newbie questions

[trapstercarl]

hello
I am new to goose hunting and I have some questions.I bought Flambeau One Piece Canada Goose Shells Per 12
Canada goose decoy set comes with 9 feeders and 3 sentries. and I am wondering if that is enough to start hunting fields? what is a good call? good loads? how should I make a blind? thanks carl

[orion]

Welcome to the waterfowling world, be careful it is addicting. You should have success in the early season with that few of decoys, but you will invest more later. As far as loads go, if you have a 12 guage 3", run a high speed load of BBs, like 1 1/8oz or 1 1/4 oz. For field hunting Geese I rarely use a blind, usually I match my camo carefully to to the field I am hunting, and just lay in the decoys. Most importantly, respect the geese and other hunters and NO SKY BUSTING! Work the birds in until you can see the birds eye, He's in range! There are lots of good calls out there, get one with a video and learn. You can get a high dollar call later. Scout, scout, scout and scout some more. Finding birds to hunt is key. Good luck, only 2 1/2 months till go time!

[Linda G.]

You're better off taking shots at single geese or small groups when they come in rather than an entire flock...geese learn quickly, and if you shoot at a big flock that's all in one group, that may well be the only shot you take on those birds all season...unless you can hunt the field they go to instead.

I don't shoot until I can see their eyes...

Linda

[AllFowledUp]

Trapster, you have gotten some pretty good advise from Linda G. and orion. The only other thing I would add to it is, try and hook-up with someone who has been doing it for a while. Thats the best way to learn how to set decoy spreads, when to call and not call, Rules and Regulations etc.......
As far as blinds go, I have made my own lay out blinds. 1/2 Plywood deck 30 in x 7 ft. (I am 6' 4"), 3/4 PVC 22in x 7', 4 90 degree elbows and 2 tee fittings will make up one side of the frame work with support in middle, securing it to the plywood with U-bolts, (u-bolts over the bottom frame one at each end and drilled through the ply wood at the outside edge, and tightened from underneath decking. You can tighten the u-bolts as to how easy it is to swing the sides away from you. Camo burlap attached to PVC frame (cable ties) with elastic straps running length wise (i used the elastic straps used in sewing) so you can add vegitation. When you are done, it will look like a mini pup tent. A back rest added for partial sitting up, foot straps for assistance in getting up into a good shooting position (my buffet area is bigger now adays). Cut hand holes at one end and an axle system at the other with 9 inch bicycle tires and you have a great field blind and wheel barrel for hauling all your equipment into the field (i can carry five dozen goose shells in mine with the sides up most likely more if i had more). Oh yeah, make the wheels removable so you can lie flat in the field, store them inside the blind. Total cost for material for making two blinds, $75.00. Is September ever gonna get here?

[el Cazador]

AllFowledUP...

...do you have any pics / plans for that blind?? I'd be interested in learning more about that.

Thanks

eC

[Shoveler]

trapstercarl,

You have a good start. Decoys, as pointed out in another post "you will invest more later". Try hooking up with a couple of goose hunters, you can see what they are using, increase the decoy spread and learn from them. Gander Mountain will discount decoys at the end of the season so watch for the specials. Knutson's in August also runs sales on decoys.

Calls come in short reed or flute. My opinion is to start with a flute, like a Big River. Easy to blow and learn basic calls on. Big Rivers run around $30.00. There are other flutes in different price ranges so whatever you want to spend on a call is up to you. Short reeds are great calls but are harder to master. They tend to be higher priced and if you go the short reed route buy the instructional video or CD.

Loads, 12 ga 3" BB,BBB steel. Used #2, 3" Hevi-shot last year on geese and will be using it again. It is pricey but good. Work the geese in close and steel is fine.

Got to go

Shoveler

[Firetiger]

Wait till they are back pedaling over the landing zone, start with the bird thats the furthest away (within range) and work your way forward, earplugs, heater, good bird dog, pratice calling but if the birds are doing what you want ease up alittle, don't blast them off the field with your call, thats what your gun is for,,pattern your gun, they rarely shoot where your aiming, sounds obvious, but the birds almost always land into the wind,the birds land will land cross wind on local birds w/local hangouts, respect the landowner and whoever takes you to "their spot".. waterfowling is the best thing out there, and by the sound of it your already hooked,, good luck

[MI Duck Hunter]

I agree with all of them. There is a lot of good advice here.

