2022 HuntTheNorth.com Outfitter Of The Year Black Goose Outfitters

OUTFITTER REVIEW ON

BLACK GOOSE OUTFITTERS

Part 1: THE HUNT

NAMED THE 2022 HUNTTHENORTH.COM OUTFITTER OF THE YEAR!

SPRING SNOW GEESE OVER WATER – AN EPIC ADVENTURE
By Dan Wennerlind

One of the most rewarding waterfowling experiences on the planet can be the spring snow goose hunting conservation season. Just witnessing the massive flocks of migrating snow geese, along with all of the other species of waterfowl in full plumage, during the spring season is a reward in itself, especially after a long cold winter. However, hunting spring snow geese and killing spring snow geese are two entirely different challenges!

When I first met outfitter Larry Frimann of Black Goose Outfitters over 10 years ago, I could tell there was something different about him.

Although he had the passion that most successful outfitters all have, I soon found that Larry also has that “All In” factor that many lack.

In essence what that means is that over the past 10 years Larry has had the mentality of doing whatever it takes to be successful on grander scale than most, including risking the financial fear of failure.

Fast forward to the 2021 spring snow goose season. I was on my way down to experience one of Larry’s incredible Nebraska water set ups for the third season. What I have found that makes this hunt so successful, compared to the traditional field style spring snow goose hunts, are as follows.

First off, Larry offers an onsite hunting lodge that makes the overall experience much more rewarding. This allows for a much more relaxing experience as there are no long drives to and from a muddy field every morning and afternoon. This also allows him to control all aspects of the package including a fantastic all inclusive meal package with every hunt.

Rainwater basin in SE Nebraska screams success!

Secondly, and what I have found to be one of the important aspects to Larry’s success every spring season is his Nebraska set up is 100% conducted over water. His permanent spread of over 2,500 floater and full body decoys set up on a 40 acre pond in the middle of the spring flight path from the Squaw Creek NWR and the Rainwater basin in SE Nebraska screams success!

The third piece of the puzzle that makes for a very rewarding experience is that Larry has 2 onsite permanent pit blinds that are, not only comfortable and easy to shoot out of. Groups of 5 hunters have the opportunity to reserve a private pit during their hunt. Fully equipped with electricity, cooking appliances and heaters, not only is the hunting incredible but the down time during the day is also enjoyable as well.

And the final and key component to success are Larry’s guides. Head guide Mike Meyer has been guiding for Larry since the inception of his spring snow goose operation started and I have found that he is the glue that holds the entire operation together. Mike’s background a sound system manager for numerous high-profile bands gave him the experience to put together, in my option, one of the best electronic calling systems ever designed for the spring season. He has also recorded all of his own soundtracks to call in the large flocks of migrating spring snow geese.

Together these 4 pieces of the puzzle have allowed Larry to make this hunt one of the best spring snow goose hunting opportunities in the entire country!

BGO’s head guide Mike Meyer with HTN President Dan Wennerlind

Upon arrival the evening before our first morning, our group was welcomed by Mike and his two assistant guides Bo and Cameron. Together they welcomed us to the camp and got us settled into our rooms at the lodge. It wasn’t long before the smell of a “Thanksgiving turkey dinner” meal filled the lodge. No, we were not hunting in November, it was March but the meal they proceeded to feed us for dinner that night rivalled the best Thanksgiving dinner my mom had ever made.

The next morning we were up and attem at 6:30am. There was no reason to get rolling too early, as the main push of migrating geese wouldn’t get there until at least 10am but there was no reason not to be in the blind at sunrise right?

After getting settled into our positions for the day in the heated pits, the stories from my past hunts started to spill. In fact, one day on a previous hunt, we harvested 82 geese out of this very pit a couple seasons ago. Would we be able to top that number on this day? Only time would tell.

It didn’t take long before we had an 8 pack of Ross geese overhead. Anyone who has hunted spring snow geese in the past knows that the Ross geese are a welcome sight as they are known for decoying into close range for maximum shooting opportunity. Three passes later and 6 of the 8 birds in the flock hit the water! We were on the board and the dogs were going crazy.

