jnicholes

So, I was hunting, and I think I’m doing something wrong. I had 15 flocks fly over me, most of them were flocks of four, and no matter how I called, they would not turn. I’ve been Practicing my goose calling for a while, but it doesn’t seem to be doing any good.

Here’s the full details of what I’m doing. I get to the farm field. I have permission to hunt there.

I set up my decoys. Eight of them are highly detailed plastic decoys, the other 43 are just pieces of wood that are painted black and white that a friend who passed away gave to me before he died.

after setting up, I lay on the ground. I don’t have a blind. I think that’s one of my problems right there. I dress in camo, and I do my best to conceal myself. When flocks come over, I try to imitate their calls. I also try to get their attention by calling more.

nothing works. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. I’m not turning any flocks.

In just a little bit, I’ll post pictures of my decoys and my equipment and show you what I’m using.

Any idea what I’m doing wrong?

mrbb

well its hunting not shooting LOL
BUT honestly, ask yourself, WHY are they NOT landing where your at, odds are there is an answer, all the calling in the world won;'t make a duck/goose land where it doesn;t want to be!
I am not expert waterfowl hunter, killed my share, but never something I got heavy into!

But when I did hunt them, I always tried to set up in places they wan ted to be, as if your not near food or a place they wish to land, there going to keep going, most times

and calling TOO much is just as likely to scare them off than call them in!
its one of them things, you have to play with and try and figure out what there likely to do!

also, keep in mind(not sure what species of things your after), but many geese and other things can get pretty picky on how many decoys need to be out before they will feel safe landing in things
many have learned set ups of hunters, been shot at and as such, got very smart to hunters games!

which is again why I always tended to hunt food sources more than trying to call folks in!

maybe others can give better advice, but
my suggestion is stick with it, and try and figure out where there wanting to land and be, and then try setting up there in the dark a while before light to allow them top NOT see you setting up and such!

Oldtimr

Sometimes not calling at all or calling very little works, you can call too much. As was just posted, geese or ducks will not land where they don't want to be. You may be well advised to scout and find fields the birds are landing in and them try to get permission to hunt there.

jnicholes

I do know of one field where they like to land. I tried getting permission to hunt there last year, it was a no go. I could try again this year, though.

Oldtimr

You need to make knowing the active fields in your hunting area part of your goose hunting regime, then knock on doors and ask permission to hunt. Hunting in flyover fields is a waste of time and effort.

mrbb

also, the best time to be asking for permission to hunt is LONG before hunting seasons and not in the middle of it
as many land owners view this as being lazy or even disrespectful,, due to hunters Not caring about things till they see game on someone's land,

so, asking well in advance helps get a foot in the door,, and tends to get you access more often, than waiting till the season is here!

asking in off season also helps you g with getting to know the land owners and even offering some help on there land in exchange for permission to hunt there land, them good old days of land owners just letting anyone hunt, have gone away, in most places!

and I am NOT saying its impossible to get permission in season, just saying, the better time to be asking, is far in advance of hunting season!
ducks/geese tend to follow food and if crops be the same yr after yr, they also tend to land and feed in same places!
so, scouting this yr for NEXT yr, many times is how you get access for better lands!
also never hurts to give a gift to land owner if they allow you on there land, doesn't have to be much, sometimes its the thought that matters more than the irtem!

KSBuck1977

Like the others have mentioned, you got to hunt where they want to be. Most important part of goose/duck hunting is scouting beforehand. Find a field/water they are using and ask for permission. You're probably not going to pull many birds down into a field they haven't been coming to just by calling/decoys. Also, I'd suggest getting a layout blind and brush it in really good. They get pretty smart after being hunted and a layout blind will improve your chances. It's all a learning process, enjoy it.

jnicholes

Thanks for all the advice. I really appreciate it. L

There’s one thing I don’t understand, though.

When me and my hunting partner hunt, nine times out of 10 we go in fly by fields. Not fields the geese always land in. Those times, we limit out. He’s an excellent caller, and we use his high-quality decoys and layout blinds.

He is always able to call a flock that’s coming over to land into the field.

I actually talked to him a few days ago. He gave me some great advice. He said calling is number four on his list. Number one and number two is good blinds and good decoys. After you have those, then you can work on calling.

that’s what he said.

anyway, it’s not about shooting a bird anymore. Yes, you should have fun while hunting. Even if you don’t get something, you should have fun.

The thing I want to do, is be able to take a goose or duck on my own eventually. I feel like I’m dependent on other people to help me get the things I need, like ducks and geese.

that’s the whole thing right there.

anyway, thank you all for the advice. I really appreciate it.
Jared

mrbb

a I have I said many times, hunting is a never ending learning and advancing your skills
the more you get out there and DO it, and pay attention to details, you will learn as time passes and get better
but if you just keep doing the same things, you will tend to be relying on LUCK to change anything!

its all about advancing your skill sets, and learning to read terrain, and the wildlife and how they use things, from wind to food sources to??
its not a learn this and your GREAT at it sport
you have to learn a LOt of little things and most all of them take TIME< in the field to learn them, you will never learn most hunting skills by reading or watching any video or show
its about doing it, and paying attention to what worked and what didn;t and how things react, HOW did you get in and out, HOW did you set up
NOT every goose or duck will react or act the same, just like ALL species of living critters, they all can react DIFFERENTLY .
but some where in there is a medium that works more often than not, and its ALL about finding that as time passes
what works for ME< maybe WON"T for you
as there are SO many variables in hunting, from location, weather, hunting pressure, game numbers, food supply's and so on!

decoys MIGHT matter, but I woudn't ever say there the # 1 thing in duck geese hunting
UNLESS your hunting VERY SMART geese that have been shot at a few times
as there an animal that LEARNS, just like a good hunter will
you learn what to look for to be successful, and they look at it to survive!
this is why many Snow geese will NEVER come into a few decoys, they tend to require a LOT of decoys to be tricked, and that might be a 100 or 500 decoys,
its not always the quality of the decoys, as it can be the number of them and placement of them
fill a parking lot up with the BEST decoys in the world, and I doubt many will come in and land, even if your a world champ caller too LOL
there still has to be a reasons for them to WANT to land there , with there LOOK ALIKE< fake buddies!


don't know if you have access to any place you can jump shoot waterfowl, but maybe that might be something else to try if you have the interest(and way to recover any that l;and in water)
I have done very well hunting them this way and don;t need as many decoys or blinds or??
more on the go hunting style maybe, some like, some not so much, I had a great retriever (lab) so was also a reason I liked that, got to see him work on retrieves! and all!

ALl I can say is stick with it, keep trying and pay attention to things from YOUR set up's to where they seem to want to be and ask WHY they want to be "X" places if not by you!
are they seeing you, is there better food else where? is your calling scaring them over convincing them your a like critter!
its all about asking and learning things
stick with it and sooner or later things will get better and you'll have more skills and confidences as well!

archeryrob

You are either on the X, or you are running traffic. The latter can be difficult and frustrating.

IMO, flags work better than calls. As said, calling a lot will make them ignore you. Go to the park and watch the geese when a new flock comes in. The group in the air is calling and the ones on the group only get vocal as they land to hold their ground.

Buy a blind and learn to camo it into the field. This is 10x more important than calling.
Rogers sporting goods, the 2.0 is pretty good at $170 and 2 on there for $100