It’s around 15 degrees, and my watch says 8 am on a late October morning in 1993. I have my head tucked under a staked-up snow goose shell, as I watch a flock of 8 snows coming at us 200 yards away. Luckily, there’s just enough wind this morning to keep the birds on an approach within shooting range. My hands are starting to lock up a bit as I stuff them through a hole in my white, 1-piece painter’s outfit, and into my parka coat pockets. I started to ponder whether or not I should have been wearing my thick gloves, despite handicapping my shooting ability. My lanyard is laying on the ground, with my snow goose call just inches in front of my face. I didn’t feel the need to sacrifice my numb hands for a couple of barks to an already committed flock of snow geese. The birds are still coming as they do a slight swing off to my side of the decoys. Just as soon as I thought they were going to fly around me and flare, they cup their wings and slice the middle of the decoys. With the flock coming over me, I rolled from under the decoy and grabbed for my gun. In a slow and desperate attempt, I swung my gun up to my shoulder, and pushed it through my 3 or more inches of clothing insulation. With the birds already over me and flying away, I forced a quick couple of shots in a weak swing in front of a bird. An obvious flock of 8 geese fly away, laughing at the white-suited idiot rolling around on the ground. As I sit and recap the entire situation, my confidence in my shooting for the rest of the morning dropped like a rock. How the heck am I going to swing on these birds wearing all this? Sadly, I pondered this a lot throughout the years.

Thinner, warmer clothing will improve your shooting

I think one of the biggest reasons why hunters miss on cold mornings, is their lack of a proper swing due to their thick clothing. All the schools of thought about proper gun mount and swing goes out the window when you’re pressing on 3 inches of cotton or other material over your shoulder. And to make things worse, wearing bulky clothing slows your gun mount down. Even a second delay can make a big difference between shooting at a breast instead of a tail. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you probably don’t live far enough north of the equator. No matter how much time you spend shooting all summer in leagues, you just don’t practice a “handicapped swing”. And when you start consistently missing your target, you start thinking. And that’s when it gets even worse in my experience. Either you spend a lot of time swinging in thick clothing or you better get yourself some new gear.

At that time, I can recall my usual gear for a cold weather hunt. I would start with my pair of Long Johns, followed by the addition of 2 sweatshirts. Over that I put on my thick, non-waterproof bibs. I then put on my COAT, and when I emphasis coat I mean this coat was thick. It was one of the nicest parkas at the time, and it was warm. But when I put it on I felt like I added 50 pounds around me. And at that time, blinds weren’t common, so I was laying on the ground. This was my gear, this was a typical day of waterfowling. My buddies used to poke at me calling me the “Hobo Hunter.” I had the same response every time, “…hunting isn’t a fashion show.”

Fast forward to today and obviously, camouflage has really changed. Not only has the camo changed from the good old brown, the components have changed as well. There are so many brands and styles to choose from, I can’t imagine where a retailer would start in selecting a lineup for a big box store. But if you know what you’re looking for, like me, you’ll be very pleased with what is available today.

I made what I felt was an obvious decision to outfit with newer “super fleece” clothing. The clothing today is getting thinner, more comfortable, and is 100% windproof and waterproof. You can feel it from the moment you first put it on, this is nothing like my old gear.

Here is my layers of clothing I use now in mornings as cold as 10 degrees:

White T-shirt
Fleece Underwear
Hooded Sweatshirt
Venture Heated Jacket (thin)
Insulated Bibs

When the weather gets real tough, I’ll turn up the heat on my heated jacket. I’ve really grown found of this coat, and it’s rechargeable after every hunt. It’s now part of my cold weather routine. Check them out at Extreme Smart Products.

The end result is confidence. I can mount my shotgun in my blind without any resistance, while staying warm and comfortable. Throughout the course of a long hunting season, I find myself shooting better than ever. And the result is fewer cripples, fewer shells, and fewer jokes from my hunting buddies. If you spend a lot of time in the cold, messing with the same situation I described earlier, I highly advise you to look into a wardrobe upgrade. No matter what you choose, going thinner on your clothing will help your shooting. The comfort and flexibility is worth the price, and you will notice the end result.

Field blinds can be deadly when used right

 In my neck of the prairie, the month of November officially changes our waterfowl season to the late season. While this means changes in rules and regulations such as a season close for canvasbacks and pintails; it also means the rest of the waterfowl world will be tougher to decoy. Try decoying a large flock of lesser Canada geese on a sunny day in the middle of November and you’ll see what I mean. The birds are getting weary, they’ve been there SEEN that. In order to stay successful at bringing waterfowl into close range in the field, you’ll have to pay close attention to fine details. And it’s these small details that will set your field decoy spread apart from everyone else; and most importantly, the small details surrounding your field blind.

I’m really starting to become a bit skeptical to field blinds. Yes, that’s right. I’m starting to lose faith in their ability to conceal hunters consistently. Have you driven by a decoy spread with field blinds lately? Whether they were ¼ mile, ½ mile or maybe even at the other side of the section; I bet you can pick them out. And everyone uses them these days so waterfowl of all species are getting pretty darn good at picking them out.

