Goose Hunting Info - Goose Hunting Tips

The first thing you must do if you plan on using a goose decoy is to find their feeding area and place yourself in a position from which you can hunt the birds. You should scout in order to locate areas where the geese are resting during the day. Follow them in the morning or evening so that you will know where the fields from which they are feeding are. After doing so, you must get the permission to hunt in that area. Scouting must be done every day. The moment they will eat almost all the forage in that area they will leave the zone and move to another area from which they can gather food.

It is advisable to follow more than one flock because you don’t know what might happen and you will end up with nothing to hunt. If you have problems getting the permission to hunt where the geese are feeding then you should try getting permission to hunt in an area under their flight route but as close as possible to the roosting area.

After you have found your hunting spot, now it is the moment to choose the most suitable site to setup. As most of you know, geese prefer the spots where they feel comfortable and secure. You mustn’t place your decoys in the nearby vicinity of a brush pile, fence lines or high vegetations or anything that offers a natural cover because geese “shy” away from all covers which can be a predator risk. The decoys should be placed right in the middle of the field, water or anyplace where the geese can observe them.

If you want to hunt and there is a powerful wind, you should place the decoys on the down side of a vegetation or hill because geese land to protect themselves from the strong winds. When you are placing the decoys, think about where you will be staying so that you will have the best shooting spot so try finding a spot from which you will be able to see in all directions because once the geese see the decoys they may come from all directions. It is advisable to leave a “landing zone” or “hole” in your decoy spread in order to position the landing geese for shooting opportunities. Geese prefer landing in an area where they will not be disturbed by other birds.

In order to make the decoys more visible, there are some steps which you should follow:

- Decoy placement and positioning “decoys should be placed in a V shape, wedge with the point of the V or the wedge into the wind because geese prefer landing in the wind. Placing them in an X is recommended for the times when there isn’t any wind. For decoys you install in water, these should be placed in a J shape with the bend of the J into the wind. Goose decoys should be placed in groups of 5 up to 12 decoys. The decoys should be separated by 2 or 3 feet and the groups by also 2 or 3 feet.

- Size and number of the decoys - the more the better because if the flock is numerous then more decoys should be used. As a matter of fact, if you are hunting flocks of geese you should use more than 100 decoys. If you will use larger decoys then you will attract geese from respectable distances.

- Realism - use the most realistic decoys you can find. Full bodied and shells are very efficient. Regarding the placement, you should place the most realistic decoys you have near the landing zone and the least attractive decoys as far as possible from the view of the incoming birds. Decoys which are moving side to side, moving their heads or flapping their wings add extra-realism and are most efficient.

- Contrasting colors - in order to increase the visibility of your decoys, you should place the dark colored decoys in a light colored area.

Here are some examples of goose decoys used by both amateur and professional hunters around the world:

This product received some serious testing during the spring of 2006 and has proven to be a great attention catcher for snows and blues. Either you use them on a short fiberglass pole, a rotary machine or Vortex; these are a must for any serious hunter.

The 2007 GHG Pro Grade Speck Decoys offers a 6 pack with real motion intelligent base system and also real motion field stakes. The Active-Style body has 6 different head poses and the Feeder-Style body comes with 3 different head poses.

This is an ultra-realistic lifelike speckle belly goose decoy. These decoys offer a realistic look with a printed body and a flocked, silhouette head. Also, these white front decoys hold their shape in no wind situations. Very recommend by hunters around the world.

Measuring 32″ in length and a wingspan of 54″ this is the most recommended product for those hunters which aren’t very good at calling. The Canada Wing Waver draws the movement and attention away from the blinds and around the landing zone making it a very efficient product.

This product comes with a real motion base system. It is a 6 pack of feeders offered by Greenhead Gear and Avery Outdoors. Pack decoys are known to be more efficient in comparison to other similar decoy products.