Snow Goose Hunting
A Brief Look At Snow Goose Hunting
Snow goose hunting is not the easiest of hunting adventures. Not only are the birds a pretty savvy and spooky group to begin with, but setting out the decoys can be a hard task in itself. Snow geese can be hunted in the spring or fall, or in places where they overwinter, but spring hunting seems to be the favorite of many. There are two major species of snow geese, Greater snow geese and Lesser snow geese. There are also hybrids, due to cross breeding. While migration patterns may differ slightly between the species, hunting strategy is similar for both.
The geese migrate in large numbers, at times in the hundreds of thousands, heading south in the fall, and back north in the spring. When they settle to rest and feed, a flock can literally turn a fairly large field white. On the surface, this would seem to make snow goose hunting fairly easy. You find a white field, drive up to it, or sneak up to it, and fire away. The problem is, no matter whether you drive or sneak up, you're not going to get anywhere close to the geese, especially if the terrain is at all flat.
The biggest challenge in snow goose hunting lies in the number of decoys that are usually required. You won't attract a flock of snow geese by setting out a dozen decoys in a field. What you'll need is several hundred, perhaps a thousand or more. First of course you have to locate a field that locals, or previous experience, tell you is a likely landing spot. In the spring, a corn field with some standing water is often an excellent choice, providing both roost and feed. Of course once you've found a good candidate, the first step is to find the land owner and get permission to hunt it.
Now the process of setting out several hundred decoys can be daunting. Some hunters come to the site with a trailer full of decoys, and bring along an ATV to make setting them out easier. Another approach is to hunt with friends, and share the task of setting out the decoys. Snow goose decoys can vary from full bodied decoys, which obviously take up more room, to collapsible decoys, to anything white. While light weight or collapsible decoys may seem to make sense, as far as transporting them and setting them out is concerned, a strong wind can make you think twice about the type of decoy you've chosen.
In the spring snow geese tend to follow the snow line as it moves north, and generally will stop when they reach the snow line. This is the area you want to do your hunting. You'll need to not only have a knowledge of the migration patterns, but also follow the weather forecasts, especially weather forecasts to the north. While migration patterns tend to be somewhat predictable, they can vary, and you can find yourself setting up in an area that won't be visited by the birds after all. More often than not though, the waterfowl will be in a given area for several days, especially if the food supply is good.
The best place to do your actual shooting is off to one side of a feeding flock, far enough away so that your shooting won't spook the entire flock. You'll have better luck shooting birds that are taking off than trying to shoot at those coming in for a landing. By the way, before you settle down to wait for the geese, make certain that you've parked any vehicle at least a half mile away, and wear camouflage. Many of the geese have made the trip for several years and won't land in a field if they see any sign of human presence.
There are certainly easier things than snow goose hunting, but like all things difficult, it is very rewarding once you've had some success.