Short Reed Goose Calls

Field Goose Hunting Rules Of Thumb

If you are serious about goose hunting then you are invariably going to be hunting in the fields.  Geese love the water, but more for resting and relaxing than for eating, and that means that patterning them consistently on the water is a challenge.  Plus once you find out where they roost you will get one good day of hunting.  And then they will be gone for good.  Nothing ends quality goose hunting in a specific area better than busting up a roost.  Now, hunting in a field can be as simple as driving around, finding a field where the geese are, setting up the next morning and shooting your limit, but if that isn't your gig on a routine basis, some goose hunting rules of thumb are needed to continue to be successful in the field.  With that in mind, here are a few tips to help you get more consistent hunting in the future:

Setup your Goose Decoys On the Highest Point In A Field

Geese are very visible creatures.  They look from miles away to see what is going on and where a healthy food supply awaits.  You would be surprised how far they can see once they are up in the air.  That said, if you are down in a valley or not on the highest point in the field you have permission to hunt, they are far less likely to see you.  You want them to see your decoys easily and make their way towards your spread once they get up in the air, and for that to happen the highest point is also the most visible point.

Avoid Standing Corn Or Woods If At All Possible

Geese are smart birds.  They know that tall corn and trees are the source of a lot of things that can harm them.  In addition to you and I lying in wait amongst the trees and standing corn over the years, there are also many predators that can easily hide in these areas.  For that reason geese are hesitant to make their way too close to such a spot.  Unless you have a great reason I would avoid these spots altogether.

Find A Way To Remain Completely Hidden

The key to continued success in the hunting game is two key areas, scouting and concealment.  Layout blinds are possibly the greatest thing invented for field hunting geese in the past twenty years as they allow for portability coupled with top notch concealment.  If you don't have a layout blind, laying in the decoys or finding a low hedgerow are also options.  Geese have keen eyesight, so sticking out like a sore thumb will get you no shots and you will continue to be frustrated.

Put The Birds To Bed

A common technique that is bandied about is to scout around in the afternoon until you locate birds.  And not just a small flock or two, a heaping bunch of them using one field.  If you don't already, go and obtain permission to hunt the field and then get back and make sure that the geese stay in the field until dusk.  They will leave that evening/night at some point and then you can get there before they come back the next morning.  This may take a lot of miles and time, but it will pay off in spades when the geese are landing in your face.

So there you have it, a plethora of great rules of thumb to take with you the next time you are planning on goose hunting out in the fields.  If you utilize these techniques, a more successful hunting season awaits.

How not to blow a goose call

Please practice before you go to the field

A great story of how not to blow a goose call. Last year I was out hunting a wheat field for honkers and we had a nice fully flocked spread set up for early season goose hunting here in Minnesota. Early in the morning had no luck , just lots of high flyers that did not seem interested in landing in our field. So we rearranged the decoy spread and moved to an area more out in the open that had more down wheat. The geese in the afternoon were flying much lower and many of them close enough for me to blow my short reed goose call.

I by no means am a expert call, but I can make about 4 calls pretty good. I started to blow a nice feeding call and the geese started their final decent. One of the guys that was with was a friend of a friend type of thing. He started wailing on his $10 garbage call and all the geese veered off and left before we had any shooting. It was so bad it sounded like someone was stepping on a dying cat. He was breaking his reed open right away and it sounded just awful. We banned him from blowing any more during the day. Bottom line is that we filled out on geese because so many were around. I kept telling the guy - you need to go over to field across the road we are going to get a lot more shooting over here when you blow your call over there.

A great hunting story, but the bottom line is if you cant blow your goose call - PRACTICE away from the field. If you cant blow it at all, choose a better location and leave the call at home.

Why are their so many snow geese?

Why are their so many snow geese today compared to 20 years ago?  I was doing some research today on the Journal of Wildlife Management and I learned some interesting facts about snow geese and the size of their brood.

Many people suspect that the reason snow geese have grown so much in population is that the predators in the artic are less than ever, therefore no competiton yields more geese.  When in fact this is not true - today there are as many artic fox's as ever and now there is evidence that the polar bear due to a shrinking ice cap is adding snow geese to their diet.  So what then is causing the massive increase in snow geese?

The research indicates that the evidence is that related to the amount of fat reserves a goose has once breeding season starts.   The clutch size is directly related to the nutrient reserves after migration.  So what does this mean for a snow goose hunter.  A snow goose is going to feed heavily in migration to keep the nutrients high to produce high amounts of chicks.  Therefore it is important to hunt where food is abundant.  The geese will hang around a day or two where their is food.  Since snow geese eat vegitation naturally look for open areas around rivers and water in the north migration for feeding geese.

