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SOCAL 'Wounded Warriors' enjoyed goose hunt hosted by Fortin Outfitters
BY JIM NIEMIEC/WON Staff WriterPublished: Feb 09, 2010
SOUTH CALGOOSE HUNTING
WESTMORELAND - The traditional goose season ended last week, but the closing weeks provided some of our "Wounded Warriors" with an opportunity to get out of the Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego and spend a day hunting with Myron Fortin, owner/outfitter of Fortin Outfitters based in Westmorland.
"I wanted to do something special for those men who have supported our freedom and have been wounded in combat. We offer prime white goose hunting on some the best farms in the Imperial Valley and I thought that it would be great to get involved in a veteran's program that would allow some of the heroes to spend a day in the field during the peak of the white goose season here in the valley," said Fortin.
Fortin had been talking with Western Outdoor News about doing a hunt and the logistics of getting these fine men from the hospital to the shooting sight and making sure that they have an opportunity to shoot at flocks of snow and Ross' geese winging overhead. This hunting editor has been involved with the NWTF Wheeling Sportsmens' organization on numerous turkey hunting ventures and offered up some assistance in showing support for the organization that would be necessary to get the servicemen in the field.
The first hunt of the season unfortunately fell on the week that Imperial Valley received over 2.5 inches of heavy rain, making access to the hunting site impossible. The hunt was rescheduled for the last day of the season and WON was invited to share a blind as a back-up shooter and bring Timber along to retrieve the birds shot.
Fortin, assistant guide Cameron and this writer arrived in the "hot field" prior to daylight to set out a spread of white decoys in a freshly plowed field that was situated between the two major feeding, watering and loafing areas of the Sonny Bono National Wildlife Refuge.
"The geese have not been decoying all that well and this plowed field makes it difficult on everyone. We will set out dekes just to give the geese something to look at as they lift off the refuge and hopefully the spread will be just enough to have some of the birds wing over the blinds that we have set up for pass shooting.
Joining us on this hunt was "Wounded Warrior" Chris Meiers, a Marine who received the purple heart for wounds suffered while in action in Afghanistan. Meiers would be accompanied in the field by Tommy Chandler, host of Chandler's Watch, a local radio program aired on 1700AM that greatly supports the outdoor activities of servicemen in the San Diego area.
The geese were all bunched up in two areas of the vast refuge as a clear and calm day greeted the hunt party. Fortin was confident that birds would begin "joy riding" and "hop- scotching" around about 9 a.m. and told everyone to hang tight as the birds would move sometime during the morning.
The first wave of geese cut the corner of the field just short of effective shotgun range, but a second flock headed right over Meiers and Chandler and two white geese dropped from the sky. Fortin's fine black lab Flash and my Timber made successful retrieves on the downed birds and the hunt continued.
Meiers reaction after Timber brought his adult snow goose was one big smile. He then grabbed the bird, looked at it and then asked if I would take his picture so that he could remember his first California snow goose hunt and the opportunity to have been invited by Fortin Outfitters to join in on this highly coveted goose hunt.
The hunt continued and more geese were shot as the birds began getting agitated; first by a home-made mini-plane buzzing one group and then a couple of golden eagles swooped down on another flock of resting geese; sending them into a massive group of pumping wings and 4 more geese fell to the ground.
Fortin will continue to host "Wounded Warrior" hunts, with a group already being lined up to come and hunt the special White Goose Only Season for Imperial Valley next week.
WOUNDED WARRIORS HAVE SUCCESS WITH FORTIN OUTFITTERS - Purple Heart recipient Chris Meiers, currently recovering at the Balboa Naval Hospital, shared a goose blind with host Myron Fortin(center) of Fortin Outfitters and radio host Tony Chandler. The photo was taken right after Meiers shot his first snow goose. WON PHOTO BY JIM NIEMIEC
Forecast ‘iffy’ for Special White Goose Only Season in Imperial Valley
WESTMORELAND -- It's just a couple of days away from opening day (Feb. 13) of the Special White Goose Only Season for Imperial Valley and hunters are hoping the conditions will improve and that the snow and Ross' geese will begin moving off the federal refuge near Westmorland. The birds need to head out to adjoining fields to find a source of green feed prior to the start of their northerly migration in early March.
"Right now the feds have done a pretty good job in the refuge farming operation and currently there is enough rye grass on the refuge to hold the 30 to 35,000 birds that are holding up in the valley. The heavy rain last week also triggered a sprouting of additional feed, but there are many fields that are over grown and the feed is too high to attract white geese. Geese will continue to devour a lot rye grass and when it runs out the birds will be moving off the refuge and begin looking for more green fields in the valley. Hopefully fields of winter wheat, rye grass and some alfalfa will see big flocks of birds in those farm crops and that's where hunters can expect good pass shooting," said Myron Fortin of Fortin Outfitters.
According to Fortin most of the fields will be irrigated and very muddy, and a second storm system is predicted to hit on opening weekend (really kind of iffy), which could make access to hunting sights difficult if not totally impossible due to muddy roads. If the fields are wet hunters would not be allowed to set out decoys and shooters will have to be stationed behind hedge rows and natural blinds, hopefully positioned under the right flyway when birds begin moving off the refuge.
Other than some of the farms that have already been reserved by a DFG drawing, the only other hunting options are to book a hunt with Fortin Outfitters, be a guest or become a member of Wilderness Unlimited or try to find a rancher or private club in Imperial Valley that would welcome a day shooter. Wister, Hazard Tract and the Union fields will not be open during the special season, which was approved by the DFG to reduce crop damage by thousands of hungry snow geese in Imperial Valley. The daily bag limit is 6 white geese and the season will run through Feb. 28.
