About Us

I remember one hunt when I was working hard to connect with a particular guest who had unusual expectations about the upcoming hunt. Early the next morning, I found a secluded field overrun with ducks. Downplaying my find to the group, I waited for the right moment to surprise this guest.

He wasput off by my proposal to spend part of the day hunting in an unassuming barley field. He showed up wearing his whitest tennis shoes, scoffing at the plan. And when we arrived at the field, there was nothing but the afternoon sun and a gentle breeze to greet us.

We waited it out, and soon enough they came in pairs, then small groups, then waves too big to even try to count! We met our limit in just minutes, then sat long after the last shot to take in the symphony of whistling wings surrounding us.

I’ll never forget how this guest looked at me with his red eyes welling up. He’d never believed a hunt like this existed. We took a moment to reflect on missing our late fathers before I was able to lighten up the situation by reminding him that he’d just experienced the duck hunt of a lifetime…all while wearing his bright white tennis shoes!

“Sean, I always pictured angels being a whole lot prettier than you but I guess not as I swear I’m in heaven.”

When scouting your hunt, be sure to look at the details: where the natural pockets are, what the terrain dictates, how the birds are feeding, and what you hear. You may have to alter minor things for blind placement or landing zones, but slip in, make the spread replicate what you scouted, and give the birds the opportunity to work in without over-calling.

Also, make sure you’re adaptable. Winds switch and the sun casts different shadows depending on the time of day. As a hunter, you have to read the evolving situation and adapt quickly to catch that next flight (and memory) you’re looking for.

If I had to pick just one, it would be the infamous “slough shark” incident with Paul’s dad, Mike Conchatre, AKA Dr. Crane, Little Daddy, and now, Slough Shark.

Mike and I were working together on a morning goose hunt during the wettest season in history. Time was of the essence and we were battling fields that were too soft for the decoy trailer.

To get to the start of our hunt, we had to move the 4 wheeler and truck down a narrow road in the dark. Mike was just a few seconds behind me as I passed a section where there was a slough on both sides. Without warning, I witnessed Mike drive the truck straight into the slough, as if the road wasn’t even there.

I was in complete disbelief as Mike gave me a tongue lashing for driving too far ahead of him, as if the 4 wheeler lights were his only guide. Of course, I took it like a champ as we proceeded to make a plan to pull out the Chevy Silverado—and we were just minutes from the birds starting to fly!

Long story short, I grabbed another truck, hooked up the tow rope, and told Mike to give ‘er on the count of three. Friendship, teamwork, and laughter prevailed and we celebrated a newly crowned “Slough Shark”…and even made it to the field on time!

“What’s a Ray Charles celebrity hunt?”

Concealment is the key! You can’t let the birds see you, especially in late season. I’ll take the best cover over the X any day of the week since the X doesn’t always offer appropriate cover. Scouting is paramount and I always like to qualify a secondary option for cover if the observed X doesn’t offer it.

Good cover, flexible shooting positions, and patience are always your best bets.

My favourite Birdtail memory is a late October hunt that I co-guided with Mike. We got a nine-man multi-species limit in just forty-five minutes with tornadoes of mallards raining down on us as we were taking down the spread. We returned to the lodge before the sun even started to set.

“I couldn’t hit them—they were too close.”

My overall favourite way to hunt is with the backboard and ghillie blanket set up in a slight depression in a field. I like to set up the majority of the spread at our backs, placing a few family groups out in front at about 20 yards to draw the birds in close.

I was trying to find the X on a field early one morning. Because of the rolling terrain, I just couldn’t get a pin on it. Little did I know that the field was extremely wet, and I buried the truck and trailer so deep that it was right to the bottom of the doors.

Freaking out, I called the lodge and Darcy raced out to help. He couldn’t even get close to me with one of the scout trucks, so I decided to head back to the lodge and get Old Blue, my jacked up ’86 Chevy. Back at the field, we hooked her on and I pulled the hunt truck and trailer out. We ended up having a great hunt, shooting our limits of Greaters in forty minutes.