Another aspect of this hunt I thoroughly enjoy is the fact that the back half of the pond is only a foot deep and offers an unbelievable opportunity to handle both young and old dogs alike. Minutes later all 4 retrievers had birds delivered to hand like seasoned pros. We were all quick to get back into the pits as more birds were now in the air overhead.

It didn’t take long for another pair of snows to sailed into gunning range at 20 yards and both birds were dispatched quickly.

As the morning turned into afternoon, more and more large flocks of snows rained into the air. The “Big Show” as some refer to it, started around 11:30am. At one point we had over 1,500 birds circling overhead as far as the eye could see.

The big difference from this hunt and many other spring hunts I have been on, is that when head guide Mike Meyer finally called the shot, we had 50 birds at 25 yards hovering over the decoys. This seemed to be the norm all afternoon, as more and more flocks of snow geese were migrating north throughout the day. By 3pm we did a quick count and we had over 45 geese in hand. What a day!

By the end of the first day, we tallied up 56 geese made up of primarily adult birds that have been hunted 9 months out of the year, for many seasons now. That in my opinion is about as good as it gets for a spring snow goose hunt!

As we all climbed up into Larry’s big trailer and made our way back up to the lodge, we were all laughing and smiling with story after story to share from the first day.

While the guides cleaned the birds, we all enjoyed a tall, cold beverage as the steaks were being prepared on the grill. What more could you ask for. As the sun disappeared behind the horizon, we watched more and more weary flocks of snow geese sail into the spread down below the lodge. What a rewarding experience!

The next morning was about the same as the first day, up and attem at 6:30am and down to the pit! Today Mike prepared a hearty pancake and sausages breakfast in the pit for our hungry group of hunters. Boy did that hit the spot.

As we patiently waited for more and more snow and blue geese to circle lower and lower into the spread, we couldn’t help but get spoiled as Mike refused to call the shot at over 30 yards. By noon we had already almost matched the previous days count.

Today the dogs were the stars of the show. Watching the young dogs in camp put it all together after 30 or 40 retrieves was very rewarding for their owners. The more seasoned retrievers showed their skill set by handling to perfection out to 300 yards in some cases, across the pond. There were many proud pappas that was for sure!

As the day came to an end, we had one more big flock finish as the sun got lower in the sky. After a 10 minute setup, the flock of 60 adult snows and blues finally made their way into gunning rage. Wings set and birds centered, Mike called the shot and birds rained out of the sky! If we had a dozen birds that splashed down into the water, it wouldn’t have surprised me.

The guides collected the last of the birds from the dog handlers and we tallied up over 65 birds by the end of the day. What more could you ask for with sunny skies, temps in the 70’s and snow geese across the entire sky! This was truly a day to remember.

That night at camp we had a lot to talk about, with one day left. The next morning we were expecting strong winds of up to 30 mph from the south. Although Mike expected we would have another great day in the pit, we were going to have to be on our game as it wasn’t going to take long for the birds to catch the winds and sail out of range once the guns were a blazin!

Since most of our group needed to pack it up and head for home by noon, we were all hoping for an early flight on this day!

As luck would have it the birds did not disappoint. From the moment we got settled into the pits, we had snows working the spread. This day we were blessed by the presence or the infamous Larry Frimann himself. He couldn’t have picked a better day to join us. Even with the high winds, the birds seemed to have a death wish, as they continued to sail into the spread from every direction. It was truly an epic adventure by any waterfowl hunter’s standards.

The sun rose higher and higher in the sky and we were all aware that our hunt was coming to an end as the noon hour closed in. But not before it happened…..

I believe Larry spotted the big flock first, coming in from the north there were about 500 birds locked up a mile high. It didn’t take long for those 500 to turn into 1,000… and then we had “the tornado” overhead! We all watched in awe and the birds circled lower and lower. About 10 minutes into the show Mike told us all to get ready!

We now had the lowest flock of around 250 birds right on the water! As they rose up over the pit at 15 yards Mike called the shot and snow geese were splashing down in every direction. It was truly amazing!!! It was what every snow goose hunter dreams of. Mike called over the radio to Larry who was in the other pit that we intended to go pick up birds but Larry said wait we have more overhead… and we did.

The geese kept coming and it wasn’t long before the tornado started all over again!

