# Birds eye view



## mnducks (Jan 13, 2006)

Speaking of snow goose spreads. Has anyone ever been up in a plane and viewed what your or other decoy spreads look like from above and compare it to live geese on the ground? I know live birds don't let planes get too close before flushing, but I thought it would be interesting to compare how far apart geese sit and how they scatter through a field. We've all seen geese on the ground from our level and try to match that look with our spreads. Just a strange thought. Mound City might be the best place with all the spreads there. Sorry, I can't afford to rent a plane to answer my own question.


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## Ridge Nelson (Jan 19, 2006)

mound city would be a good place with about everyother field having a snow goose spread in it....


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## h2ofwlr (Feb 6, 2004)

You have a very good point!

To further reenforce it. I would think many are deer hunters, and thus use tree stands. The vie from ground level is totally different at 20' up. I happen to work construction, so on tall chimney when you are up 45', it takes on another dimension again up that high. Or for intance I was at Mayo clinic in Rochester Mn 2 weeks ago, and being up 75yds in a medical building overlooking the Honkers a 3/4 mile off.

I would love to see the different spreads, both huge, medium and smaller one, or diferent decoys from FBs, socks, silos, etc from say 2 miles off and as you approach it from a biurds eye view. And the real thing, the S&BS, I suppose you would need a image stabilizing camera though. a helicopter would be best as you could come in at the same speed and height as geese, and even circle to the sides.

I bet the #1 surprise for hunters is how easy it is to pick pout the hunters in the field--that they are not as well conceled as they thought they were. #2 would be the spacing between the real birds.

Hmmmm..... A few thousand $s and a guy could rent a copter with an on board camera, and fly around for 3-4 hours, and have a ground crew verifying the decoy set up (brand, type, #s of decoys, actaul distance between decoys, etc..) and then market it as a video for sale.


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## The Warden (Jul 2, 2005)

On the other hand, unless it's your own spread who would want a plane buzzing their spread? Maybe one of those satellite surveillance companies (the pay kind) would be the answer.


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## mnducks (Jan 13, 2006)

I had forgotten about hunter concealment. A whole new avenue of whites vs blinds could be opened too.


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

I've flown in a Cessna 340 over some spreads before. A couple things stood out in the spreads:

1) Decoys are too universally spread apart. Looked unnatural compared to the real thing

2) Blinds....I could see them from a long ways. I couldn't get close enough to see what they did to them, but it certainly wasn't enough.

My .02


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## mnducks (Jan 13, 2006)

Chris, by chance do you have a photo to share here or on your sticky thread?


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

No, I didn't have my good camera in the plane.


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## mallard (Mar 27, 2002)

Chris,Did you notice that uncovered faces and hands were very visible?A friend that is a pilot claims that an uncovered face sticks out big time.


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## jkern (Aug 10, 2005)

Ask the many pilots that circled my spread over the years and they would tell you that uncovered fingers and butts really stick out. :wink:


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## Travery (Mar 15, 2005)

jkern said:


> Ask the many pilots that circled my spread over the years and they would tell you that uncovered fingers and butts really stick out. :wink:


That'll Learn'em!!! :lol:


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## jkern (Aug 10, 2005)

Here is a pic from above a flock of Snows on a public marsh.


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

mallard said:


> Chris,Did you notice that uncovered faces and hands were very visible?A friend that is a pilot claims that an uncovered face sticks out big time.


No I didn't. But I have setup down a hill....walked up to the top and looked down....and I could see faces shining big time.


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## h2ofwlr (Feb 6, 2004)

This pic is in NM and the only one that had a decent view looking down when I googled for it. Page 7, top left corner

page 2, 3rd column, 5th down

Click for Google Link

This one is not from nearly as high. But good to notice an at rest feeding flock on # of heads up.









Snows on the ground, sorry as big as the pic is









And for those wanting to know how they count geese from the air, this would be an interesting read.

Click for Google Link

Here is a cool pic of a flock of flying Snows taken from a plane


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