[football 22]

we cannot afford alot of decoys and are trying to make our decoy spread grow we hunt on a large sand pit on the edge of a river and set our dekes on the sand were we have jumped ducks and geese before we have about 4 dozen shells and bigfoots combined and have had geese land but not as many as we like ANY IDEAS?

 

[Kiwi Honker]

stop jump shooting it for a start. sounds like thats a place they are roasting on so you dont want to disturn them. wait for a realy wet and windy day then go down and scare them all of it before 1st light, get camo'd up and ya decoys out then ...wait. eventually they will come back, could be at first light or at last light. another option is to wait till they have left for the day to go and feed, then set up and hit em on their way back in

good hunting

 

[HmptnHunter]

I agree, you should stop jump shooting the place.You might have already busted the place, but 4 doz. decoy's will kill birds all season if set up correctly.If you want some decoy's that will fill your spread,lok good, and will add motion I would look at he sport-plast fullbodies.They come in geese and duck's and the geese will run you around 70to80$ for a dozen and the ducks are around 30to40$ for 6 but I would recomend those, plus they are light and easy to carry around.Also you might want to get like a half doz. water geese as well, again you can find some cheaper new ones or just look around for some used.

 

[duckman1106]

I agree with these other guys. Don't jump shoot there anymore and they'll stay around. I would go one step further and say don't hunt the sand bar. Go to where they feed or at least set up between their feeding spot and the sand bar. It will only take a couple times out......hunting or jump shooting....to scare them out of the area.

As for your decoys, four doz. is a good start as far as numbers go. Now add quality as you can afford it. I generally put six or a dozen full bodies into my spread every year. In a few years, you'll have a respectable sized flock of full bodies. If you are hunting in a river, however, I would start with building up to a couple dozen floaters. Geese are tons easier to decoy to water than to land. Make sure you have a good hide, too.

 

[Shotgun72]

I agree with all the previous. Don't jump shoot there anymore. If fact, follow Obama's lead and go back and apologize to all those geese you might have shot there before.

And the next time you hunt there, don't take a gun. Take some shells though or you won't feel like a waterfowler. Set up your decoys in the sand pit just like you've seen them set and throw feed out for them to eat.

Play soft music and hire some dancing geese to waddle thier tails through your spead. Then they will return. Blow your call and make there visit feel speeeccciiaall! Remember it's all about creating a good memory.

You might try being there in the spring and meeting them on their flight north. Bring them a big pink pillow to nest on. Post warning signs that these are your geese and you've sworn to protect them. Then take out an add in the local paper starting a support group. Plant a few trees in the pit and you'll have the tree huggers join you. Get a government grant to increase the comfort level of the disadvantaged geese. Develop a logo and theme song "Don't shoot my geese on thier roost"

BUT, if you want to kill geese. Jump shoot the suckers! It may well be a spot that's only good for jump shooting. I'm guessing that your not the only one that's ever jump shot there before so your attempts to increase #'s may well be due to that spot. The birds just don't want to congegate there. Hide there yes, set up shop there no.

Forgive my rant.
D

 

[dakotashooter2]

throw feed out for them to eat.

Only if you want to get busted by the feds for baiting. You'd have to wait at least 10 days after doing this to hunt that area and even then might have an extensive discussion with a warden if he finds out about it.

 

[fowlhunter]

throw feed out for them to eat.

Only if you want to get busted by the feds for baiting. You'd have to wait at least 10 days after doing this to hunt that area and even then might have an extensive discussion with a warden if he finds out about it.

I think you might have missed the sarcasim there.

 

[Shotgun72]

Ya but if you feed them a vegitatian meal then you're good. Try warm oatmeal with stawberries.

Have the game warden be part of your club. If he's a US Fish & Wildlife guy/gal they don't want you to shoot anything anyways. They may have those grant forms you'll be needing, and they can tell you just what feed to throw out.

I'd just shoot the suckers!
:beer:

 

[duckman1106]

I don't think decoying geese and petting them and feeding them chocolate covered corn is really in the same ball park. If I'm reading you right, football, you're saying we're somewhere in lines with PETA in suggesting not to jump shoot these geese. The fact is you can kill 'em if you jump shoot them, but only once or twice before they get on out.

