Pit Bag, Avery fleece pullover, Avery decoy gloves, Avery ankle garters, Remington 870, Drylok 3" #1 and #2 shot HUNTERS: Ryan Stellner, Matt Walker, and Jim Thompson, Jr. JOURNAL NOTES: Monday brought snow and freezing rain across the entire state. Temperatures fortunately held in Southeast South Dakota leaving sloughs and marshes open. Ran a small decoy spread considering that I had broke a leaf spring on my boat trailer Sunday and had only my Suburban to haul my decoys in. Migrating birds definitely on the move. Saw numerous flocks of snow geese and large flocks of mallards for the first time this fall. Forecasted arctic temperatures Wed.-Friday. Overnight lows of 5-10 degrees. I'm afraid it will push most birds through. Flocks of mallards numbering 150 descended on the ten acre marsh. Let Matt and Ryan do all the shooting. Limited out on mallards with a bonus gadwall and wigeon. Dog, Saige, retrieved two greenheads at the same time while some may say that's bad dog etiquette. I say it's smart. Calm ConditionsEastern South Dakota, November 2, 2003 By Jim Thompson, Jr., Avery® Pro-Staffer
LOCATION: Eastern South Dakota SUNRISE/SUNSET: 7:03 A.M. / 5:17 P.M. WEATHER: Sunny a.m., cloudy p.m. TEMPERATURE: 33 degrees sunrise, 45 degrees daytime high WIND: nonexistent EQUIPMENT USED: Greenhead Gear Life-Size Mallards, Greenhead Gear Life-Size Pintails, Avery decoy bags, Avery Neoprene Dog Parka, Avery fleece pullover, Avery decoy gloves, Avery ankle garters, Remington 870, Drylok 3" #1 and #2 shot HUNTERS: Kyle Dringman and Jim Thompson, Jr. JOURNAL NOTES: Calm conditions translated into tough hunting. Calling had to be kept at a bare minimum. Lack of movement in the decoys on the glass calm water wasn't too convincing to birds. Gathered dirt clods from the surrounding field and threw them in the water when birds circled with their backs to me. Splashes and ripples seemed to be the ticket as birds began to finish. Hunted until 10 a.m. Eight mallards, one gadwall and a Canada goose made up the bag. Fun Day with SaigeEastern South Dakota, October 31, 2003 By Jim Thompson, Jr., Avery® Pro-Staffer
LOCATION: Eastern South Dakota SUNRISE/SUNSET: 7:01 A.M. / 5:20 P.M. WEATHER: Sunny a.m., cloudy p.m. TEMPERATURE: 31 degrees sunrise, 39 degrees daytime high WIND: Northwest 10-15 mph EQUIPMENT USED: Greenhead Gear Life-Size Mallards, Greenhead Gear Life-Size Pintails, Avery decoy bags, Avery fleece pullover, Avery decoy gloves, Avery ankle garters, Remington 870, Drylok 3" #1 and #2 shot HUNTERS: Jim Thompson, Jr., Saige Thompson JOURNAL NOTES: Hunted a 10 acre pond in the middle of a harvested bean field. Have one of my picket fence blinds at this location, they really are the ticket. Avery realgrass blends in great with the natural rushes and offers great protection from inclement weather. Didn't see near the birds I expected with the weather we had had all week. Thought I would see an influx of new birds but was not the case. Need to teach the dog how to take pictures when it's just me and her. Three mallards taken. Windy ConditionsEastern South Dakota, October 28, 2003 By Jim Thompson, Jr., Avery® Pro-Staffer
LOCATION: Eastern South Dakota SUNRISE/SUNSET: 6:57 A.M. / 5:24 P.M. WEATHER: Mostly sunny TEMPERATURE: 37 degrees at sunrise, 49 degrees daytime high WIND: Northwest 30-40 mph, gusts to 50 mph EQUIPMENT USED: Greenhead Gear Life-Size Mallards, Avery decoy bags, Avery fleece pullover, Avery decoy gloves, Avery Ankle Garters, Remington 870's, Drylok 3" #1 and #2 shot HUNTERS: Matt Walker, Ryan Stellner, and Jim Thompson, Jr. JOURNAL NOTES: Winds already blowing strong at sunrise. Predicted stronger than I wish but refused to hunt in rain forecasted for the following day. Chose a small protected body of water in the middle of a cornfield. Arrived