If you have been blessed with some of Colorado's exceptional goose hunting opportunities, you can see why its presence has grown to a highly accepted operation just by driving along the Front Range and Eastern plains of this state. My guess is that you will find numerous goose hunting trailers and hunters putting their spreads out or picking them up, just before sunrise or soon after the sunset.
Hunting for goose in Colorado and anywhere else you will find that it is a practice makes close to perfect challenge and that you can learn new parts to the game each time you plan for a hunt, scout for a hunt and actually hunt. This sport is very challenging and competitive in the fields but is also very exciting and offers many rewards, simultaneously. Each and every person has their own way and can also be forceful in the way that they hunt for geese. There is ways and tactics that are similar in each hunt in some parts like picking a location for a hunt, scouting for the best spot, how to set up decoys, buttoning up your blind, how to flag geese and of course calling techniques.
Below are some techniques or information that can help anyone hunt these dirty birds that can sometimes be very stubborn like most hunters. Don't forget that someone is bound to tell you how to really do it and that they would never consider a different approach but if everything about hunting was the same how exciting could it actually be?
For the most part when talk about decoys it really just depends and sometimes the huge 35 dozen spreads will suck the geese in and sometimes having under a dozen decoys really works. The weather can play a good number in your decision here because generally when it is frigid out the geese will stick together in larger numbers and also closer together to keep from being cold. However when the temperature is high they will tend to space out quite a bit to keep from the typical sweaty feeling you can relate to when in a crowded room. Spacing the decoys out will also make your spread appear much larger. Shell decoys are also a crucial aspect to keep in mind when hunting in the snow because they look very realistic compared to a real goose that will lie down when there is snow covering the ground. Realism will only help the situation when placing out your decoys.
Feeders and more feeders is also another thing to note when watching geese in a real setting, there are always the ones that look around with their heads up high but most are head down putting the grind on the feed. Movement also always helps out and there are many decoys on the market that will provide you with the motion you need on a windless day or a day that the wind really does its part. Leaving an open area for them to land is also very important because you do not want a flock to land out of range or on one side not giving your whole hunting group a chance to unload their favorite shotgun. Geese favor to land into the wind so make sure you have an opening in front of the hunting blind with your backs facing the wind and they should glide right into your runway of destruction.
Concealment will go a long ways in achieving that nice pile picture. Being invisible to oncoming birds is a win-win situation and that will only come with the dedication to completely secure your blind from the many eyes that will try to pick you out and apart. Use materials that are natural to the area you are hunting, as corn in a winter wheat field will stick out like that sore hunter who has not got any action. Pits are used a lot in the fields of Colorado and the best thing to do with your pit is to make sure your lids and easily closed with a good top coverage of whatever is in the field and that the whole pit is flush with the ground. Layout blinds will also need heavily stuffed to blend into the surroundings. Concealment is a huge factor so make sure you are covered up well in all situations.
When using a flag, flag the geese that are far away to get them to notice you and try not to flag them when they are looking right at you. Flagging all the way until the geese land sometimes is what they look for but in general it is used to get and keep their attention. In some senses the flag can be compared to calling by going easy on the call as you would a flag when they are directly on top of you. Try to go softer on the geese when they are right on top with slow clucks and murmurs to replicate a goose that is feeding and if they look like their getting out of there try to call them hard and loud. You may have also noticed that small cackling geese tend to be very vocal and prefer fast clucks that are loud and if everyone in the blind calls in those cases it can really be worth it.
Do not think twice about changing something if it appears to not be working. You need to go through all the trials and tribulations to accomplish a small understanding of what the geese are trying to communicate and being able to understand that language is going to be what really works best. Your other best bet is going to be to put in the time scouting and without the scouting it would seem that you are the gambling type. Bring a lot of ammo when you do find that X on the treasure map and all the time you were scouting will be worth more than the large stack of geese you are going to have.
