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Goose Hunting Help - thousands of geese in field

1K views 13 replies 11 participants last post by  noweil 
#1 ·
we have a 300 acre cut corn field that has a large amount of geese coming into it. there is no cover since it is cut so we are using brushed in layout blinds and an avianX portable blind also brushed in. I have 10 Dakota full body decoys and 6 Dakota floaters. we are setting up in the spot where the land owner sees them the most. my questions are:

what is the best way to set the decoys? I assume put the floaters in the small flooded section(4in deep) in front of us with full bodies all around the blinds and in front of us?

Secondly if I have a group of 2-3 coming in with a much larger group behind them should we let the 2-3 land and wait for the larger group?

any other tips? for 7 guys hunting a field that's never been shot?
 
#2 ·
if there is no brush in the field except for laid down stubble, I might stick to the layout blinds and leave the A frame blind at home. Being late in the season, I would think many geese are educated and you will be better off keeping as low a profile as possible. Better to over do the concealment than to have birds flare because they see something they don't like
If you are hunting right where the geese want to be, try to set of with the wind at your back and decoys in front and if u have enough you can put a few around the blinds to help conceal yourselves a little more. try to make your spread look like what the geese are doing the day before you shoot them.
if everything goes right and the geese have never been shot, you may be able to get the big groups in. try it on the first 2 or 3 groups and if they don't commit, you might want to adjust your spread or better yet just take whatever good shots you can get
 
#5 ·
16 decoys is plenty if hunting a field holding large numbers of birds. Hunt the edge of field. Set decoys 15- 20yards from edge. Sit back and shoot your birds and get out quick. Repeat process next day..and maybe day after that. Small groups are ideal. Shoot what you can and split.
 
#6 ·
If its anything like how my season went you will set up all excited waiting for the birds to show and you will wait....and wait....and wait :yes: ....I will agree that hiding 7 blinds will be one heck of a chore...use a ditch or a hedgerow or get out the shovels and dig them in. They pick out one blind with ease.
 
#7 ·
16 decoys ? That's a little shy of the generally accepted 3 dozen per person................................ :lol3: :lol3: probably a regional thing but around her birds generally won't land/fly within 50 yards of a tree line (unless they are 100 yards up)...Of course here the fields are big enough that they don't have to land in danger zones...............
 
#8 ·
dakotashooter2 said:
16 decoys ? That's a little shy of the generally accepted 3 dozen per person................................ :lol3: :lol3: probably a regional thing but around her birds generally won't land/fly within 50 yards of a tree line (unless they are 100 yards up)...Of course here the fields are big enough that they don't have to land in danger zones...............
Makes sense. We have good shoots with hunting the edges of fields. Especially late season. Late season birds tend to feed the edges more since the middle parts are usually fed out. We do get birds that will land short of the decoys but most of the time they are good hunts. We do have smaller fields in my part of the state compared to western NY. NY definitely doesn't have fields like the Midwest states. Flat fields as far as eye can see. When we drove Missouri I couldn't believe the size of the fields out that way.
 
#9 ·
I hunt small spreads often a dozen or fewer decoys and I get my limit often. However I am only hunting 1 hunter in a layout sometimes 2. I prefer to have the wind from R-L or L-R and have my layout 15-25 yards off to the side of my decoys.

Years ago I had a chopped corn silage field with 400-600 geese hitting it. I did not take decoys or a layout blind. I would sit in the down wind fence row. I would let the first couple groups of geese go into the field without shooting. Once my live decoys were out in the field and I was sitting in the flight line, I would pick the last goose in a group and kill it. There was a one bird limit. The geese in the field never got spooked and the groups I killed a bird out of would often still land in the field. I did that about every day for a week. All it took was one group setting up in the middle of the field and shooting it up for one day to burn the field out.

Maybe you could hunt the down wind edge on your field. I would put 7 guys on the edge or what ever cover the field offers. Make sure to give us a detailed report of what you do and how it works out. Video is always good.
 
#10 ·
Lonegoose32 said:
Makes sense. We have good shoots with hunting the edges of fields. Especially late season. Late season birds tend to feed the edges more since the middle parts are usually fed out. We do get birds that will land short of the decoys but most of the time they are good hunts. We do have smaller fields in my part of the state compared to western NY. NY definitely doesn't have fields like the Midwest states. Flat fields as far as eye can see. When we drove Missouri I couldn't believe the size of the fields out that way.
Lonegoose ; This is one of those Missouri fields you referred to 436 acres flatter than Taylor Swifts chest . Hunting the edge was a good choice as it gave us more than acceptable concealment . They never knew we were there till the blind doors flew open . Five blinds five limits. Once you start finishing your birds and you will never go back to the darkside again.

 
#11 ·
John O`Neal said:
Lonegoose32 said:
Makes sense. We have good shoots with hunting the edges of fields. Especially late season. Late season birds tend to feed the edges more since the middle parts are usually fed out. We do get birds that will land short of the decoys but most of the time they are good hunts. We do have smaller fields in my part of the state compared to western NY. NY definitely doesn't have fields like the Midwest states. Flat fields as far as eye can see. When we drove Missouri I couldn't believe the size of the fields out that way.
Lonegoose ; This is one of those Missouri fields you referred to 436 acres flatter than Taylor Swifts chest . Hunting the edge was a good choice as it gave us more than acceptable concealment . They never knew we were there till the blind doors flew open . Five blinds five limits. Once you start finishing your birds and you will never go back to the darkside again.

Thats a good hide dude! Nice job
 
#13 ·
killed 13 saw a couple hundred.

I want to get this field set up right next year. the Farmer will row crop it in corn and soybeans again and will leave some standing.

what would be the best method for this field (300 acres along river) I plan to buy more decoys and only hunt it twice a month with 3-4 hunters. any other advice? going to stick with using layouts so we can move to where the geese are.
 

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#14 ·
How did you hunt it this time? Looks like you had some success. It would be so much easier to offer advice if a person actually got to see the field. I would say you could have about 6 members (since you hunted 7 before) fron DHC meeting you onsite. They can bring decoys and blinds. Then you can get plenty of help on hunting the field.
 
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