Early goose set ups?

[delta hunter]

I was just wondering what set ups most of all of you do. Basically what I'm talking about is either water or field? I've never hunted early goose on water, but I'm thinking of switching my meathods this year. Any and all info would be great!!!

[Quackaddict9]

wheat field/ hay fields, 2-4 dozen GHG full bodies.

[carpshooterdeluxe]

field hunting imo is the far better way to go about the early season; especially if you want geese to stay in the area. hunting them off the water; especially jump shooting is a sure fire way to push the birds somewhere else. but if your hunting a high traffic goose area; a good water setup ive had success with is finding a body of water with a sparsely vegitated shoreline or sand bar; this allows me to set up full body decoys on the bar or shore, as well as a few floater in the water. i make sure to include some of the sleeper heads for my ghg field decoys to make it appear that a flock is just loafing/resting on the shore. this has been a good mid-day setup for me.

[eyehead]

Water is all we hunt early season(can't stand the mosquito's in the fields ) We usually throw out 3-7 dozen floaters depending how many birds have been using the lake and usually just have one guy call. We've had better luck with little to no calling.

[Sartell Angler]

I wish they'd go back to not allowing water hunting, but we have hunted water on a couple occasions in the early season with limited success.

Usually, we end up hunting a cut alfalfa or corn field if we're lucky and do pretty well with a couple dozen shells and fullbodies. We try to keep it simple in the early season and usually just end up sitting on fencelines or in a couple rows of standing corn. Might end up breaking out the layouts for a couple hunts but its tough to cook breakfast in one of those

SA/wdw

[Eric Wettschreck]

Normally we hunt cut alfalfa or oats fields. We put out 2-3 doz shells bunched up in what would look like a "Family group" of 3-6 shells per group. We just hunker down next to a hay bail and wait for them to come in. I've noticed in the early season that once you have the birds coming your way there really isn't any need to stay on the call.

[tearin' lips]

We hunt a couple of different ways up here.

1) Field hunting. We normally scout a couple days before to find out their flying patterns, when they are arriving at the field, where they are coming from, what they are feeding on, are they clustering, or in family groups, rester to sentry ratio etc, etc. If possible we hunt the same field and the same spot in which the birds were the day before. If not we find something really similar. Wheat fields and bluegrass fields have been our most productive spots. My buddy and I run Greenhead Gear over-sized shells with the flocked heads, Bigfoots in sentry and feeder position, and Greenhead Gear Pro-grade full bodies in active style. Early season we almost always find the geese in family groups. Different presentations are effective at different times. We have run a circle and layed the blinds in the center. 9 times out of 10 they go for the center of the circle. An "x" has been very effective, and of course the "u." As I said these have been the most effective patterns for us. Usually we don't use more than 3-7 dozen decoys depending on the amount of pressure the birds in our area have seen. Last year there was lots of pressure, and large flocks of birds so we had to run a full twelve dozen to get attention. Look for flagging and lander decoys too. They really, really work.

2) River hunting. We run a set up of no more than 3 dozen dekes. 8-12 Bigfoot floaters and the rest on land. We go with the most realistic set-up here and run all fully flocked full bodies.

3) Lake hunting/beaver pond hunting. We usually run no more than four dozen floaters on the lake, with a few shells on the island next to our blinds. For the ponds we use no more than 8 decoys. If they are landing in the pond it is usually a mid-day shoot and come in no matter what.

If I had to pick the #1 most effective set up I would choose the field set-up over wheat. As I said I would run as true to the real geese that you observed the day earlier. Hope this helps.

[Rost]

I have never hunted over water for early goose and never will. Busting up their roost will drive them out of the area. There are a few water holes around here that hold hundreds of geese for most of the fall. And the only reason they continue to hold geese is the fact that the land owners don't allow hunting. If they did allow hunters, the geese would be gone. Instead, we get to hunt them in the surrounding fields all season long.

On a larger scale, take Pierre and Rochester which are both known for their awesome goose hunting. If they allowed people to hunt where these geese hang out all day, there wouldn't be anything left to hunt.

So, I prefer to follow them off the roost, find out where they are feeding..and meet them there the next day.

[Farley]

What I'd like to try opening day is this:

Set up on top of a hill (cornfield or wheat) and set up a lot of decoys, all with the heads at alert. The reason for this is last year on opening day, we set up on the downside of a hill with a mixed bag of dekes (full bodies, sleepers, sillouets, with different heads) and we watched as the birds would start off for us from a distance, but they would not commit, barley even giving us a chance at a shot. Keep in mind opening day sounded like Bahgdad after a Al-Queda street dance. We talked to a group that set up on top of a hill close to us and they did well. The theory behind this is that most flocks will land on top of a hill and be at alert with all the shooting going on. The higher elevation will give them a better view of oncomming danger so they may feel more comfortable in this situation. Havent tried it, suggested it last year in the middle of the opening day hunt but you know how that goes. Anyone think this would work?

[gorrilla]

Farley, heads down(80% of them), HIDE well, and call to match the day(hard comebacks on the busted up family groups works wonders on early seasons)...

Like any kind of field hunting scout HARD since its all about being in THE spot they want to go...

[BobT]

Is water hunting allowed this year for early season? I think I agree though that unless you plan on hunting only a day or two, best leave the water alone.

Bob

[gorrilla]

Like I've said before, I agree Bob, but what sucks on public water is anyone can and often does come bust the roost, which obviously sucks when you go through the effort to scout and set up on a field.

[Rost]

What sucks even more..Ditch Pigs!! In other words, guys that sit in the ditch and pass shoot geese in route to feeding.

Last year we had geese feeding about 800 yrds from their roost. Between the two was a highway. Well, sure enough a guy sitting in the ditch directly between us the next morning blasting away as they flew over. After he shot, the geese hit the ceiling, completely ruining our chances.

It just grinds me when you go through all of the work scouting, getting permission, wake up early, set decoys out etc.. Just to have some lazy sob ruin it.

[gorrilla]

Yeah, that is one cruddy thing about the great state of South Dakota. Just because its legal out there, doesn't make it ethical. I have to admit I've wacked a couple of snows legally from the ditch, but if I ever saw a spread spring or fall or suspected anybody was getting cut off, I'd never think of dumping one in the ditch. Plus I far and away prefer bagging them in the middle of the section over dekes.

[Sartell Angler]

can't agree more, only worse than a group setting up on top of you is a slob know-nothing "hunter" who has no business being out there who pass-shoots birds and ruins your hunt. I just pray that that doesn't happen to us at all this season.

SA/wdw