Guided Canada geese and duck hunt with Michel La Haye

CANADA GOOSE HUNTING

The 2025-26 season will start soon, for the moment, the opening date for the duck should be September 27 that of the pre-season hunting for geese is not yet known. Keep an eye on my Facebook page or contact our team directly at 613-677-1705 for an update. This year, we plan to make several outings at the end of the season (mid-December to mid-January) for diving duck shoes on the Ottawa River or the St. Lawrence River.

Hunting geese (geese or Canada geese) is the one that fascinates me the most. The service is based on facts, technique and experience gained over more than 30 years to bring you action within shooting range, i.e. at least 8 to 10 groups of birds in the effective firing range, no less. You will hunt comfortably SITTING in our "A" frame blind. YES! with Sauvagine Michel La Haye, you don't have to freeze your loins in tomb-like caches.

QUOTAS - REGULATORY CHANGE CONCERNING GOOSE IN QUEBEC AND ONTARIO:

The daily catch quota for geese will likely be maintained at three catches/day for the month of October 2025 in Ontario (two in Quebec), but this remains to be confirmed. I hear and see a lot of frustration, however, the trend observed for several years is heavy, even considering the uncertainties surrounding the estimates of breeding pairs, a clear decrease in their number has been observed in northern Quebec as well as the success of reproduction. Since 2020, entire territories seem to have been abandoned by geese in Quebec last season. In Eastern Ontario, things seem less serious and justify a smaller reduction in the daily quota than in Quebec, a clear advantage for you if you come to hunt on our side! Instead of fulminating against the developers, having a long-term vision, remember the 90s when such restrictions in the levies were put in place for similar reasons but also the extraordinary boom of these populations that followed these lean years! In the 2000s, geese rained down, they will come back if a conservation effort is made and if the waterfowlers show a good spirit of collaboration. In fact, the goose population seemed to have returned to its heyday according to what my guide and hunter friends observed in 2024 in Quebec and Ontario.

To compensate for the decrease in the daily goose catch quota in October, i.e. 3 instead of 5 per hunter, we allow hunters to collect the quotas of the two guides. For example, for a group of 5 people, the harvest possibility increases from 15 to 21, which is 4 less than the normal quota of 25 geese.

DABBLING DUCK HUNTING IN THE RIVER

The Sauvaginemlh team invites you to come and hunt dabbling ducks in the small privately owned rivers of Eastern Ontario. Hunted sections of rivers are used for two purposes by ducks: as a morning feeding area and as a day roost. Indeed, the dabblers will use these sites while waiting to return to feed at the end of the afternoon to avoid having to return to the Ottawa River located several km away. This behavior allows us to have two passes in the morning, one at dusk and another later in the morning, which greatly increases the chances of harvesting the allowed daily quotas (6 ducks/hunter).

DUCK HUNTING - ST. LAWRENCE RIVER AND LAKE ONTARIO

Sauvaginemlh partners with another guiding service, SPL service, to offer you an exciting late season diving and sea duck hunt in the St. Lawrence River downstream from Cornwall and the mouth of Lake Ontario. A safe boat approved floating blinds, and two experienced guides will take you on exceptional hunting adventures in the grandiose landscapes of our beautiful river in complete safety and excellent company. These images will remain engraved in your memory for a long time, be sure of it

YOUR GUIDE

I am Michel La Haye, the chief guide of Sauvagine MLH and I have more than 30 years of experience as a waterfowl hunting guide. Among other professions, I have been practicing fish biologist since 1986 and commercial fisherman since 1993. Owning my own environmental consulting firm (Enviro Science et Faune), I have always worked as a consultant specializing in the study of the spawning of white-water species (in spring) including lake sturgeons. Failing to obtain a sufficient number of mandates in this field and always finishing all my reports before fall, I started the profession of waterfowl hunting guide under the recommendation of one of my uncles Déry on the side of my late mother Nicole (who were my mentors for waterfowl hunting). Indeed, this uncle always told me: "When you go out alone, you almost always set your limits, why not guide people to ducks or bustards?" And that's how this passion for waterfowl guiding began, whether it's geese, surface ducks, diving ducks or snow geese. The very first outing was... pigeons with a group of hunters from the Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu region, my native land, then the ducks in the fields, on the water and then the goose. Hunting bustards (geese or Canada geese) is the one that fascinates me the most, especially since 1994 when I discovered Eastern Ontario and its many fishery resources. It was also at this time that I started making my own goose calls. Nowadays, the scarcity of experienced aquatic biologists and my reputation in this field make the demand very high. Still, I still prefer to prepare the "A" caches every August, repaint my decoys one by one, and make the rounds of my farmer friends. Less lucrative than biology and requiring much more effort, the bustard and duck hunting guide service that I offer brings me much more satisfaction, and this, on several levels, goes far beyond the simple gain and financial aspect of this activity!

