The Cardinal Sin
The morning had started at ‘obscene o’clock’ to ensure Murray and I were ready for the three hundred-odd geese that were supposed to have beat their way into the strong wind to feed on the paddock we were hunting. Alas, the wind died down right on first light and then it started to rain. The geese that did fly headed to a property to the west of us where other hunters had permission to shoot.
Eventually the sun came out, the sandflies started biting and the remaining geese could be seen through binoculars contently feeding on the lake edge. They looked like they had no plans to go anywhere so we decided to admit defeat and head home.
With our decoys and all our gear soaking wet, it seemed pointless to pack it up and take it home just to unpack everything to dry it out again and then repack it. We decided to grab just our guns and leave everything else out to dry, go home and have lunch and come back later in the afternoon. We’d see then if the goose gods would feel sorry for us and give us a sacrificial bird for all our efforts.
As we headed home, the thought of driving back down