Field blinds can produce some nasty shadows

The past 8 or so years have brought some unusually warm fall weather and more often then not, we’re hunting with sunny skies. This absolutely cripples a field blinds ability to do what they’re supposed to, hide your position from the birds. The sun means shadows, and no matter how hard we try, they remain visible. I don’t care what camo pattern the blind has, a dark shadow in a bright stubble field pretty much seals the deal with the advantage going to our winged adversaries. I honestly don’t think many hunters pay attention to this and I’m seeing more people shelling out thousands of dollars for the most realistic decoys available on the market (okay, so I’m guilty of it too…boys and their toys I guess). I don’t care how many real moving, fully-flocked decoys you have, the birds will have a hard time noticing them with 2-8 large shadows sticking out among them. And to make things worse, guys will be quick to grab a hand flag during the bird’s approach to help the birds pick out their position even more. So what’s a guy to do to help this situation?

Pole extensions keep the movement away from your blind

Don’t feel you ALWAYS need to use your blind. If the weather is nice and the sun will be shining, leave the blind in the trailer and get back on the ground. Put decoys around you and try to lay under any you have that are off the ground.

Get an extension on your hand flag. Keep that movement AWAY from your position and your blind, don’t let them know where you are. If you must use a hand flag, don’t use it when they’re within 150 yards.

If you are using your blind on sunny days, try stacking the blinds right next to each other. And make sure you take the time to put stubble over the cracks between the blinds. The purpose is to create a level plane with the blinds and reduce or even eliminate the shadows. As we’ve started experimenting with this, it works. But keep in mind, if you have no wind this will really hinder your ability to shoot to the sides. Not only is it a bit unsafe, you’ll be blowing your hunting partners ears out. Keep this in mind when calling the shots.

Keep your head down whenever possible

Don’t stick your head out of the blind, keep it hidden inside as much as possible. After I went over all of our hunting video footage last year, I noticed time and time again that hunters failed to do this. And do yourself a big favor, fork out 10 bucks for a face mask. I carry one at all times and I’m so used to mine that I rarely take it off during the hunt. There is nothing that shines more than an oily face. I’m convinced that a head sticking out of the blind on a sunny day without a face mask is only giving the birds the upper hand.

Put decoys around the blinds and on top of blinds as much as possible. Strap decoy shells to the blind doors, put flying decoys like the Goose Magnet over your blind, or even use longer stake extensions on your Sillosock decoys to have them hang over the blind. Doing this will help break up the shadow and appearance of the blind.

More often then not, hunters will put their blind location on the downwind side of the spread, right behind the landing zone. It does make sense of course, especially on windy days. But what this does is put your blinds as the first thing they see on their final approach. I’m also noticing more and more that geese, especially snow geese and lesser Canada geese will approach a spread from the side, instead of downwind and they will swing over the back half of the spread. I can’t begin to count how many times this has happened to us this year already where your only shot is to pop out of the blind and shoot behind you. Not only is this unsafe, but it’s a great way to cripple birds. Try putting your blinds in the middle or even the back part of the spread, in the middle of the biggest clumps of decoys. Keep their eyes around the landing zone, not you.

We layed in the decoys without blinds on this sunny day and it paid off with close working birds

Pay close attention to the field the geese are using or the field you plan to hunt. Is there any natural cover in the field? And are the geese flying over or feeding near this natural cover? That’s what you should look for in the morning, use it to your advantage.

And last but not least, allow yourself plenty of time to properly conceal your blind. The camo pattern on your blind is usually not enough, and many of the materials used in blinds are shiny when new…don’t forget to mud them up. For more information on camouflage see the article on Field Blind Concealment.

Field blinds are one of the greatest tools to come to the waterfowl world in the past decade, but to get too over-confident in their ability can produce some sloppy habits. If you’re noticing your hunting is getting tougher and tougher, take a step back and take a closer look at your concealment. I’ll bet there’s room for improvement.

Good luck and happy experimenting for the rest of the season.

It's a lazy time of year and geese aren't ready to migrate; keep your mind open to non-traditional fall tactics.

Each evening when I watch the sun sink down into Montana, I put another X on the calender and tally the number of days left. Not the number of days until my birthday, and no, not the number of days until Christmas, it’s something even better than that. I’m talking about early goose season, the best holiday of the year.

Sun up on September 1st is an image that lingers on my mind just about year round. As soon as early season is over, I begin to wonder what the next will bring. I’m sure that anyone who hunts geese and is taking the time to read this understands completely.

So having said that, I would like to share a few tips and tricks that I have collected over the years. Some are my own, some are borrowed from books, and some are word of mouth passed down from fellow goose fanatics. I’ll warn you right now that you may not agree with some of them, and a few may even cause you to chuckle and shake your head. But please, hear me out, you may actually find some things that will help you in the field.

Take it in steps

The KISS method is one of the best goose hunting tips for approaching your decoy spread..

