Getting Into Geese

It’s come to my attention, by way of the Chessie howling next door, that not everyone appreciates a good goose-calling practice session. Evidently, goose calls can travel at least 150 yards and penetrate dual-paned windows, and although that’s not my intention, it does give me confidence that flocks of airborne honkers will be able to hear me a fair distance away in a windswept field.
Conversely, I’m happy to report that my neighbor hasn’t seen fit to pound on my door at 11 pm demanding I “Cease making that racket or else!” If that were to happen, he might be greeted by a 50-year-old man in nothing but his underwear, a lanyard full of calls suspended from his neck, rolled-up tissue paper sticking out of his ears, and a hunting DVD playing in the background. Not a pretty sight.
Another sign of my “enthusiasm” for goose hunting is my garage full of decoys. Once upon a time I was determined to simplify my life and pare down my hunting gear to the bare essentials. That noble ideal went out the window, however, the first time I field-hunted Canadas and the birds actually came in. After that things just seemed to accumulate...

So in many respects I’m the last person you need introducing you to Canada goose hunting—although you could let my life serve as a cautionary tale: Decoying honkers is addictive. And fun. And contrary to what hunting videos and the foregoing might suggest, you don’t need a trailer full of decoys to be successful. If there’s a silver lining to the price of gas these days, it’s that you won’t even be tempted to get a trailer like the one I unfortunately bought last year. Luckily, there are more economical ways to get into goose hunting and start enjoying success.

Decoy Decisions
Decoys come in a variety of styles, from shells to full-bodies to silhouettes, and how many you need will depend on a variety of factors, including whether you’re hunting fields or water, how much cover there is, how many hunters you’re trying to hide, how well you can call, and how stiff the competition is from other hunters. But this much we can get straight right away: If you have any decoys dating from the 1950s to early ’80s, you’re going to have to give them to the kid down the street or take them to the dump. If you can’t muster the discipline, your wife surely will.
Thanks to increased hunting pressure and the better-looking decoys available today, Canada geese are pickier than ever. The occasional brain-dead flock will glide into your spread despite your best efforts to drive it off, but if you want consistent results, don’t be a tightwad: Buy good decoys.
If space is your main consideration, nothing beats silhouettes—and for silhouettes nothing beats Real Geese Pro Series II birds, which come in an array of body positions and have non-glare surfaces on both sides. You will need more silhouettes to hunt effectively, but these decoys are extremely versatile in either spreads by themselves or as augmentation for smaller spreads of full-bodies or shells. Don’t let their two-dimensional look fool you: That quality gives them greater visibility at long distances, and if you place them facing in different directions, it will create an illusion of movement to circling flocks. Just like decoying ducks, movement—either real or implied —is essential for success.
Because I hunt honkers primarily in areas with large numbers of birds, I own 12 dozen silhouettes and frequently use them all, especially on days when new birds are migrating into the area. Larger numbers are necessary then. But three to six dozen is usually plenty. As mentioned, factors that often decide decoy numbers are how many hunters I need to hide and how much cover there is. Cornfields with plenty of stalks are the easiest to hunt, so the number of decoys—silhouettes or otherwise—really comes down to the visibility to passing flocks. But I hunt bare-dirt fields and grazed pastures 80 percent of the time and have found that it takes roughly a dozen Real Geese just to hide each blind; hence greater numbers are needed.
Silhouettes also work well in conjunction with floaters along shorelines and in shallow water. Their only downside comes when the ground freezes and punching in stakes can require lots of effort. Given gas prices these days, I love the fact that I can fit 12 dozen silhouettes plus two layout blinds, blind bags, overnight bags, guns, a hunting companion and one dog in my Subaru and still have room for 16 greater Canadas. As Real Geese says in its new ad, that’s MPG (More Geese per Mile).
Ultra-realistic full-body decoys are also available today, and you can’t go wrong with any of them. Still, each is quite different, so pick a brand that looks best to your eyes. The better they look to you, the more confidence you’ll have. If you’re on a limited budget, better to buy fewer realistic decoys than more unconvincing ones.
The old tried-and-true full-bodies are the Bigfoot Canadas, which work great and are virtually indestructible. I’m a Greenhead Gear man, loving the FFD (Fully Flocked Decoy) honkers, but I’ve hunted over other excellent decoys by Dave Smith Decoys and Hard Core. Although I haven’t seen one in hand, Dakota Decoy’s X-Treme Honkers are certainly worth a gander.
The downside to full-bodies is the amount of space they take up, but you still can fit a bunch in a truck bed before needing a trailer. Hunting by yourself or with a partner could require as few as six birds, provided you’re well hidden, but to be successful throughout the season will take two to four dozen. You always can start with a dozen and add a dozen more next year. I like to hunt with no more than two companions, and even in bare dirt I rarely need more than 31/2 dozen to hide blinds and create an appealing spread.
Full-bodies are sold by the fours and sixes in active (standing/walking) and feeding poses. A good balance might be half and half for a dozen, with roughly one-third active, two-thirds feeding for numbers greater than that. Your spread should imitate a relaxed feeding flock, and too many upright heads usually signifies an alert flock. Full-bodies also come in resting positions, which work well along water edges and in fields on extremely cold days.
Shells are your last option and are certainly the cheapest. They also have the advantage of being stackable, making them more space efficient than full-bodies. The problem with most shells, especially the super-magnum models, is realism. Will they fool geese? Sometimes, but I sure wouldn’t want to rely on them.
There are two exceptions, both of which I work into my spreads when needed. First is Greenhead Gear’s FFD shells, which are highly visible and work especially well with the company’s rester heads. Again, they’re perfect for super-cold days when geese tend to loaf in the fields. The other is Higdon’s Ultimate Motion Feeder, a slick, stackable shell that rocks side to side on a stake and has a head that bobs from side to side and up and down with the slightest breeze, perfectly imitating a feeding goose.
Speaking of movement, if your decoy spread isn’t or doesn’t appear to be moving, especially the birds in feeding poses, you’re going to have a tough time drawing geese. This brings up two essential points. First, if you’re going with full-bodies, get motion stakes for the feeders and preferably for the active poses too. Motion-base conversion kits are available for some older models, and stationary decoys still can work well as long as you incorporate decoys that move, like the Higdons. Second, never leave home without at least one goose flag.
A flag imitates a goose flapping and stretching its wings and is critical to attracting a distant flock’s attention. It also is a confidence builder for approaching geese, making the spread look more alive. An option that works especially well when hiding in fencerows is a Wing Waver, which is a pull-cord decoy that flaps its wings up and down and enables you to flag geese without drawing attention to your blind.
If you’re hunting water, you don’t need many decoys. Six will work well, and a dozen will be gravy. If you really want drawing power, I wouldn’t bother with more than 18. The deciding factor is wind. If there’s enough wind to move the decoys, I’m apt to use more. As with field decoys, nothing kills a spread’s effectiveness like inert decoys, so on calm days I go with as few as I can. The most realistic floater I’ve used is Greenhead Gear’s life-sized model, with Bigfoot’s running a close second.

