Goose Hunting Tips...

[waterninja]

... Was talking to a buddy about how many ducks and geese there are this year. I also mentioned about how intelligent and wary geese are when it comes to sneaking up on them, or trying to get them to land near a set up.
One thing he mentioned is that after ahwile he thinks the geese (I'm talking Canada geese) are smart enough to stay away from fields with fresh tire tracks made from a truck that could have been used to bring the decoys out.
It got me thinking about just what precautions you seasoned Geese hunters have to take when setting up for a goose hunt. Any tips that a newbie might not have thought about? Thanks.

[sav_edge_308]

Here's a few tips from a noob to a noob, based in what I've learned so far.

Goose hunting is a major, huge super complicated borderline ridiculous production and seasoned hunters don't want noobs getting involved.

[angery jonn]

Never had an issue with tire tracks, I find brushing the blind in properly is the biggest factor.

[simmered]

Also be cautious of your spend casings. They can flare on the random red shells laying around.
Clean decoys are good as well, wash dust and dirt off of them from the summer storage.

[angery jonn]

Good call on the spent shells, we always figured it was the shine of the brass.

[Justfishin73]

Originally Posted by sav_edge_308

Here's a few tips from a noob to a noob, based in what I've learned so far.

Goose hunting is a major, huge super complicated borderline ridiculous production and seasoned hunters don't want noobs getting involved.

Not true.

Tire marks mean zilch, that area may have too much pressure though if being used frequently, that will scare them off.

[sav_edge_308]

So a bunch of birds are smarter than us, is what you're saying? Man, from what I'm learning so far about how complicated hunting seems to be, it's a wonder that our ancient ancestors even ate!

[angery jonn]

Originally Posted by sav_edge_308

So a bunch of birds are smarter than us, is what you're saying? Man, from what I'm learning so far about how complicated hunting seems to be, it's a wonder that our ancient ancestors even ate!

I wouldn't say "us", but certain people for sure...

[The Spank]

Like anything else once they have been shot at a few times they become conditioned. Most times they see the same things over and over from hunters so they learn to recognize what is amiss. Small overlooked things that many don't think of or scoff at like using stubble left over in the stubble straps from a previous hunt. Erecting an upright blind where none existed the day before. Dead birds left upside down in the decoys. Bare faces poking out looking as birds circle or approach. The list goes on...

[aulrich]

Shooters don't have to be in the decoys.

Don't be afraid of natural cover, but don't get the decoys too close

Don't over choke your gun

[Diesel_wiesel]

I'm with spank on this one
you cant be to cautious on concealment
camo up yer face, if its low stubble dig down haul the dirt off in yer pickem up bring it back when yer done
always use the same vegetation from the same field yer hunting in
make sure yer blind is stubbled in then when you think its good add more
make sure yer flag is out of sight
make sure none of yer decoys shine any wheres
and yes Canada geese are very smart
and will make fools out of hunters never under estimate them
they have keener and better eye sight then humans
make sure you don't have bright clothing inside yer blind they will spot it
I am speaking from trial and error mistakes and experience
here is an true to life honest example
up until this year I had a hunting partner that refused to stubble his blind properly
he would use wheat straw in a pea field, or oat straw in a wheat field or use that cammo grass he bought from Cabela's
the geese would flare 150 yards consistently
I refused to hunt with him this year
every time ive been out I have limited out
he still cant get geese to come in to his decoy spread
and doesn't understand why, he has been shown and told by outfitters and guides , but refuses to listen
well DUHHHHHHH
he under estimates a gooses intelligence
and he don't have sence god gave a goose

[bobalong]

I think many hunters think geese are much smarter than they actually are. Most of their actions are instinct, they don't think or reason. That said no one knows what a goose actually thinks with their pea sized brain but IMO they mostly react to instinct.

Never found shotgun hulls to ever make a difference. Been hunting geese for over 40 years and only pickup our hulls after the hunt. Limited out more times than I can count.

I have used willow blinds in pea/wheat/barley field with no trees at all and limited out many times. We do have lots of pocket bush in our area though.

I have seen white bellies in the decoys move birds off a bit, other times they pile right in no hesitation at all.

Movement in a blind and white faces will flare birds, not just have them land short or wide but flare the birds right off.

If you want birds to finish in a specific spot give them lots of room, learned this years ago as the birds would still land but would land outside your set if the kill hole was to small.

I have used almost every kind of decoy made and they have all worked, I now use silos almost exclusively.

