# Its been tuff



## cutt-em (Feb 13, 2008)

I've been hunting in the central part of ND for 15 years the last 3 have been very tuff. We have had more flares than ever before, and a lot less birds. Any ideas/suggestions? Outside of finding another area.


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

What kind of dekes and blinds do you have? Also are you calling and flagging?


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## cutt-em (Feb 13, 2008)

Using a combo of Big Foot, and Avery full body greaters, and Avery lessers. No flagging. We have not had a lot of trouble finding them and getting them to come to us. Its the flareing at 120 yards out thats killing us. We have been using power hunter blinds.


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

Get a flag. Only flag when they are far out. How about your calling.


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## cutt-em (Feb 13, 2008)

We have flags but found we don't need them. We can get them to come, but not stay locked. The calling is soft, with multiple clucks from three of us. Not the best but nothing out of our realm.


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## USAlx50 (Nov 30, 2004)

Try new things with your spread, conceal your blinds better then ever before and get better at calling. A twitch of a flag still works wonders when they start to slide off at closer ranges as well.

I still say people give black geese too much credit in the intelligence department.


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

Well I had the same thing happen to me this year. We would pull some from the big flocks and they would commit and then at about 90 yards they would flare. I was blowing a call only untill they would commit and after that I wouldn't touch it. But I got some goose hunting videos and they would do a murmor, so I learned that and that helped.

Try this link

http://callingducks.com/talk_goose_main.aspx

I know this may sound dumb, but are people moving or is there something shinning out? We pick up our shells after we shoot. I am a person who is really anal about making things looking natural.

Also are you leaving a landing area for them? 
I have another little trick that I will PM you.


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## cutt-em (Feb 13, 2008)

I always thought that the flagging was to get their attention when they are at a distance. I will remember your tip when they are close next year. Thanks for the suggestion. As far as the calling I just can't get the short reed down. Like everyone else I'm fine with the flute.

We try to call very little and when we do its just clucks.


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## cutt-em (Feb 13, 2008)

We are the same way - we have become so particular on how each of our blinds are camoed that we work on them twice a day. The night before, and just after we set-up.
We hunt mainly wheat and barley fields.
I use a horse shoe shape, or a two line set-up.


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

That might be your problem, the flute. I could never learn the flute, I don't know why, I jsut cannot get the hang of it. Where I hunt, I was the only person blowing a short reed for a few years. I called in alot more geese then my friends so now they all have short reeds. I'm not saying that I am a great caller because I am not. But I would try a short reed if I were you. I have a couple now. I just bought a couple "how to" DVD's and thats how I got started. But if you cannot get the short reed, keep practicing on your flute. Learn all of the notes and when to use them.


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## Preds21 (Feb 12, 2008)

nothing wrong with a flute call. How many goose dekes do u hunt over, next yr try maybe getting aggresive with the calling if they flare give them a comeback call loud and fast but sounding like a goose and when theyget overhead but t high to shoot or bout 75, 80 yards out front hit 'em with the feeding gavel and when they get past hit 'em with the comeback call again with the flag, it might work for u or it might make the birds flare worse but his works for me plus do u hunt in a pit or blind


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## cutt-em (Feb 13, 2008)

Blinds - power hunters. We used to just lay out with our heads on large shell decoys. The good old days are gone.

We do the lay-down call - the da-da-da-da-da.

I've heard of moving out from your spread, like going 60-80 yards down wind with your blinds. The theory being that the geese will be busy looking for imperfections in the spread and not pay attention to your blinds. It did not work that well for us. We killed a few but nothing like the feet down locked up days.


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

the murmor is like a growel


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## USAlx50 (Nov 30, 2004)

cutt-em said:


> I always thought that the flagging was to get their attention when they are at a distance. I will remember your tip when they are close next year. Thanks for the suggestion. As far as the calling I just can't get the short reed down. Like everyone else I'm fine with the flute.
> 
> We try to call very little and when we do its just clucks.


Think of how a flock responds to a single breaking off from the group and landing in the decoys. Use your flag to simulate that. If they are locked and coming in there isn't a need for it, but if they start doing things you dont want them to like starting to slide to the side or short stopping you, give that flag a couple quick flicks. A lot of times that will turn them back on track or keep em gliding into the pocket.