Honk If You Love Geese
The real fun is calling, of course, and geese, being gregarious, usually react well to it. If you look in any Mack’s Prairie Wings or Cabela’s catalog, don’t be surprised to see a dizzying array of calls. What to do? If you’re just getting serious about geese, chances are the only goose call on your lanyard is an old Faulk’s wooden call or a flute-style call. Like those old decoys you own, if your call dates to the ’70s, scrap it and buy a short-reed call.
Although flute-style calls, such as those from Big River and Foiles Migrators, are easier to learn to use, in the long run and if you practice, short-reeds will replicate virtually any sound a goose makes. They also account for at least 90 percent of the market, so why limit your options with something else?
Short-reeds come in polycarbonate (i.e. plastic), delrin, wood and acrylic, with acrylic and wood typically being the most expensive. Frankly, you can buy excellent polycarbonate calls for as little as $25 that are easy to blow. There are also a lot of excellent callmakers, some of the best being Zink Calls, Sean Mann Outdoors, Foiles Migrators, Heartland Calls, Bill Saunders Calls and Tim Grounds Championship Calls. Once you learn how to blow a short-reed proficiently, you’ll be able to determine which calls suit you best and how you need them tuned. In the meantime, buy an inexpensive model and practice, practice, practice.
The way to do that is to buy one of the many good instructional CDs or DVDs from virtually any callmaker. Buying more will introduce you to different styles and potentially easier ways to produce certain sounds. Don’t expect to produce goosey sounds right away. Short-reeds are like any musical instrument in that they take dedication to master. To further your abilities, visit a local park that has geese, bring your call and try to replicate the true masters. If you’re practicing as much as you should, your wife and kids gladly will make you a sandwich to go.
Hunting videos are another fun way to practice, and if your family relations strain under your new pursuit, practicing while driving is always an option. Just wear ear protection; goose calls are loud.

Other Necessities & Tips
The last thing you’ll need is a layout blind. My favorites are Avery Outdoors’ PowerHunter and Final Approach’s X-Lander. They’re a bit more Spartan than other models, but they have low profiles for easier hiding and are light for carrying long distances. Whichever blind you choose, mud it (literally cover it in mud and then brush the excess off when it dries) to hide the Cordura’s shine. If you hunt exposed-dirt fields, what works even better is if you apply 3M’s 77 adhesive spray and then throw dirt over it. If you hunt fields with stubble or weeds, use the natural material to further camouflage your blind. You can’t be too well hidden. No matter how good your calling or decoys, if the geese can see you, they won’t come in.
Successful hunts depend on setting up where geese want to be. In fact, as long as you’re exactly where the birds are planning to go, you might not have to call at all and you won’t need many decoys. But to be there you need to scout, and for a morning hunt the best place to be is where the geese were feeding the evening before. Similarly, successful afternoon hunts usually occur where the birds were feeding in the morning.
Set your decoys in loose family groups that offer incomers an open, downwind approach to a landing zone within 20 yards of your blind(s). On calm days start off facing the direction the geese will come from, and if conditions change or the geese are hesitant, be prepared to modify your spread. Honkers typically don’t like to fly over lots of other birds when landing, so make it easy for them to commit.
Finally, don’t overcall, especially if you’re not proficient. As long as the geese are heading your way, a few confidence clucks and honks are all you’ll need. Reserve faster and louder calling for when the birds start veering off line or when you’re trying to get their attention in the first place. And don’t expect to limit out every time you go. Goose hunting is a learning experience, and that’s part of the fun. So is practicing your calling on the couch late at night in your underwear. Just keep the curtains closed.