Here’s the scenario: It’s early November. You’re on your back laying inside your blind on a perfect combined corn stubble field. You scouted this spot out last night and saw at least 100 birds using it to feed. The decoys are set, the blinds are covered, the sun is finally peaking over the horizon, it’s go time. You wait. And wait. And wait. Suddenly the silence is broken. To the east you catch first sight of 15 big Canadas inching in your direction. You alert your crew and hunker down into your frosty blind. You take firm grasp of your trusty short reed and begin to greet them. All is going as planned. As they draw nearer you begin to ease off the volume a bit. Your buddy begins to back you up with a few soft moans and feeding murmurs. It sounds perfect. They are now only 150 yards out. The second bird from the front now stops beating his wings. The remaining 14 follow fashion and lock as well. Just a few soft clucks from you now. 100 yards. You notice that the lead bird is quickly moving his head about. He is obviously inspecting the situation as vigorously as he is able. And just then, his wings again begin to beat. Not 10 seconds later the sound of all 30 wings now pounding the air is almost painful to you as you helplessly witness the entire flock begin to slide to the left. You again pick up tempo on the call. Come backs, double clucks, pleading moans, any and every sound you have learned to make. But it’s useless. They fade off into the distance from whence they came. You open the doors and turn to your partners. “What happened?” You ask, baffled. Still taken by what just occurred, they blankly stare back and shrug their shoulders.
I’ll tell you what happened. You got BUSTED. Trust me, those geese did not bail from this situation because they suddenly decided they didn’t want breakfast anymore. They left because they figured you out. Plain and simple. I’ve been there many times. It’s undoubtedly one of the most disheartening feelings that a goose hunter will ever know. But how can this be prevented? Cover the blinds better? Change the decoys? Maybe get softer on the calls? All good ideas for this situation, but I have a better proposal. How about we stop using September to let the geese know what we are going to be doing in November. Or in other words; stop educating them before we have to. Allow me to elaborate.
 
Decoys

The KISS method is one of the best goose hunting tips for approaching your decoy spread.

I understand how expensive they are, I’m the guy standing in line right behind you at the sporting goods store with a stack of boxes beside me and a soon to be empty wallet in my hand. And I understand that you want to put this large investment to use every chance you can. But lets think about this for a moment. Early season geese have never proven themselves to be the brightest of the birds that we typically face. So why then do we put our very best decoys afield on the very first day of the season? We are taking these geese from kindergarten all the way to high school over the course of just two weekends. In my opinion it seems that we are wasting a slough of opportunities to slow this process down.

We all know how important location is. The X is obviously the spot to be, and you should always attempt to locate it, I will never argue that. Time and time again it has been proven that during the first portion of the season, having the X in your favor is about 75% of the hunt. So here’s the theory. If the geese aren’t very smart yet, and they aren’t expecting to stumble into a bunch of plastic fakes, then we shouldn’t be using our A1, top of the line full bodies to fool them in these parts of the season. Use shells, windsocks, or silhouettes. It will work just as well, and the survivors will be on the lookout from that point on for exactly what they saw: shells, windsocks, and silhouettes. As the season progresses, step it up a notch. Throw them a curve ball, break out something they have yet to see. Maybe your best shells on stakes that lift them off the ground. Or silhouettes with more detail painted on them. Not until you start to fail with these decoys spreads should you turn to your full bodies.

Blinds

Concealment is your main focus after you've found your field, take the time to get properly hidden; it pays off

10 years ago I bet half of the guys out goose hunting didn’t have a layout blind to do it from. But nowadays, we all have them. The shapes and sizes vary, but essentially they are all the same thing. I will confidently say that I feel geese are getting wise to them. 4 out of 5 times that they get shot at in a field, it’s coming from a guy that just popped the lid on his layout. If you want to step up your success, find a way to change things up later in the season. Dig a shallow pit to get your blind lower. Change the way you align your blind in the decoys. Don’t use a blind at all. That’s right, use burlap and a good face mask and cover yourself in decoys. Better yet, dig a shallow pit just for yourself, cover the bottom 2/3 of it with a small sheet of plywood, and then cover the plywood so that it looks like the rest of the field. You want low profile, this will pretty much make you disappear.

Calling

The theory I have on calling is much like the theory on decoys. Keep an ace up your sleeve. In the early season, don’t give them your best stuff. Start the year with only one guy calling. And have that guy keep it simple. No fast double clucks, no nifty spit notes. Just honks. When this stops working, start showing them a little more. Work it up slowly. There is no reason to give the first few flocks of the year your entire entourage. I think the rest is pretty much self explanatory.

We all must remember how incredibly effective the Canada goose is at adapting to it’s environment. They have figured out that they can spend all summer on the golf course unharmed. They know where the boundaries to the refuges are once season starts. They also know what to watch out for when they start losing family members in the September wheat fields.

They say that decoying waterfowl is an art. That is indeed true. But no artist ever makes it far if he continues to repeat himself over and over again. The same is true in waterfowling. When facing geese that have already seen it, the going will get tough. This is why we must turn the tables and take away the regularity that allows geese to adapt to us.

Johan Santana is an effective pitcher because he knows how and when to change the speed of his pitches. Apply this same strategy to your decoying tactics. As soon as the geese think they have you keyed in and they know what you’re going to do, give them something that they don’t expect, and watch them fall to your feet.

Ahhh Spring time. It’s wonderful isn’t it? The birds are coming back, the kids are able to play in the yard again without getting frostbitten, Gramps can finally get back on that lawn mower that’s been teasing him for months now. But if you’re like me, there’s really only one thing on your mind, early goose season. Sure, there’s fishing to be done and vacations to be taken, but for the die hard waterfowler the next season always seems to be one if his/her primary thoughts.

So what can be done at this time of year to prepare for the season when it still seems so far away? The answer to that is simple; practice on your short reed goose call. From the first timer to the expert, everyone should be fine tuning their skills and developing new ones all year round to be sure they give their best performance come opening day.

