High-Country Geese
by Phil Bourjaily "They're going to land behind us. Turn around!" exclaimed guide Jeff Colwell. That was easier said than done in the narrow confines of the pit. As I attempted to follow Colwell's instructions, I accidentally dropped the sliding pit lid into my lap, flaring a hundred geese that were gliding toward the decoys, the leaders already with their feet down. A hundred pairs of eyes goggled, a hundred pairs of wings backpedaled, and they were gone, taking with them our only chance of the day. In my defense, I have spent lots of time in layout blinds and very little in goose pits. "What happened?" Colwell asked. "I dropped the pit lid," I mumbled. There was a long pause. "Well, you have to admit, it was kind of funny the way they all freaked out," he said. The next day, I would have my chance to look back and laugh, but at the moment, it was too soon. My son John and I were fulfilling my long-held dream of hunting Colorado's famous Front Range geese. Wary late-season birds, 60-degree bluebird weather, and my inability to operate a simple pit lid had just handed Colwell what would turn out to be Front Range Guide Service's only skunk during the long Colorado dark goose season. Even at a time when Canada geese can be found just about anywhere in the country, the Front Range is famous for its goose hunting. A look around the Loveland/Fort Collins area shows the reason why: temperatures are relatively mild, seemingly every creek and river on the arid landscape has
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