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SOUTH CALGOOSE HUNTING WESTMORELAND - The traditional goose season ended last week, but the closing weeks provided some of our "Wounded Warriors" with an opportunity to get out of the Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego and spend a day hunting with Myron Fortin, owner/outfitter of Fortin Outfitters based in Westmorland."I wanted to do something special for those men who have supported our freedom and have been wounded in combat. We offer prime white goose hunting on some the best farms in the Imperial Valley and I thought that it would be great to get involved in a veteran's program that would allow some of the heroes to spend a day in the field during the peak of the white goose season here in the valley," said Fortin. Fortin had been talking with Western Outdoor News about doing a hunt and the logistics of getting these fine men from the hospital to the shooting sight and making sure that they have an opportunity to shoot at flocks of snow and Ross' geese winging overhead. This hunting editor has been involved with the NWTF Wheeling Sportsmens' organization on numerous turkey hunting ventures and offered up some assistance in showing support for the organization that would be necessary to get the servicemen in the field. The first hunt of the season unfortunately fell on the week that Imperial Valley received over 2.5 inches of heavy rain, making access to the hunting site impossible. The hunt was rescheduled for the last day of the season and WON was invited to share a blind as a back-up shooter and bring Timber along to retrieve the birds shot. Fortin, assistant guide Cameron and this writer arrived in the "hot field" prior to daylight to set out a spread of white decoys in a freshly plowed field that was situated between the two major feeding, watering and loafing areas of the Sonny Bono National Wildlife Refuge. "The geese have not been decoying all that well and this plowed field makes it difficult on everyone. We will set out dekes just to give the geese something to look at as they lift off the refuge and hopefully the spread will be just enough to have some of the birds wing over the blinds that we have set up for pass shooting. Joining us on this hunt was "Wounded Warrior" Chris Meiers, a Marine who received the purple heart for wounds suffered while in action in Afghanistan. Meiers would be accompanied in the field by Tommy Chandler, host of Chandler's Watch, a local radio program aired on 1700AM that greatly supports the outdoor activities of servicemen in the San Diego area. The geese were all bunched up in two areas of the vast refuge as a clear and calm day greeted the hunt party. Fortin was confident that birds would begin "joy riding" and "hop- scotching" around about 9 a.m. and told everyone to hang tight as the birds would move sometime during the morning. The first wave of geese cut the corner of the field just short of effective shotgun range, but a second flock headed right over Meiers and Chandler and two white geese dropped from the sky. Fortin's fine black lab Flash and my Timber made successful retrieves on the downed birds and the hunt continued. Meiers reaction after Timber brought his adult snow goose was one big smile. He then grabbed the bird, looked at it and then asked if I would take his picture so that he could remember his first California snow goose hunt and the opportunity to have been invited by Fortin Outfitters to join in on this highly coveted goose hunt. The hunt continued and more geese were shot as the birds began getting agitated; first by a home-made mini-plane buzzing one group and then a couple of golden eagles swooped down on another flock of resting geese; sending them into a massive group of pumping wings and 4 more geese fell to the ground. Fortin will continue to host "Wounded Warrior" hunts, with a group already being lined up to come and hunt the special White Goose Only Season for Imperial Valley next week. WOUNDED WARRIORS HAVE SUCCESS WITH FORTIN OUTFITTERS - Purple Heart recipient Chris Meiers, currently recovering at the Balboa Naval Hospital, shared a goose blind with host Myron Fortin(center) of Fortin Outfitters and radio host Tony Chandler. The photo was taken right after Meiers shot his first snow goose. WON PHOTO BY JIM NIEMIEC Forecast ‘iffy’ for Special White Goose Only Season in Imperial Valley WESTMORELAND -- It's just a couple of days away from opening day (Feb. 13) of the Special White Goose Only Season for Imperial Valley and hunters are hoping the conditions will improve and that the snow and Ross' geese will begin moving off the federal refuge near Westmorland. The birds need to head out to adjoining fields to find a source of green feed prior to the start of their northerly migration in early March. "Right now the feds have done a pretty good job in the refuge farming operation and currently there is enough rye grass on the refuge to hold the 30 to 35,000 birds that are holding up in the valley. The heavy rain last week also triggered a sprouting of additional feed, but there are many fields that are over grown and the feed is too high to attract white geese. Geese will continue to devour a lot rye grass and when it runs out the birds will be moving off the refuge and begin looking for more green fields in the valley. Hopefully fields of winter wheat, rye grass and some alfalfa will see big flocks of birds in those farm crops and that's where hunters can expect good pass shooting," said Myron Fortin of Fortin Outfitters. According to Fortin most of the fields will be irrigated and very muddy, and a second storm system is predicted to hit on opening weekend (really kind of iffy), which could make access to hunting sights difficult if not totally impossible due to muddy roads. If the fields are wet hunters would not be allowed to set out decoys and shooters will have to be stationed behind hedge rows and natural blinds, hopefully positioned under the right flyway when birds begin moving off the refuge. Other than some of the farms that have already been reserved by a DFG drawing, the only other hunting options are to book a hunt with Fortin Outfitters, be a guest or become a member of Wilderness Unlimited or try to find a rancher or private club in Imperial Valley that would welcome a day shooter. Wister, Hazard Tract and the Union fields will not be open during the special season, which was approved by the DFG to reduce crop damage by thousands of hungry snow geese in Imperial Valley. The daily bag limit is 6 white geese and the season will run through Feb. 28. |
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