Early Geese

[Drake]

Do many of you guys hunt water for early season geese?
And how many decoys do you use?
Dave

[Mr. 16 gauge]

I do; I use about 18-20 decoys, as that is all that I can carry by myself.

[Firetiger]

Yep, best shooting till the flights come, all the Dekes I got, put them in family groups, as the year class birds are in groups of up to a dozen or so,,good luck

[sean]

I almost never hunt over water.,mainly in fields.Wheat,hay,oats and silage fields. If you do hunt over water I would never hunt a roost.Just my opinion.

[Firetiger]

Great advice on not busting the roost,,,

[Brian S]

Why not the roost?

I've had some good success in the evenings hunting where I know they like to roost. Granted, sometimes they come in while I'm picking up the decoys but its a chance you take.

[Mr. 16 gauge]

They don't want you shooting the roost because it will frighten the birds away from the area, and they won't go to the fields that they have been scouting.
While I can appreciate that, unfortunately, the only place I have at shooting a few birds is by hunting water. I only have access to public lands, and since the DNR only manages for whitetail deer, my options are limited. When was the last time you saw a silage cut, wheat field, or oat field on state land, or for that matter, a mowed grassy field that the geese might even consider using? For some of us, hunting water is the only option.

[grizzly]

Not having the extra time to get out and scout and get permission from farmers, i have no choice but to hunt the water. So thats where i go. As for the number of decoys, generally 1/2 dozen of magnums and a 1/2 dozen of regular size decoys. As for hunting them on the roost, pressure is pressure and we hear way more banging coming from the surrounding fields than we do on the open water of saginaw bay, especially during the early goose season. Most of the time we are shooting at birds that are coming from the fields and need to get water or refuge.

Grizzly

[HEAVYSHOT]

Not to get off the subject, hunting geese over water is effective if that is all you have available to hunt. But take a few days in the summer like right now and go do some scouting ask around and lock up some of those fields now. Myself and my hunting buddies went out this past weekend asking permision on many farms not only the ones that are wheat, oats, and hay but on standing corn fields that will be cut for those later season hunts. We got turned away on most but we managed to get two farms that always have geese in them in the later season and one wheat field that always holds geese that was corn last year that will be a good one for the early season. Then we are looking to lock in two more farms this week. We get turned down a lot but when you do get a new farm the benefits are very rewarding. We doubled the amount of farms we can hunt in one weekend, hope this helps and motivates all to get out there and start knocking on doors.

HEAVYSHOT
"shoot 'em in the lips"

[Coldwater Charters]

"I don't have time to go get land permission and have to hunt public water" Time is in the mind of the beholder. I have the time to find hunting spots but I don't have time to help the wife with here horse chores. See what I mean..... make the time if you want too that is. Not having time is not really a very good excuse IMO. I have to leave now and make time to eat;)

[Firetiger]

Yep, I locked some of my fields up in january, and the rest in the spring, Good tip is to look for Farmers planting and hit them up, most farmers I know concider geese rats with wing, and usually I can pick up more fields and more importantly more contacts,, doesn't take much time and the effort is well worth it,,

[sean]

Hey, if all you have to hunt is water, more power to you.Your right there isnt many fields on state land to hunt, even though i've found a few like Bald Mt. recreation area in Lk. Orion. I hunt four counties by me why? not because I want to but because I try to go where farmers will give me permission. If you have one roost in the area and twenty fields within three to four miles you can bang on them geese all season instead of once or twice. Like Grizzly said scout,scout,scout. Some of us dont have the time we once did so you do what you got to. I respect that, but if you have just a little time it'll pay off in the long run. Not just for you but for all of your fellow hunters out there. I dont consider the Saginaw Bay to be a roost its so dam big than can go wherever they want to. Most of the time they'll go in the refuge or way out on the bay. I do a little guiding in those fields by the bay for ducks and geese, theres nothing like having thousands of mallards decoying into your spread and having geese five yards in front of you right over your head. Oh my gosh you guys are getting me pumped up. CUT EM!
Just my opinion guys good luck to you all this season. Sorry so long i had a lot to get off my chest.

[Mr. 16 gauge]

"Time is in the mind of the beholder"??????
Let's see......I work 50-60+ hours/week....not because I "want" to, but because that is what the job entails. We are short staffed and in a hiring freeze, and it's summer, so everyone is taking vacations and we are even more short staffed. I am required to be on call every other week (and weekend), and carry a pager that requires me to respond in 30 minutes or less. Plus I have no control when cases are booked. ....and excuse me if I don't feel that scouting is more important than blowing off time with the family (what little I get). I would like all of you who think that "time is in the mind of the beholder" to do my job for a couple of weeks and tell me that "time is in the mind of the beholder". And don't tell me to "quit and find another occupation"; it's not an option at this stage in life.

Those 18 or 20 hunters in those fields dont give a damn about me. I am lucky to get one or two days to hunt the early season......excuse me if I don't shed a tear or am concerned about busting a roost for someone who is getting paid to hunt.