And wouldn’t you know it, they finished just like the first flock. This time there were about 150 snows 5 feet off the water before the rose up right over the pits and Mike called it again and geese rained from the sky again!!!

By the time we had all the cripples picked up there were over 25 geese in hand from just the two volleys! Truly amazing!!!

Now that is how you run a snow goose operation my partner Dave told our guide Mike! And he was right. As we were packing up all of our gear in the blind Mike spotted an adult, lone blue goose high overhead. With wings set from a mile high, Mike told us to get ready as he was coming in hot. We gave the honors of the last bird to my good friend Dave, with one caveout… Mike passed down the 410 pit gun loaded with 1 round and all eyes were on Dave. No need for me to call the shot on this one Mike told Dave, take him when you’re ready!

Dave pulled up on the lone Blue with the 410 while I pulled up with my video camera. At 30 yards Dave smoked the bird with a single shot and the entire pit erupted in cheers!!! It was the perfect end to the perfect hunt.

After the hunt was finally over and all the gear was put away I pulled Larry aside to officially congratulate him on a job well done and to let him know that it was my honor to name Larry Frimann of Black Goose Outfitters as The 2022 HuntTheNorth.com Outfitter Of The Year!

Part 2: THE REVIEW

OUTFITTER KNOWLEDGE / PERSONALITY	Score	5 / 5

Outfitter Larry Frimann and his head guide Mike Meyer do a fantastic job from start to finish. Every aspect of the hunt is well prepared long before the hunters arrive. One would be hard pressed to find another operation of this caliber anywhere in the continental US, especially for the price point that Larry offers this package at. Mike also does a wonderful job making sure each client is happy and satisfied throughout each hunt and is very fun, lighthearted and entertaining throughout the entire hunt. They definitely deserve a score of 5 / 5!

QUALITY OF EQUIPMENT USED	Score	5 / 5

This aspect of the hunt is an absolute NO BRAINER! From the first class heated pits with comfortable office chairs for the hunters to sit in, to the WOLD CLASS caliber spread of over 2,500 floater and full body decoys, to the incredible sound system developed by Mike Meyer himself. Every aspect of the hunt has the “spared no expense” factor written all over it! Score of 5 out of 5 for sure!

OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE GAME	Score	5 / 5

The opportunity to harvest game on this hunt was definitely well above average for the typical spring snow goose hunt. The fact that this is a hunt designed for an over water experience, it allows for a full days hunt instead of a morning and late afternoon hunt like most field hunts in the spring. On top of that, the location of Larry’s operation also is vital. Being located in SE Nebraska, the location of the camp is in direct flight path of the Squaw Creek NWR which hold upwards of 4 million snow geese each spring, and the Rainwater Basin of Nebraska. That allows for a constant flight of snow geese all day long on spring migration days. The only down time we have ever seen is on cloudy, rainy days when the migration is stalled out. Many hunters here of the 100 bird days in the spring. While that should not be the expectation, it does happen on those “really good days”. Score of 5 / 5!

QUALITY OF MEALS AND LODGING	Score	4 / 5

One aspect of Larry’s hunt I really like is the onsite lodge location. Most every other spring snow goose hunting adventure I have been on is based out of local motels within 30 minutes of the desired hunting location. Muddy boots and muddy dogs are always a concern in the spring. And meals are typically gas station food or local restaurants. Larry’s onsite lodge allows for a very comfortable and relaxed experience with a kennel for your dogs and a delicious homemade meal plan. In addition to that, the travel from the lodge to the pit blind is a 5-minute ride down on the side x side. Very rewarding. Score of 4 out of 5!

HUNT PACKAGES AND ADDITONAL FEES	Score	5 / 5

Larry offers a very affordable daily rate of $300 per hunter, per day for groups of 4 – 6 hunters. Larry also offers a daily pit rate of $1,000 per pit for smaller group sizes. That does not include the meal plan which is $200 per group, per night. Larry also offers bird cleaning services at $4.00 per bird. In our opinion this is an incredible package value. Score of 5 / 5!

OVERALL QUALITY OF THE TRIP	Score	5 / 5

After hunting spring snow geese year after year, with many different spring snow goose hunting outfitters, we feel this is the Cadillac of spring snow goose hunts. This is truly a bucket list experience. Score of 5 / 5 all the way!