As the days grow shorter and the winds are more often from the north, waterfowlers across the country are organizing their gear and getting ready for a “new push” of birds. The locals that came easy a month ago may have grown wise enough to avoid certain spots where they have been hunted. At night you can hear flocks of Speckle Bellies and Snows moving through the area and you know the Canadas are not far behind.
When the migration is in full swing it can provide some of the most incredible hunting of the season. New birds falling from nose bleed altitude into a big spread of decoys after a long flight. It ‘s the time of year when landing big flocks of birds can become the norm and finding fields with thousands of geese is possible.
As always, scouting is the first step. With migrating flocks showing up in new areas, putting the time in behind the driver’s seat can create new options and new opportunities for great goose hunting. When you find birds, pay attention to what kinds of fields you see them in and what time they are coming to those fields. As the temperature drops, grain usually becomes popular. It’s also helpful if you know how many birds are in the field and if the flocks coming to the field are small with maybe twenty birds or less, or if they are coming in big flocks of several hundred birds. This will help you judge how many chances you may get during a hunt. Big decoy spreads work well at this time of the year. Flocks are on the move and in areas they are not familiar with. A huge mass of decoys gets attention and creates curiosity. If you like to blow your goose call this can be the time to do it. Of course reading the birds is still required, and there’s no need to scream at them if they are coming in anyway, but watching a huge flock of migrators lock up on aggressive calling is something every waterfowler should experience.
Most experienced waterfowlers will tell you not to hunt the roost, and I agree that in most circumstances it’s good advice to follow. Generally, it keeps birds using an area and the field hunting can continue around the roost for a long time with success. Keep in mind though that each area can be different. I have hunted areas where water is abundant and grain fields are scare. In these areas you could hunt the water and the birds would move to another piece of water half a mile away. But if you shoot the only grain field in 10 miles it will most likely changer their flight path completely. So learn what the birds habits are in your area and respect them.
I mention this because one of my favorite ways to hunt is to run traffic (intercepting geese between their roost and where they want to be) on a pasture pond or loafing area at this time of year. These ponds are not roosts and may be used sporadically by some, but not most, of the geese in the area to loaf mid-day. The best luck I have had is finding this situation somewhere between the roost and the fields where the birds are feeding. Big combination spreads of floaters, fullbodies, and shells can be extremely realistic and lets you add huge numbers of decoys. Hide well and don ‘t leave too early – some of the best hunting can be late morning as migrating birds are looking for a spot to rest and the feeding birds are heading back to the roost mid-day.
Late November and most of December (depending on the weather) are usually great goose hunting months through much of the central United States. Get in the field on the front edge of a big North wind and hope the water freezes or the food gets scarce enough to the North that it sends some new birds your way. Big numbers of geese just showing up in the area will often create the opportunity for some memorable hunting.
Straight Shots,
Jay Longhauser
Posted in Hunting on Friday, November 6th, 2009
