WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?

[otis32]

Hey guys, Been taking the kids out goose hunting, had good luck 1st day. Only had 6 shells out for decoys and 3 lay out blinds. 2 flocks came rt in. a lot of local birds.

2nd time out added 6 floaters to the spread and my robo duck. WHAT A MISTAKE!!More northern birds had moved down, and they were coming over in groups of 30 or more , they wouldn 't even give us a look!

3rd time added 8 bigfoots with 6 shells , took away duck and floaters. had 30 come in they came down a little but didn't come in. had 3 come by and 1 circled 3 times but couldn 't get my 9 yr old a shot.

Ok question is do these birds get that smart that fast after being shot at on the same field. we live in i falls and there isn't a lot of farm land to hunt . I thought i had the best field around! What should we try?

[Farley]

I'm not the best goose hunter either but I would definetly leave the robo out of it. Geese arent as fond of the spinning wing decoy like ducks are. Called too much or not enough? Maybe you werent blended in as well as you could have been? Could be any number of things. For those big flocks a flag helps to get their attention. I'm sure someone else will chime in with some good advise.

[TylerS]

Yup, spinners are the kiss of death for a good goose hunt. Either commit to one species or another and you'll have a better chance of getting something.

[CANOPY SAM]

Hi Otis. I'm no expert, but there are a couple of things you bring up that can cause this.

#1 - ditto on the robo duck. Geese seem to shy away from spinning wing decoys, at least in my opinion.

#2 - yes, hunting the same field repeatedly over a few days can definitely "teach" local birds where to, and where not to land. In my experience, you're lucky to get two consecutive days of shooting out of the same field, at least for Canadian geese. Remember, even if you think you've got new groups of birds coming thru, that also means they were not feeding in your field yesterday (they're new) - so they may not likely come into that field today.

#3 - 30 birds coming in have 60 eyes scanning for danger! Big groups can be challenging to decoy, even for a seasoned hunter. Really careful concealment is an absolute when it comes to large groups. That, and absolutely no movement on the ground until the birds are in range. We often think we're well concealed, but I'm often surprised when I walk a distance from the spread and look back at what the birds are seeing on approach. Big shadows, any glare, or obvious "lines" can be deal breakers.

#4 - The mild weather also has birds not to "anxious" to land, and you can typically expect birds to "wander" without too much commitment to a specific area when the temps are mild, and the ceiling is high.

Just as one Dad to another, remember to emphasize the experience with your kids, rather than the bag limits. They are usually just thrilled to be out there with you, and be a part of such a great experience. If we put too much emphasis on coming home empty handed, we take the joy out of the "hunt" for them!

Way to go on including your kids in such a great sport! Hang in there, and let your hot spot rest for at least a few days between hunts. One good shoot can blow local birds out of a field for weeks, so be patient. You'll get your kids on birds, and be sure and post pics when you do!

[Superduty]

What type of field(crop) are you hunting? Put as much effort as you can into concealment. You can make a layout blind disappear in a wheat or picked corn field. Have you been using a call? If you are an inexperienced caller, don't over do it. Get a flag. Arguably the most important part of a goose spread and cheap!

[B. Amish]

i rarely call during early season. i just never seem to see much of a positive response during the early season when calling. if i do call, it's clucks and murmurs when they are approaching to give them confidence.

i always use a flag. flag to get their attention when you see them. stop flagging when they get to within 150 yards if they are coming straight at you. if they circle and aren't looking directly at you, flag a few times to remind them that these decoys are real geese.

blinds are nice, but if they are new they look 'shiny'. dunk em in mud and get them real dirty. you can never conceal too much when hunting geese. they are a very smart bird. and some of the adults have been through 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 hunting seasons.

and hunting the same field multiple times will educate them. no doubt.

and bringing in flocks of more than 20 can be real tough. like mentioned, that's a lot of eyes looking for danger. every goose hunters' dream is to have a field where they show up 5 at a time.

[CANOPY SAM]

B.Amish and Superduty make a great point about calling. Good goose calling is truly an art form - like playing a musical instrument well.

Sorry to say, but I often find it amusing to listen to neighboring hunters calling geese. A couple guys blowing badly into goose calls can sound like a cat torturing festival. Conversely, listening to good callers from a distance it's no wonder geese pile into their spread like flies on... well, you know....

When you practice calling, and lots of practice is a must, have someone listen to you from a distance away. Or practice in an area where you can clearly hear the echo. If you can't make it sound real, don't call!

There are lots of helpful, and inexpensive recordings available that can help you to learn how to call geese successfully. Great calling at the right times can pull in birds like a magnet.

[Roosterslayer05]

Concealment.... 50 bucks says your blinds arent hidden well enough. If its a wheat field thats been hit a few times paint the mud on your blind and only add some clumps of wheat stubble...just like the field looks. Get your blinds out of the decoys. The birds are looking at the decoys so if you put them 20 yards in front of the blinds it will keep their eyes off your blinds. If theres a ditch in the field put your blind in the ditch, then your not silloetted when they come in. The biggest mistake allot of guys make is trying to get too fancy with their call. If the only thing you can do is cluck...and that cluck sounds good then only cluck. I have friends that are amazing callers and they can do it all, but im not. I can high cluck and low cluck and I string that together and it sounds good. I call in plenty of geese doing that but the key is not trying to do what my buddies can do.

[Maxxed Out]

I would also probably blame your hide. If you can't disappear in the field you aren't going to have a good hunt, in most cases.

[RuddyDuck]

A few more dekes might not hurt either. 24 to 40 has always been a good number for me.