The use of many cheap snow goose decoys in your spread will entice the geese to think food is abundant.

Canadian Geese – Why do they fly in a V?

Want a great joke to tell other hunters - especially kid hunters?

Question: So why is one side of the V longer than the other side of the V?

Answer: Because there are more geese on the that side!

So really why do geese fly in a V?  The answer is really quite simple it has to do with areodynamics and the conservation of energy.  Geese fly an amazing distance each year when they migrate and that requires an amazing amount of energy to be expended to travel that far.  Ever notice that geese fly very high up in the sky when migrating?  That is because they need to ride the jet stream as best they can to use less energy when travelling great distances.  This is also why a goose hunter needs to use so many goose decoys when hunting geese in the fall.

The v formation is a very areodynamic position.  It helps break the wind - each goose takes their turn at the front of the V such that they are not constantly breaking the wind.  As the other geese rotate to the front the leading goose can fase to the back and conserve energy.  The V formation is natures way of helping geese travel great distances to their breeding and winter migration grounds.

Tips for shooting from a layout blind

If you are not accustomed to hunting in a layout blind the first time can be a little difficult. Most hunters are very comfortable with shooting in a upright position. When shooting in an upright position everything is very comfortable: 1) your eyes are level on the horizon, 2) you can mount your gun as normal, and 3) you are usually very stable because you are sitting or standing. However, when shooting either snow geese or canada geese in large fields, a hunter needs to find a way to conceal themselves from the incomming geese.  This is typically acccomplished by using a layout blind or sometimes called a coffin blind.

A Typical Layout Blind

Learning how to shoot first time a hunter steps into a layout blind can be quite intimidating. When shooting out of a layout blind everything is changed: 1) you are lying prone on your back, 2) you are in an enclosed area that limits both your movement and space, 3) your eyes are looking upwards not on the horizon making it difficult to judge height and space, and 4) you must sit up to shoot making a required extra step to hunt.

For most beginners using a coffin blind can be a big challenge.  Not many are used to suddnly flipping open a hatch and sitting up to shoot.  To become an effective hunter from a layout blind every hunter must remember a few key strategies that will make them much more successful in the long run.

• Patience.  Remember when geese start their final decent they are committed to land.  This buys a hunter time when shooting from a layout blind.  Many novice hunters jump up too soon and end up taking very long shots that are unnecessary.
• Rise Slowly.  Use your elbows to start your lift and use your stomach muscles to do the rest.  The hatch will open automatically, so you need to keep your hands on the gun.
• Take good shots.  A panicked shot is a missed shot.  Take a deep breath and shoot close range geese.  These birds are tough and bringing them down can be difficult.
• Shoot only when you are stable.  Many new hunters try to shoot when they are lifting up.  This is too many variables for most to handle.  Get up, get stable, aim and relax and then pull the trigger.

If you use these tips, I am sure you will be able to shoot more geese this year.  Using a layout blind can be a very effective way to conceal yourself in the field, just make sure you are comfortable shooting from the blind.

PR: wait... I: wait... L: wait... LD: wait...

Great scouting is the key to success

Scouting

When finding an area to hunt pay attention to topography of the local area. What is the access to water? Is there a body of water that the geese can rest on for the evening? What is the proximity to food? Can you identify the closest local food source for the geese to feed. Something to remember when hunting Canada geese is that their migration pattern requires that they eay a very large amount of food to migrate long distances. It is necessary to find areas that they have an ample food sources. You can blow your goose call until you are blue in the face if you aren't in or near the right spot you won't get geese to come in.  It is always a good idea to scout areas where the harvested just happened because it is easy for the geese to find food.

A key point to remember is that your advance scouting for Canada geese should include areas where their is ample food source.

A second key point to consider when scouting is the proximity of water relative to the feeding areas. More times than not geese will choose a body of water to rest in and will move to the fields in the nearby area to feed. The fields within a 4-5 mile radius of the body of water are great tagets to set up your decoys for a hunt. The more recent the field was harvested the more likely the geese will feeding in that location.

Scouting is so crucial to success of goose hunting that it will be the difference between a good and bad year.

PR: wait... I: wait... L: wait... LD: wait...

Cheap Snow Goose Decoys

In an earlier post I talked about how many decoys to use in the spread and basically mentioned that many is a good thing when it comes to snow geese. However as someone noted in the comment section, who has several thousand dollars to buy snow goose decoys, especially given our current economic condition.

