goose hunting in the snow

QuarterCast · 01-01-2004, 07:45 PM

How about some experiences from you old timers hunting waterfowl in the snow.

Bait Bucket · 01-01-2004, 07:51 PM

Some of my most memorable goose hunts have been in the snow. Back east I hunted a lot of pasture fields, wheat and corn fields. I use to scrap the snow where I wanted to hunt, put down a few decoys and a ground blind and those darn geese would be sucked in so easily.

skein · 01-02-2004, 03:17 AM

I couldn't pass up this one. My wife took it yesterday from our front porch. The only problem is the field is just inside the city limits.

I'm sure glad she had the camera handy. [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

Skein

billc_sbio · 01-02-2004, 05:30 AM

Here's a tip...

If you're hunting in something GREEN (which means low), we used to take along some wide push brooms and BROOM OFF most of the snow, revealing the "feed" in the areas where we put out our decoys. The geese like to see that, adds "realism" (though how did they imagine the snow got removed?!! :grin: )

Another little item, especially over east, when the snow starts piling up pretty good and ends up forming a "crust" on the surface, it gets pretty difficult for geese to forage down into it (or even know WHAT'S under it). When it's cold like that, they end up loving "hot food", CORN! As a result you'll often find them near herds of CATTLE that have been put out on cut corn circles/fields! The cows punch through the crust and are feeding on the corn also!

Farmers/ranchers often balk when asked for permission to hunt near their cows, but I tell 'em, "I've never shot a cow yet!"

[ 01-02-2004, 06:46 AM: Message edited by: billc_sbio ]

nitrobass · 01-02-2004, 08:35 AM

Just found a snowy field with about a hundred westerns in it, a place I've gotten permission in the past. Time to make some calls!

Snowing again in Eugene

nitrobass · 01-02-2004, 08:52 AM

Woohoo! Time to dust off the bigfoots and plan the attack for tomorrow

nitroduk · 01-03-2004, 08:19 PM

HEY THERE, FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH I'VE FOUND THAT LESS IS MORE WHEN SETTING DEKES OUT IN HEAVY SNOW, KEEP YOUR NUMBERS DOWN AROUND 12-18. I LIKE TO FIND FIELDS WITH A LOT GROUND BETWEEN WHERE I'M GOING TO HUNT, AND WHERE THERE ARE ANY ROADS, HOUSES, ETC;. ALSO IT REALLY HELPS TO GET YOURSELF SOME CORN DECOYS, YOU CAN BUY SOME ON EBAY, BUT THE ONES WE HAVE ALWAYS USED WERE SOME PLASTIC EARS OF CORN MY WIFE FOUND AT A CRAFT STORE. THEY LOOK REALISTIC AND ARE EASY TO PACK WITH YOU, IF I REMEMBER RIGHT THE LAST TIME SHE GOT ME SOME SHE ONLY PAID ABOUT A BUCK APIECE FOR THEM. ALSO TAKE ANOTHER 5-9 DEKES AND PLACE THEM DOWNWIND OF YOUR SPREAD IN SINGLE FILE. I'VE WATCHED SEVERAL FLOCKS OF GEESE COME IN TO OTHERS ON THE GROUND AND DROP 30-40 YARDS DOWNWIND OF THE MAIN BUNCH AND COME IN SINGLE FILE TO THEM. I DON'T KNOW IF THIS WORKS FOR ANYBODY ELSE, BUT I'VE HAD REAL GOOD LUCK WITH IT MYSELF. GOOD LUCK, AND HAPPY HUNTING!