Fall 1958 Geese Hunting.

My first trip up to Hannah Bay, goose hunting with uncle George and cousin Martin. During the summer I had a little practise with the 12 gauge, Stevens, double barrel. I fell on my rear end with the first shot and yes my right shoulder was blue the next day. Hannah Bay is on the east coast of James Bay, about 30 miles from Moose Factory. It was the Labour Day week-end and my uncle George said we will pick you around three o’clock to-morrow morning. Three o’clock that morning I was on the side of the river waiting for them. It was still dark. I had my grandfather’s double barrel shot gun and two boxes of shells, Canuck number 4 heavy load. I was ready for those geese. Uncle George had a 23 foot freighter Chestnut with a 18 hp. Evinrude motor, it was a big canoe. It was pretty chilly going up there that morning. As we entered the James Bay for my first time, I said holy smokes you can’t even see the other side (shoreline) it was like the sea it was big, I guess that’s why my uncle has a big canoe. As we entered Hannah Bay which also was a big bay and landed on shore my uncle George said we will have to wait for awhile. We cannot leave the canoe here, we have to bring it closer to those bushes, I said, that’s over a mile away. Do we have to drag the canoe up there? Uncle said that’s a good three miles away and no we don’t have to drag the canoe; the tide will bring us there. The land is flat; they call it the Hannah Bay flats. When the tide is low all the birds ducks and geese come out to feed. When the tide or water flows in they all fly back inland. So what we do is set up a blind with branches and mud. My decoys then were white toilet paper with a twig with a “V” at the end and this was the head with the toilet paper wrapped around it. Took out my little shovel out of my pack sack, turned the lump of mud over and stuck the branch in it. Yes this was my decoy, made about 20 of them. I got settle in my blind and all I had to do is wait for them too come. At about a mile away I could see about two thousand geese on the ground. My uncle and cousin had set up a blind about a half a mile from me, yes I was alone and that I liked. I forgot we set up the tent over the canoe and slept in the canoe. That’s the way they do it because you will never find a dry spot to set up camp. Oh I think that the geese are moving around, yes there’s a canoe coming up. The flocks of geese took off and heading my way, at least two thousand. Off to my right they were going, I started calling them and some started turning for me. I pulled the shells out of the box and laid them in front of me, this way I will be able to load faster I told myself. They were over me and I started to shoot I could see some falling, I loaded up and fired again and a couple fell. Loaded up and shot again and again some fell, I don’t think that I was even aiming. After calming down I went out and picked up 9 geese. Out of 9 only one was wounded, which I managed to catch without shooting it. This was a great week-end hunting geese and ducks. The total bagged that week-end was 26 geese 12 ducks. I killed 4 ducks and 17 geese, was I proud, when I got home and showed them to my grand parents.