The topic I want to go over with you right now is how to tune that call up just right so that you are getting maximum effectiveness out of it. I must say one thing first though. There are three reasons for you to ever take your goose call apart. First, because it is dirty and is no longer preforming properly. Second, it has been thoroughly used since you purchased it and is no longer in tune. And finally, because you are getting better on the call and you think that you can improve the sound you get out of it by re-tuning it. If you don’t fit into any of these categories, I urge that you leave your call be. A call will always come to you from the manufacturer tuned. If you are still learning, it is most likely you that needs tweaking, not your call. With that said, lets begin.

You'll want to know what each part is before tuning your goose call.

The first thing to remember is what each piece of your call is called, and what it does. The barrel is the tube that you blow through. The insert is the other tube that holds the reed assembly in place, and slides into the barrel when fully assembled. The reed is the thin plastic piece that is responsible for the noises that come out of the call. The tone board is the longer plastic piece that the reed sits on. The wedge is the shorter plastic piece that helps hold the reed tightly in place on the tone board. Each part is just as important as the next, because if one of them is broken or not doing it’s job, the entire call is practically worthless.

If you have never taken a call apart before, you may want to use a marker to mark where all the of the individual pieces are before you go any farther. By doing this you can avoid a lot of head ache if you have trouble when it comes time to put it back together.
 
The first step is to get all the pieces separated. And remember, this is the point of no return, you must be confident that you really want to take your call apart. So, to do this, take the insert into your hand so that the reed assembly is pointed up towards the sky. Now take your thumb and place it on the top of the tone board. Gently press down with your thumb, pushing the parts down into the insert. They should let loose and be easy to pick out of the call.

Next you will want to take all of the parts and thoroughly wash them in warm soapy water. Note that if your call is made out of wood you will not want to wash the barrel and the insert in water. Doing this could cause them to absorb water which could jeopardize the call going back together correctly. Once you have done this, allow the parts to dry.

Now the tricky part, putting it back together. Place the reed on the tone board so that the tip of the reed can freely dip down into the tone channel. This is very important, if the reed cant dip down, the call won’t break over when you blow it. The closer the reed is to the beginning of the tone channel the more responsive the call will be. But as I said, it can not catch on anything, or you will have problems. It is also crucial that the reed is perfectly centered on the tone board. You don’t want it to be able to dip farther into the tone channel one one side than the other.

Now place the wedge so that it is the same distance back from the front of the tone board as it was when you took it apart. Be aware that one end of the wedge will be tapered downward slightly, this is the end that will go into the insert. Now clamp the wedge tightly into place with your thumb and your pointer finger and begin to slide it back into the insert. Once you’ve done this, finish pushing the reed assembly in by turning your hand over so that your thumb is on the reed and your pointer finger is on the bottom of the tone board. Now slide the insert back into the barrel and see how it sounds.

It may take a few tries before you get it to sound just right, which is ok, it’s a very sensitive thing. If any piece of the reed assembly is off even a fraction of an inch it could cause the call to sound “off”.

Now, if you’ve got everything under control so far, we can take a look into a few of the more advanced tweaks to make your call preform differently. To get your call higher pitched, you can push the reed and the tone board slightly deeper into the insert. This means that less of the reed will be visible. Another thing you can do for a slightly higher pitch is to simply push the whole reed assembly a little bit deeper into the insert, this will cause the reed to be held in place more firmly, making it a little bit more responsive.

If you’re looking for a deeper sound you can do just the opposite of the last paragraph. Expose more reed, and/or loosen the reed assembly. However, remember that doing this will make the call a little harder to blow. It will take more air and will be less responsive. A deeper call may sound better, but it won’t quite be as fast, it all depends on your taste.

Still not satisfied? Ok, lets talk about reed shaving. This is another one of those things you will want to be very very careful with. I wouldn’t encourage anyone to shave their reed unless they have extra back up reeds laying around in case the one being shaved gets ruined. The tools used are typically a razor blade if you want to take a decent amount off of the reed, or a fingernail file if you are just trying to get a very small finishing detail. Only shave the side of the reed that does not come into contact with the tone board. If you want to make the call break easier you can shave the part of the reed that reaches out the farthest from the wedge. To make the call harder to break over shave the area back by the wedge. If you decide to shave your reed please be sure to only do it tiny bits at a time. It’s easy to take more off, but you can’t un-shave it.

On a final note, the best idea for any goose caller is to not take their calls apart any more often than they really need to. Every time you change the tune you have to re-adjust to the call, which basically means you have to re-learn all of the things that you could do before the call was tinkered with. You will progress much faster if you keep practicing on a call that operates the same way every time you pick it up. With that said, if you do plan to take your call apart, well before season is the best time to do it, because in the event that you can’t get it tuned in correctly, there is time to find someone who can help you. You can also send most higher end custom calls into the call maker along with a few bucks and a description of how you want it to sound, and they will take care of it for you.

Hopefully this has been a helpful tutorial, if you ever have any problems try jumping on the Canada goose hunting forums for help. Just describe your issue and I’m sure the guys and myself will offer any and all advice that we can. Thanks for reading and good hunting!

Greg "Old Hunter" Ells demonstrating his homemade goose feeding head device. A great tool for the field

Nothing will cause wary waterfowl to stay clear of shotgun range like lifeless decoys. Allowing your decoys to appear alive or have motion will increase your success in the field. Motion will bring birds closer to the decoys providing better and less-crippling shots. In this article I will discuss several tricks and products that will help to add motion to your decoy spread.

Water Spreads

On windless days water decoys may not be very effective. When live ducks and geese swim on calm water they cause small ripples from their motion. There are several techniques and devices to mimic these ripples caused by live waterfowl.

