Many people think of Lake of the Woods as trees, rock islands, northern MN wilderness. Yep, we have that. But what many don’t always have the chance to see are the over 40,000 acres of agricultural land Lake of the Woods County has. Crops vary as this is the north county and a different growing season than many are used to but many of the crops are excellent food sources for waterfowl, specifically, Canada Geese.
Recently, a group of outdoor media and representatives from outdoor companies came together up at Lake of the Woods for a cast and blast. The group setting this up was AGLOW, or the Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers. The Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers (AGLOW) is a dynamic organization of writers, editors, publishers, and many other media professionals. As individual communicators, they educate and in- form the masses through the written and spoken word. With that being said, this is the perfect venue for like minded folks who love the outdoors to get together.
The entire event was captured by Prairie Sportsman TV and host Bret Amundson. The segment is titled Northern MN Cast and Blast and really tells a nice story about the fall opportunities in these parts that go much further than catching a bunch of walleyes. On this trip, in addition to catching walleyes, the group had the chance to do layout blind hunting for geese.
Imagine all of the waters, backwaters and rivers of and around Lake of the Woods. Combine that with thousands of acres of agricultural land (food) and this area is not only a flyway but a spot where geese will hold for a while. 
The entire experience of getting up at dark thirty to get out to a field to set decoys. Watching experienced waterfowl hunters instruct how to set the spread based on the wind. Understanding based on where we were hunting how to best conceal 5 or 6 hunters in a flat field. Knowing how to talk with the geese with a goose call. When to talk loud, when to be soft, when to go crazy, when to be silent. This scenario taking place was the culmination of hundreds, perhaps thousands of hours in the field. The result of hunts that saw no shooting to quick limits and everything in between.
On this given week, the hunting was about as good as it could get. Limits were taken each morning in short order. The memories of the geese locked up on the decoys, the various chatter amongst the flock and the camaraderie of like minded, outdoor loving enthusiasts will last a lifetime.