Here are some ideas for some very cheap snow geese decoys.
1) First the Texas Rag: basically a white rag tied to a dowel. Quick and easy to set up and really cheap. I have heard of people contacting linen companies and getting their throw out towels for this purpose. I must mention that the geese will fly closer with a big spread, however, their needs to be some realism to the decoy spread. So a few traditional decoys mixed in will help. The snow geese are looking for the contrast at high altitudes and the white specks are all that is needed. Something to remember is that snows are more community feeders than Canada geese, therefore a large bunch is very common for them. Canada's tend to be much more aggressive and will chase snows away and sometimes feed in smaller quantities.

Dont forget to remove the label - they make great snow goose decoys!

3) If you are looking for a professional decoy that is pretty cheap - don't forget to look at the silosock decoys.  The simple design allows for a fast setup and take down.  In addition, it will give some very lifelike movement to your decoy spread.  Use in combination with your cheap free decoys and you can be successful without spending thousands.

Snow Goose Calls – A forgotten weapon

Virtually all of the goose calls on the market today are greater Canadian Goose calls. Both the short reed goose calls and goose flutes are almost all tailored to the sport of hunting Candians. However, as the blue and snow goose population explodes the sport of the snow goose hunting has emerged as a force. One of the big advantages is that blues and snows can be hunted in spring and late fall, giving hunters that added opportunity to be in the field.

The snow goose call is distictively different than the Canadian goose calls. First, the snow goose has a very distinctive call relative to the greater Canadian geese. The snow goose has a cackle that is in many ways not that much different that ducks. As a result snow goose calls are much more like duck calls than typical short reed calls. Quite simply snow geese do not have the vocalization capabilities of the big geese so the calls are not as complex. However, a good snow goose call like the PS OLT snow goose call will help when hunting these birds.

How to use a Mojo Goose decoy!

Lets face it we have all had trouble in the late season getting geese to come into the final approach. One of the best ways I know how to get geese to make their final decent is to add motion to your goose decoy spread. Perhaps the most famous popular motion decoy to add to a spread is the Mojo Spinning Wing goose decoy. However, many hunters just plop the decoy anywhere in their decoy spread and expect it will pay dividends. The reality is it is part of your decoy strategy and not a secret sauce.

First lets think about decoy spreads for a second. We want our geese to land perpendicular to our blinds and not head long into our blinds. First it makes the hunter harder to spot and second it provided better shooting lanes. Geese by nature are very competitive, so a spinning wing decoy sitting right next to 10 feeding geese doesnt make sense - the spinning wing needs to look like a goose landing in a clearing. So as we set pockets of our decoys up a perfect location is on the edge of the spread and preferable to be in front of you. This says to the geese - hey land here! Dont get the decoy to far away from the decoys as it will look odd to the landing geese. Bottom line after you get done setting up your spread - does it look natural. Go watch geese how they land and you too will become better at decoy placement. Try the mojo on those hard days and you can get great success.

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MOJO LANDING GOOSE MOTORIZED SPINNING-WING DECOY NEW!    US $149.90

A Good Snow Goose Jacket – A Overlooked Piece of Equipment

As much as we hunters spend on goose decoys, guns, ammo, hunting trips, waders, and goose calls - we often overlook one of the most important peices of equipment - OUR CLOTHING. Lets face it the conditions for hunting waterfowl are not like hunting doves in Argentina. The air is usually damp and wet and the air temperature can be fridgid at times creating the ideal environment to be cold.

A goose hunting jacket can make you much more comfortable while hunting in the field or over open water. What should a goose hunter look for in a good snow goose hunting jacket. First, look at the grams of insulate. Since you are hunting snow geese in late fall and early spring the jacket should be rated for at least 20 degree weather - preferably warmer. Another great feature in a jacket is layers - many of the great jackets have a inner and outer layer allowing you to hunt in a much wider range of temperatures. Next, look at the camo pattern - not all camo patterns are created equal -- Especially in snow goose hunting where the combination of white and dark can give you away for miles. The camo pattern needs to closely match your conditions, concealment is a key feature. Finally, flexibility and motion are crucial point to choosing a jacket. When in the store, grab a gun when wearing the jacket and see if you can move around to shoot. Lack of mobility will cause you to be uncomfortable and make the hunt less enjoyable.

Take a look at some of these great deals right now on snow goose jacket. enjoy your spring hunt!

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ScopeCoat Trijicon ACOG TA 11 : SC-ACOG-TA-11-BLK    US $15.99