The annual fall invasion has already started. Advanced recon flights have already landed on Fir Island and near Camano. They will soon be followed by waves of the main body. Their numbers so great that they change the

landscape before your very eyes. They will stay and provide the bird watcher and hunter with hours of enjoyment. If you have not seen them yet, you will, for the first snow geese have made their annual trek to our part of the world.

Snow geese are like flying rabbits. Given good breeding conditions their numbers multiply quite rapidly. The past few years conditions have been very favorable in the Siberian Islands they nest in and we will see some of the largest flocks descend on the cut fields of Skagit and Snohomish Counties. The successful breeding is not limited to our Pacific flyway.

Nation-wide there has been an explosion of snows, to the point that they are destroying critical wintering habitat. Midwestern states enacted emergency seasons with no bag limits, unplugged shotguns, and the use of electronic calls to try on decrease the impact on the environment.

While Washington hunters will not see such drastic measures taken here, this still looks to be a banner snow goose hunting season for those that will venture afield. Snows travel in much larger flocks than their cousins the Canada. Most hunters will not see loner snows, but huge clouds of the smaller white geese. If you hunt ducks or Canadas, you will have most of the necessary equipment to hunts snows, a few other items will be needed.

Snows can be taken just like any other waterfowl, with hunting over decoys and pass shooting the most popular. It is near impossible to try and jump shoot when there are over a thousand eyes watching.

Like other waterfowl, snows like to feed in agricultural fields then raft up on the water. Once they find favorite areas, they tend to follow the same routine day after day. If you are going to hunt over decoys there is one major change over hunting Canadas. As mentioned, snows travel in large numbers. Where a dozen or so decoys may lure a couple of loner honkers in, it takes large spreads to entice flocks of snows to drop altitude and take a look. This need not be as expensive as it sounds. Most hunters employ a spread of a dozen or two full body decoys and shells, and then add rags to give the appearance of a large flock. Rag decoys or Texas rags are just that, rags that have the familiar black cross of folded wings on the back.

These are then tied to a stick and as the wind blows through them it looks like geese feeding in the field. Rag decoys can be made from a sheet or large sheets of decoys with the black wingtips can be ordered from many of the mail order companies. The use of kites and flags has also been successful. You can use your typical duck hunting camo, if it matches the local terrain or you can dress in all white and mix in with your decoys.

You will also need a snow goose call. While similar in vocals to the honkers, the snows have a much higher pitched voice. It is best that each person have a call. Large flocks on the ground tend to be very vocal, and a silence could send incoming flocks away from your spread.

Once you find the flight path of the birds, you can try and position yourself between the two points and hope to intercept low flying birds. Pass shooting usually takes place on the many dikes along the shores of Fir Island and Stanwood. Kites and flags can help draw the birds lower, but the best ally will be the weather. A good fog will keep the birds closer to the ground as will a good wind. If the fog layer is thin, the birds will fly above it, or if it is a calm day the birds will cruise at higher, safer altitudes. Calling and camo are not as important in pass shooting as decoys.

These birds are bigger than ducks, but not near as big as the Canadas. The best weapon is a 12-gauge stoked with 3-inch BB’s. If you have one that can handle the Roman Candle 3.5 inch so much the better. Remember, as will all other waterfowl, only non-toxic shot.

Protected trumpeter swans will also be making their presence known in the same areas and it is important for the hunter to know the difference between the two. The most obvious difference is size; swans are considerably larger with longer necks. Snows have black wingtips, while swans are solid white.

Swans usually fly in much smaller flocks than snows. The waterfowl regulations have drawings showing the difference between the two.

If you want to hunt snows the best place to look is in the fields of Stanwood, Fir & Camano Islands. Most of this land is private, but if you ask, you might find a farmer who would like some of them removed. The dikes at the Headquarters Unit and Smith Farm of the Skagit Wildlife Refuge can be productive, as can the tidal flats near the Headquarters and Port Susan. If you have a small boat, you can launch under the bridge just before Camano Island.

For the bird watcher, the WDFW has two refuges that are closed to hunting and will harbor the largest flocks. The first is just off Fir Island Rd. near the turn off to the Headquarters Unit and the other is off Francis Rd. just north of Mount Vernon. These are great spots to see large quantities of birds and get some great pictures.

The green fields of Skagit and Snohomish Counties will soon turn white under a blanket of snow. Geese that is. Whether you shoot them with a Kodak or a Remington, the blustery days of winter will provide ample opportunity for both.