“Everything’s better with bacon. BOOM!!!”

I try to be as real as possible with my decoy spread and my calling. When scouting, take note of how the birds are in the field—are they spread out, close together, in the middle, or close to the edge? Then try to mimic what you saw.

I don’t like to over-call. Instead, read the birds first with a few soft single clucks on those blue light flights. This shows me what vocal range the birds are using on their own and how aggressive or soft I should be once the sun starts to rise. If possible, I like to observe the birds in a field for a few days, let them get comfortable, then whack ‘em and stack ‘em.

We were in the field and I was guiding a group of fathers and sons. We watched my dog chase down a winged bird over 150 yards only to tackle it to the ground right out of the air, and we all cheered and dished out high-fives. At that point, one of the fathers turned to me and said, “This is one of the best days of my life!” He went on to tell us that we’d had such a positive impact on his son that he was a changed man. These are the moments I live for—creating memories that come from everyone bonding over a shared experience.

“Stop here, stop here—let me shoot those coots in the ditch!”

Call and flag your geese. Geese are very reactive to visual and vocal communication, and flagging is an effective technique to grab their attention when the birds are far off in the distance. It can also be used when finishing birds are sliding off course—a quick pop of the flag and they’re back on target for the pocket.

Combined with flagging, a calling sequence can be extremely effective. It’s important to understand what sounds to make at what times, since geese are very territorial and vocalize their position to other inbound birds. Try to watch the geese to see how they react to each sound. The majority of notes that I use in the field are variations of a spit note and quick spit, combined with double cluck and single clucks.

My dad and I had heard the stories of how many birds there were in Manitoba, but you can’t gain an appreciation for it without seeing it. I’ll never forget the first time we visited.

“We all missed—can you run out and scare the birds, so they start flying so we don’t hit the decoys?”

Respect the landowners. Ninety-nine percent of the time we are hunting someone else’s property, and many good hunting areas have been ruined by disrespectful hunters wrecking it for everyone else.

One memory that will always stick with me was when I was able to take out numerous groups and shoot our limits of ducks on the same field for eight days in a row. It speaks to how incredible this area is for waterfowl hunting.

“If the birds look like they’re getting smaller, they’re flying away from us.”

My tip is to properly scout and get as close to the X as possible, as well as making sure you have a great hide. People often question the use of A-frames in the middle of fields, but if brushed in well enough, you can pull off as good a hunt as any.

My favourite moment as a guide at Birdtail would have to be the time my group took four-man limits of ducks in an afternoon hunt, then pulled off a pit crew blind change for another group to hop in and have them almost take their daily limits as well!

“Even a blind hog finds an acorn once in a while.” (This was after the guest made a 50 yard shot on a duck!)

Stay still!! Waterfowl are programmed to search until they feel comfortable enough to land. You can have everything perfect—decoy spread, wind, sun, cover—but all it takes is a bit of movement at the wrong time and that hard work doesn’t pay off. Each bird has two eyes and when you start having those groups of birds work into a spread, they’re all trying to find a reason not to be there.

My favourite memory was to see a family who experience the joy of hunting, a selected sport, and share their special stories from generation to generation as they enjoy nature and hunting in the surrounding area.

It is also good to see the guests/hunters return and greet you with enthusiasm, to enjoy the cuisine and to see how anxious they are to experience the art of hunting ducks and geese for another season.

“We’re like family! It’s just one big happy family.”

A good tip for their waterfowl hunt is to chose a comfortable spot, relax, take aim and pull the trigger!

My most memorable time at Birdtail Waterfowl was my first season. I knew I was home when Paul and the guests wanted me just to be myself. Nobody asked me to make this or that—I had full creative license, thanks to Paul! It`s truly the best job (if I can even call it that) ever…

“Mike, this would win any Louisianan gumbo cook-off, hands down.”

Just one? Flavour match.