Getting decent on a short reed makes all the difference in the world as well. Grab a copy of honker talk or the new bad grammar dvd and put in the time. It is tough at first but once you start getting goosey it becomes fun to practice, its crazy how the geese can respond to the right sounds.


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## cutt-em (Feb 13, 2008)

Thanks a lot, I will try the flagging. I understand what you are saying and it makes perfect sense.

As for the calling - I do need to work on the short reed, I'll give it another try soon.

Do you lay-out in your spread or do you move outside of it?


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## goosebusters (Jan 12, 2006)

USAlx50 said:


> I still say people give black geese too much credit in the intelligence department.


You're lucky you hunt in North Dakota!


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## USAlx50 (Nov 30, 2004)

I lay 5 yards into the spread from the pocket, right where the decoys are thick and we're simulating the good feed is.


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## manitoba hunter (Sep 16, 2007)

my group recently had the same problem last fall. we would get the geese droppin down an then out at about 80yds or so they'd be off. we tried flagging, called soft, called loud and tried not even calling. then finally we nailed it... what we did was make families of 4 or 5. we then made groups of families in the x or horse shoe patterns. After that we had 'em landin at our feet.


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## USAlx50 (Nov 30, 2004)

goosebusters said:


> USAlx50 said:
> 
> 
> > I still say people give black geese too much credit in the intelligence department.
> ...


Yup :wink:


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## cutt-em (Feb 13, 2008)

I feel very lucky to be hunting in ND. I have over 2,600 acres of pot holes, wheat and barley. 
The family that owns the land have become great friends with my family. I have been lucky enough to have my own place right out on their land overlooking a 180 acre slew. To me its heaven!!!


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## Leo Porcello (Jul 10, 2003)

Cutt-em are you in the Minot area? We have a great bunch of guys in this area that would not mind meeting face to face to talk about the birds and their changing patterns the last few years. Trust me when I say you are not the only one noticing a change.


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## Pato (Oct 7, 2003)

I am not bashing the flute calls at all, but we have been able to hear a group of guys using flutes the last couple of early seasons, and they weren't able to compete with us and our short reed calls. I can't say they were bad callers, but there was a very distinct sound difference between them and us. I had walked away from our spread and had the chance to hear both groups calling at the same flock of birds. They came our way. Almost every time, we called the birds our way, and we never heard the other guys shoot, even when we lost a group to their direction. We never did see their spread though?
It took me a year to get from calling on a flute to making some decent sounds on a short reed. Keep trying, and I am sure you will do better and better as time goes on. If you can begin to practice hard starting now, you should havve the basics down by next season. Try a copy of Honker Talk like reccommended earlier, or the CD by Foiles. Both of these helped me over humps at different times. Dave Smith has a CD that helped me also.
Also, check out the calling tips at callersforchrist.com There are some real short and simple explanations and examples there that have been helpful to me as well.
Keep at it and next season you will be ready!


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

Leo Porcello said:


> Cutt-em are you in the Minot area? We have a great bunch of guys in this area that would not mind meeting face to face to talk about the birds and their changing patterns the last few years. Trust me when I say you are not the only one noticing a change.


You're not alone in terms of the local birds, we are noticing tougher birds as well. There has been enough pressure in some areas where the birds don't return to the fields the following mornings. We saw that a lot last fall. We've been varying spreads, calling, flagging, the works. But when they don't return to a field it doesn't matter what you do. These birds in Central ND are NOTHING like the birds we had over 3 years ago.

Next fall I'm going back to my traditional areas, but I hear they aren't the same either. A lot of guys hunting Canadas now, the game is on.


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## cutt-em (Feb 13, 2008)

I am close to that area, I won't be out that way again until the end of April. Lets stay in touch I would like to get your views on the area and whats going on.
I know that the area we are talking about is not getting the water the eastern 1/3 of the stae is getting. Everyone usumes the whole stae got a lot of water last year when in fact central and western ND got very little and were in a drought stage.
It almost seems as if there has been a shift in the ND flyway.


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