We arrived at
our goose pits well before dawn on a cool November morning, put out
several dozen Big Foot goose decoys, and then sat back to wait.
About a half-hour after sunrise we saw several flocks of geese in
the air and we began calling in an effort to get their attention. At
first we blew long drawn out calls, like a flock of geese going out
to feed. Then, as the geese got closer, we began to call more
excitedly, sounding more like a flock of geese getting ready to
land. When the geese were within a mile of our field I raised my
fiberglass pole with two Lander Kites attached to it, and began to
wave the pole in the air, simulating a pair of geese flying.
I kept flagging
until the geese were within a quarter-mile of the field, then
lowered the flag to the ground. As the geese began to descend I
started using a "fast cluck" call, cluck-uck, cluck-uck, cluck-uck,
simulating geese backpedaling as they landed. Suddenly another flock
of fifteen Canada geese joined the flock of about twenty I had been
watching. They had come in from behind us, and we couldn't see them
until they swung into the wind to land. As both flocks lowered their
feet, cupped their wings to land someone hit the buzzer.
The pit covers
on all four pits slammed back, hunters and guns erupted from the
pits, and the startled geese, now only twenty yards away, flared in
surprise. I heard guns pounding around me as I pulled up on the
closest goose, a big gander, and fired. As I saw the big goose
crumple I pulled ahead toward one of its fast departing flock-mates
and fired two more times. A bird shot by someone else dropped in
front of me, blocking my vision for a second, and then I saw my
second bird fall. When the sounds of the shotgun blasts finally
subsided there were six Giant Canada geese on the ground. Three
geese fell from the first flock, one by a 17 year old hunter on his
first goose hunt, and two more from the second flock. As we gathered
up the geese I discovered that somebody else knocked down a sixth
goose from a third flock, which I'd never seen.
Whether you
hunt on your own or with a guide, there are a few things to remember
when you are hunting geese this fall. A couple of hunts near the
Rochester Goose Refuge near Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN are
excellent examples of things to think about before you hunt. The
hunts were scheduled well ahead of time, according to the dates when
some family members of a friend of mine were going to be in town,
and on days when there were some pits available. We hunted during
the week before Thanksgiving, which is when the migratory Canada
geese from Manitoba generally arrive in Rochester, Minnesota.
Unfortunately, it had been warm in Manitoba all fall, and less than
20,000 of the normal 35,000 migratory geese had arrived in
Rochester. Many of those geese had been there for up to two weeks,
and they had been hunted constantly during that time.
The geese
normally began to fly off the lakes, ponds, gravel pits and rivers
within the refuge by 7:30 to 8:00 AM. On the first day we saw very
few geese, and they didn't begin flying until around 10:00 AM. When
the geese did fly they landed in a picked cornfield within the
refuge a mile from where we waited in our heated pits, surrounded by
several dozen Big Foot full bodied goose decoys, and "Flag Man"
Lander Flags and Pole Kites.
The geese that
did leave the refuge late in the afternoon flew west of us in
several flocks, following each other in what local goose guides
refer to as an "express" on their way to a feeding field several
miles from the refuge. The few geese we saw paid little attention to
the calling and flagging of myself and the several other guides as
they headed out to feed.
The
differences in the meteorological conditions on those two hunts is
what made the difference in the number of geese flying out to feed,
in the number of geese leaving the refuge, and in the number of
geese that responded to our flagging, calling, and decoys - and
consequently in the number of geese we shot. On the first hunt it
had been 23 degrees in the morning, with a 10-12 mile per hour wind
out of the east, with a wind-chill factor hovering around 5 degrees,
there were clear skies and it was the week of the full moon. The
second hunt occurred three days later. It had been 27 degrees in the
morning, the wind was blowing at 3-5 miles per hour out of the west,
the wind-chill factor was 23 degrees, it had been cloudy all night,
it was still cloudy the next morning, and it was still the week of
the full moon.
While we were
on the first hunt one of the guides commented on how few geese we
were seeing, and how many geese they had seen last week. I told him
that we were seeing exactly what I had expected under the
circumstances. As winter hardy as they are, even Giant Canada geese
rarely fly far to feed when temperatures or wind-chills are below 20
degrees, and they rarely fly at all when temperatures are below 10
degrees. In fact, noted goose researcher Dr. Jim Cooper tells me
that when the temperature or wind-chills are below 10 degrees Giant
Canada geese can sit on a lake for 30 days without leaving. Cooper
says that if they fly out when it is that cold they actually expend
more energy going out to feed than they gain in feeding.
Because the
geese had been heavily hunted for almost two weeks before our hunt I
also expected that they would have become hunter way, and shy of
decoys, calling and flagging, which is why they paid no attention to
the expert calling and flagging techniques of several professional
guides. The geese had learned that if they didn't see and hear
exactly what they should as they followed other geese to a feeding
they field, there was probably something wrong with what they saw
and heard. The fact that there were no clouds added to the wariness
of the geese, because our binoculars, guns and even the carefully
brushed-off decoys all reflected the bright sun, which the high
flying geese could probably see a mile or more away. In situations
like this all it takes is for one wary goose to sense that something
is wrong, and it will lead the whole flock away from the most
realistic decoy setup.