Jerk strings may be the easiest to operate and the most cost effective. Jerk strings can be attached to both goose and duck water decoys. Basically a jerk string works the way it sounds. Hunters can tie 15 to 20 yards of decoy line to a weighted keel decoy, then thread the line through a couple pound weight. Hunters can make their own weights, or I have found that down rigging weights are available and affordable. After placing the decoy and the weight in the water spread hunters “jerk” the string, moving the decoy and creating ripples across the calm water.

There are many types of shakers and swimming decoys available on the market today. All of these decoys serve the same purpose and can be affective when used properly. I recommend that you purchase one that you feel comfortable operating. For me I keep two shaker decoys in my bag. They operate on AA batteries and I only turn them on when needed. Plus I always keep extra batteries in my blind bag.

Often times hunters in flooded timber move their legs when standing in a couple feet of water to create the ripples caused by feeding ducks. This can easily be done when hunting spots where you have to stand in water. However, be careful not to move too much and attract the unwanted attention from passing birds exposing your location.

Field Spreads

The most common technique for adding motion to field decoys while hunting all species of geese is flagging. There are many different types of flags available and they can be deadly when used properly. I hunt with a lot of guys that would choose a flag over a goose call if they could only hunt with one.

A goose flag to many is more important than a goose call

There are two basic types of flags that I use while goose hunting. Pole flags are 8 to 12 feet long and are used to attract geese at a distance. Hand flags are on a short pole and when used correctly, look like a goose stretching its wings. Hand flags are used when geese are closer. “Often times when geese are committed, I give them a few flaps with my hand flag and the motion pulls them to my side of the spread.” Explained Lyle Sinner a Fargo, North Dakota native.

Flapping wing decoys, like hand flags, recreate motion caused by geese stretching their wings. Flappers however are placed away from the hunters drawing attention away from the concealed field blinds. The Higdon decoy company produces the most common flapper available on the market. When used properly different types of wing flappers do an awesome job of bringing geese in feet down.

After purchasing a wing flapper, you may have to make some minor adjustments to the decoy. Typically more weight has to be added to the foot base.

When flagging or using a flapper decoy it is important not to use them too much or when geese are directly above your location. I have found that flagging is the most effective when geese are at a distance or going away from your spread. I never use a flag if the geese are with in 100 yards, however flappers may be used in this range because motion is away from the concealed hunters.

Motion stakes add natural motion with just a 10 mph wind. These stakes also prop-up shell decoys giving them the appearance of a full-body. Avery motion stakes can be used with any shell decoy. Hunters just have to drill a hole in the top of the shell that balances out the weight of the decoy. Higdon Decoy Company also makes stackable shells that come equipped with motion stakes. These decoys appear to be birds that are walking or feeding to airborne flocks.

Windsocks have been used to hunt geese out of fields for a long time. These decoys operate the best with a 10 mph wind and are used almost exclusively for snow geese. Snow geese feed through fields very quickly, therefore the walking motion the wind creates in the socks makes the decoys look real.

Using too few windsocks is the biggest mistake I see hunters making when snow goose hunting. You cannot buy just a dozen or so windsocks and expect to shoot geese. I know that everyone is not made of money, but each member of your party should try to contribute to the spread. I would try to buy by the 100s rather than dozen’s.

Windsocks can also be used to add motion to Canada goose decoy spreads. A couple buddies of mine mix them in with their full-bodies to add realism. They have found that using one windsock for every dozen full-bodies is about the right ratio.

Spinning wing Decoys

Spinners for ducks can be highly affective in fields and over water. The studies that have been done on them prove that they work, especially for Mallards. Spinners are now banned during some parts of season and completely in some states. Personally I will continue to use one as long as it is legal to do so.

Spinners are like any other device used to add motion to your decoys; when they are used properly they can help and when not they can hurt. There are a few things to keep in mind when using one or more.

Spinning wing decoys, where legal, have changed the way people decoy ducks

Make sure that the wings on your spinner do not reflect in the sun. An easy way to fix this is by re-painting them with flat paint. When using multiple spinners try setting them at different heights. Make sure to turn your spinner off if there are geese working towards your spread. Spinners don’t seem to scare geese but often the geese will continue to circle waiting for the duck to land.

Hopefully you can take a little away for these tips and good luck adding motion to your spread in the fall.

Geese lifting from the "X" after feeding on a

Almost all goose hunters have experienced the high of finding a field full of geese. The feeling of anticipation is unlike any in the waterfowling world. There’s nothing better than setting up decoys on a frosty morning in a field covered in goose scat and downy feathers. While there is no guarantee that the birds will show, there is no better insurance than a hot field. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could always hunt the X? Reality tells us it isn’t going to happen every hunt. In many areas the hunting pressure is high and many of the fields are already spoken for, on other days there might be other hunters in the same field.

I’m not sure who coined the phrase but hunting the birds in fields other than the X has become known as “running traffic”. For many goose hunters the idea of hunting fields other than the one the birds are feeding in seems absurd, others are quite comfortable with the idea.

The ability to decoy birds running traffic is what sets apart the goose hunters from the goose chasers. The first rule of running traffic is that there has to be birds. Seems simple right? Well I wish it were simple. The number of birds required to successfully run traffic varies depending on the time of year. In September the flocks tend to be small. There are a lot of groups of 2 to 15 birds flying out to feed each day and if there are 300 birds in the area there will be plenty of flocks. Later in the year the flocks become larger and larger and one flock might be 300 birds. There is no set rule so use your best judgement.

