Early Goose 2017

[zoops]

I've hardly hunted the early goose season since they moved the date to August 15. Totally wrecked my labor day weekend hunting opener excitement idk why but it did

Totally agree. Never could really get in the mood for the August season and now with it getting competitive for fields, no thanks. Used to enjoy the September season and rarely saw anyone out (days when NR couldn't do it). Granted those were my college days and had a lot more free time!

 

[WormWiggler]

http://nodakangler.com/forums/ozzmodz_classifieds.php?do=viewitem&itemid=262

 

[Fly Carpin]

http://nodakangler.com/forums/ozzmodz_classifieds.php?do=viewitem&itemid=262

It's commercialization of the sport like this that that ruins it

 

[jdinny]

i will say I watched a field yesterday morning of a solid 130 and likely more as they were flipping in as I left. got my heart racing a bit. as a guy gets older and raises a family the harder and harder it is to get me away from the lake and walleyes ( wifes family has a cabin at van hook) if the oppurtinity presents itself dam straight ill still hunt august but my time of every wknd is no longer around maybe 3-4 hunts early season tops. it tough to get excited out west when you can wait til thanksgiving and have lights out decoying for the next month with the work involved and shit show involved in early season.
good luck to those going out next Tuesday ill definitely be wondering how guys did!

 

[snow]

Good call Fly,agreed...early season sets can be done with great success with just a handful of "B" player dekes,just a dozen shells or two is all thats needed,save the "A" squad for later when the local birds are educated and the migrators are just showing up.

 

[Migrator Man]

I try not to run my full spread right away because with the smaller flocks they don't need 100 decoys to come in. I have had some good hunts over 1-2 dozen.

Man decoys are getting expensive. I noticed Cabelas is running a sale but still more than I want to pay. I ended up buying some hardcore decoys from their website for a killer deal 50%+ off and free shippping. If a guy needs any Canada shells, blue goose or speckle belly decoys better get on their now.

 

[WormWiggler]

It's commercialization of the sport like this that that ruins it

what in the hell are you talking about?

 

[KDM]

Decoys are OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive. I "Forest Gumped" into 12 dozen full bodies (Big Foot, Flambeau, Hard Core, GHG, and Avian X's) for less than 10 bucks a dek. I've been fortunate to luck into some really good deals and have a larger than average spread of full body duck and goose deks for about 1500 bucks. I also don't agree that geese get "Educated". If they did, they would learn NOT to land with any other geese before they ever hit the states. "Educated Geese" are just a cop out excuse to justify why geese flare that keeps the blame off the hunter and puts it on some nebulous undocumented entity called "Educated Geese". I think less than perfect spreads fool the younger geese get who get shot and what's left are the more alert adults that pick out the screw ups you make in your spread. If the geese flare......IT"S YOU.....not the geese. 'Course that's just my opinion. Be safe fellas and shoot a bunch!!!

 

[guywhofishes]

Decoys are OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive. I "Forest Gumped" into 12 dozen full bodies (Big Foot, Flambeau, Hard Core, GHG, and Avian X's) for less than 10 bucks a dek. I've been fortunate to luck into some really good deals and have a larger than average spread of full body duck and goose deks for about 1500 bucks. I also don't agree that geese get "Educated". If they did, they would learn NOT to land with any other geese before they ever hit the states. "Educated Geese" are just a cop out excuse to justify why geese flare that keeps the blame off the hunter and puts it on some nebulous undocumented entity called "Educated Geese". I think less than perfect spreads fool the younger geese get who get shot and what's left are the more educated adults that pick out the screw ups you make in your spread. If the geese flare......IT"S YOU.....not the geese. 'Course that's just my opinion. Be safe fellas and shoot a bunch!!!

fixed it for ya - ha ha ha!

alert == educated in that context you dork!

- - - Updated - - -

:dance:

 

[Fly Carpin]

what in the hell are you talking about?

