First and foremost, goose decoys are almost a must if you want to have continued success.  Sure you can jump ponds and find ways into geese, but for week in and week out success you need to bring the birds to you.  In order for that to happen you need to bring the birds into your goose decoy spreads.  If you watch one of the many great goose hunting videos out there today you will see that they all start with a high quality spread.   Sure they are very good with their goose calls and concealment is a must, but getting the geese to go where you want is imperative.  A large spread of Canada goose decoys goes a long way to letting them know that everything is all right here on the ground.

On to concealment.  I likely should have had this the paragraph before.  Concealment is king after finding the right location.  Goose hunting is a moving man's game, and therefore you must be able to adapt to multiple spots and be able to remain hidden in all of them.  Thankfully, the advent of layout blinds has made this much easier and you would be surprised at how many different places they can keep a hunter hidden.  Simply use the local cover on top of your blind and you are set.  On top of that, they are extremely portable and allow you to go wherever you want easier than just about any type of blind out there.

Finally, for continued success you are going to need to be at least an adequate caller.  The range and realistic sound of the short reed goose call is a great thing for those that are serious about Canadian goose hunting, but if you are starting out stick with the goose flute.  Sure it doesn't go into all the clucks and different pitches, but it is easy to blow and produces an excellent single cluck.  If you are going to go the route of the short reed, take a look at our "how to blow a short reed goose call" page and see what you need to know to be successful with them.

When you are out Canada goose hunting this fall make sure to get those birds close in to increase you chances at bagging a limit.  They are a fun bird to hunt, but they are quite wary and tough to bring down.  If you do it right, you may even have some leg bands to attach to your goose call lanyards and bet the envy of your friends!

When it comes to hunting, the most important thing to consider is location.  Similar to real estate, hunting is all about location, location, location.  So keep that in mind when it is time to find that field you are going to hunt this year.  Did anything drastically change from the past year?  Water up or down in your area?  Agricultural fields change from wheat to soybean or corn to grass?  All these are important and will lead to better success if you are able to gleen what is important to your situation.

The second most important thing in hunting is concealment.  When it comes to goose hunting, the majority of the emphasis will be on hunting in agricultural fields.  With that in mind it is important to think about mobility as it relates to concealment.  Specialized goose hunting attire is important, but perhaps the most important is your goose blind.  Layout blinds are ever evolving, and this year it is no different.  In addition to a great lightweight and mobile blind, the layout blinds of 2010 are also becoming increasingly comfortable.  The longer you are able to stay in the field comfortably, the more likely your hunting bag is to increase.  Keep that in mind when you are setting up your hunts.  If you are able to stay hidden and away from the prying eyes of geese you are in for an impressive display in your decoy spread this year.

Speaking of goose decoys, it seems that the innovations here are never ending.  The full body goose decoys of yesteryear are still important, but the amount of benefit is slowly decreasing due to the amount of people using them.  That isn’t to say that you should ditch yours.  Increasingly it is becoming almost  imperative to have such decoys in your spread.  What has changed the game a bit is the use of flocked goose decoys.  If you haven’t seen the affect these have on geese you really need to look into it.  The realism of these decoys is hard to under state.  Suffice it to say that these flocked decoys flat out work.  The way the sun reflects off them (or should I say doesn’t reflect off of them) really adds and air of authenticity to your goose decoy spreads.  When you are out in the field this will help you set yourself apart.

Of course as this site’s namesake should already have your thinking, goose calls are a key component in any successful goose hunt.  If you are not willing to go the route of the short reed goose call, that doesn’t mean you are sunk.  You can go with the tried and true goose flute and do pretty well.  Just make sure you are in the right place and hidden well.  If you are adventurous enough, taking the first strides into the shortreed world can pay huge dividends.  The range of vocalizations possible with short reed goose calls is quite impressive and if you are able to master one of these calls you can truly set yourself apart.  And we know that is what matters in the goose blind at the end of the day.

As we enter the 2010 goose season make sure to reassess your lot in life and how you are going to approach the season.  All the planning you do before hand is what will set you apart this season and separate the good goose hunters from the mediocre ones.  Let’s all plan on making goose hunting 2010 the best year ever!

Snow Goose Tornado Goose Hunting Video

When it comes to hunting snow geese the tornado of birds is the thing of legends.  Watch as these guys are able to let the birds work repeatedly to get them to swarm around like bumble bees.  The site is quite fantastic and takes a lot of patience if you have ever been in the middle of it.  The sheer noise is one thing, but letting that many geese fly right by unharmed is another.  However, the rewards for allowing it to work is quite amazing and make it all worthwhile.