Goose Roost

After finding an area with a good concentration of birds the next step is to find the roost. The location of the roost is the most important factor in successful traffic hunting. You need to know what direction the birds are going so you can locate a field in the flight path. When looking for a field I either try to be near the roost or near the field they are feeding in. When birds get shot at or become separated from the flock they naturally head back to the roost and decoys set in a nearby field will often bring these birds in. In other situations it may be better to set up in field a mile closer to the roost then the field the birds are feeding in. If I think our group can put out a bigger spread and out call the group that is on the X, this is the situation I will choose. If no one is hunting the birds then I try to hunt closer to the roost. Competing with live birds in a nearby field is really difficult so I try to avoid it when possible. Setting up between two roosts is also a possibility, as birds will often trade back and forth between the two areas.

A large spread setup to run traffic and did so successfully

When setting out decoys try and find the highest point in the field. Exposure is key. Our group normally sets out 100 to 120 decoys when hunting the X but if we are going to run traffic we put out as many decoys as we have. Like most guys I’m a huge fan of full body decoys. Along with being more realistic, full body decoys stand higher in the stubble and are much more visible to the geese. Mixing shells in with the full body decoys can help bulk up the spread so don’t be afraid to add them as well.

Working the geese

A goose flag is one of the most important tools that a goose hunter can have anytime but it becomes even more important when running traffic. Putting flags on 10 to 12 foot poles can really add movement and will often draw birds from a great distance. This is also the time for everyone to get on the calls. A hunter has nothing to lose calling at the birds, they aren’t headed for your field anyway. Cut loose the hunting partner in your group who loves to make a ton of racket the more sound you make the better. As the birds approach cut back the calling and work them as if they were always coming to your field. I prefer a higher pitch short reed when the birds are off in the distance because the sound carries farther.

Preparing for some late flyers

Odds are, you’re not going to get the whole flock when running traffic. Try to break off a few geese from every flock and work down the singles, pairs and small groups. Stay out later than you would normally. We’ve shot birds coming back to the roost after they have fed in nearby fields. There are always a few hungry geese in the flock so make them feel like they are missing out on the buffet.

The most important advice I can give is to remain positive. Not every bird is going to decoy and some days they aren’t going to decoy at all, but some days they will work just like you were on the X. Give traffic hunting a try. I know one thing for sure. You can’t shoot geese when you’re not out hunting.

Resident Canada goose populations have exploded in recent years. It’s like night and day comparing the amount of Canada’s I witnessed last year to 5 years ago in my favorite areas. As a result, there’s more and more hunter’s taking the field each September, and for good reason. If you’re new to the season or a veteran, I have a few tips that can hopefully increase your success in the field this upcoming September.

First of all, just like any season, scouting is the key. You could set up your spread in literally any field and you’ll probably get some visitors, but being on the “X” requires a little more than luck. For me, scouting starts in early August when the first fields of barley are starting to get harvested. This early in the season I’m doing nothing more than prospecting. I’m trying to find what roosts the geese are using, where the favorable crops are located, and if possible, where the flooded areas are located. Geese do a lot of goofy things early in the year. You’ll find a lot of times that geese will feed out one way at night, only to head out the exact opposite direction the next morning. With that said, you can understand the reasons I like to start my scouting as early as possible. As the season rolls on, I take notice to the fields and flyways that are used most often and I’m also keeping my eye out for wet areas. Barley fields that are wet around harvest time will produce “grow-over”, and the green shoots are very tempting to resident geese. I’ve hunted the same field 3 days in the row, only to have what appeared to be even more coming each day. The birds had used it for 3 weeks, and they saw no reason in stopping at that time. Get some good optics, and take a few trips out into some favorable goose areas. The more areas and roosts you scout, the more options you have as the season rolls on. I usually hunt different areas every time I go out, so I don’t overpressure the birds in a particular area. My personal scouting maps are loaded with roosts that I can be able to scout in a moment’s notice. Keep good records while scouting and it’ll pay off as the season rolls on.

Canada’s will roost in any type of water, as long as they feel safe. And during mid-day, you’ll find a lot of geese loafing in shallow sloughs with next to no surrounding vegetation. In some areas, you’ll see hundreds of geese hanging together on the roosts early on. And in other areas, the families all segregate themselves from others on their own sloughs. I prefer the latter of the two. This gives you more chances at different families, rather than an “all or none” possibility if the hundreds of geese go out the other way. I can’t stress enough how important it is to leave the roost undisturbed. On normal slow years, when there’s no pressure on a particular roost, it can hold birds all season long and makes scouting so much easier. When the roost gets shot out, the birds will be gone with little chance of them returning. Although it might make for a good hunt that day, you’re only shooting yourself in the foot if you were planning on hunting that area again. If you like to hunt geese over water, target them on the shallow flooded areas where they like to rest for a short period of time. You can hunt these areas just like fields, and you’re not pressuring the roost.

You can pretty much get away with any type of decoy early in the season. We normally use nothing but full bodies, because they’ve proven over and over again their effectiveness. I tend to stay away from silhouettes on sunny days to eliminate the possibility of shine. You don’t need too many decoys, 2-4 dozen can usually be sufficient. By the end of the early season, we don’t stick out less than 4 dozen as the birds start grouping up. We normally place the decoys in families of 4-8, and keep the families at least 5 yards away from the other families. As the season rolls on, you can start bringing families together into larger groups.

