[Feather Freeks]

i need some help. i set up in an oats field that geese have been landing in. i didn't know exactly where the geese were sitting, so i just sorta set up in the middle of the field. The geese worked a little bit but never quite made it into range. they ended up landing right on the edge of the field. when i went to my car to pic up more came in and landed about 60 yards in front of my blind. I know geese like to short stop decoys early in the season, but how come they're landing in different parts of the field? i set up this morning where they were sitting last night. and they still skirted the dec's. Some landed on the edge of the field again. how am i suppose to find the "X" if they're landing in so many different parts of the field?

 

[goosehunternd]

There is no way to find the X if they are landing all over the field. Set up where the largest group of birds were sitting and let the calling and flagging do the work.

 

[NDTerminator]

I rarely have the luxury of hunting a field on which I've previously established an "x" spot the birds are using. What I do is get permission on a good number of fields and which one I hunt on any given day is in relation to the wind & bird movement in my area. Pulling birds in is based on intimate knowledge of the various roost locations and bird movement around my farmstead.

Landing short or skirting the spread gets more common as the season goes on & the birds get more decoy shy. Often, the landing short bit itself happens when you have the wind directly at your back. Frustating, to say the least.

When this happens I simply move the blinds in front of or downwind of the decoys as far as need be to get a crack at these wary birds.

Sometimes this can be 100 yards or more outside the spread. I've had some memorable shoots set up like this...

 

[buckseye]

That's why I don't use blinds, I like being mobile and laying wherever I need to be to get shooting. If you have camo clothes of some sort is all you need to conceal yourself. Play the wind man!!

 

[blhunter3]

What kind of dekes are you using and what does your set up look like. I know lsat weekend the birds were landing in the dekes but it was a far shot, so we just adjusted the deke a lil and then the birds where landing dead in front us of

 

[George Zahradka]

youcan do a lot of things how many decoys are you using ? what does your blinds look like... stand back 100 yds. if you can see them so can the geese......maybe dig in ..... hows your calling sound? if you on the X YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH VERY LITTLE CALLING.......sounds like you have some geese that get hammered we do too not much you can do about that.......throw them a change up do something different maybe use 2 blinds and rotate in and out

 

[7outof10]

just move the blinds to where the geese are landing put all you decoys behide you or something like that or off to the side if need be

 

[Maverick]

youcan do a lot of things how many decoys are you using ? what does your blinds look like... stand back 100 yds. if you can see them so can the geese......maybe dig in ..... hows your calling sound? if you on the X YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH VERY LITTLE CALLING.......sounds like you have some geese that get hammered we do too not much you can do about that.......throw them a change up do something different maybe use 2 blinds and rotate in and out

You got your answer right there! Good Post George! Stand back about 100 yds and look at your spread! I bet it's the blinds!

 

[blhunter3]

Or something could be shining. The glossy gun barrels shine. I have seen it the shine before and it was bad. Not saying that it scared the birds but there is just another thing to think about.

 

[water_swater]

Are you using a call? If they are short stopping you honk rapidly and aggressively before they land, even if they attempt to land. Keep doing this until they have committed to come to your decoys, geese are very aggressive, use it to your advantage.

I would also do as others say and take a look at your decoys from 400+ yards away no binocs. Are they a blob? Compare them to the flocks you see scouting, in my opinion space is king.

We did alot of experimenting with decoys this fall, the tighter we got the worse the birds decoyed. They would be drawn fine but about 60 yards they would flare when we tried "packin" it in.

Sometimes especially early geese just want to land by themselves especially if there is little wind. We had that happen alot this year, pairs especially would just bomb the field then land 200 yards away no matter what we did.

If all the geese are coming from the same roost short stop them with your decoys. Setup where they first enter the field and make them fly over you, then you'll know if your flaring them.

 

[buckseye]

Feed call.

 

[diver_sniper]

Like water swater said, if they are short stopping, go bonkers on the call right when you think they have decided to go down. Don't wait too long or they'll be standing on the ground 80 yards in front of you.

Make sure your hide is the best you can get it. Blinds look like crap in wheat and oats fields, there's no getting around that. If there's a different way to hide, go with it. Don't worry about the fact that you rarely see anyone hunt from anything other than a blind in a Zink or Foiles movie. They'd be shooting themselves in the foot if they taught you how to hunt from round bales or standing corn.

If you're hunting by yourself or with just one other guy, try not using a blind at all and breaking yourself up with decoys. It's not comfortable, but neither is hunting.

Don't think that you always have to be located at the bottom of the landing pocket. Try setting the blinds on a wing of the spread so that you're shooting across the pocket. A lot of times you'll get better shots off this way because the birds don't always see you pop the lid to shoot, so their wings are still set when you take your first shot.

As for birds landing in other parts of the field... It's hard to say. Sometimes they just do that, no reason at all. If you have a good mobile spread, try moving to that spot. If not, at least make sure you scare them off, because you'll never compete with live birds.

 

[mach]

There are alot of possibilities:
Geese at this time are still family grouped if they are locals and it is no longer early in the season as some places have gone for three weeks and you might have some early migrators comming in from a DIFFERENT ROOSTS comming in with a weather change up going to their favorite part of the field.
Scouting does not mean driving by and seeing birds in a field and the suddenly racing off to find the farmer for permission and having dinner in the bar talking it up full of anxiety.
Proper scouting involves the following of the birds from their roost to the field..noting wind direction and their approach, number of birds in a flock (family groups) and where they land..mark with a sketch in regards to a landmark..note if other flocks come in from another direction-roost and watch them leave and go out to the field immediaely to mark it..better yet squeeze some fresh turds.

Sometimes the birds may land on the edge of a field say a black field barren get some grit and then walk in to the grain field to eat.

Prior to most of this you and your friend can mostly look up thr land ownership map pull out the phonebook and call the farmer by cell phone for permission or have your buddy drive out for permission while you are watching the birds.Watch from a position where other scouts can not see you but you can see them to give an idea what might shape up in the morning. around your area.
Check out the weather and wind direction in the morning etc.

 

[chris lillehoff]

They know your geese are plastic! JK LOL

When birds are landing all over the field, try something different. Like not hunting the field. Do yourself a favor and find the roost. Let's face it. These birds have a season designed to control their existence.

Its simple. Find out where they sleep and you have them in the palm of your hand.