North Dakota Snow Goose Hunting Videos

North Dakota is a duck hunting heaven, but in the spring it becomes a great place to chase snow geese as well.  Check out the above video to see some great in your face snow goose action.  The decoying birds is quite impressive.  Often in the spring the shots are farther away than that, but if you hit it just right you can really have some high quality shots.

South Dakota Spring Snow Goose Hunting Videos

Feel free to skip past the first 2 minutes of this video, but after that the footage is quite impressive.  Birds working great and coming in for quality shots.  Sorry for the blatant advertising at the front of the vid.  I thought the middle to end of the video was well worth putting up with it.

Missouri Snow Goose Hunting Videos

Missouri is an impressive display of waterfowl in the spring and this video shows quite an impressive number of geese heading into the spread to meet their demise.  Notice the use of layout blinds in the video to get the geese up close and personal.  From what little I can see I believe those are Final Approach layout blinds.

Arkansas Snow Goose Hunting Video - Sneak Up Style

Here is a video that is short and sweet. Notice the sheer number of birds they are able to kill in such a quick time. If you are able to sneak up on the birds in such a way as to get close the numbers can be staggering. Look at how many birds are in that flock. Every shot seems to take down more and more geese. Depending on your philosophy of hunting will tell you whether this type of hunting is your style or not.

Texas Snow Goose Hunting Video

Here is a video from a first timer that shows the ability for even non guided hunts to produce impressive numbers of birds.  These guys shoot 41 snow geese in this particular video.  Notice they are using snow goose calls that they blow themselves which proves you don't need to have an ecaller to win at this game.  If my ear serves me I believe those are  Zink goose calls they are using.

Thankfully with the advent of Youtube and all the amateur videographers out there we have a wealth of vids to pick from these days.  Here is a smattering of high quality videos that show the great part of the hunt:

A Quick Goose Hunting Video Warmup

This first video shows a quick clip getting everyone jazzed up for the season.   The beauty of this video is that it is up close and personal with the footage.  Watch as they pop out of their layout blinds and lay the smack down on the geese and they come into the goose decoys.  Some of these birds are seemingly on a string as they enter the decoys and hammer them.  A truly great first video to start things off with.

Snow Goose Hunting Videos

I would be remiss if I didn't include a clip or two from the great snow goose hunting that is available these days.  Given the burgeoning population and the fact that everyone can extend their hunting season into the spring it is truly a must do for any goose hunter worth his salt.

This is a classic snow goose video.  Notice the sheer number of geese that are in this video and how they relate to the hunters.  Snow geese are known to travel in very large flocks and are hard to convince to decoy really close like is common with canada goose hunting.  However, their sheer numbers and the fact that the limits are liberal if any at all allow you to really stack up the birds.

This second video shows some closer action and some birds falling from the sky.  There is even a great shot that shows a goose that got a little to close to the snow goose decoys and in turn the blinds and the hunter literally hit it with his shotgun.  Not the shot mind you, the actual barrel like swinging a bat.  That isn't something you see very often.

Back to some Standard Canada Goose Hunting

Here we have a barrel cam that captures the action.  A barrel cam allows the person taking the video to be a part of the hunt.  Notice how the geese really work and are in great range when they take the shot.  High quality shots equal many geese in the bag whether you are a king of the goose calls or not.

Specklebelly Goose Hunting In Bulgaria

Here is a video on speck hunting in Bulgaria of all places.  Kind of a cool backdrop.  Notice the specialized specklebelly goose decoys and goose calls that they are using to get the geese to come in close.

When it comes to hunting sometimes it is enough to watch others do it while watch others hunting while you are away form the blind.  I hope you enjoyed this array of goose hunting videos.

How many decoys should I use when Canada goose hunting?

When it comes to waterfowl hunting it almost invariably starts with decoys.  And it is no different here, goose decoys are paramount to success.  And these days there are a plethora of kinds, manufacturers and finishes to pick from.  And when it comes to quantity there never can seem to be enough.   Some general rules to keep in mind.  The closer to your layout blinds the decoys are the better quality you should be striving to have.  Full body goose decoys with flocked heads are just about the best out there and especially realistically looking.  Put these at close to your goose blind as possible.  It would be ideal to have hundreds of these throughout your entire spread, but given the economics of just about every hunter on the planet this isn't realistic.  Therefore filling in with shell goose decoys is a prudent move.  Finding some carry lite goose decoys for sale or a similar bargain brand like Flambeau is a great way to go.  Really depending on the area you are hunting has the biggest impact on how many decoys you should use.  In general at least a few dozen if you are seriously targeting geese, otherwise tailor it accordingly.  Spreads of 10 to 15 dozen high quality decoys are known to pull geese in for quality shots.

