The Ultimate Manitoba Waterfowl Hunting Destination - Birdtail Waterfowl

Located in the famous Prairie Pothole Region of Manitoba, Birdtail Waterfowl is in the middle of waterfowl paradise. This waterfowl hunting destination offers the novice or die hard waterfowler the complete package in so many ways. Phenomenal hunting, amazing amenities and service, top notch guides and equipment, and a location that is nothing but remarkable. A recent trip to Birdtail opened my eyes on what a waterfowl hunting trip could and should be.

Goose Hunting

The core of Birdtail Waterfowl is a daily one-two punch of tier one waterfowl hunting; Canada goose hunting and action-packed duck hunting. Although there are other options such as snow goose hunting and Sandhill crane hunting, this duo of hunts is what constitutes most hunters’ days. With comfortable and spacious blinds, plenty of premium decoys, and elite level guides, every hunt you’ll go on at Birdtail will be run like a well-oil machine with one goal in mind; putting you on the best goose hunting experience possible. And, believe me when I say, you’ll get just that.

The biggest benefit of Birdtail’s location is that all season long, you’ll have a consistent influx of birds. Your hunt is not relying on a handful of resident birds. As birds migrate south, new birds arrive, making the Pothole Region a constant hot spot. Hunting dark geese from the field is my favorite type of waterfowl hunting. In my opinion, you can describe almost any aspect of the hunt, but one exception to that is when you have greater Canada geese, fully committed right up close which sometimes feels like they’re almost within arm’s reach. It’s at that moment, when you’ve got a 15+ pound Giant Canada goose inches away from touching the ground directly in front of you, that you know the Birdtail guides did their job well; the spread was correct, your concealment was on point, and the calling was appropriate. Moments like that are what we as waterfowlers chase all year. When those 3 things collide and you have that one perfect group, it makes all the 4am wake ups, setup times, and lack of comfort all mean nothing. The Canada goose hunting experience at Birdtail was simply exceptional.

Duck Hunting

For the second dose of the Birdtail one-two punch, they offer outstanding duck hunting. There’s an array of options such as field hunting, pothole hunting, big water diver hunting, flooded forest hunting, etc. My favorite duck hunt from the trip came from that last one; a flooded forest hunt for big mallards.

A local farmer reported to Owner Paul Conchatre that he had thousands of mallards on his field and in a small lake/flooded forest that he had on his property. Birdtail guides scouted it the same day and put us in there for the evening hunt. We setup decoys in about 4ft of water and then stood among the trees in the flooded forest, just off the lake and waited for ducks to dip, dive, and land in the timber. The mojo’s and the decoys did their job and we had ducks trying to land in our spread from every direction.

Seeing ducks dip and dive through the trees and then land in the water at what looks like a hundred miles an hour was incredible. What made it even better was that they were doing that in front of one of the best sunsets I’ve seen a long time. This style of hunt was something I’ve never done before, and even though we were harvesting the same type of birds I’ve seen before, the approach to the hunt took the experience to a whole new level for me.

Sandhill Crane Hunting

Lastly, but certainly not least, in the early season, Birdtail Waterfowl offers Sandhill Crane hunts. Sandhill crane hunting is an incredibly unique, once in a lifetime opportunity. If you have the option to hunt cranes, you absolutely need to give it a shot. Known as the ribeye of the sky, these monstrous birds make for outstanding table fare. Crane hunting is the pinnacle of waterfowl hunting and Birdtail has them dialed in, to say the least.

Overall, my experience at Birdtail Waterfowl was nothing short of outstanding. From Paul being everything, a waterfowl outfitter should be and more, to elite guides, incredible hunting, tier-one accommodations, a skeet range to hone your lead and food to die for, it is simply impossible to leave Birdtail Waterfowl unhappy. Birdtail is the pinnacle of waterfowl hunting and delivers a hunting experience like no other.

Top 5 Trip Tips

In my opinion, Birdtail Waterfowl is the ultimate waterfowl hunting destination. Here are some tips from my recent trip to Birdtail:

1. Try something new: Although everyone has their favorite type of hunting, 4 days at Birdtail is the perfect opportunity to try a type of hunt that you can’t do back home.

2. Headlamp: It should be a no-brainer, but time and time again I see the one guy in the field using his phone as his light during the morning setup. Don’t be that guy, bring a headlamp and thank me later.

3. Modified choke for all: I’m always amazed and variation in chokes I see in the field when all the most experienced waterfowls I know say modified is all you need. You might not be “missing” birds, you might just be using the wrong choke.

4. Pick a bird: Your guide will yell it at you for your entire trip, and there’s a reason why. No matter how many birds’ feet are down in front of you, you always need to pick a bird.

5. Trust your guide: At elite level operations such as Birdtail, the guides know their stuff tried, tested, and true. Let them do their job and trust that they are doing everything in their power to make each hunt the best one you’ve ever had.

For more information on waterfowl hunting at Birdtail Waterfowl, visit the Birdtail Waterfowl website.

Checkout our Waterfowl page for more waterfowl hunting destinations in Manitoba.

Travel Manitoba staff was hosted by Birdtail Waterfowl, who did not review or approve this story.

Written by: Marcel Laferriere