Plus jump shooting is just that.......shooting. Most hunters eventually evolve out of the killing stage where the success of the hunt is all about how many birds you killed. The evolution of a waterfowler usually goes something like this.....First you are excited to get out there and success depends on whether you see anything or not. Next it's all about whether you get to shoot your gun. Eventually you progress to the killing stage, where the success of the hunt is dependent on filling your tag and limiting out. Next comes the trophy stage, where it's about getting bands, fat geese, etc. This is where you don't even pick up your gun to shoot "trash" ducks like shovelers and mergansers. Next is the interactive stage, where you don't really care about shooting so much, but how the birds respond to your calling and setup. Finally, when you're old and grey, it's just about the experience. The sun rise, seeing a kid take his first mallard or deer, watching a young dog work, being with friends. Some old waterfowlers don't even take a gun sometimes.

So go and jump shoot those geese if all you want to do is fill your limit. Those are often the same guys that throw birds in a ditch rather than clean them by the way. But if you want more set your decoys in a strategic spot and leave the roost alone so you can do it all season long.

 

[Shotgun72]

If I'm reading you right, football, you're saying we're somewhere in lines with PETA... quote]

I'm saying your in league with Field Hunters. You know, those guys who obey all the "not shooting before light" rules, the ones who never shoot more than thier limit, the guys who never use lead shot. The perfect ones! the ones who walk on water.... (As if there was water in thier field)

me, I like a duck that tastes like fish (merganzer), or a good lake bottom shoveler once in a while. I slam my bufflehead right on the sewage pond and send my dog out to retreive it. He rides in my rusty old 67 chevy beside Bubba, my jump shooting buddy, and we soak those nasty tasting geese in the ditch bottom for a week or two. then we can suck that meat right off the bones. Chew up the cartlige with the gizards and top it all off by eating the hearts of evey bird we kill. We're not a breast only group.

You're right about the diferent stages of a waterfowler. Every one of them is growing and learning. They might discover that they brake a rule or two over time, but thier still growing. They are finding ways to enjoy thier sport even more. Thats what it's all about.

The point is, if there is one, each spot has it's achilles heel. Trying to jump shoot geese in an open field is not finding that achilles heel. Setting out life like decoys with motion and electonic calls is finding that sweet spot. Not every place is suited for 12 dozen decoys, layout blinds and a flag. The places I've hunted along the rivers near a pit tend to be ideal for jump shooting. That's thier achillies heel.

The only sad part to this is that the elite Field hunters think that geese only feed in the fields, never roost. And they only roost on the water, never feed. And they are special because they know this and don't dump thier geese in the ditch ever.

Let's keep our perspective on goose hunting.

We all love it and are addicted to it!!

And NONE of us should think we can hunt any situation. Always be learning. Always be trying something new. Never settle for just one way to hunt. Your passing up on too many other great times.
D

 

[HmptnHunter]

Wow, now I'm not looking to get into any argument's here but the rest of us on here, the one's who in other's word's "walk on water" only give our personal best opinion's on the question's that are asked.I do not think that I am better or know more than anyone else on here but if you ask a general question I will give you an answer.Maybe it wont work for you but I am giving an answer based on my experiences, I do not know your exact hunting situation only what was typed on the computer so I do my best to try and help someone out to the best of my knowledge.I know I am just a stupid "field hunter" but I try.

 

[black lab]

Geese are tons easier to decoy to water than to land

its just the opposite for me I can get my limit all day with geese on land but when i get to water I don't have nearly enough decoys I have about 25 dozen deeks for land and only 3 dozen for water and not sure how not to get to aggresive but its not always easy on water for me

 

[duckman1106]

its just the opposite for me I can get my limit all day with geese on land but when i get to water I don't have nearly enough decoys I have about 25 dozen deeks for land and only 3 dozen for water and not sure how not to get to aggresive but its not always easy on water for me

That's interesting. We generally set up on farm ponds with floaters in front and full bodies behind us on the bank/in the field. The occasional goose lands behind us in the field, but at least 90% decoy to the water. Once we set up on the hill above a pond and watched geese pass us up so they could go land on the water. We picked up and moved to the pond and had our limits in to time. I've heard people talk about how to call to geese on the water vs. how to call them in the field. I use the same notes/sequences for either situation. The only thing that dictates changing my approach is how the birds are responding that particular day.

 

[Kiwi Honker]

i just dont see the point in jump shooting. you get a max of say 12 geese if you do it with a couple of mates, and no doubt you will all shoot the same goose 5 times. dont microwave that one. where is if you set up and do it properly, you can get nearly the whole mob if they come in managable sized groups, which again, if you do it right, they should. i see this is is getting heated, so ill add ' this is my opinion'.

why waste a perfectly good chance to have a shoot you will remember, you can jump shoot a small mob on a river if you want a feed. why jump shoot a large mob

take care guys