to find crop mostly harvested reducing pond's wind protection. Combined parked 20 yards from slough edge. Balance of field harvested while we hunted. While some may claim that birds are used to seeing the farm machinery I think activity harmed us more than once as birds slipped off. Small pond even developed white caps as wind gusts topped 50 mph. Bird activity was very little. Wind good for duck hunting but not to this extreme. Birds held tight to northwest shoreline on every pond we drove by when leaving and by tight, I mean shoreline tight. Good shooting put five mallards and eight greenwing teal in the bag. Considering that pond required us to stand in knee deep water, I chose to leave my dog at home. It resulted in losing four birds in tall grass. What a mistake. Biffed on Canada Geese Eastern South Dakota, October 26, 2003 By Jim Thompson, Jr., Avery® Pro-Staffer
LOCATION: Eastern South Dakota SUNRISE/SUNSET: 6:54 A.M. / 5:27 P.M. WEATHER: Partly cloudy skies TEMPERATURE: 23 degrees at sunrise, 46 degrees for a daytime high WIND: Southwest 10-15 mph EQUIPMENT USED: Avery Pit Bag, Avery Dog Parka, Greenhead Gear Life-Size Mallards, Avery RealGrass, Avery Decoy Bags, Avery Decoy Gloves, Avery fleece pullover, Remington 870's, Drylok 3" #1 shot HUNTERS: Pat Cogley and Jim Thompson, Jr. JOURNAL NOTES: Chilly overnight temperatures presented us with a thin layer of ice in the morning. Broke up easily but was annoying to our lower legs. The dog quickly learned to follow our path. Picked off drake mallards one at a time (eight total). Saw very few ducks but those we did all worked well. Biffed our chance on a flock of approx. 40 Canada geese. Called the shot when five birds were in range, not knowing the others had sneaked upon us. Poor shooting resulted in only two birds being taken. Can't wait for migrating waterfowl to arrive. Daily harvest eight mallards, three teal, and two Canada geese. Day Brings Banded WigeonEastern South Dakota, October 25, 2003 By Jim Thompson, Jr., Avery® Pro-Staffer
LOCATION: Central South Dakota-White Lake SUNRISE/SUNSET: 7:53 A.M. / 6:28 P.M. WEATHER: Mostly cloudy TEMPERATURE: 37 degrees at sunrise-47 degrees afternoon high WIND: Northwest 25-30 mph EQUIPMENT USED: Avery RealGrass, Greenhead Gear Life-Size mallards, Avery duck strap, Avery decoy gloves, Avery Neoprene Dog Parka, Avery Pit Bags, Avery fleece pullover, Avery Decoy Bags, Remington 870's, Fast Steel and Drylok three" #1 shot HUNTERS: Pat Cogley, Mike Cogley, Jim Thompson, Jr. JOURNAL NOTES: First day it really felt like duck hunting. My hands actually got cold. Chose a small pond knowing that high winds would push birds off larger water. Ducks came in small bunches, responded to calling and decoyed well to established zones. Weed growth in pond made retrievals tough on dog. Eventually she looked for open spots. Shot a mixed bag of mallards, pintails, gadwall, wigeon, and teal. Three person limit taken including first ever banded wigeon. Dog Day AfternoonSouth Dakota, November 2003 By Jim Thompson, Avery® Pro-Staffer  For those of you who are Al Pacino fans "Dog Day Afternoon" may have a different meaning than what you're about to read. This story is not for the weak-hearted and most if not all should find it very disturbing. To be totally honest my stomach turns as I write this piece. The pain and misery that dogs suffered on October 18, 2003 will certainly go down in history as one of the most deadly days for hunting dogs. [FULL STORY AND PHOTOS] South Dakota Pheasant OpenerCentral South Dakota, October 18, 2003 By Jim Thompson, Jr., Avery® Pro-Staffer