MIDH

[Chesapeake Kid]

Carl,
Having been hunting geese for only a few years I thought I'd add what has been helpful in my learning process.
I found hunting with someone of similar experience fun as you can learn together and you're not worried about sounding like a fool the first year :)
You'll need more than 1 dozen decoys when hunting on land- try hunting with a buddy and combining spreads (the later the season goes or the larger the flock, the geese find numbers = safety) 18-24 should work at first. I just read a good article on some new siloettes (2-D decoys) in "Waterfowl" magizine. They are lighter and easier to carry.
Waterfowl hunting is an expensive enterprise, but aviod the temptation to buy everything the first year.
Try hunting over water, as most goose hunters pass up this opportunity. Just don't shoot at geese using that pond to roost as they will find a new home (this is as opposed to field hunting as geese will come back to the same field after being shot at.) I've had some great water hunts, especially during the early season. I've found I only need about 6 decoys when hunting over water in the early season.
I've heard that you should only hunt the same spot once every 3-4 days to allow geese to come back and feel comfortable with that spot again.
Geese in my experience tend to feed in the mid moring and evening and thus these are the times to scout. More often than not, a flock using a field in the evening will return there the next moring. Get out there ASAP to ask permission to hunt that property.
Goose hunting seems to differ from duck hunting in deciding WHERE to hunt. Hunting ducks take less scouting and I often spend one day scouting for every day hunting. Some of the more experinced guys will have knowledge of fields that hold geese every year, but for a newbie, grab your binoculars and hit the road.
HEVI-shot is a new type of shell that uses a nickle alloy that is actually heavier than lead- meaning that it will carry more kinetic energy and thus more force when it hits the target (commonly refered to as "knock-down power") They worked great for me last year. They are about $17 for 10, but trust me, you don't use up shells like when duck hunting so it's worth the money. I've watched cheap steel literally bounce off geese at 30 yards. Remmington bought the company after only 1 year in operation and has expanded the choices this year. I believe that they are making a 3.5 inch shell this year. And they are still cheaper than the other non-toxic offerings like Bismuth or Tungsten. Go to www.Hevi-shot.com or the Remmington homepage to check this stuff out. Geese are TOUGH birds, you'll like the extra power.
As for blinds, the description above is a great blind. However, if you have enough cover in a field ie corn stubble, sometimes all you have to do is lay on the ground and cover up with fallen stalks (and have compatible cammo) or take a large piece of burlap with you. The back rest in these "coffin" blinds is a very nice touch however. Try going to a retail site like www.herters.com and look at some of these mobile blinds to get some other ideas.

If you don't have a gun yet, I'd offer that a mulit-purpose shotgun like a Reminton 870 Ultra-mag 3.5 inch pump is a great entry level choice. They run about $350 or so. They can take a lot of punishment and are a great gun to "learn" on as they don't break the bank. Great for ducks too as you don't mind taking it into a muck-filled swamp.
Hope this helps.

[Camo Man]

Another blind suggestion. I have a Final Approach Eliminator Pro, but my soon to be 13 year old son does not goose hunt often enough to warrant buying another one. So what I have done is bought, at the Army Surplus Store, two camo poncho sets and tied them together. One poncho for a ground cloth, with a poncho liner tied on it for warmth and comfort. Reverving the layers for on top. On warm dry days the top poncho is not needed and only the top poncho liner is used. All is warm, dry, wind proof and very inexpensive compaired to other blinds.

[Shoveler]

trapstercarl

Herters is now owned by Cabela's and the Herters website gives you a nice letter and Cabela's website.

Shoveler

:D

[AllFowledUp]

Sorry....no pictures of these blinds. I do not have a scanner yet. If you would like, email me at jreed@power-net.net and we can work out an arrangement to get some shots to you in the US Mail.

[trapstercarl]

thanks for all of the information. carl