Where to hunt Canada Geese?

When it comes to hunting these geese the thing to remember is that they basically are creatures of habit.  This is mostly by design as any extra energy expended that isn't necessary takes away from their ability to get south in good shape (or for that matter back north in the spring to mate).  So things to remember when looking for geese.  They need to eat, drink and sleep.  Pretty similar to human beings as a matter of fact.  That being said, the most important thing to do when you are thinking of hunting canada geese is to scout, scout and scout.  And when you are done with that scout a bit more.  Being in the right spot is paramount to success.  This is the same in all areas of hunting, but especially with goose hunting.

If you find the geese lounging around in a pond you have a spot that you could conceivably hunt.  The problem is that this probably is where they spend their time resting and is known in goose hunting circles as the roost.  The first hunt on the roost can be a real doozy.  The problem is that then they will move to greener pastures (or perhaps more succinct a calmer place that they won't be bothered).   Knowing where the roost is can be very beneficial, however.  The key being to use this as a home base of sorts and move out from there in a radius searching for places that they will be feeding.  Corn, soybeans and wheat fields are all known producers of geese.  And the farmers likely don't want the geese in there eating all of their crops so you have a mutually beneficial proposition for both parties.

A couple of final spots to consider is a field that is between the roost and the ever moving feeding field where you can "run traffic".  The idea here is to peel a couple geese here and there into your spread as they pass to the field that the majority of birds are eating in.  This can be surprisingly effective if you are good with a goose call and are well hidden.  The other spot to consider is a large lake in close proximity to a feeding field.  The geese will often times go to the lake for a quick rest before either heading back to feed or heading back to the roost.  This is often the tactic of duck hunters that shoot the random goose, but can be effective as a method for serious goose hunters as well.

How should I hide while goose hunting?

When it comes to continued success in the hunting realm the only thing more important to success than concealment is being in the right spot.  So first and foremost be in the right spot and as close to the exact right spot as possible.  At that point it becomes time to figure out a way to remain hidden while the geese are finishing.  The advent of the layout blind has been a very important addition to goose hunting gear.  This portable blind has sufficient comfort and provides amazing concealment for the goose hunter.  Other options include a dug out pit blind or simply laying out in the field.  A pit blind is likely the most comfortable option, but finding a field that is always hot is the key here.  Pits are not movable, but layout blinds are.  If you are serious about the run and gun philosophy of the modern goose hunter I would begin looking in earnest for a great layout blind for sale.

Which Calls Should I Use For Canadas?

Canada geese are vocal birds.  Plain and simply, you cannot enjoy continued success in the field without at least becoming a little proficient with the use of a goose call.  Goose calls have come a long way over the years and continue to evolve into better instruments.  The recently new advent of the short reed goose call has really taken goose calling to a whole new level.  The range possible with a short reed call is very impressive.  In the hands of a proficient caller it really sounds like an actual goose.  The problem is that it takes a bit of work to get to that point.  Check out our great post and video on "how to blow a short reed goose call" and see for yourself.

A much simpler and popular model is the goose flute.  The range isn't as impressive as a short reed call, but the ease of use and quality sound for basic goose calls takes a back seat to no one.  Your standard "honk" and cluck are easily made with this call and you can fool many a goose while you are at it.

When it comes to Canada goose hunting there really can not be enough said for the in your face action that is possible.  Given the burgeoning population in many states for these geese the access has never been better.  Check out the tips and tricks above to get an idea for great ways to become successful at consistently putting these wary birds into your game bag.

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.

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.

To understand the feeding patterns of the snow goose, we first must have a better understanding of where the goose lives, breeds and migrates.  The snow geese breeding grounds are in the artic tundra area.  The prevalent food source is grasses and marshes.  The geese primarily hang out near the water edge and feed on the tundra grasses.  When they migrate south the winter in the Gulf of Mexico area and feed on sea

Snow Geese Feeding

marshes and grasses as well.  The only variation to their feeding pattern is that during the fall migration they have adapted to eating grains from the harvest.  Since they migrate late they feed mostly on corn and soy beans during the migration south.  On the migration north, they will forage through both the melting fields and feed at any open water spot.  Some farmers will leave some grains specifically for the spring hunts.  In particular early winter wheats can be a favorite of the snow goose.  When scouting for spots to hunt these bird pay attention to these feeding patterns it will help you become much more productive.

Snow Goose Migration Map

If we look at this migration map it tells alot about the patterns of the snow goose. The red represents the summer breeding grounds, the grey the typical migration patterns and the blue the winter resting areas. Snow geese feed almost entirely on plants and grasses - so as the snow melts and exposes young early plants the main migrations begin in the spring.