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Goose Tactics

3K views 21 replies 8 participants last post by  WIDrakeKiller 
#1 ·
So earlier in the season I had been field hunting a ton with my new layout blind, all around Elkhorn WI. I hadn't done much of any field goose hunting before this season, just over water, but I was doing great with only 12 decoys. So far over the past few weeks I have upped my decoys to 36 and been spending more time camoing my layout, but have killed no geese the past 4 or so times I have gone out. Since I haven't done much field hunting for geese I was wondering if anyone has any helpful hints. How far do you usually put the dekes from your layout? Are there any killer ways to lay out 36 decoys this time of year? It's jsut been annoying not pulling in near the amount of geese as earlier. I get their attention most the time and they will fly over, maybe some will do a circle, but then they will flare and fly off.
 
#3 ·
That's really what I'm thinknig since every night they fly the exact same route, I've been hunting tilled corn fields but one on my grampas land just got cut so its perfect, but im thinking theyre local. Its getting old setting everything up to not get any to decoy.
 
#7 ·
Try laying ur blinds down too so ur hunting a cross wind. And maybe even put ur blinds at the edge of ur decoys. A lot of guys put their blind in the middle. But I have wondered if u put them outside ur spread they might not care as much. I figure they are focused on the decoys the most.
 
#9 ·
i dont call when they are right on top of me because they will pin point the sound. if they get excited, i get excited on the call. hunt a cross wind and when they are coming in to land they wont be looking right at you.

try busting the decoys in some family groups if the blob is not working. family groups seem to work all season long. if decoys are way too bunched they may look nervous.

if they flared they might of seen you or realized calling wasnt with decoys.

do you dig your blinds in? how many blinds you hiding?
 
#10 ·
I usually just go by myself, 1 field I have dug for my blind, the other is just recently chopped and I can completely cover it. Usually I put my blind backwards to the sun with my spread Uing out away from the sun so if theyre coming in I figured they wouldn't see me as easily
 
#14 ·
Thanks, and no I don't flag, never tried it. Does it matter if 12 of my 36 decoys don't have stakes? I got them like that so I just put them right on the ground so they sit much lower than the ones with stakes. Should I just use the staked dekes or spread out the others between the staked ones?
 
#15 ·
ducks385 showed a great basic spread. Do that spread on late season geese and they are likely gonna see u. I would set up on a cross wind. Remember u don't have 10 dozen fully flocked full bodies and crazy calling skills like the guys u see on tv. U need to set up a spread based on what u got. If geese are hunted in your area they are likely gonna bust u.
 
#17 ·
Richie27 you hit the nail on the head especially for late season. This last weekend i had a field with a few 100 geese feeding in it they were setup very close to the fence line only because the when the farmer cut that field last week they dumped a bunch of corn about 20 yards from the fence line. So saturday morning we loaded the fence line full of decoys and placed all our feeders in the dumped corn and with in 45 min of when the geese starting flying off the roost we were filled up. The point Im trying to make is watch what the birds are doing and try to copy that. If I wouldve setup in the middle of the field like i usually do i wouldnt have gotten anything. Scouting is the biggest part of being successful. Goose Doctors where are you located at??
 
#19 ·
Another thing to consider is don't be afraid to setup near a treeline. I know folks will tell you geese won't work close to trees and that they'll only land in the middle of the field but that is nonsense. Geese will land next to a treeline and just the other day I saw them using it as a windbreak. On this hunt in paticular, the wind was howling out of the north and the birds were landing right next to the trees. They weren't landing there due to extra food or anything like that, they were simply trying to get out of the wind.
Also, don't be the guy hunting the middle of the field day after day. That is the quickest way to burn up a field. Hopefully this helps.

Richie
 
#20 ·
he's probably running traffic like more then half of the people out there are doing. If we could watch em feed we would just put em like we saw them, but I have only hunted a couple feed fields and I didnt watch them my friends did. Half the time we hunt where we can hide.

I dont think you need a kill hole ethier. I usually put a few walking into the blob on the down wind side and that has seemed to work for me all season.
 
#21 ·
Another question for u guys. It seems like layout blinds are only good on the edges of fields these days. Even if I dig mine down half a foot and stubble it up good, if geese fly over me they see me. Even in a field that they load up in every year they still are smart enough to pick u out. A pit would be nice but you would have to lease the land then.
 
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