Which Is More Challenging?

[eyepatrol]

Wondering what everyone's opinions are on which is more challenging to 1) Call in/decoy and 2) Shoot ?

As for me, I've always found it harder to get geese to decoy. Don't know why....just seems their brains are a tad bit bigger or something.

As for shooting, I find that ducks are more challenging to me to shoot. They seem more agile and can move/flare more quickly than geese. A blitzing bluewing teal is awefully darn hard to hit sometimes!

How about the rest of you?

[riverrat56]

I find ducks harder to get to decoy, at least after the first few weeks when the migrators come through, but I don't hunt much for just geese after the early season.

Crossing shots on geese have always been tough for me, or a wood duck coming out of no where at shooting light...

[dan z]

gotta love em both every bird flies at different rates but I would put in that duckies are a little tougher to shoot. as for decoying birds I think its a lot tougher to get a flock of 15 geese than flock of 15 ducks. you call always get a peeler outta a big flock of honks try and get the whole pile down and your considered a master of both calling and decoying skycarp in my book.

[Scott M]

I've found its harder to decoy geese and harder to hit ducks. More agility on the ducks, and unless its opening day, I find its hard to get those geese to commit. Quite honestly, I could use more time working the call too (But who honestly couldn't)

The upshots, downshots, quick turns, darts, and movement of ducks can keep you guessing. It's tough to get a good swing on some ducks. I'm moving into a community that has a local range, so I expect to improve in that department too by spending some time on the clays next year.

[IceHawk]

Harder to decoy Geese than ducks in my opinoin. Snows are the toughest birds to decoy!! As far as shooting I would have to say ducks are tougher than geese except snows, but mind you I do alot of diver hunting and those litttle missles can be tough to hit!

[Gordie]

yea for me I can ussally smoke those teal that clipping thru the decoys than sometimes trying to judge just how fast that lumbering goose is flying along. and I dont have to much problems with calling and getting geese to come in its the ducks that dont always cooperate.

[ZEEK1223]

I find that finding a place to hunt is the most difficult for me.

[7outof10]

i think geese are harder to get in .....when your huting a feild out in the middle of no where i dont think geese will come a buze you like ducks can do lol idk both are hard to do

[BobT]

My experience with calling geese is not that good but in the few times that I have been out I'd like to think I learned a few tricks. One that I think has stuck with me is to be careful not to over call.

On one occasion, my buddy and I had about a half-dozen come in to our decoys. I was the only one calling and as they came in, they set their wings to land but soon changed their mind and flew off again.

Our spread was on a 80-acre wheat stubble. It was bordered by a narrow tree line and then there was another 80 on the other side. There was a group of hunters on that other 80 as well.

Anyway, as they flew past I continued my calling and to my surprise they circled around again. As they circled they picked up a few new members.

Again, they came around, set their wings to land, and then changed their mind and flew off. Again, I called and they came back gaining in numbers.

This continued at least three more times and each time the numbers grew to the point that we had about 50 or more birds circling overhead. All this time, those hunters on the other 80 must have been getting very frustrated. They were calling frantically but the birds stayed with us with me being the lone caller and inexperienced at that. Apparently I wasn't doing too bad though as I didn't turn them away completely.

Finally, my buddy suggested that I stop calling completely once they set their wings. Sure enough, on the next pass they set their wings to glide, I shut my trap, and in they came. We like to wait until they begin to backflap for landing and so we got a couple geese for the dinner table.

Even with me being the lone caller, I was still over doing it.

As far as shooting? I couldn't hardly hit the broad side of a barn if it was in flight so shooting is definately the hardest for me. I'm quite sure my biggest problem is two-fold.

1. I struggle to remain focused on one bird in a flock. I need to control my excitement so I can remain calm enough to stay focused.

2. I suspect that I have a tendancy to shoot at the body and not the head and so I'm sure most times I am shooting behind my target. Again, something I need to concentrate on.

Bob

[dan z]

I would rather shoot at a group of five than a group of fifty because when thier are that many birds I tend to look at the birds and not down the barrel.