A LITTLE BIT OF TECHNIQUE

"Old school" approach and guarantees

We are an old school, with a maximum number of six hunters (five for ducks) for groups of people who don't know each other, and up to 8 for fixed groups that have been hunting together for a long time.

As conditions vary, we will have to confirm by phone the time and place to meet to start the hunt. We often choose a Tim Horton's restaurant, not to name it, just to socialize in the warmth and stuff our bellies before the hunt.

Once at the hunting site, all hunters or observers who wish to do so are invited to participate in the installation of the "plan" (decoys and blind).

When it comes to the success of the hunt, we cannot guarantee the limits, as their achievement often depends more on the ability of the hunters to take down a bird in flight than on the hunting technique and the choice of the hunting site themselves. Our service is based on technical facts and the experience acquired over 30 years to bring you action within shooting range, i.e. at least 8 to 10 groups of birds in the effective shooting area, no less. That's what we guarantee with every ride.

Still following the "old school" approach, we take a host of precautions to ensure a great goose or duck hunting outing with a lot of action. For example, we never hunt for two consecutive days in the same field (or in the same area). We have some 3,500 acres of land reserved for our use and we always put impeccable prospecting and preparation effort. An important statistic, we managed 112 complete goose hunting tables between 2016 and 2018 with only 4 outings without the complete limits last year (between 9 and 14 geese collected out of a possible 25), who can say better? Last year, we only had two outings with an average success of goose hunting out of 25 hunts.

Another example of the professionalism of our hunting service, if the weather or hunting conditions do not lend themselves to an outing with a good probability of success, or if drastic changes in these conditions affect the current hunt, we notify our customers or discuss it on site, and, if there is consensus, the exit is simply postponed! There is no question of spending endless hours waiting for geese for nothing in the field. An early return home or an invitation to your family for a quick outing to the local restaurant for breakfast are guarantees of future "loose air" of hunting, so why waste time in the field or on the water for nothing?

Duration of the outing

The duck or goose hunting trip normally lasts only in the morning because the guarantee of success is often reached during this period. As said before, we guarantee at least eight flocks of birds well placed above the decoys within firing range. These short morning hunts apply for two-thirds of the season, beyond November 10-12, it often happens that geese come out in small groups throughout the day if not at the very last minute when the sun goes down. In this case, the hunt will last from one sun to the next. A change of warm clothes and a strong lunch are then required.

Security and insurance

Safety is a topic of utmost importance in our waterfowl guidance service, whether it is a field trip or a trip to the waterways. Before the start of the hunt, my guide partner, one of my three regular helpers (since 2018), and I take the time to explain the safety rules relating to each step of the hunt. Drugs, alcohol, other narcotics, dangerous behavior and refusal to follow safety instructions are NEVER tolerated, and this, in no way, the safety of all participants in the outing is at stake.

We all undergo first aid training that is renewed every 30 months, including the latest developments for cardiovascular resuscitation (CPR).

Our service also has private insurance coverage and insurance coverage provided for life members of the Ontario Federation of Hunters and Anglers https://www.ofah.org/hunting/

Comfort

Your comfort is very important to us. We know that waterfowlers have a hard rind, this sport requires it from the start. However, hunters who are uncomfortable and in an unstable shooting position always have a worse shot and they have a lot of difficulty anticipating their target. We would like to make it clear that you will hunt comfortably SITTING in our "A" frame blind. YES! with sauvaginemlh, you don't have to freeze your loins in tomb-like caches. With our goose guiding services in Ontario, we provide you with a unique, safe and exciting waterfowl hunting experience. I designed these caches in 1994 while guiding in the Cornwall area with my great friend Ronald Proulx from C.R. Sport in Dorion (see photo below). I haven't stopped perfecting them since, from two simple panels partially hiding the hunters in 1994, the caches we use today have become real "bunkers" and completely hide the hunters. They offer an impeccable view of the action through a semi-transparent panel that tilts when the hunters stand up, this is an undeniable advantage for the hunters who are then in an excellent position to fire.

Ammunition

I recommend a medium choke with log size #4 for duck and log size #2 for geese which will evolve to size #1 towards the end of the season.

SMALL GAME HUNTING LICENSES FOR NON-ONTARIO RESIDENTS

A Small Game Hunting License is required for non-residents of Ontario. If you have an Ontario Outdoor Card, you can purchase it online at the following link https://www.ontario.ca/fr/page/permis-de-chasse-non-residents-de-lontario or follow these procedures.

If you can’t travel within Ontario, these licenses are available at select Canadian Tire stores and at all Service Ontario centers. Both are present in Hawkesbury. If not, we have entered into an agreement with the Ontario government to get you your card and license. You must complete and return the attached form with an original Quebec hunting license, not a scan or photocopy, as an official document from the Government of Quebec proving that you have successfully completed a firearms course. As everywhere in Canada, you too have your federal migratory bird hunting permit.