10 Goose Hunting Tips and Secrets
Whether you've been goose hunting for years or just getting started there's times when just a single tip can help a hunter harvest a few limits of geese. Here are ten goose hunting tips that I hope will do just that for you this hunting season.
10 Goose Hunting Tips and Secrets
10 Goose Hunting Tips and Secrets
10 Goose Hunting Tips and Secrets
10 Goose Hunting Tips and Secrets
Flagging: There are two ways to call geese, by sound and visually. Since geese can see a black flag further than they can hear a goose call being blown flagging geese can be very effective. While flagging distant geese can be a very effective calling technique, a smaller flag can also be effective when the geese are much closer.
Goose Calling: If hunting where the geese want to be, you're totally hidden, and have a decent> goose decoy spread, goose call may not even be needed. But there are times when the geese will need some extra coaxing. I have found that simple natural goose sounds such as clucks and moans are very effective. Until you can produce realistic goose sounds with your goose call I would recomMend leaving it at home.
Flight Patterns: Here's are goose hunting tip that's helped me keep on hunting for the day instead of going home with my tail between my legs in. By identifying the flight patterns of geese you will be able to give your self options if another group of hunters has gained permission to hunt a field you planned on hunting. Hunting a field that's simply in their flight path is often referred to as huntingtraffic. In this situation you will want to bulk up decoy spread as much as possible.
Scouting: Nothing is more important for successful goose hunting than scouting. A couple of weeks before season starts you will want to start this process. Instead of just driving around the country side looking for feeding or loafing area I would recomMend starting at their roosting area and then following the geese to their feeding and loafing areas. Let the geese do the work for you. Once you have established their patterns it will be quite obvious where to hunt.
ConcealMent: With location being the most important eleMent for successful goose hunting, concealment is a very close second. While laydown blinds are very popular for goose hunting, I would recommend using natural cover such as a fence line or standing rows of corn whenever possible. If hunting flat areas such as hay field or groundbait keeping a low profile is very important and most often simply covering your self with a sheet of Fastgrass is a better option than a laydown blinds.
Wind Direction: Identifying the predicted wind direction the night before you head out goose hunting is very important, as well as when your setting out your decoy spread the next morning. First, some locations are just not a good choice to hunt when the wind is blowing from certain directions. Secondly, geese will always land against the wind so identifying wind direction is very important when setting out your goose decoys spreads andblinds.
Goose Decoys: While full body goose decoys are probably the best decoy in my opinion it's not always possible to use them. Not all farmers will allow you to drive into their fields. This is when shell decoys and silhouettes are a good option as they are much lighter and easier to carry in numbers on your back. Full body decoys are also much more expensive so depending upon how much money you have to spend you may want to consider shell decoys with motion stakes and get the best of both worlds.
Networking: Since goose hunting is almost done in fields your going to spend a lot of your time scouting. Be sure to take the time to talk with farmers in the area and ask them if they have seen geese in their fields, or just flying by.Talking with other hunters such as deer hunter, pheasant hunters and trappers can reveal, very useful information and tips at times.
Don't Forget To Cover Your Face And Hands: This may seem like a lame goose hunting tip to some hunters but concealment is just to important not to emphasize this subject. Every goose hunter wears camouflage Clothing and most even to laydown blind, but so many hunters just don't take the extra time to cover their faces and hands. My personal preference is a camo head net and face paint on my hands as gloves tend to dampen the sound of a goose call.
10 Goose Hunting Tips and Secrets