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Old 02-23-2007, 07:02 PM
  #3  
MinnFinn
Nontypical Buck
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: MN USA
Posts: 1,392
Default RE: Snow goose??

If you're going to try to decoy and call in Snow/Blue Geese you literally need hundreds of decoys set up in very large spreads. Even then talk to fellow who do this and they are one of the toughest waterfowl to get to come into decoys. They are in such enourmous flocks during migrations (thousands of eyes and ears) and a about 7 years ago I read that at that time USFW estimated the average age of a Snow Goose was 9 years! That's a lot of experience for a lot of geese to get to come in.
When we've been very successful in ND in the fall hunting them and in in the spring SD, we've driven and found the very large concentrations, watch their patterns of roosting and which fields they go to feed, ask permission of land owners at least a mile away from the roost in line with the direction they head to feed. We take cover and wait for them to start their flight of 50-100 at a time, if they come off slowly and by the thousands at a time, if they come off and are in a hurry to start feeding. Sometimes we're not under the flight directly and we move. Once the flight path is established, 90% of the geese will continue that same path.
A strong wind into their faces will help you, because they'll usually not fly so high. But it's an amazing thing to see and hear 50K-100k or sometimes more in one place covering 1/2 sq mile of ground or water. Then whenthe majority of aflock that size gets up to move down thewater or over a couple hundred yards,the sound of their wings is deafening.
We had this opportunity for 4 days late Oct. in ND last year. The hunters and dogs had smiles on our faces for a week afterward.
Hope you have good success!
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