Short Reed Goose Calls

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...

The 3 Keys To Calling Geese When Hunting On The Water

To me it really comes down to 3 things when you are on the water hunting geese.  In the field it is usually a different story, but on the water if you follow these three steps you will increase your success rate:

1) Use Your Goose Call To Get Their Attention

First, I use my goose call to get their attention.  This is really a series of standard clucks.  I want it to be a lilttle bit loud and maybe even a bit fast to get them to look.  The only point of this is to get them to look in your direction and see your goose floaters.

2) Repeat The Notes That They Call To You

All you really are doing here in mimicing the goose as it calls to you.  Usually when hunting the water this is a simple cluck.  They will cluck to you and you will cluck back.  This does two key things: it centers them on the goose blind and it gives them a sense of confidence. 

3) Call Them All The Way To The Water

I've seen it too many times to count.  A guy has a group of honkers with their wings set and seemingly on a string.  They are coming in perfectly.  He has called them from the other side of the lake and they are dead set on landing in his decoys.  Suddenly when the geese are 100 yards away he stops calling and gets ready for the shot.  The geese keep coming, but at 70 yards they get skittish and flare off never allowing a shot.  The most important aspect of calling geese on the water is call them all the way to the water!  Honestly, they want a sense of assurance that everything is all right.  Geese are a vocal lot.  Calling like crazy and then stopping is a warning flag to geese.  So keep calling all the way until you call the shot.  It will finish them great.

So there you have it, a simple 3 step approach to finishing geese in your decoys while hunting over water.  Use these three steps and I assure you that you will improve your game bag!