Goose hunting season will soon be upon us and hunter across the nation will be busy preparing their decoys, blinds, and calling skills in anticipation of an enjoyable hunting season to come. For those first starting out though they may be thinking of where to start or how to go about setting up a successful hunt. This article will explain the fundamentals of scouting for geese, goose decoys and decoy spreads, goose calling, and blinds.
Scouting
The most important element of any successful goose hunt is to know where the geese want to be and for the hunter to be there invisible. Mastering this simple element of hunting success is required through out the season. Knowing where the geese roost and the types of food sources geese use through out the hunting season can help make this daunting task easier. By knowing where the geese roost every night it is simple task to simply arrive before they leave and let them show you the field/s they are feeding in. It is also important to note their flight pattern at this time and the fields they are flying over. If for some reason you are unable to get permission to hunt in the field they are landing in, then you have a back up plan by hunting a field they are least flying over. A a general rule of thumb hay fields and pastures are early season goose hunting magnets, especially if there is a creek running through the field. As temperatures get colder, or chopped corn fields become available geese can very quickly switch from grass to grain. But only scouting will confirm this switch. For consistent success no other element is more important than simple scouting.
Decoy Spreads
While many goose hunters will set out as many decoys as they own, they may being going through a lot of extra work. Knowing how many goose decoys to set out often goes back to your scouting. If you typically see about thirty to fifty real geese in a field there's no reason to set out a hundred decoys. In this situation having too many decoys in a spread may even spook incoming geese as they are not used to seeing that many geese in the field. An exception to this example would be if you are unable to hunt the field where you observed the geese landing and are going to hunt a field they are flying over. In this situation I would throw everything you own at them.
Calling
Although fancy goose calling sounds heard on stage grab other hunter's attention, simple goose sounds such as clucks and moans still put the majority of geese into a decoy spread. It is much more important that you use sounds that you have mastered versus sounds that you're still practicing when in the field. During the early season this is very evident. After calling in a flock of geese and shooting a few birds don't stop calling, as odds are some of the younger geese of the flock will come back again.
Hunting Blinds
Trying to hide in a pasture or recently cut hay field can be challenge. Before setting up blinds in this situation first look for natural cover options as they tend to offer the best concealment that the geese are used to if available. Maybe a creek with taller banks, a fence line, or standing corn can offer adequate concealment. If natural cover is not an option then the lowest profile blind possible should be used. Be sure to attach as much natural cover to the blind as possible. Don't forget to cover your face with a head net or face paint, as well as your hands.
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