My first goose hunt! Advice needed

[Turkeygirl]

So I got up at 7:30am, out the door at 8am. Some guys in the corn field I wanted to be in so I had to settle for another field. Geese were flying as I set up. Windy and about 10 degrees....brrrrrr...I have 8 decoys that I put out. Hid myself in this little brushy point coming out in the field. Geese were flying across over towards where those guys were, heard them shooting, which in turn would spook the few flocks that were coming in to land at my set-up, ggrrr....I had 4 shots...all missed...I think they were a little high and with this wind makes it tough. Have a full choke in.

Just got in to warm in, plan to go back out at 1, to my original choice...saw those guys leaving.

So question, will the geese be flying all day? The lake that is still open is basically right across the road, 1/4-1/2 mile from the corn fields.

Secondly what do I do if there are geese in the field I'm going to set up in? I've seen the geese in this field in the afternoon before.

Thirdly how much calling should I do and when?

I'm a complete novice when it comes to geese,lol. So any help in the next 2 hours before I go out again would be great!

I had a total blast though...almost non-stop geese flying...some short lulls and then flocks would come through again....

[camoman1]

Normally geese roost on water at nite, feed in a field in the morning, loof in water for a while, and return to a field (possibly the same one) in the afternoon, and go back to water for the night.

If you saw geese in that field on a previous afternoon, thats where I would go. Geese will only tolerate getting shot at in a certain field for so long before they quit using it though. I normally call at any flock that I can see and then dependin on how they react, go from there. You will learn all that the more you goose hunt. If you are where the geese want to be, you dont need to do a lot of calling. As the geese start to work the decoys, tone down the volume and just do some clucks and moans.

If the geese are already there, I would either 1. leave them be, and get there earlier tomorrow to beat the other guys there. or 2. Hunt the pond/lake or somewhere in between.

Good luck!!

Edited December 16, 2009 by camoman1

[RTF]

I thought of you yesterday while deer hunting as I seen snow geese and Canadians fly over all day.

[layin on the smackdown]

Well Ruth, if you are going to do a morning goose hunt, i would get out there right at sunrise and get your spread set out. In cold conditions the birds don't tend to move till it warms up a little - usually around 8:30 or so. But being out there first will get you where you want to be instead of dealing with second best. It is very hard to hunt geese with alot of other goose hunters around, especially if they are hunting right across the street from you.

This time of year, geese like safety in numbers. They have been educated and seen thousands of different goose spreads and are very cautious as to where they go and who they want to listen to. If you have any buddy's who have more dec's, get em out there with ya. Plus, the more decs and people you have, the longer you can hunt - even if you have your limit, your partners might not.

This time of year i don't even bother going unless i have at least 5-6 dozen bigfoots, along with silhouets, and anything else i can put out (rags). You seem to be in a good location...a flag or two always help bring em in for a close look...The calling part, well, this time of year its trial and error. They have been called at alot by now, so every flock of birds may react differently - some like to be screamed at non stop all the way in, some don't want you to say a word, and some just like the suddle cluck and moans as stated above...you just gotta see what works.

Hunting in the afternoons can be tricky because it depends on the weather. If you have a front moving in, get out late morning or early afternoon as the birds will be moving mid day and feeding all afternoon. On super cold days, alot of times they will leave the roost late, and feed a good part of the afternoon. On your average winter days, mornings and afternoons are good. I'd get out about 1:30, set up and get ready - birds should start to move around 2:30-3:00 (assuming your sunset is 4:30 ish).

Hope this helps.

dan

[Leo]

Yep this time of year especially geese are in the safety in numbers mood. It takes a massive number of decoys to pull them in and several hunters to cover the spread.

For someone going it alone in the late season your best bet is to find a spot they are using frequently. Get there before they do and wait them out without decoys. If you scare them out of a field in the afternoon late season they often won't return for a couple days. The exception to this is if there are very few desirable places for them to land in the area.

If you are using big shot like T's or BB's most of the time a modified choke patterns better. It's quite easy to overchoke big pellets and end up throwing blown patterns.

[waterfowler]

well i use a modified choke depending on the gun you have. th gees eat at about 9 or 10 o'clock then the go back to water at about 11 and then they go to eat at 5 or 6 and lastly they find a place to roost til mourning and start again. i they are in the field and you don't want to spook them wait till they go to water. call at gees that are going away from you or just aint working right and if they are coming right in dont call. Goose hunting is fun!!