Friday, January 7, 2011











GOOSE THE GEESE

Billie R. Cooper

Is there anything in waterfowling more frustrating than a huge flock of geese setting down in a nearby field? Here are some tactics to get close and jump up some BBB action.

A cold Thanksgiving Day wind rattled the cut corn stalks where my goose hunting buddy and I had fashioned ourselves a couple of makeshift one man burlap and cornstalk blinds. The blinds completely disappeared into the surrounding corn field stubble. My buddy and I were thoroughly convinced that even the wildest of Canada geese would not suspect the least danger as they approached our superb hides.
We had done our homework well. The 500 hundred acre corn field had been harvested only a few weeks prior to our well planned goose hunting adventure. Mallards had first caught our attention. We were passing by the farm on the way to another duck hunting destination when we noticed thousands of ducks going down on the back side of the cornfield. The old farmer had been a good friend of my father’s when I still lived on the family farm. We gained permission to hunt easily.
Three p.m. had rolled around by the time we reached the corn field. Ducks were beginning to blacken the sky to the west. We hurriedly set out a dozen decoys and found a spot to lie on the ground and throw cornstalks over our bodies.
We repeated the process for several days, never failing to fill our one mallard limit. However, on the last afternoon we hunted ducks in the corn stubble, a flight of some 200 Canada geese worked the field. The majestic birds circled numerous times, offering marginal shots, but we held our fire. Goose season would not start until the next day, Thanksgiving Day.
The drive home proved long. We each recited to the other the excuses we would use on our families to skip out as soon as the family Thanksgiving dinner was complete, pumpkin pie and all. There were black and white geese to hunt.
My hunting partner and I arrived back at the farm around 2 p.m. We huffed and puffed, from full bellies, as we struggled to carry dozens of goose decoys through the corn stubble. Within thirty minutes we had a very respectable spread of goose decoys deployed.
We climbed into our blinds to get settled. We each peered at the other to double check for any minute mistakes which might flare geese. We both passed the others scrutiny.
I drew my old flute-style Lohman walnut goose call to my lips and uttered a lonesome “woooork- woouurk-wooouuurk” out of it. “Listen,” my buddy said sharply. “Geese to the west.”
“Good calling, huh?” I jabbed back. “Shut-up and pay attention,” came my reward.
The situation looked good as the two of us honked to the approaching flock. “Let’s hold until we get them close enough so we can both down a couple of birds,” I said.
The giant panda-colored birds worked the outer edges of the decoys, with only a couple of birds swinging within 30-yards. We held our fire hoping for closer shots. The flock of 200 birds circled a half dozen more times, teasing us relentlessly with each pass. Our goose hunters’ mentality told us that the next pass would be ‘the one’.
I clinched my shotgun tightly as the flock swung to the east, swung south and looped to the north flying into the wind and straight to our decoy spread. “This looks good,” my buddy whispered.
Just as the big birds were about to wing into range, they hooked to the west, turned south and immediately began going down on the far end of the field. Our hearts sank. We knew that would be the only flight of geese for the afternoon.
As soon as the geese all settled into feeding mode my hunting partner began chattering. “I really want a Christmas goose,” he began. “Let’s sneak up on them and get a couple, OK?”
“We can’t sneak up on 200 hundred geese feeding in a field,” I retorted. “That is 400 hundred eyes watching for danger. We don’t stand a chance.”
“Well, how many geese do you have now, Cooper?” My partner whispered sarcastically.
LOW CRAWL REVISITED
“Alright, follow me,” he said. I had heard those words in my military days and it never turned out good. My partner had obviously been in the military at one time, too. He cradled his shotgun across his arms and began the perfect low crawl down a row of corn stubble.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“About a hundred yards back there is a low drainage ditch that we can slide into,” he instructed. “It will lead us to the major drainage ditch on the south side of the farm. We can easily maneuver up it. That will put us within shooting distance of the geese.”
We paused every few seconds to check on the state of the goose flock. They eagerly fed on the waste corn totally unaware of our presence. We gained ground quickly simply by staying low and utilizing the scant cover available.
An hour later we lay just over the ditch bank from 200 feeding Canada geese. Sweaty and exhausted, we took a short break.
We peered through the tall grass to get a fix on the situation. We could hear the guttural growls of geese as they competed for food. The closest birds waddled less than 15 yards away. My buddy yelled “shoot ‘em”. Seconds later, four Canada geese lay flopping on the ground. Our well executed mission had worked and we would enjoy a tasty goose dinner for Christmas.
CRAWLING GEAR
Crawling over rough terrain is difficult at best. After years of experience, I have found that knee pads help prevent cuts and bruises. Most importantly, they reduce the pain from rocks and sticks significantly. Being in decent shape also aids the process. Struggling with gear and exerting lots of energy leads to profuse sweating as well. Carrying a small pack to store extra clothing in makes the crawling trip easier and certainly more comfortable. Clothing layers can be replaced after the crawl.
Packing as little gear as possible is fundamental to crawling success. The small pack should include a bottle of water and a snack bar or two, because the sneak attack method can be time consuming. As goose hunting buddy Bill Cobb of Missouri once said to me after I complained about his three hour planned approach to 20,000 snow geese, “what else do you have to do right now, Cooper?”
A shotgun and only as many shells as you will need for one volley and chasing cripples is all you need to carry. Shells are very heavy and you will suffer from the weight on long crawls.
