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Sportsmen must use different
tricks to fool wily veteran geese
tricks to fool wily veteran geese
Two hunters return with some snow geese they killed in a rye grass
field. Note the large flock of white geese in the background at upper
right.
field. Note the large flock of white geese in the background at upper
right.
As goose populations continue to rise, sportsmen must find more
and better ways to fool wily birds.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the snow goose
population rose dramatically since the 1960s, but record numbers do not
necessarily translate into meat in the freezer. With hundreds of sharp eyes
watching for anything suspicious, large goose flocks don’t make easy
targets. Therefore, savvy sportsmen must find innovative new ways to fool
wily geese.
“The way we hunt snow geese today is totally different than how we
hunted 30 years ago,” said David Smith, a goose guide from Eunice, La.
Flocks were a lot smaller back in the 1970s. We might see a flock of 500 or
so geese in a field and another small group in the next field. Geese were
much easier to call and decoy as they bounced from small concentration to
small concentration. Today, we might see 15,000 to 20,000 geese in a
single flock.”
Enormous flocks of geese won’t respond well to even the best decoy
spread. No matter how realistic, goose decoys cannot compete with 20,000
live birds chattering a short distance away. Never attempt to hunt a huge
flock. That will only chase them from an area. Instead, set up between two
large groups, but far enough to avoid spooking either of them. Sportsmen
might pick off singles or small flocks moving between the large groups.
“In those big flocks, snow geese are almost unkillable,” said Scott
Durham, a Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries biologist and
former goose guide. “It doesn’t matter how many decoys one puts out or
how well one calls if they’re going down into a group of 10,000 geese.”
While sportsmen could attract geese in a rag spread years ago,
birds today need more realism. Nothing looks more real to a goose than a
goose. Mounted geese make the best decoys. A taxidermist can usually
slap together a decoy mount fairly easily. While it might not exhibit the
superior artistry of a trophy mount, it costs much less, although still
considerably more expensive than plastic decoys. One or two stuffed birds
in a field of plastic imitations can create incredible realism in any spread.
In the field, sportsmen can add realism to a decoy spread with early
kills. Thrust sticks into the throats of dead geese to hold them up or prop
them against grass clumps to add a touch of reality. With amazing
eyesight, geese can easily spot a white feather flickering in the breeze and
might respond.
Any movement could add more realism from incredibly long
distances. In addition, movement focuses attention to that spot and not to
the blind. Where legal, sportsmen can add movement with mechanical or
electronic decoys. Some decoys come with battery-powered heads or
wings. Others employ wires and pulley systems to simulate feeding geese.
Others use springs or bungee cords that snap a decoy back into place
after the wind moves it.
“Movement is critical to a decoy spread,” Smith said. “Just five or six
moving decoys in a large spread adds something to it. I’ve tried numerous
spinning wing decoys for geese, but haven’t had any luck with them. A
duck has a fast wing beat. A goose has a slower, power stroke wing beat.
It’s totally different.”
Some people add movement with “flying decoys,” goose replicas
attached to long poles. Hunters adjust the height off the ground of each
decoy to make it appear like a goose hovering over the spread on final
approach before landing. Some decoys twist in the wind, adding more
movement to a spread.
Sometimes, sportsmen flap white or dark objects that resemble
flashing wings. Others fly kites to simulate geese over their blinds. When a
flock of geese approaches, pull the kite down to resemble a goose landing
in the field. Convince one or two geese to follow the fake one down and the
entire flock might swing within range.
“I’m big on kites,” Smith said. “Kites are constantly moving. I’ve
watched geese fly right over kites and hover over them. We sometimes
have to pull in kites tight because they are so effective. I only fly them
about 20 to 30 feet off the ground.”
Some sportsmen string white streamers six to eight feet off the
ground along lines between two poles, similar to old-fashioned
clotheslines. Winds hit these streamers, making them dance in the
currents. Put these off to one side of a blind to draw attention away from
the hunters.
and better ways to fool wily birds.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the snow goose
population rose dramatically since the 1960s, but record numbers do not
necessarily translate into meat in the freezer. With hundreds of sharp eyes
watching for anything suspicious, large goose flocks don’t make easy
targets. Therefore, savvy sportsmen must find innovative new ways to fool
wily geese.
“The way we hunt snow geese today is totally different than how we
hunted 30 years ago,” said David Smith, a goose guide from Eunice, La.
Flocks were a lot smaller back in the 1970s. We might see a flock of 500 or
so geese in a field and another small group in the next field. Geese were
much easier to call and decoy as they bounced from small concentration to
small concentration. Today, we might see 15,000 to 20,000 geese in a
single flock.”
Enormous flocks of geese won’t respond well to even the best decoy
spread. No matter how realistic, goose decoys cannot compete with 20,000
live birds chattering a short distance away. Never attempt to hunt a huge
flock. That will only chase them from an area. Instead, set up between two
large groups, but far enough to avoid spooking either of them. Sportsmen
might pick off singles or small flocks moving between the large groups.
“In those big flocks, snow geese are almost unkillable,” said Scott
Durham, a Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries biologist and
former goose guide. “It doesn’t matter how many decoys one puts out or
how well one calls if they’re going down into a group of 10,000 geese.”
While sportsmen could attract geese in a rag spread years ago,
birds today need more realism. Nothing looks more real to a goose than a
goose. Mounted geese make the best decoys. A taxidermist can usually
slap together a decoy mount fairly easily. While it might not exhibit the
superior artistry of a trophy mount, it costs much less, although still
considerably more expensive than plastic decoys. One or two stuffed birds
in a field of plastic imitations can create incredible realism in any spread.
In the field, sportsmen can add realism to a decoy spread with early
kills. Thrust sticks into the throats of dead geese to hold them up or prop
them against grass clumps to add a touch of reality. With amazing
eyesight, geese can easily spot a white feather flickering in the breeze and
might respond.
Any movement could add more realism from incredibly long
distances. In addition, movement focuses attention to that spot and not to
the blind. Where legal, sportsmen can add movement with mechanical or
electronic decoys. Some decoys come with battery-powered heads or
wings. Others employ wires and pulley systems to simulate feeding geese.
Others use springs or bungee cords that snap a decoy back into place
after the wind moves it.
“Movement is critical to a decoy spread,” Smith said. “Just five or six
moving decoys in a large spread adds something to it. I’ve tried numerous
spinning wing decoys for geese, but haven’t had any luck with them. A
duck has a fast wing beat. A goose has a slower, power stroke wing beat.
It’s totally different.”
Some people add movement with “flying decoys,” goose replicas
attached to long poles. Hunters adjust the height off the ground of each
decoy to make it appear like a goose hovering over the spread on final
approach before landing. Some decoys twist in the wind, adding more
movement to a spread.
Sometimes, sportsmen flap white or dark objects that resemble
flashing wings. Others fly kites to simulate geese over their blinds. When a
flock of geese approaches, pull the kite down to resemble a goose landing
in the field. Convince one or two geese to follow the fake one down and the
entire flock might swing within range.
“I’m big on kites,” Smith said. “Kites are constantly moving. I’ve
watched geese fly right over kites and hover over them. We sometimes
have to pull in kites tight because they are so effective. I only fly them
about 20 to 30 feet off the ground.”
Some sportsmen string white streamers six to eight feet off the
ground along lines between two poles, similar to old-fashioned
clotheslines. Winds hit these streamers, making them dance in the
currents. Put these off to one side of a blind to draw attention away from
the hunters.
