# Full Bodies vs. North Winds???



## BandHunter (Dec 17, 2003)

Does anyone think that a snow goose hunter could do better with a 100 full body snow goose decoys tather then having 500+ northwind decoys? Do you guys think that quality would be better the quanity? I know last spring i seen flocks of a couple thousand geese drop down from the clouds just to join 30 or 40 snows that were sitting in a field..And as smart as snows are getting wouldnt it better to give them the same decoys we hunt honkers with? Meaning full bodys seem to be on the meal ticket to get Canadians so why not give snow geese the same treatment?Just courious and would like some opinions?
Bandhunter


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## GooseBuster3 (Mar 1, 2002)

If you have ever watched a flock of snow geese they are always moving and competing for food. Thats why I like the north winds, but the full bodies add the true realism but with out the motion. Weather also plays a big factor too.


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## 1700fps (Jan 20, 2004)

would have to agree with GB3. northwinds add a ton of movement. i like numbers when dealin with snows, especially in the spring.


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## gandergrinder (Mar 10, 2002)

I choose both. 

On a migration day I'll take a monster spread of northwinds everytime but on the other days I think fullbodies could be good. I really want to get into running combo spreads with windsocks and fullbodies.

Heres my dream spread.

1000 northwinds on the upwind side of the spread. 200 fullbodies downwind with 120 higdon motion shells mixed in with the fullbodies. I think this spread would knock them dead no matter what time of year. If its a flooded field for spring I would add 10 dozen floaters. :thumb:


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## brobones (Mar 10, 2004)

GG that would be a awesome setup and one I would want to leave up all spring, you know you would be drawing in geese with that spread for sure. I think a mix of both are important I would have my spread just like 
GG said.l I think a combo of both is what is needed for a realistic spread. Those windless days the BF help a lot making it look better. Sometimes smaller spreads work better to I tried that this fall with only putting out 60 of my 300 custom nwinds and 10 BF's I shot a limit. Later in the season I think this is very effective, the geese see so many of those 150-600 decoys setups that they become decoy shy. With those few decoys I had them finish better than the other two days I hunted putting out 240 custom socks. Movement is key for snows, like has been mentioned above. There are so many factors to come into play weather wind is the most important I think. Also how many other parties are hunting in that area. Fresh or stale birds is the other factor. Well that is all I have to say on that :beer:


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## Maverick (Mar 4, 2002)

I have to agree...what about those days the wind doesn't show up? The windsocks look like a joke. You might as-well put rags out? On the days when there is no wind I would personally like the FB. On the days of wind, I would love the windsocks? Horse a piece?

Mav...
Have amixed bag to be ready for anything?


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## mallardhunter (May 15, 2004)

Go with the north winds. :thumb:


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## Decoyer (Mar 2, 2002)

During the first spring season, we experiemented with shells and fullbodies on one side of a spread, northwinds on the other. the geese would consistantly work the northwinds over the other decoys. To me snows are suckers for motion, much more so than dark geese. Personally, given a 20 mile an hour wind, if I had a choice I would rather have 500 windsocks over 500 FBs.


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## djleye (Nov 14, 2002)

Jed, Let me now when you amass that many decoys, I want to be with!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## gandergrinder (Mar 10, 2002)

Dan,
I will have that spread eventually. I almost have the floaters done and I have half the windsocks already. I'll allow you to go as long as you agree to pull the second trailer its going to take to haul all that stuff.


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## Ty (Mar 11, 2004)

right now we have 900 custom northwinds and will have about 200 custom full bodies come spring time. Its gonna git DEERTY!


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## J.D. (Oct 14, 2002)

Im done buying northwinds.........fullbodies are the key. I hunted over 500 of the new bigfoot snows last year and birds finished great! :beer:


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## J.D. (Oct 14, 2002)

Also - Ty what brand of customs are you gonna be running? If your going in on a big purchase I might be interested in a few dozen if they are H.C.'s - Let me know.

Ill bet just the 200 of em without the northwinds would make a killer spread.


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## brobones (Mar 10, 2004)

Where the heck do you store all of that stuff. I wish I had someone else that lived here in Toon town that hunted as hard as I do. I would need a semi for 500 big foots and a garage just for storage of the big foots. No one hunts around here like you guys do in the states. The same group of guys year after year.. Way different here to many gun laws here and liability so I am told which really sucks.. Not me they can make different laws all they want I won't quit hunting. I would love to hunt over 500 bf snows damn I bet the finish all right almost into the barrel of shotgun. I would still have some socks for movement. There has been thousands and thousand killed with socks, the movement is the key ingredient for sure.. How many of you guys flag snows????


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## nickle ditch (Aug 26, 2002)

Bro, i'll move 1 1/2 hours north, if you move 1 1/2 hours south.


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## brobones (Mar 10, 2004)

LOL now that would be the ticket, that would put us both around Lake Dief Riverhurst area, or Chaplin  . Lots of birds around there till late Dec.


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## J.D. (Oct 14, 2002)

Bro - the bigfoots belong to a friend of mine........he hauls em in a 37' foot trailer. Almost a semi!  37' is the longest bumper pull trailer that is sold. Talk about bad gas mileage! :-?


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

JD...I will find vaca time this spring to come down again if you got room in that 500 FB spread. I'd love to see how they react.

Remember when those guys in TX put out 10K decoys??? I thought that'd be a killing but they only shot like 4.

I bet if tame geese were legal again snows would still find a reason to flare on a calm, sunny day.


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## Dean Nelson (Mar 3, 2002)

Well I will break with the norm and say Full bodies. I have yet to run a big spread of north winds this year.


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## J.D. (Oct 14, 2002)

Hustad - Ill keep you up to date. :beer:


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## dakotashooter2 (Oct 31, 2003)

I've never hunted over the full bodies. Seems a lot of my hunts have been slogging through 6" of mud to get to where the birds have been. Do you have a chopper to get those FBs in?


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## dcrothers (Oct 6, 2002)

JD mentioned "HC's". What is he referring to............the manufactuer of full bodies or wind socks? Thank you.


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## J.D. (Oct 14, 2002)

Hardcore full bodies is what HC stood for.....


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## djleye (Nov 14, 2002)

Jed, I was referring to the 200 full bodies. Are you using covers for your bigfoots or are you talking buying 200 snow and blue foots???


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## Ty (Mar 11, 2004)

no im not buying hardcores. Im going to mold my own full bodies and biuld all my own custom windsocks. I got an airbrush and all the equipment now. I got maybe 50 socks made and only a couple heads molded. I even got a mold for floaters. This is going to be fun.


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## mrgoose67 (Nov 4, 2004)

I seen a guy with 60 stuffers smokem on blue bird days . day after day . sometimes it is not a numbers game. it all falls back on the right field right time ! all decoys have there place . you just have to hunt .

weekend warriors without them there would be no walmart.


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