A flag works good but it usually best to stop when the birds are lined up and coming toward your set. If your calling doesn't sound good.....don't use it, practice at home, in the truck....etc. not in the blind.

Later in the season when the birds are in big flocks (lots of eyes) they can start to get a little decoy shy. Use lots of decoys and set you blinds to "side shoot" so the birds are never looking directly at your blinds when coming into land

Like everything hunting or fishing no one thing is always going to work but the things I mentioned have helped us to be more successful.

[BenC68]

Originally Posted by bobalong

I think many hunters think geese are much smarter than they actually are. Most of their actions are instinct, they don't think or reason. That said no one knows what a goose actually thinks with their pea sized brain but IMO they mostly react to instinct.

Never found shotgun hulls to ever make a difference. Been hunting geese for over 40 years and only pickup our hulls after the hunt. Limited out more times than I can count.

I have used willow blinds in pea/wheat/barley field with no trees at all and limited out many times. We do have lots of pocket bush in our area though.

I have seen white bellies in the decoys move birds off a bit, other times they pile right in no hesitation at all.

Movement in a blind and white faces will flare birds, not just have them land short or wide but flare the birds right off.

If you want birds to finish in a specific spot give them lots of room, learned this years ago as the birds would still land but would land outside your set if the kill hole was to small.

I have used almost every kind of decoy made and they have all worked, I now use silos almost exclusively.

A flag works good but it usually best to stop when the birds are lined up and coming toward your set. If your calling doesn't sound good.....don't use it, practice at home, in the truck....etc. not in the blind.

Later in the season when the birds are in big flocks (lots of eyes) they can start to get a little decoy shy. Use lots of decoys and set you blinds to "side shoot" so the birds are never looking directly at your blinds when coming into land

Like everything hunting or fishing no one thing is always going to work but the things I mentioned have helped us to be more successful.

I'm curious what your spread(s) look like, depending on certain situations.

I've been at this now for several years and I'm always acting like a sponge trying to absorb as much information as possible.

Any tips like the above for ducks?

[anthony5]

Hunted a 320 acre pea field last weekend that was shaved shorter than most lawns. Key is to have a good setup of decoys, try and hide your blind as best you can. Digging in is not always an option on this flat farm land. Put your blinds 20 yds back of the landing area, with some decoys hiding your blind profile. Tire tracks and spent shells are a non issue but uncovered hands and face stick out like a neon sign and then you are busted. Brush in you blinds away from the whole setup. Don't forget that there are bare patches of dirt in most fields so to much blind cover can be an issue when birds have been hunted week after week. Big thing is never trust a goose, the best setup ever sometimes doesn't work. Hunted with a couple of forum members last Oct. We were in a Durum field and my blind was covered with Durum stubble and theirs were coved in pea stubble from the evening before and worked like a charm. Shooting was a little suspect but still managed 13 birds even with the different blind covers.

Just enjoy the time out and learn about some of the habits of these so called smart birds. Don't read to much into the perfect setup as there is none, some just work better than others at times.

[densa44]

1. Sneaking, the less said the better but you guys can figure it out. Lucky to get any, but one or two is possible, 3 is unheard of.

2. Back shooting; this is effective and fun, it works best in the morning when they are coming off the water. The beest places are where the geese have to go up hill over trees. Let the first couple of flocks go through, get under the route they are taking. When the first flock you are going to shoot starts coming over the trees, LET THE LEADERS keep going only shoot the back of the flock. NEVER turn any birds back down into the pond.
This can work as they come off of a field going back to the roost, often they are too high but if if is windy the same rules apply, shoot the last birds.

3. Blinds and decoys; Don't move, or smoke. Tan clothing works the best. Think if you have 100 decoys it should sound like more than one goose is calling.
Tip the more guys calling can et them very excited and they will come in easier.

There is always something new to learn but this can be very effective 100 bird shoots are not uncommon, the more firepower the better, don't move until you are told, you have lots of time, they won't get away like ducks, head on the stock and keep swinging. Aim for the bill.

Be safe and have fun. Clean up when you are done.

[bobalong]

Originally Posted by BenC68

I'm curious what your spread(s) look like, depending on certain situations.

I've been at this now for several years and I'm always acting like a sponge trying to absorb as much information as possible.

Any tips like the above for ducks?