I’ve found that early in the season, the old birds don’t like to land the young right into the other birds. They do a lot of “short-stopping” which can be quite frustrating at times. I’ve found that a little craftiness in your decoy spread can bring them over you in most situations. While scouting a field that you plan to hunt, always look for the chance at natural cover before deciding where to set up. As much as I love my field blinds, they take the back seat to a weed patch or small slough every day of the week. Play the wind and put your decoy spread a little upwind of your position. I don’t necessarily mean you should put the decoys 100 yards upwind, at that point you’re just pass shooting. If you want feet in your face, you have to expect the birds to slightly short stop the rest of the birds, so a 15-25 yard hole should be sufficient. Use a crescent moon or “U” shaped spread to help filter the birds into your landing zone. And always be prepared to relocate your group if the wind shifts. Goose hunting can be hard work, but having a family land at your feet can make the whole process worthwhile.

A setup that is deadly for me is to have 2 large feeding groups upwind of a few small families (see diagram). When the birds come towards the spread, all eyes are straight ahead checking out the two large groups. If the field is flooded that tends to be where I put these two large groups. The two blue circles are the landing zones that I want the birds to key in on, and the family group I circled is where I’ll stick the hunters. I’ll use this setup whenever possible, and I’ll use this when I can use natural cover by replacing our position of decoys with the weeds. Off course, don’t depend and use the same setup over and over again, especially when hunting the same area. Give the birds a different look, and stick to the patterns that the geese had been using the previous day scouting.

Goose calling in September is great because they’ll respond very well. We consistently get the birds in close either way. Remember though; always try to use as little calling as possible in all situations. A few sour notes will only hurt you as they make their final descent. In the month of September, I tend to favor a deeper call. Out of the calling vocabulary, I tend to use more deep moans than any other pitch in September. When the birds are coming in, I want to give them the relaxing sound of an old goose giving the “okay”. Throw in a few clucks with the moans and you’re in business. And I especially stick with the moans over clucks for the final 30 yards. This is my personal preference, and it works for me.

Some miscellaneous tips that might give you an advantage are quality camo, flagging, and a few other wacky ideas that goose hunters come up with. I see concealment as one of the most important elements while in the field. I mostly use Skyline’s Fall Flight or Farmland Gold and occasionally use Mossy Oak’s Shadow grass. Whenever possible I put stubble over and all around me to help blend me in when I’m not in my blind. Flagging can be just as deadly as quality calling if you do it properly. Use something to extend the flag like bamboo and a pole kite to keep the flag away from your body so they don’t pick you out. Try to imitate a bird coming in or shifting around in the spread. Use the flag just enough to get their attention, and don’t overuse it. Remember that you’re imitating a goose, not trying to land a plane. I do a lot of other small things to help give me an edge early in the year as well. I’ve been noticing a lot of scattered snow geese in my goose areas early in September (I’m assuming they were spring cripples). And I see a lot of groups that have one or two snows or blues mixed in. So with that said, I like to stick a snow goose or two in the spread at times. I only do it if I’ve seen them mixed in, in that particular area. The snow goose sticks out from long distances, and helps for the visibility factor. Another little trick I use is to put a few pairs of crow decoys downwind and off to the side from my spread. Old geese respect the judgment and weariness of crows. So for that reason, I always keep a few pairs with me for the tough decoy situations.

I  hope you learned something from this article, and that you’ll be able to have as much fun as our crew does in September. The surrounding photos were mostly taken in September last year, and this year (2003) went extremely well. Remember, before you head out in the field this September; bring plenty of fluids, wear lighter clothing and don’t forget bug spray. The bug spray can be easy to forget when you’re not used to swatting mosquitoes while hunting. And with the whole West Nile scare going on, it’s another incentive to help you remember. Good hunting everyone.

Honker Talk - Goose Calling Tips

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Nodak Outdoors has put together a complete self guide to learning to blow a short reed goose call. Complete with photos so you can actually see what we’re explaining and audio clips so you can hear the results. Blowing a short reed for the first time can be intimidating, but with step by step instructions, you’ll be on your way!
Our audio clips are streamed with RealPlayer, for faster downloads. So the instructions won’t take long.
Here’s a couple peaks as to what you can expect:

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Without a doubt, the introduction of layout blinds is one of the biggest assets to field hunters in the past decade. Every year, existing models get makeovers adding better modifications. There are many brands on the market, and many models can be found of each. I’ve hunted out of most of the major brands on the market, and each of them has their pros and cons. But no matter what brand you choose, making the transition from hunting on the ground to hunting out of a blind is an enjoyable one. Not only does it keep you out of the wind, and allow room for storing gear, it also allows the hunter to hide like never before. But in order to hide effectively, you need to be prepared on how to properly conceal your blind. I’ll try to cover all the scenarios that the Nodak Crew runs into during the spring, early, regular and late seasons.

First and foremost, when you first purchase a blind you must “mud it up”. The fabric from the manufacturer tends to be shiny, causing your blind to stick out and flare game. You can easily cover this shine by covering it with mud. An easy way to do this is to fill a bucket with some dirt, than fill with enough water to just cover the dirt, and mix it until it’s in a paste form. From there you can use a standard paint brush and apply the muddy paste all over the blind. Give it plenty of hours to dry, than later you can brush it off. It will sort of dull the camo pattern, but that’s a good thing. From there your blind is ready to hunt.