LOCATION: Central South Dakota-White Lake SUNRISE/SUNSET: 7:44 A.M. / 6:39 P.M. WEATHER: Clear Skies TEMPERATURE: 80 degrees by noon/ low 90's mid-afternoon WIND: light, southeast EQUIPMENT USED: Avery hunting strap vest, Avery gun case, Greenhead Gear full body pheasant decoys (just kidding), Remington 870, 2 ¾ inch Winchester Expert Fours, Nikon N65 SLR camera HUNTERS: Jim Thompson, Jr., and dog, Saige. Three other dogs and 13 hunters rounded out our party JOURNAL NOTES: South Dakota World famous pheasant opener. Afternoon temperatures deadly to dogs. Hunted on Kevin Nyberg's 1100 acre ranch(owner of Nyberg's Ace Outdoors in South Dakota), busted several whitetail deer from their roost in the corn as we walked. One class buck among those. Ring-neck pheasants literally by the hundreds. 38 in the bag by 2 p.m. Called it quits. Too warm for man or beast. Extremely dry conditions. Dog Back at ItEastern South Dakota, October 18, 2003 By Jim Thompson, Jr., Avery® Pro-Staffer DATE: October 18, 2003 LOCATION: Eastern South Dakota SUNRISE/SUNSET: 7:44 A.M. / 6:39 P.M. WEATHER: Clear Skies TEMPERATURE: 46 degrees at sunrise/ low 90's mid-afternoon WIND: nonexistent EQUIPMENT USED: Greenhead Gear Lifesize mallards, Greenhead Gear decoy bag, Avery power belt, Avery neoprene ankle garters, Avery dog parka, Avery duck strap, Avery gun case, Remington 870, Three inch drylok 2's, Zink XR-2 duck call HUNTERS: Jim Thompson, Jr. and dog, Saige JOURNAL NOTES: First trip for Saige since injuring a leg joint on Youth Season opener Sept. 20th. Hunted a 2 acre marsh surrounded by standing corn. Ducks worked well but hunt was over quickly as bird movement lasted just an hour. Packed in only 7 decoys because of long walk and other gear. Dog did awesome, at least in my eyes, more importantly her leg held up fine. Three Greenheads, one pintail, one drake greenwing in bag. Hunt ended at 8:30. Heading west for pheasant opener.  Saige Thompson, dog of Pro-Staffer, Jim Thompson, Jr., makes a retrieve on a drake greenwing teal. Duck hunt in Eastern South DakotaEastern South Dakota, October 4, 2003 By Jim Thompson, Jr., Avery® Pro-Staffer DATE: October 4, 2003 LOCATION: Eastern South Dakota SUNRISE/SUNSET: 7:27 A.M. / 7:03 P.M. WEATHER: partly cloudy a.m., sunny p.m. TEMPERATURE: 46 degrees sunrise/ 76 degrees mid-afternoon WIND: light and variable EQUIPMENT USED: Greenhead Gear Life-Size Series Mallards, Avery PowerBelt, Greenhead PowerPak, Avery duck strap, RNT Short Barrel duck call, Avery ankle gaiters, Remington 870's, Winchester drylok 3 inch #2's HUNTERS: Chuck Larsgaard, Andy Larsgaard, and Jim Thompson, Jr. JOURNAL NOTES: Chuck and Andy's first ever decoying duck hunt. Most birds worked well to the three acre pond located in the pasture. Light winds required subtle calling. Drake sounds seemed to help. Four dozen duck decoys set in three separate groups. Mallards, pintail, wigeon and teal made up the bag. Hunt ended at 9:45 a.m. A Kid's Opening DaySouth Dakota, October 2003 By Jim Thompson, Avery® Pro-Staffer  Statistics show that hunter numbers continue to decline annually, most disturbing, those of the young people who are being introduced to the sport. Access to hunting land, children involvement in other activities and the busy lifestyles of Americans these days are all to blame, so they claim. [FULL STORY AND PHOTOS] A Kid's First Goose Sioux Falls, SD, January 31, 2003 By Jim Thompson Jr., Avery® Pro-Staffer  It wasn't just another planned day in a goose pit with my buddies, this trip was special. Longtime friend, Kevin Schievelbein and his 13 year-old son, Kyle, accompanied me for Kyle's first ever pit hunt and first attempt at bagging a Canada goose.
[FULL STORY] |
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Avery Pro-Staffer Jim Thompson, Jr. and his dog, Saige, display their take for the day. Picket fence blind brushed with Avery RealGrass visible on right side of photo. 
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