I was joking. It was a joke. We're talking goose hunting and you posted a link to your decoys for sale. I jokingly said a joke in a joking manner that commercialization of the sport is ruining it. Joke.

 

[guywhofishes]

so it was a joke then?

 

[KDM]

Well this dork gets out of the blind when a flock flares to see what's wrong instead of doing nothing and blaming "Educated Adult" birds when the shoot is less than expected. More times than not, I find a mistake in the deks, blinds, or landing zone that I can fix or I can identify who peeked or moved too soon. The majority of the time the next flock is less educated. (Grin) I did have a guy tell me NOT to shoot singles as they are the scouts for the flocks and if you do shoot the singles the flock won't come to the field. He essentially said the flocks see which scouts returned and thus know which fields are safe. I enjoyed that conversation VERY MUCH!!!!

 

[Fly Carpin]

so it was a joke then?

What the hell are you talking about?

 

[guywhofishes]

lol

 

[espringers]

i am immensely enjoying this inability to communicate effectively betwixt you twos.

 

[Fly Carpin]

Well this dork gets out of the blind when a flock flares to see what's wrong instead of doing nothing and blaming "Educated Adult" birds when the shoot is less than expected. More times than not, I find a mistake in the deks, blinds, or landing zone that I can fix or I can identify who peeked or moved too soon. The majority of the time the next flock is less educated. (Grin) I did have a guy tell me NOT to shoot singles as they are the scouts for the flocks and if you do shoot the singles the flock won't come to the field. He essentially said the flocks see which scouts returned and thus know which fields are safe. I enjoyed that conversation VERY MUCH!!!!

Just out of curiousity, what's your sample size on decoy field hunts for determining geese don't get educated? I only ask because I've been hunting geese in fields for 19 years in eastern, central, and the Missouri Valley of ND (no that isn't a braggart's chest thumping, just stating I've hunted every early season and have watched the birds get decoy shy earlier and earlier every year. And I will say I have flairing geese OCD, much to the annoyance of my hunting partners with the decoy and blind adjustments I'm constantly making), and I respectfully disagree. Emphasis on respectfully as I respect the hell out of you as a sportsman.

 

[KDM]

No worries FC. 'Bout 4 hunts a week during early and regular season for the last 4 years. I usually hunt Tuesday thru Friday and avoid Sat thru Monday due to weekend warriors hunting, hiking, fishing, and the like which might account for the difference in attitude of the geese. If you are hunting during the weekend with lots of fields holding spreads I can understand the birds being skittish. If the first flock flares, something is wrong has been my experience. I have detail OCD as well so if the geese even slide to one side twice, I adjust. I also DON'T call heavy as a general rule. I usually call loud and fast until the flock starts my way, then I cluck until they hit 100 yards or so, then call hard and fast for a few seconds and then just single clucks or a double cluck until boom time. Twould be good to compare notes as far as spread size, shape, flock size, species, decoys, blinds and all the other cool stuff about goose hunting. PM me some digits and we can talk more as typing somewhat limits communications.

 

[ShootnBlanks]

God I love shooting loners. Usually fully committed and locked up about a mile out.

 

[Migrator Man]

KDM you still shooting honkers over those GHG old style lesser decoys I sold you back in the day?

Speaking of the old style GHG lesser goose decoys they have brought the old design back to the market because of popular demand. I think they call them the hunters series goose decoys now and are selling them for $129 per six which is a decent price. Scheels has them advertised in their ad for $109. I have shot many geese over those decoys that I wonder if I should have sold them in the first place. The Tim Newbold lessers which replaced the old style came no where close to this design, so it is good GHG was listening.

- - - Updated - - -

I also just saw Federal has a decent mail in rebate for BlackCloud ammunition at $7.50 back per box. At a sale price of $18 for 3" than comes out to $10.50 per box for this premium ammunition which is darn near as cheap as my Federal blue box shells.

Anyone use BlackCloud? The times I have used a box it has really destroyed the breast meat at medium range. Anyone else see that issue?

 

[Enslow]

#Geces