A true Snow Goose Tornado is difficult to fathom until you've seen it. But imagine this -You are laying in your layout blind staring at a distant line of geese on the horizon. You continue scanning for closer flocks because these birds are so far off and so high that there's no way they will consider you. Then someone yells, "Birds!" You look over and they're looking at your distant flock. A line of impossible targets. What started as a distant line of geese on the horizon is now 500 birds strong straight overhead. They're overhead and they're 900 feet in the air. The guides crank the electronic caller and you tuck deep into your blind. Now you watch the birds in disbelief...
They're migrating. They're ignoring you. They're a mile up in the air. Then all of the sudden 4-5 birds slide out of formation and come your way. Then 50 more follow suit. And a moment later 200 more decide to fall out. Finally the remaining 250 birds tuck their wings and spiral behind.
Before know it your impossible string of geese has separated into a mesmerizing spiral of birds in multiple layers of the sky. No longer do you see one string of 500 birds. Now you have 5 birds coming your way. Behind them are bridesmaids 50 strong. And they lead the way for the rest of the flock.
Snow geese don't set up downwind and glide in as Canadian Honkers might do. Snow geese will lock their wings and slip the wind at a 90 degree angle. The flock will slip the wind directly over the head of the end shooters. Eventually getting low enough to make their final descent at which point they lock wings and slip the wind to a position directly downwind of the shooters. Twenty feet off the ground and directly overhead.
Before your eyes you will see 500 birds fall out of the stratosphere to check out your decoys. Depending on their original altitude, this process could take 3-5 minutes or more for them to get down to your field. Then if everything goes right; you keep your head buried in your blind; and the birds get comfortable... The guides will yell, "KILL THEM!!!" You'll pop out of your blind with more birds in your lap than you can handle. Then you'll fight to stuff shells in your auto as the 2nd set of bridesmaids follows the birds falling into the spread.
It's an amazing site. And you'll only see it with the right Snow Goose Hunting Guide.