Basically there is no set in stone way to hunt geese so scout, listen, watch and learn how others hunt them and surround yourself with hunters that have fun and enjoy the hunt no matter what the final outcome is and you too will always enjoy Colorado goose hunting, as well as all the time you are spending in the field.
Hunting for goose in Colorado and anywhere else you will find that it is a practice makes close to perfect challenge and that you can learn new parts to the game each time you plan for a hunt, scout for a hunt and actually hunt. This sport is very challenging and competitive in the fields but is also very exciting and offers many rewards, simultaneously. Each and every person has their own way and can also be forceful in the way that they hunt for geese. There is ways and tactics that are similar in each hunt in some parts like picking a location for a hunt, scouting for the best spot, how to set up decoys, buttoning up your blind, how to flag geese and of course calling techniques.
Below are some techniques or information that can help anyone hunt these dirty birds that can sometimes be very stubborn like most hunters. Don't forget that someone is bound to tell you how to really do it and that they would never consider a different approach but if everything about hunting was the same how exciting could it actually be?
For the most part when talk about decoys it really just depends and sometimes the huge 35 dozen spreads will suck the geese in and sometimes having under a dozen decoys really works. The weather can play a good number in your decision here because generally when it is frigid out the geese will stick together in larger numbers and also closer together to keep from being cold. However when the temperature is high they will tend to space out quite a bit to keep from the typical sweaty feeling you can relate to when in a crowded room. Spacing the decoys out will also make your spread appear much larger. Shell decoys are also a crucial aspect to keep in mind when hunting in the snow because they look very realistic compared to a real goose that will lie down when there is snow covering the ground. Realism will only help the situation when placing out your decoys.
Feeders and more feeders is also another thing to note when watching geese in a real setting, there are always the ones that look around with their heads up high but most are head down putting the grind on the feed. Movement also always helps out and there are many decoys on the market that will provide you with the motion you need on a windless day or a day that the wind really does its part. Leaving an open area for them to land is also very important because you do not want a flock to land out of range or on one side not giving your whole hunting group a chance to unload their favorite shotgun. Geese favor to land into the wind so make sure you have an opening in front of the hunting blind with your backs facing the wind and they should glide right into your runway of destruction.
Concealment will go a long ways in achieving that nice pile picture. Being invisible to oncoming birds is a win-win situation and that will only come with the dedication to completely secure your blind from the many eyes that will try to pick you out and apart. Use materials that are natural to the area you are hunting, as corn in a winter wheat field will stick out like that sore hunter who has not got any action. Pits are used a lot in the fields of Colorado and the best thing to do with your pit is to make sure your lids and easily closed with a good top coverage of whatever is in the field and that the whole pit is flush with the ground. Layout blinds will also need heavily stuffed to blend into the surroundings. Concealment is a huge factor so make sure you are covered up well in all situations.
When using a flag, flag the geese that are far away to get them to notice you and try not to flag them when they are looking right at you. Flagging all the way until the geese land sometimes is what they look for but in general it is used to get and keep their attention. In some senses the flag can be compared to calling by going easy on the call as you would a flag when they are directly on top of you. Try to go softer on the geese when they are right on top with slow clucks and murmurs to replicate a goose that is feeding and if they look like their getting out of there try to call them hard and loud. You may have also noticed that small cackling geese tend to be very vocal and prefer fast clucks that are loud and if everyone in the blind calls in those cases it can really be worth it.
Do not think twice about changing something if it appears to not be working. You need to go through all the trials and tribulations to accomplish a small understanding of what the geese are trying to communicate and being able to understand that language is going to be what really works best. Your other best bet is going to be to put in the time scouting and without the scouting it would seem that you are the gambling type. Bring a lot of ammo when you do find that X on the treasure map and all the time you were scouting will be worth more than the large stack of geese you are going to have.
Basically there is no set in stone way to hunt geese so scout, listen, watch and learn how others hunt them and surround yourself with hunters that have fun and enjoy the hunt no matter what the final outcome is and you too will always enjoy Colorado goose hunting, as well as all the time you are spending in the field.
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