[Coldwater Charters]

Mr. 16, I was just stating my opinion which I believe is true. You don't have to work that job that takes 50,60 or more hours a week and if you do there is still almost 100 hours left every week subtract 56 hours which most of us only get 48 hours of sleep a week that leaves 44 to 52 hours a week. You don't have to have a new car or truck or house for that matter. Time IS in the eye of the beholder. You make time for your family, because that is important to you. That's a good thing. I wasn't by no means pointing a finger at you, but I can see with your comments you have tossed some stones my way and that's OK I have big shoulders and can take a little BS from time to time. I know that you won't be hunting anywhere's close to me so I don't care, in fact hunt those roosts up there. The geese will have to find a new place to have a night roost and it just might be by me. I can appreciate that. I do not have any power over people places or things, all I can do is do what I think is the right thing to do IMO and hunting the roost other then the last day or 2 of the season is not a good thing to do in most cases.

Oh by the way, in the summer months I am gone for 4 or more day stretches at a time. So let's see,,,,, 4 times 24 is 96 hours. How do I make the time to scout or just try to gain permission.

Mr. 16 Ga. We have had some differences in the past and let's don't make this a fued. Someones time is there time to do with what they choose, how they choose to use it is completely up to them and thank god for most folks it isn't out there gaining permission on private properties. That is one of the things I choose to do with my time....

No one is forced to have to spend time in any certain way, it is the decisions of each individual. If someone doesn't want to scout and goes on mostly hope hunts then most times they will not have many opertunities to shoot the gun. Which I would have to assume they understand that going in.

In closing, if you hunt water for da geese and have attained proper permission or are hunting on State property then I have no problem with that. I might not agree, but you are legal and out there doing what you enjoy doing.

Note

Remember for those that are thinking of float hunting this season. It is illegal to float hunt on a river or waterway that is through private property unless you have permission from the land owners on both sides of the river. It is also illegal to hunt on a lake in front of private property unless you have permission for the property owner that owns that pie shaped area to the center of the Lake reguardless if there isn't a dwelling within 450 feet of where you are hunting. I would hate to see anyone get unnecesary violations.

Good luck and be safe out there!!!

[sean]

I would of posted earlier but only had a few minutes so I decided to use that little time I had to take my family for about a half an hour and get some fields. I had the good fortune to get 3 wheat fields and a hay field in about 15 minutes. It sounds like you are a good family man thats great. I just had a little one and have another in the oven.I can appreciate spending time with the family. As you have priorities, one of mine is scouting. This one hunter does care about Mr. 16 gauge or I wouldnt of said I respected not having the time. Please "excuse me if I dont shed a tear" about you working all those hours and "getting paid for it". I do some guiding not because I think im better than anybody but because I like to hunt. If I can hunt and meet good people and get a little money for it great . Because where I work full time we arent short staffed. Like I said before in a nice way Good luck to EVERYONE!!!! even Mr. 16 guage.

[goose hunter]

Many times it is possible to rent a field for next to nothing to hunt for a day or for the weekend. Some hunters have so many acres locked up that they cant hunt all of it if they wanted to. Have any of you considered this option? I dont like to shoot the roost and dont like to hunt evening as the roost is where the birds are going. I think if they are flying over my field in the evening they will follow the same path out in the morning and so that puts them right back over my spread. It is hard to find good help come harvest time. Most of us farmers will give hunters permission to hunt for good help once or twice a year. Hard dirty work pays off well at hunting time. I have so many acres to hunt that several of the guys that help around the farm hunt and I never even see them unless they stop by to brag about their hunt success. I just got permission to hunt 680 acres for 3 days hard labor. Cheaper than a lease for me. The geese are piling into that farm everyday. I'm not sure they will continue till season starts but I'm willing to work and take a chance. I have even rented fields to hunters at the last minute, that had to give-up their old spot for some reason or another. Scouting isnt the only answer. Shooting the roost is fine, if thats all you have to hunt. But with a few calls and a visit or 2 and you may just lock-up a field for ever. Farmers always need help and it is hard to find now days.

[Firetiger]

Goose hunter,, what a crock ! you haven't worked a day in your life,, much less three in a row,,LOL

[goose hunter]

Tiger, you know I earn everyone of your state tax dollars. Doing double shifts daily since that early retirement went into effect. What is hard labor to me is a walk in the park for others. I will really get to work after I retire. The geese are everywhere. How's it looking at your leases?

[Firetiger]

You know I'am kidding, the birds don't show up at the places I hunt til the shooting and the harvesting starts...deer sign all over

[goose hunter]

Well they will be coming from my direction by 9:15 on the 15th. I hope to put the hurt on a big sack on the opener. I will have time to hunt with you this year. Or better yet I will make the time,OK? Hey are seeing many ducks on the river or not? I have been out on the big pond and working double shifts. Been a long month this week.HEHE

[Chesapeake Kid]

I like hunting water for the early season. I've hunted both big water (sag. bay) and some ponds. On the bay, we use as many decs as possible (20-30) as that's all we own. On the smaller ponds, where I've had more success, sometimes I only use 6 decoys. The smaller flocks (8-15) seem far more willing to drop in on 6 decs over the ponds than 40 geese will over 30 decs on the bigger water. On hunting roosts; I think that it is possible to find water that is NOT a roosting spot, and that is always first choice. However, I don't have a huge problem with hunting roosts, as long as one understands that they are cutting off their own legs, so to speak. If you are hunting fields, you better diversify your areas in case the geese using one particular field get chased from their roost. It's like the stock market, if you put all of your eggs in one basket, don't go crying when the basket implodes.