![]() ![]() Lance and Emily Robinson, along with their three-year-old daughter, Brooke, welcomed me, gave me a brief tour, and showed me to my cabin. After a customary tussle with baggage claim and a surprise upgradeĪfter four hours on the road rubbernecking for waterfowl on farm ponds and potholes, both of which were plentiful, I pulled into the parking lot at Goose Haven Lodge. My destination was right on the northern edge of this agricultural belt, in a special place where fields meet forest.Īs I stepped off the plane, a gust of cool air leaked through the door of the jet bridge-a welcome respite from the deflating heat I left behind in west Tennessee. Wheat, barley, peas, and canola are the predominant crops, and while farming efficiency has improved tremendously over the past decades, shifty grain still dodges combines on field edges and under tractor tires, creating an important food source for waterfowl. The southern third of Saskatchewan is mostly agricultural. The northern two-thirds of the province lie within the Boreal Forest, a seemingly endless sea of evergreens, lakes, and wetlands that stretches across the northern reaches of the continent. Imagine the combined area of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and the Texas panhandle and you’ll be close to understanding how far Saskatchewan spreads its wings. Like Canada’s other prairie provinces, Saskatchewan is huge. Even from 10,000 feet, however, I couldn’t spot my final destination, which was a few hundred kilometers closer to the North Pole. The leftover grain in those harvested fields nourishes migrating ducks and geese as they begin their long journeys to wintering areas in the Lower 48. As my flight approached Saskatoon, I had the perfect vantage point from which to survey an endless palette of brown and amber agricultural fields. The vast, wide-open landscape is heaven for waterfowlers. By Hampton Bourne Photography by Bill BuckleyĮverything you have heard about Canada is true.
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