rags

Bill Monroe · 01-11-2003, 05:41 AM

Just curious...
Does anyone hunt with Texas rags? More years ago than I care to admit, I shot a banded dusky over a set of black garbage bags and have a bagfull of about 150 Texas rags that work pretty well...I usually use them to sprinkle among the shells, but am thinking about doing a rag hunt only again just to stop all the jokes...
(No Dave, I don't have to bring them on the 2nd)
(But can???)

Bill Monroe · 01-11-2003, 05:44 AM

Oh...it was on Finley in 1976...long time before hunting in the valley tightened...20,000 duskies every year and few taverners...

01-11-2003, 09:11 AM

I think you could do maybe just have to set up a little different. If I was going to do it I would use a layout blind downwind from the spread about 50 yrds or so. I think they would bring them in and if they flared you would still be in the right spot to take em'. Just a thought -Tulley

bigshark · 01-11-2003, 02:06 PM

They work just fine. We use a few more with about 300. Whites work great for snow geese and the tavies and lesser come in just as well to white. We do put a couple of robo's in the spread. I hunted canada with white paper plates with a small clod of dirt. Geese like numbers and movement IMHO. They may not land in them but will set their wings and glide
over the rags or plates and then turn and come over them again. If you want them to try and sit and shoot them while they are back-winging, decoys are a little better with stuffers (mounted real birds) being the best IMO. I do think that rags work best on less finicky(early season birds) but here it is mid Jan and we had snows working the rags at lunch time today. Darn things will always try to make you look bad.

[ 01-11-2003, 03:28 PM: Message edited by: bigshark ]

Gun Rod Bow · 01-11-2003, 05:32 PM

Bill,

It's the old question of huge numbers, or maximum realism. I vacillate.

I have friends that use them around Finley now and do well. Big numbers, good movement, need wind.

My .02 would be numbers early in season, realism late.

GRB

Bill Monroe · 01-11-2003, 06:43 PM

Bigshark,
Where did you have snow's working today?
I've hunted over my rags twice int he past couple of weeks with some success each time...I'm using them to infill the shells, though.

Hunted snows over rags in Katy Prairie once. Down there they call Canada geese a name Jennie doesn't want used here and think they're too easy to bring in...

bigshark · 01-11-2003, 07:29 PM

Bill

My hunt today was just south of the east side check station (private land). The birds flew north over Sturgeon then come back over the CR and swung in from the river over the rags. They must be going a pretty good distance as it takes them about an hour to come back.These birds have been on the island quite a while. The juveniles will split off and once in a while drag a few mature birds with them. The best luck comes when stragglers, one to less than a dozen, come back looking for their brethern. The calling at this club is
mostly by voice............something I just can't do worth a darn. Those that can, really get them to lock up and glide in. You can see their heads turning and looking everything over.The year I became a member (about a dozen years ago) they shot one that had a radio pack on its back. Only one I have ever seen.
A very interesting mount.

Bill Monroe · 01-12-2003, 03:31 AM

That's pretty cool...I'm in a group in the upper end of Scappoose Bay, also private land. We never see the snows wintering on the island, but get a lot...mostly, in fact...of westerns. I was a guest a couple of times on Peterson's...that's pretty great country over there.