Western Specklebelly and Snow Goose hunting

I was scrolling social media and saw a photo of a killer specklebelly goose spread posted by a Boise guide. Having never targeted white-fronted geese specifically, but always wanting to, I immediately messaged the poster, who put me in touch with Jon Rhoadenbaugh.

The first thing I asked was, “There’s specks in Idaho?” Rhoadenbaugh, who owns Four Flyways Guide Service, explained that sometime around the spring of 2010 specklebelly geese started showing up along the Snake River and surrounding ag fields in Southwest Idaho and Eastern Oregon. The number of birds coming through in subsequent springs has steadily increased and both states now have late season hunting opportunities. Idaho closes their speck season in late February so that snow goose hunters can use e-callers and unplugged shotguns, but the Oregon season runs into early March. I asked what the best window was to hit the sweet spot for the return migration, and Jon said it can vary from one year to the next, but the last week of February typically has produced successful hunts.

Jon made it clear that hunting for specks here isn’t about making a huge pile, even though both states have liberal 10-bird limits. He explained that these birds have been hunted hard in California, but they are still killable. He said if I was interested in shooting a bunch of birds, we had the option to add some snow goose hunting into the mix, as they typically do well dancing with the white devils. Jon said they run several big migrator spreads in the valley and when the snows come over the Owyhee Mountains his decoy spreads are highly effective at attracting these tired and hungry migrating birds.

After talking with Jon, I was confident the chance to shoot birds was there, and it sounded like a dang good time. I called a few friends and booked a multi-day hunt for late February. We found a nice vacation rental right on the Snake River, near the area we would be hunting, but only 10 minutes from town, where restaurants, grocery stores, and gas stations were all convenient. We made plans to hunt snows in Idaho and specks in Oregon, and fortunately both states offer reasonably priced 3-day licenseses.

Chasing the migration

Late February arrived, and the 8-hour drive from Montana to Boise was about as good as it could be for that time of year. With forecasted south winds and daytime temperatures in the fifties, it looked promising for reverse migrations. Arriving at the vacation rental with about an hour of daylight left, my friends John, Josh, Nate, and I found ourselves sitting on the deck watching flocks of ducks and geese moving on the river. When we heard the specks, we all got excited for the hunt, knowing we had timed it right.

The next morning along a gravel road in Oregon, we met Jon and our guide for the week, Brandt Weber. Weber makes his living year-round as a fishing guide in the warmer months and then transitions to ducks and geese as the season arrives. After the introductions, we got a lift into the alfalfa field where they had meticulously set 30 Dave Smith specklebelly decoys with six snow decoys. The layout blinds had disappeared into the tumbleweed-laden field edge. I complimented Weber on how hidden the blinds looked and asked him about the small spread size. Weber reaffirmed Jon’s earlier testament to how tough these late season specks can be to fool, and that giving them less to pick apart is usually more effective.

While we were optimistic, we still didn’t know exactly what to expect; so we were elated to see specks in the sky as first light brightened the horizon. As warned, the birds were wary, but it was quickly apparent that Brandt was someone who understood these birds well and was excellent at blowing a speck call. It wasn’t long until there were specks hovering over our blinds. The shot was called, and our aim was true! Several of us had the bar bellies we came for!

Trophy birds in a unique place

The next day found us in a cornfield where the birds had been spotted the evening before. Weber likes to run a few snow goose decoys with his speck decoys for more visibility. It also helps your chances should some wayward snow geese find their way over the spread. This morning, the snows were the star of the show. We had a fantastic spin of white geese, and they began to touch down in the decoys. After the chaos settled, there were over 20 snows on the ground. Not long after picking up the snow goose carnage, a group of specks came low across the field, just out of range. They saw something they didn’t like. Nevertheless, the snow goose spin was enough to make us all happy clients.

After a quick trip back to the house for some lunch, we moved the party over to Idaho where we hid in a pit overlooking a huge snow goose spread. When the evening flight began, it was clear that the snows had come to play. Everything was perfect. The hide, the decoys, the birds; all of it. The end of legal shooting time came far too quickly.

However, the crown jewel of the trip came the next day when we were hunting the birds over water. Weber said the birds act differently over water, and he wasn’t lying. Two small flocks and a single worked beautifully into our spread, and we shot eight beautiful bar-bellies to cap off a great hunt.

Just west of the Rocky Mountains probably isn’t where you were thinking you’d find specks and snows, but if you’re looking for a cool destination hunt you should look to Idaho and Oregon to get that trophy tar-belly.

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