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Successful Goose Hunting Tips
from: Maxx Sports GuidesOne of the largest hunting seasons in North America is goose hunting. Most hunters see Canada geese as the ultimate in waterfowl sport hunting. In addition the result of a successful goose hunting expedition is a wonderful, succulent roast goose, which is an extra benefit.
There are several strategies that can be used to ensure a successful goose hunt. The following five tips will be effective no matter where you're goose hunting, but keep in mind it's always a good idea to do some research before goose hunting in a location you're unfamiliar with.
1. Shot Size
In goose hunting it's important to remember that the body size of the goose is misleading with regards to the actual vital area of the bird. Typically a goose's vital area is only about 1/10 of the total bird size, so your shoot should be both accurate and efficient. A 10 to 12 gauge shotgun with BBB, BB, 1 or T-shot is considered the best set-up. It's important to check the shot density at about 30 to 50 yards to ensure that pellets are staying in compact formation at this distance, especially if you're shooting geese on the fly.
2. Use a Blind
Goose hunting is very different from other waterfowl or upland game bird hunting. Geese are very nervous and observant by nature, and won't usually fly into a body of water if they notice disturbances or unusual objects, such as hunters, trucks, tents or other items around the water. Blinds that are camouflaged can help reduce this "disturbance" and will ensure geese will land in the bodies of water you're hunting. Blinds typically need to be mostly camouflaged from above, and often simple canvas blinds work very effectively.
3. Placement of Decoys
When placing decoys out from the blind be sure to place them in a pattern that is accurate. Geese will typically land very near decoys providing they are acting like geese should. A "U" shaped pattern is ideal, especially if the bottom of the "U" is closest to the decoy. The geese will often land at the ends of the "U" and then swim towards the center, bringing them in closer to the blind. If the blind is well camouflaged it is possible to have the bottom of the decoy set 6-10 feet from the blind, provided the ground is not too swampy to be able to sit that close to the edge of the water.
4. Know the Patterns
Understanding the patterns of flight the geese are using can help you in determining where and when they'll be flying. Typically, geese will feed during the early morning hours and during the afternoon, and often knowing when and where the flock is likely to be at the given time of day will really help in getting set up and locating yourself in an ideal location. Typically two or three days of observation is all that is needed to get a good handle on the movement of the flock.
5. Using Goose Calls
Goose hunting calls aren't as easy as trying to mimic any sound make by the geese. There's a distinctive feeding call, flock call, and excitement sound, all of which are very different. Learning both to mimic the calls and use the respective call at the right time is critical to being able to attract the flock. For example, using a flock call to bring geese to decoys is ideal, but using the feeding call would be less effective as this would be unnatural to the flock, usually resulting in them flying off rather than landing.
Learning these five basic steps in goose hunting will help you with the basics in getting started in this exciting sport.
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