BLENDING IN
Clothing under your outer coat should be of a good camouflage appropriate for the surroundings. Many waterfowlers often wear clothing of a different color under their outer layer. That is not wise if you are going to be sneaking up on birds. A crawler needs every advantage.
Make sure the camo clothes you select are terrain appropriate. The Mossy Oak Duck Blind pattern works well in corn stubble as does other patterns with a lot of tans and browns.
Matching the colors of the season is important. If you are hunting early season geese, there will more than likely be more greens in the surrounding vegetation. Select camo patterns which match the surroundings of your intended hunting area.
If you are traveling a long distance, be sure to check with hunting buddies or outfitters about the type and color of vegetation you will be hunting in. Nothing can ruin a goose hunting trip quicker than traveling a long distance to a hunting destination only to find out that your camo is totally inappropriate for the situation.
Pack more than one camo pattern in your gear bag. Meanings are often lost in phone conversations. I have learned that hunters interpret matters differently. A friend’s description of a blind or hunting cover may be misinterpreted. Or, vegetative colors may change in a hurry, depending on weather and the rapid progress of the season. So, adding additional camo patterns to your gear bag may well improve your chances of being successful.
Pack a white parka. If you are hunting in northern climes or late season further south, always pack a white parka or light suit to slip over your chosen colored camo pattern. Even a slight dusting of snow can change the look of the terrain in a hurry. And a black lump moving along in the white snow will be readily detected by wary geese.
GIVE IT YOUR BEST SHOT
Sneaking up on geese is risky business at best. Getting busted is part of the game, but one does hope to up the odds in his favor by doing everything just right.
One of the biggest problems encountered by goose sneakers is closing the deal. And nothing can be more frustrating after a long, tiresome crawl than blowing the shot. Practice ahead of time can greatly reduce problems at the ‘time to shoot’ phase of the hunt. Two hunting partners hunting together can practice together as well. Have one guy hide behind a berm or blind while the other places a life size goose decoy at an undetermined distance. Try this learning tactic on both land and water. Single decoys, or live geese, appear to be farther away than they actually are, while gaggles of geese appear closer than they actually are. Practice at estimating distance will greatly improve your shooting success when the moment of truth arrives.
Selection of chokes and shot size are another important facet of culminating a sneaky goose hunt successfully. Selection of each should be determined according to the style of hunting you are exercising. If you are approaching a small pond to flush geese, the shots will be close. An improved cylinder with B’s or BB’s will do the trick. If you find yourself making one of those long crawls to intercept feeding geese in a field, the shots are more than apt to be longer. In these situations a modified up to the more restricted goose hunting chokes are necessary. Shot size should be larger, including BBB’S, T’s and F’s. Using the best shot shells you can afford becomes paramount in these longer shot situations. It is especially frustrating to make a long sneak and then not have the firepower to bring down the geese. Hevi-Shot is hard to beat for this type of shooting.
EXPERT TIPS
Sneaking up on geese can be a perplexing chore, especially for beginners. Talking with, or better yet, hunting with experienced sneakers is worth its weight in gold. SFC Mel Avis, of Virginia, has hunted geese in many parts of the country at his various duty stations. “I resorted to sneak hunting geese primarily because I did not have decoys with me at many of the bases where I was stationed,” Avis said. “I found out quickly that I could be successful at sneaking up on geese by watching them for a while to make sure they were calm and unaware of my presence. Then I simply lay out the best plan of approach according to the lay of the land and the available cover. Next, I implement an extra dose of patience. Patience and moving slowly are the two major keys to being successful at sneaking on geese. Always remember that there are a multitude of eyes watching for danger.”
Army Reserve Lt. Col. Bill McKinney, from Arkansas, loves to do the “snow goose sneak”. “Crawling up on thousands of snow geese feeding in a field is about exciting as it gets,” said McKinney. I have been enjoying this activity for years in Missouri and Arkansas. I especially like it during the Conservation Order on light geese when you can take the plugs out of your gun and there is no limit on the number of light geese you take. That can be a real blast when you get several guys together.
Bill Cobb and McKinney occasionally hunt snow geese together. They still laugh about the time that they and three other buddies downed 82 snows on their first volley after a long crawl. “That is something to see,” Cobb said. “That is when my back Lab, Oreo really comes in handy to chase down cripples.
I had the distinct pleasure to hunt with Cobb and McKinney last season. I brought up the rear as we crawled up a deep ditch towards 20,000 snow geese. Those two old guys proved impressive as they negotiated the terrain. However, Oreo outshined them both. If you have never watched a Lab do the “snow goose sneak”, you owe it to yourself to experience that waterfowling hunting sight.
The migrations have begun and geese are filtering into favorite haunts all up and down the Mississippi flyway. Favored blinds are filled once again with goose hunters. Thousands of man hours are being expended on hauling and setting decoys, renovating blinds, practice sessions for calling and a sundry of other chores related to goose hunting. Sitting in a blind waiting on geese to come to decoys and calls is one thing, but why not try something different? There is a definite waterfowl hunting high to being able to sneak close enough to “goose the geese”.


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