The reasons
why the geese responded to our setup on the second hunt were because
the wind-chill factor was above 20 degrees, and there was cloud
cover. Cloud cover not only reduces the glare of the sun, it also
keeps heat from dissipating at night, which often results in warmer
morning temperatures the next day. Cloud cover during the night also
reduces the amount of moonlight. When there is a full moon, and
there is no cloud cover, it results in enough moonlight that geese
feeding late in the afternoon will often continue to feed well into
the night, because they can see well enough to feel secure. This
often results in the geese not coming out to feed the next morning.
But, when there is a full moon and it is obscured by cloud cover the
geese can't see well at night, and they usually stop feeding and
return to the roost within an hour of sunset. This results in the
geese flying out to feed the next morning, provided the weather
conditions are right.
Hunting Refuge
Geese
One of the
lessons that can be learned from these hunts is that refuge geese
become extremely wary of decoys, calls and flagging within one to
two weeks of arriving at the refuge. If you are hunting "hunter
wise" refuge geese, that stay within the refuge (because there is
enough food inside the refuge that they don't have to leave), the
best thing to hope for is that the geese eat all the forage within
the refuge, and they are forced to leave the confines of the refuge
to find food. You can also hope for an influx of new migrant geese
that aren't as wary as the birds that have been on the refuge for
several weeks. New geese often arrive at refuges when storms, cold
weather, frozen roosting areas, or lack of food forces them to leave
their summer areas or fall migration/staging areas.
Changes in
meteorological conditions may also cause refuge geese to become more
active. Because geese may be able to feel changes in barometric
pressure they may fly out to feed prior to approaching low-pressure
systems that signal the arrival of winter storms. I've also seen
refuge geese become less wary, or become confused about refuge
boundaries, when it is foggy, or during the first few days after a
new snow.
Hunting Urban
Geese
Hunting urban
geese is much like hunting refuge geese, except that urban geese
seem to learn faster. Once they have been hunted for 2 to 3 days
they become decoy, call and flag shy. If they are heavily hunted
they may begin using roost areas closer to towns or cities, and they
may restrict their feeding sites to areas where they can't be
hunted. I've seen dozens to thousands of Canada geese roosting on
lakes and feeding at parks and golf courses in small towns and large
metropolitan cities.
While the geese
are in urban areas you may be able to walk within 2 to 3 feet of
them, and have then eat right out of your hand. But, when they fly
out to feed, these same geese are the some of the wariest of geese.
After hunting urban geese for a number of years, and watching the
geese as they fly within gun range as we've picked up our decoys
after a hunt, I've begun to wonder if the best way to hunt them
would be to stand up in the decoys, face all the decoys toward the
hunters, and pretend to be feeding the geese. It would probably
work, because it would look just like they were used to seeing in
town. I have not tried it yet, but someday when I'm not guiding
hunters, I intend to try it.
Choose The Right
Conditions To Hunt
Whether you
are "do it yourself hunter" or you are hunting with a guide, there
are conditions that are not conducive to goose hunting. Geese may
not fly out to feed if the temperature or wind-chill factor is too
cold. Geese may not fly out to feed in the morning if there was a
full moon the night before (with no clouds). If it is too cold for
geese to feed in the morning, don't hunt. If the geese don't feed in
the morning, and it warms up in the afternoon, the geese may come
out to feed earlier than normal that afternoon, and it may be best
to hunt in the afternoon/evening.
When refuge or
urban geese don't come out to eat because they are feeding within
the refuge or city limits it may be best wait to hunt until the food
in the refuge or city limits is depleted and the geese are forced to
come out to find food. When refuge or urban geese become "decoy,
call and flag wary," put out fewer decoys (3-12), call less or don't
call at all, and don't use flags when the geese get close. You can
also hope that new geese arrive, or that meteorological conditions
change enough to cause the geese to become more active or confused
about the location of refuge or city limit lines and heavily hunted
fields.
Hunting With A
Guide
If you are
planning on booking a hunt with a guide, book your hunt during the
first few weeks of the season, or during the first few weeks of when
the geese arrive in that area, before the geese become educated.
When you book your hunt ask the guide if you have the option of
changing your hunting dates if the geese haven't arrived yet, if the
geese aren't flying out in the guide's direction, or if the
meteorological conditions aren't right for hunting. If you have
already booked a hunt with a guide, check to find out if the geese
are there and if they are flying out to feed in the guide's area. If
the geese aren't flying well or the meteorological conditions aren't
right ask the guide if you can change the dates of your hunt.
This article
contains excerpts from the Duck & Goose Addict's Manual
($14.95), by T.R. Michels
T.R. Michels is a nationally
recognized game researcher/wildlife behaviorist, and outdoor writer
and speaker. He is the author of the Whitetail, Elk, Duck and
Goose, and Turkey Addict's Manuals. His latest products
are the 2002 Revised Edition of the Whitetail Addict's Manual,
the 2002 Revised Edition of the Elk Addict's Manual; and the
2002 Revised Edition of the Duck & Goose Addict's Manual. For
a catalog of books and other hunting products contact: T.R. Michels,
Trinity Mountain Outdoors, PO Box 284, Wanamingo, MN 55983, USA.
Phone: 507-824-3296, E-mail: trmichels@yahoo.com
Website: www.TRMichels.com
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