goose hunting in the snow

Dave M

Dave M

Well-known member
Guys ,

I have the opportunity to hunt a state field here in RI. but we have a foot of snow coming , since i have never hunted a field before for geese i am wondering what type of setup i should be looking at , i have about 75 dekes that i have collected over the years and hope that will be enough i am just not sure if geese will come into us if the field is buried in snow . I was thinking about diging a landing zone if i have to what do you guys think is best .



Thanks

Dave M
 
Dave, Are the geese using the field? Or are they just passing by? You definitely have enough decoys,layout blinds work well,but simple white bed sheets work well too. I would not dig out a landing zone,alot of work,cause you might want to change spots,I have found that hunting late season Canadas in Southern Illinois that fewer decoys work better than the big spreads,they have seen every show there is to see, less decoys=more mobile, My decoy of choice for snow cover is Bigfoot full bodies,I run 1 dozen decoys,I do use the flag for helping them decoy,if you have any questions give me a call,618-791-3382 Brian
 
I have had some good goose shoots in snow covered fields. We ususally use about 24 - 36 full bodies and 24 shells.

The more natural it looks the better in my books.
 
Brian, thanks for the tips !! The field that opted to hunt is one that does not get alot of pressure , i think it would be best as you said to not dig out but mybe just put the shells and fullbodies gown on the snow , this field is equipted with a dug in pit blind that the stae has installed in 3 out of the five fields so we will see , the filds do hole quite a few canada geese so i think we will be in good shape , i hope . thanks again for the tips guys !!!


Dave M
 
Dave, One other thing,if hunting a pit blind,be sure and keep the holes covered,if you have a bunch of snow cover,use some sheets to put across the shooting holes,the geese get real wary to the openings in the pit. If no one is using one of the holes cover it up completely,Good luck,and give me a report, Brian
 
I read somewhere that manipulating snow on cropland is considered baiting. I never did more research to confirm it.

It may not be true. Or, it could be an example of an assinine bureaucratic policy.

Do your homework and be careful.
 
Take a bale of hay and spread it all around your blinds with the feeders right in it...don't call (much) and just flag 'em on the corners. Works for me! Good Luck!
 
I read somewhere that manipulating snow on cropland is considered baiting.
Click to expand...

I'm quite sure you are correct...even though you are not adding food, you are making it more available.

Take a bale of hay and spread it all around your blinds with the feeders right in it...
Click to expand...

That is definately baiting.
 
Thats is something i never thought about !!! Thanks on that tip as well , Brad watch out setting out that bail of hay may be considered the same scenario ? Not sure though , i should explain the field system we have here in one management area , there are a total of 6 fields that are on state owned property that the state allows area farmers to use to grow corn and what not , these fields are then cut and used for Canada goose hunting via a reservation system , i have not hunted them in years due to the pressures put on the birds in the area but i decided to give it a try during the week since we are on vacation , wife went down and obtained all the permits and made the reservations for me a frined that is new to all this hunting ( she works around the corner for the wildlife headquarters). My luck we get over a foot of snow so this is how we got to all theses great tips !! i am planning to setup some dekes in behind the blind so that the birds will see them and maybe feel a little more at ease coming in for a closer look where everyone sets up in front i will also but i want to make is look as real as possible which is always the case one good thing is we will have some wind to keep them moving tomorrow morning . thanks again for the help i will be reporting back with the results !!



Dave M
 
Dave, I have hunted a field setup like that a few times. This particular field is owned by DU and managed by the local Waterfowl Unit. It is a lottery system and this is the first year in several that I haven't hunted it. Usually it is December when I get drawn and that means snow. It does not necessarily spell disaster. Just set up as you normally would and hope the birds work. That was good advice about keeping the blind covered. That big hole in the ground does tend to spook the birds, especially when everything else is white.

Here are a couple of pictures for you from past hunts. None show the heavy snow you are mentioning but we have hunted it successfully in those conditions. If you look closely at the picture taken inside the Waterfowl Unit you will see a bird with a transmitter on its back. That bird was taken in a heavy snowfall and the pictures were taken indoors because the snowstorm made for lousy outdoor photos.

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Dave ,here is what I did for agoose hunt in a snow covered field.one. I cleared little areas about 5foot circle and placed 3 to 5 geese near the edge like they found some foodto eat and killed my limit;two you could also buy a bale or two of {straw} this will allow you to make a bigger landing zone NOTE DO NOT USE HAY this is considered food for geese by the game comm.and they will fine you for baiting ,so use straw only.Dont worry if your in a flight path or not.cause they are looking for food and other geese ,ducks will also fly inGood Luck Dave
 
Hey, Paul,

I recognize Big Dave W. in your pictures. Met him when the MLB hunted LP some years back. He fed us lunch one day and I shared a blind on the unit with him. Great guy!
 
Bob, you probably don't recall but I met you and a bunch of the other guys that day at Dave's place. They seemed like a great bunch. If you hunted with Dave in a jon boat with a mud motor you hunted out of my boat. I used to keep it there in his boat well. Everybody thought it was his. LOL

The young fellow in the picture inside the unit office is Nathan. He is the grandson of Allister, the old fellow that owned Howies Hardware. We took Nathan out hunting at Allister's request because no one else in the family hunts any more.

I don't know if you met Allister but he was always hanging around the store. He was mostly blind and around 90 but he remembered more of the history of the hunting in the area than you can imagine. What he didn't remember he would make up! LOL If you didn't meet Allister you missed out on one of the best historical story tellers in the area. He passed away about a year ago.
 
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Dave - We hunt lots of Canada Geese here in Illinois. With snow, camo and matching your surroundings is a key. Late season geese are generally wary and concealment is a key. Not only do your ground blinds need to match your surroundings, but the personal attire does as well. In our case, we were in 6 inches of snow and in totally white conditions. Only corn stalks and snow were visible. Consequently, our ground blinds were white with corn stalks attached. Flags are a key as well to capitalized on visibility. When done right, snow camo is the most deadliest camo going. Yesterday afternoon, I took a shovel and buried my ground blind in snow. It's deadly...

We set our decoys in small groups of 4-5 and spread out throughout a high spot in the field. We set our ground blinds with the wind to our backs and call as needed. We primarily shoot 3.5 inch BB and BBB. Those birds while big targets, it takes a pretty good load to bring them down.

Here's some pics from a hunt last week...
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