Goose hunting ON the river

Flatrock · Nov 21, 2015

Anybody here hunt ducks and geese on the river? Either on the sand bars or on shore? I'm not even sure what exactly is legal but I thought that as long as you are within the riverbank, you are ok?

Also, how difficult is it to get landowner permission to hunt them in the fields? I moved here from the northwest part of the state this year. We knew all the landowners around town so we never had any trouble getting access. Not that many of them minded anyways...

dean nelson · Nov 21, 2015

You have to be below ordinary high water mark to be legal if the shore land is posted. The river birds are often like snows in that you need big numbers in the area to have a good hunt. Each year they get a little harder to hunt and often you will only get a handfull of flocks to truly work out of the many flocks that go by. Also the river from the dam down to turtle Creek south of Washburn is closed to goose hunting.

Ericb · Nov 21, 2015

I've never tried it but have seen a few people do it. Float down the river pull up to a sand bar and blast. Would probably be a good year to try it with the water so low.

dukgnfsn · Nov 21, 2015

Wouldn't do above, from game and fish, just saying,
"Motorboats are legal for going to and from shooting grounds. Ducks, coots, mergansers, geese and tundra swans may be taken from a floating craft, excluding a sinkbox, if such craft is beached, or fastened within or tied immediately alongside any type of fixed hunting blind, or from such craft resting at anchor. A motorboat, sailboat or other craft may be used to pick up dead or injured birds."
I have many years ago sat on big sandbars and had boat on other end and they still get shy of area, may be better now since some brush and growth on bars, but have since given up waterfowl. Enough on the river today that a person should be able to get some now.
dukgnfsn

Ericb · Nov 21, 2015

dukgnfsn said:
Wouldn't do above, from game and fish, just saying,
"Motorboats are legal for going to and from shooting grounds. Ducks, coots, mergansers, geese and tundra swans may be taken from a floating craft, excluding a sinkbox, if such craft is beached, or fastened within or tied immediately alongside any type of fixed hunting blind, or from such craft resting at anchor. A motorboat, sailboat or other craft may be used to pick up dead or injured birds."
I have many years ago sat on big sandbars and had boat on other end and they still get shy of area, may be better now since some brush and growth on bars, but have since given up waterfowl. Enough on the river today that a person should be able to get some now.
dukgnfsn

I'm not arguing just trying to find out what's legal, but if there were geese on a sandbar couldn't I pull up to the sand bar beaching the boat and start shooting?

dukgnfsn · Nov 21, 2015

would be a judgement call by warden, boat needs to be anchored, moored, tied off, or beached. If you drifted or drove on and started shooting at what point are you beached, is boat still moving? When I checked on this years ago, was told by warden if drive on or float on and start shooting you probably will get ticketed. This was many years ago. If you drive boat on you can be ticketed for using motor craft for chasing or harassing wildlife, this was a direct statement from a warden years ago and I know all proclamations state using a motor of any kind a no go. So really becomes a wardens call, and this was many years ago I checked on this but wording was the same in proclamation as now. At that time was told if you are anchored and fishing and geese actually fly over and you shoot you would be okay. But if you are drifting and fishing and drop anchor and start shooting, will probably get ticketed, is anchor on bottom before you started shooting??? Just better for me to be completely immobile before trying to shoot instead of having to prove I was in the right. Not trying to tell you what to do, just what information I collected over my years of asking questions and give all the information in proclamation and let others decide for themselves, wasn't trying to call you out or anything like that.
dukgnfsn

Obi-Wan · Nov 22, 2015

We used to hunt geese on the sandbars between Bis and Washburn and used to shoot the shit out of them. We would find a bar with a little brush on and set up a couple dozen decoys and catch the birds when they came back from feeding. We would park the boat as far away on the same bar as we could. As we have aged we changed our tactics and now hunt out of the boat. I have a buddy that has a boat set up with a blind on it and he sets up against a cut bank and throws out a few floaters and do very well. In the boat he has a heater for each guy which comes in handy on the cold days. Whats nice about hunting the river is you don't need large decoy spreads and you only need to show up at sunrise because although you may get a few as they go out to feed your best time is when they return.

Ericb · Nov 22, 2015

dukgnfsn said:
would be a judgement call by warden, boat needs to be anchored, moored, tied off, or beached. If you drifted or drove on and started shooting at what point are you beached, is boat still moving? When I checked on this years ago, was told by warden if drive on or float on and start shooting you probably will get ticketed. This was many years ago. If you drive boat on you can be ticketed for using motor craft for chasing or harassing wildlife, this was a direct statement from a warden years ago and I know all proclamations state using a motor of any kind a no go. So really becomes a wardens call, and this was many years ago I checked on this but wording was the same in proclamation as now. At that time was told if you are anchored and fishing and geese actually fly over and you shoot you would be okay. But if you are drifting and fishing and drop anchor and start shooting, will probably get ticketed, is anchor on bottom before you started shooting??? Just better for me to be completely immobile before trying to shoot instead of having to prove I was in the right. Not trying to tell you what to do, just what information I collected over my years of asking questions and give all the information in proclamation and let others decide for themselves, wasn't trying to call you out or anything like that.
dukgnfsn

No offense taken I'm trying to learn. I've wanted to try it for awhile but never have. I appreciate the info!

Flatrock · Nov 22, 2015

Thanks guys for the input. Any of you hunt the fields and have trouble getting landowner permission?

Trip McNeely · Nov 23, 2015

hunting fields is doable but be prepared to hear no alot. 90 percent of landowners only let family or close friends on late season. of the remaining guys who will let strangers hunt 9 times out of 10 you will be told someone already has permission. not entirely impossible but you will do alot more scouting to gain access than you will do hunting. the gnf needs to get more fields along the river enrolled in plots for goose hunting. probably a tough chore being much of the same land is prime deer and pheasant ground too

Account Deleted · Nov 23, 2015

Greenie said:
Thanks guys for the input. Any of you hunt the fields and have trouble getting landowner permission?

Just on the fields I REALLY want. Like yesterday.

Obi-Wan · Nov 23, 2015

No permission needed to hunt the river

But I did pull up to a sandbar one time S. of Washburn to find the local warden hunting out of the blinds we had set up using wire mesh and burlap.

Goose hunting ON the river

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