I don't hunt ducks to much, but I got a mojo duck decoy a couple years ago and it sure does work well for ducks.
My setups for geese are usually fairly similar, set for the wind, look for a bit of depression for the blind, set the decoys in a loose v or u shape or sometimes two lines, with the blind on the side. Always try to put the dekes on high ground and the blinds low. Set blinds with back to the sunrise or sunset whenever possible.



SIDE SHOOT

[Birdy]

I've always found anything that'll glare will flare. We've had stellar mornings with frost on the dekes only to have them all flare the instant the sun pokes thru the clouds or over the horizon and they get the tiniest glare. Next group and the sun is behind a cloud and they're locked up. I hate bluebird days for geese because it's ended so many hunts.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[crazy_davey]

Originally Posted by sav_edge_308

So a bunch of birds are smarter than us, is what you're saying? Man, from what I'm learning so far about how complicated hunting seems to be, it's a wonder that our ancient ancestors even ate!

You need to grow up if you want to become a hunter. Your post history before you were banned proves that...

[The Spank]

Originally Posted by bobalong

I think many hunters think geese are much smarter than they actually are. Most of their actions are instinct, they don't think or reason. That said no one knows what a goose actually thinks with their pea sized brain but IMO they mostly react to instinct.

Never found shotgun hulls to ever make a difference. Been hunting geese for over 40 years and only pickup our hulls after the hunt. Limited out more times than I can count.

I have used willow blinds in pea/wheat/barley field with no trees at all and limited out many times. We do have lots of pocket bush in our area though.

I have seen white bellies in the decoys move birds off a bit, other times they pile right in no hesitation at all.


Movement in a blind and white faces will flare birds, not just have them land short or wide but flare the birds right off.

If you want birds to finish in a specific spot give them lots of room, learned this years ago as the birds would still land but would land outside your set if the kill hole was to small.

I have used almost every kind of decoy made and they have all worked, I now use silos almost exclusively.

A flag works good but it usually best to stop when the birds are lined up and coming toward your set. If your calling doesn't sound good.....don't use it, practice at home, in the truck....etc. not in the blind.

Later in the season when the birds are in big flocks (lots of eyes) they can start to get a little decoy shy. Use lots of decoys and set you blinds to "side shoot" so the birds are never looking directly at your blinds when coming into land

Like everything hunting or fishing no one thing is always going to work but the things I mentioned have helped us to be more successful.

Here on the prairies hunting geese is a no brainer as there are so many birds always fresh in on their migration, especially juvies in their first migration but if you tried to get away with some of the things described above especially erecting upright blinds where none existed hours before south of the border or in high hunting pressure areas of long term staging and wintering you would see alot of empty bag days. I agree the birds are not smart so much as they are conditioned. If everything looks right they will generally sail right in but birds that have survived a few being shot at experiences tend to be much more savvy at recognizing things that are amiss.

[Diesel_wiesel]

the one main reason I say the birds as far birds go are smart is
my father raised a couple hatchings of Canada geese
got the eggs from nests that were in a grass fire, he saved them before the fire got to them
to explain why I say they are smart in a way would take to much space and time to type it all out
they are a very intelligent bird, or more so have uncanny instincts, that make them seem smart
if you study them
you will understand them
and then you will start filling your limit almost every time you go out on a goose shoot
but they can be very stupid in the same sense
smart yet stupid, if that makes sense and not an oxymoron LOL
they would make great government employees ,
government intelligence type of critters
the thing with most hunting is if you do your home work and educate yerself on the species you are hunting
and learn their habits and behaviour , your more likely to tag out as aposed to relying on outhouse luck

[The Spank]

Originally Posted by Diesel_wiesel

the one main reason I say the birds as far birds go are smart is
my father raised a couple hatchings of Canada geese
got the eggs from nests that were in a grass fire, he saved them before the fire got to them
to explain why I say they are smart in a way would take to much space and time to type it all out
they are a very intelligent bird, or more so have uncanny instincts, that make them seem smart
if you study them
you will understand them
and then you will start filling your limit almost every time you go out on a goose shoot
but they can be very stupid in the same sense
smart yet stupid, if that makes sense and not an oxymoron LOL
they would make great government employees ,
government intelligence type of critters
the thing with most hunting is if you do your home work and educate yerself on the species you are hunting
and learn their habits and behaviour , your more likely to tag out as aposed to relying on outhouse luck

Exactly!! Pay attention to detail, scout, scout and scout some more then once you have them pegged down blend into the environment to your utmost best and let'em have it! Pulled goose breast on an oven toasted panini with an ice cold beverage!! Mmmmmmm! It doesn't get much better!!

