Mid march goose hunt

[walleyeking19]

My brother and I would like to head out to western mn over our spring break. We normally only hunt turkeys and deer, but the last few years we've been getting into waterfowl. Being new to this, I have a few questions:

1: Are the snow geese over western mn in the middle of march? or would we need to go over into South Dakota to see more?

2:Being new to goose hunting, we dont have the hundreds of decoys that everyone else has. Is it possible to hunt them with just a few decoys? Being in college, we dont have a ton of money to spend on them.

3: Do the WMA's have geese in them? Or do you recommend to just keep driving around until we find flocks of them?

Thanks for your help!

[carpshooterdeluxe]

A lot could change in 2 or 3 weeks, but as of right now there is too much snow to even guesstimate as to when (if any) snows will move through. Typically when they move through western mn, they will either roost on lakes w/open water, or sheet water. Every once in a while you can find em on public land, but its best to scout and ask permission to gain access to private. I would suggest if you try jumping them, to be extremely cautious and glass the flocks for a while to ensure there are no specks, swans, ducks, or canadas sitting with the snows. Pass shooting is a good option as well if you don't have the decoy spread. If you really want to see a show, come on over to the good side of the border.

[Maxxed Out]

Saw this topic and it made me remember the story of the two hunters a couple of years ago. They got busted on a WMA shooting Honkers in mid April. They thought the spring season was open to everything. They had apparently been out there for a couple of days and told the CO they couldn't believe no one else was out there because the hunting was so good.

I'll see if I can find a link to the story

[Quackaddict9]

Saw this topic and it made me remember the story of the two hunters a couple of years ago. They got busted on a WMA shooting Honkers in mid April. They thought the spring season was open to everything. They had apparently been out there for a couple of days and told the CO they couldn't believe no one else was out there because the hunting was so good.

I'll see if I can find a link to the story

wow...completely dumb! lol...thanks for sharing it.

[carpshooterdeluxe]

I remember a kid posting up on the avery forum a year or two ago talking about how a farmer would call the kid and his dad when the canadas and ducks showed up in the spring and they would head up there and hunt. They thought the spring season was open for all birds. They walk among us.

[Maxxed Out]

I had to explain to a customer this last fall what a plug was. I then also promptly made a plug out of a cornstalk. It's more common than you think.

[ironman]

Dont let the idea of asking permission for private land intimidate you. If you respectful and courteous, you'll be suprised how easy it actually is. It's hard to hunt snows via a calendar, they will be here when weather allows...meaning where the snow line is. No matter how many snows you find in MN you will see way, way more in the dakotas. If you lack alot of decoys I would reccomend pass shooting. Perfect scenario, large flocks in two different field, trading bakc and forth. Slip in between, with hopefully some available cover...trees, tall grass, slough, etc. And just have patience...play the wind if there is any. Good luck and be careful...its highly addicting.

[TheHogSeeker]

Get ready to put on a lot of miles scouting.