Keep in mind that layout layout blinds aren’t very effective out of the box. Birds are getting wise to field blinds, and are getting good at spotting them from above. Not only will the camo pattern probably clash with the fields surroundings, you’ll also be dealing with shadows on sunny days. Still try to take advantage of natural cover when available, and know when you’ll be able to effectively hide a blind in the field you’re scouting. Some days we’ll still keep the blinds in the truck when keeping a low profile is a must. With some effort you can hide your blinds effectively in almost every situation.

Here’s some scenario’s where you’ll need to hide your blind:

Mud

The toughest terrain to hide a layout blind in, is in a muddy situation. No matter what camouflage pattern your blind is, or what vegetation you stuff over your blind, it’s still going to stick out from the surrounding dirt. But with a little work you can hide your blind beautifully. Try the mudding procedure that was mentioned earlier. It’s a bit messy and tedious, but it’s necessary if you want to take advantage of your blinds concealment capabilities. It’s also a good idea to use the mud from the area you’ll be hunting to ensure a good color match.

Green

Hunting in green colored fields can be very difficult to hide in. In the areas we hunt, it’s uncommon, but we do hunt in green fields at least once a year. I’m assuming that whatever camo pattern you have, it’ll stick out in a green field like a sore thumb. You will need to stuff the camo straps with vegetation, and it will take some time to have it done right. If you try to stuff the blind one handful at a time pulled from the field, you’ll be there all morning. But there are a few tips that can help minimize the time spent concealing the bind. First, we’ll assign a couple of the guys in the crew to collection duty. While we setup the spread, they use rakes to collect vegetation for the blinds. If the vegetation in the field is short in height, you might want to try the surrounding field edges and ditches. That vegetation will be longer and will conceal more of your blind. When you’re finished you will be amazed at how good a blind can look fully stuffed!

Stubble

We do a lot of hunting in various types of grain stubble. When cut low they can be very tricky to hide in, and like the green fields, the vegetation can be quite minimal. Again, we’ll use the same method at collecting vegetation. A good rake can collect the stubble easier than by hand. Use your best judgment to determine how much stuffing is needed. If time is critical in the morning, you might want to try doing your concealment at night.

Plowed Stubble

If you’re hunting a field that’s been plowed, than you’re looking at a mixture of stubble and dirt colors. Whether it’s corn stubble or grain stubble, you’ll need to put in some work. Some blind camo patterns on the market do a pretty good job alone, but the dark hues may not mesh with the field very well. Try a mixture of the mudding procedure, with some added stubble in the straps and you can hide well. How much or how little will depend on your judgment of the field.

Corn

If it’s a plowed field, than you’ll want to try the “plowed stubble” method mentioned previously. If it’s knocked down corn than your dealing with the easiest concealment situation in my experience. You can simply pile up corn stalks around your blind, and stuff the doors. Piling up the corn stalks is much easier than stuffing one strap at a time, and looks even better in my opinion. If you’re moving your blind around a lot, you have to make sure you remember to keep the blind hidden. It can be easy to overlook your blinds concealment, but try not to get too sloppy.

Peas / Beans

Ouch. I don’t like to hide blinds in bean or pea fields. The vegetation isn’t easy to stuff, and the vegetation isn’t high off the ground. If you must use your blinds, use plenty of mud and throw the vegetation on it while the mud is still wet so it’ll stick. When it dries it’ll hold up pretty well, but it can fall off if you’re not careful.

Snow

Depending on where you live, this may or may not be an issue for you. But for us we may spend a good part of the regular and late season hunting over snow, and during some spring seasons. Hiding a blind in the snow can actually be very easy. You can use old white bed sheets to stuff in the blind, and is an inexpensive method. There are blind colors available on the market that are white and made to hide in snow. Be a little weary though of these covers, a lot of the older models have UV problems. The cover will look white up close but from a distance they will have a bluish tint. If you have one of these older models I suggest buying a can of flat white paint and paint over it to hide the tint.

Another great tip for hiding blinds in snow is with snow flocking. It’s the spray that’s used to flock Christmas trees, and costs around $1/can. It will take at least a can to cover a blind, and it’s better to have plenty of extra cans depending on how it looks. Make sure to store the cans in a warm environment, they don’t spray very well when cold. The flocking can be wiped off the blind easily, and in some rare instances you may need to remud your blind if some of the white hue holds.

Finally, bring a shovel. You can throw snow over the foot base and around the sides of the blind. It’s very quick and easy and can save you a lot of work.

There’s three final tips I want to share. First, you can look into blind colors that’ll better match your surroundings. You can get a cover for pretty much every camouflage on the market, and they help as a base over the original when taken out of its matched surroundings. But keep in mind that the cover should still be stuffed with some of the surrounding vegetation to help it look more natural. Second, you can also buy fake grass materials to use as stuffing. This is a quick and easy way to use stuffing, but the stuffing won’t always be a very good match for the field’s vegatation. The final tip I want to share is to use decoys around your blinds to help conceal. Silhouettes work great to break them up 2-dimensionally, but you can also use full bodies. Not only do they work great to conceal, but decoys also help break up the shadow of the blind. On sunny days the shadow can be very difficult to deal with, especially on higher profile blinds.

The methods we use to hide our blinds come from countless hours of testing techniques in the field. Although I feel these methods work great, we’re always coming up with more efficient and effective ways. Use these methods as a base, and don’t be afraid to experiment!