[Diesel_wiesel]

Originally Posted by The Spank

Exactly!! Pay attention to detail, scout, scout and scout some more then once you have them pegged down blend into the environment to your utmost best and let'em have it! Pulled goose breast on an oven toasted panini with an ice cold beverage!! Mmmmmmm! It doesn't get much better!!

Hmmm
Fried over an open fire beside a clear stream
Ruffed grouse and a fresh caught trout
On a warm sunny fall afternoon
While sitting on a recently (with in the last hour) downed 76 inch bull moose
Might come close though
Lmao

[Pikebreath]

While they may have a bird brain, do not underestimate the awareness level of geese.

Geese are typically open country birds and are very aware of what is going on around them. Ever pull into field approach to look at bunch of Canadas 400 yards away? They may not fly but you certainly have their attention judging by the number of heads that pop up looking back at you.

Tire tracks do not bother the birds as fields typically are covered with vehicle tracks anyways,,, but under wet or snowy conditions fresh tire tracks do show up as conspicuously darker than old dry tracks,,, if shiny faces, poor concealment, belly up geese and possibly even spent shells can tip off geese to your possible presence, then is it a stretch to consider that a fresh darkened tire track in their landing zone / approach angle would not heighten their awareness that something might not be right?

So in wet conditions, keep your driving in and out tracks to a minimum and avoid putting fresh tracks on the suspected approach angle of the birds.

The absolute best tip anyone can give is to set up on the "X" which is best found through scouting and observation followed by more scouting and observation. It's a lot easier to decoy a goose that wants to be where you are waiting with your spread than it is to convince him to go elsewhere.

After that, your job with setting up is to avoid tipping off their "spidey senses" in a manner that puts the birds within comfortable shooting distance for you.

[aulrich]

There are two aspects of scouting that should be clarified , finding geese on a field is fine and dandy but the key to long term success is finding roosting water and the general tyravel directions then finding hunts will be easier. it helps you to concentrate your initial search.

On our last hunt we pulled out something old school and something new ( at least new to me), the result was pretty good.

The new to me was to use a J vs. the usual V.

Set the J so the wind blows from the bottom of the j with the stem trailing down wind. When you are placing decoys the major concentration was at bend of the J , with the amount of decoys we have the stem of the J is only about 30 yards long and only 5-6 yards wide.

The old school thing was to have the decoys facing 1 direction though it was more like facing the same point. Years ago I had abandoned that thinking that only spooky geese face the same way so we placed them every which way thinking the flock looked more “relaxed”. We revived the one direction thing for this reason the decoys tell the incoming birds where the food is and being competitive by nature they will be compelled to go where the new food is.

was it was just the day, or there is something to it I don’t know, but I can say the J gives plenty of space for a kill zone and is way more forgiving to minor wind shifts. Same for facing decoys to the same point. , but the only time we touched our decoys was to stand them back up after a dead goose knocked them over. And this was the first time in memory were we did not adjust the decoys at all.

[Canadasnowman]

I'm no expert but, just got back from another terrific Saskatchewan goose shoot. Would have to agree with others, most important to bush in them blinds, lean them in at the tops so when ya look around, ya scratch your eyes ..... LOL.
Well not quite, but fill ER in, the bottom skirt too, big time.
Use a J method decoy set up from sixty to thirty yards, with the top of the j at sixty, as your deeks pass the blind, kind of in mixed line Of deeks and kthrough the approach shooting and landing area, thirty to fourty, the odd decoy in the shooting area, in the kill zone, with the bottom of the J past the blind to Fifty yards to make a landing zone in front of the blind and into the wind.

I hope that helps.

[Justfishin73]

Ive heard about guys throwing out some ducks amidst their goose decoys. In fields, not really near water. Anyone have any success with this?

[aulrich]

Not really for geese, but it does give give ducks a target vs the high speed fly over. Remote control mojo's are a nice addition, but geese can spook so you need to be able to turn them off.

[Justfishin73]

Right where we set up on way to work, like they are waiting for us!

[waterninja]

This was a great read boys and girls. Many years of experiance shared and some great tips and advise given. Thanks for some great pics also. Some of those blinds and decoy spreads look like a lot of work.

[Justfishin73]

Originally Posted by Justfishin73

Right where we set up on way to work, like they are waiting for us!

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