# New hunter needs some pointers



## rabbitt22 (Oct 20, 2005)

Hey everyone

i'm from new york and i have been hunting almost everything since i was about 12 and i;m gonna start hunting geese with a couple buddies of mine so that we don't all have to buy decoys seperatly. i was wondering a couple things

1) how many decoys do i really need? Will those cheaper bag decoys work? 
2) How bad does steel shot damage a barrel am i gonna need a new barrel for deer hunting after a season of duck and goose hunting.
3) any other pointers on calling and blinds would be helpful too keep in mind that i'm a college kid with a low budget

thanks for the help guy

Rabbitt


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## rabbitt22 (Oct 20, 2005)

i forgot about this when do i know when the geese are close enough to shoot some one mentioned to me that when you see thier feet they should be close enough but i have no idea sooo any help is much appreciated

thanks again

Rabbitt


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## Remington06 (Mar 7, 2005)

Well I'm no expert but I'll try to answer some of your questions

1. When I started to goose hunt I bought 6 grand mag flambeau shells for about $75, and 6 decoys worked pretty well for me, now I have a dozen shells and 8 full bodies and I try to add what I can when I can Yes, cheaper decoys will work but you get what you pay for. Quality vs. Quanity
You can find plenty of post on here with decoys suggestions When you buy decoys test the paint (scratch the decoy with a fingernail if the paint comes off don't buy them) also lift the full boxes and see if that is what you want to carry out in the field with you weight is a huge issue if you have to carry in

2. As long as your gun barrel is nitro proof (steel shot safe) you will be fine, unless you have a barrel that is a fixed choke, if it is a fixed choke make sure it isn't full choke since certain full chokes can't handle steel

3. With calling try to copy what the live geese are doing in the air if they are coming into your decoys, if they are high flyers or migrators call as aggressive as you can to get them to commit and with blinds if your funds are limited lay right in your decoys, just buy 3 yards of the camo burlap and make a blind or just try to hide in any possible area again there are plenty of good inexpensive goose calls buy a short reed Zink has a couple good calls for about $30

4. With knowning how close geese are I use the feet and the white cheeks to tell, if you can see both start shooting


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## HonkerExpress (Sep 23, 2005)

Heres my opinion, you don't need any set number of decoys. I know we have a lot, but we have been collecting them over a 7-8 year period. And just because we do have alot of them, doesn't mean we are going to put all of them out either. I myself like silo's and full bodies, but we do use shells also. For the best bang for you buck, I would go with silo's, I am sure some on will disagree with me, but they look really good, and they are very light to carry. I guess we usually shoot when they are locked up and about 10 feet of the ground, I agree with the feet and check deal also. Sometimes it can be a little hard to tell, but go out and have fun. The calling deal is one of those practice practice practice deals. Go out and buy yourself a dvd or tape and sit down and try to listen to how they do it. with a little bit of time, and money, lol. I am sure you will figure out what to do. Good luck to ya.


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## bratlabs (Mar 11, 2005)

The best thing you can do is find someone local that will take you out hunting. That way you have someone to personally show you how to set spreads, call the shots, and the most important is how to pattern the geese. Your not going to do very good if you dont know what fields and ponds they are using and when they are using them. Ill give you my opinion on some of your questions. Ive never tried the bag decoys for canadas, we use full bodies. You can get a dozen full bodies pretty cheap if you watch the classifieds. If your gun is newer, then your more then likely to have a nitro-proof barrel. There is some damn good polycarb short reeds out there but if youve never blown a call before you would be better off with a flute. The Long Honker by Big River is one of many good choices. For a blind you can use burlap to cover up with, lay corn stalks over you, etc.. I wouldnt buy a layout blind until you see if you like goose hunting and goose meat first. This is a pretty expensive bird to hunt and once its in your blood you cant get it out. Youll probably get a bunch of differant answers to your questions but my biggest tip would be find someone local that has been doing it for a while and will let you tag along to see first hand. Good luck :beer:


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## leeroyboy (Oct 20, 2005)

We hunted last weekend in the Harvey area. Set up for geese in a big wheat field. Trust me, make double sure you "mud" your new final approach blind!! It's a learning process. Ducks landed in our spread without flinching. Geese took 2 or 3 passes and then moved on. 
Great farmers in the area that were so friendly and loved having you in their fields!! Begged us to come back and hunt deer (they have a large deer population!!)....I love ND hunting! Use the best cover you can and enjoy every hunt!! :lol:


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## greenheadhunter (Aug 26, 2005)

if you cant spit on em their not close enough. steel shot does nothin to them. you can shoot them three times and they wil fly away like nothing happened


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## muskat (Mar 5, 2002)

> if you cant spit on em their not close enough. steel shot does nothin to them. you can shoot them three times and they wil fly away like nothing happened


I have to disagree with this comment. The factory loads have come a long ways since steel shot was first mandated. I was more than impressed with the performance of Federal BB loaded @ 1550 fps.

I hunted alone last weekend, had a pair come in around sunrise........two shots at 20 yards, and they came down hard. Followed that with a flock of 4 @ 30-35 yards and one more shot.........one more dead goose. When the pellets hit the geese it just crushed them.


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## Phil The Thrill (Oct 21, 2005)

http://www.sdgfp.info/Wildlife/Storage/LOWAG.pdf

Go to this link, it will give you an idea of what geese look like a a few differnt distances.

P.S. go to the bottom page


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## dblkluk (Oct 3, 2002)

I would agree with muskat. 
Greenhead, If your "hitting" them three times and they are flying away.., My guess is you are hitting tailfeathers three times. Lead em a little more. It takes a head, neck or wing to bring big birds down some times!


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## mach (Aug 29, 2005)

I'd go for the cheeks..  :sniper:


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## ndwaterfowler (May 22, 2005)

I've shot exclusively Winchester X-pert 3.5" #2's with a Pattern Master choke for the past 3 years and it has worked out REALLY well. The best advice is still to try patterning different load sizes, shot sizes and shell sizes and see what patterns the most to your liking. Then take it to the field and reap the rewards! :beer:


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## mach (Aug 29, 2005)

I took my Rem 1100 with 30" vent rib full choke barrel and had the Local gunsmith ream it out to be the equivalent of a modified choke...shpuld extend the life of barrel to stop any bulging for steel and patterns very well..
If on the other hand if you have screw in chokes..just use the modified for steel and improved for deer.
My Rem 870 has a full choke screw in made especially for steel....I shoot bbs and #1 :sniper:


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## GOOSE_BUSTERchris (Oct 31, 2005)

I can help you I have only been waterfowl hunting for 4 years but i know a couple of guides and they have helped me over the years. All you really need is a dozen or two full bodies. This morning i put out 10 in a lil 1 arc field surounded by houses. i live near the river so geese are always flying and 8 landed in their. its also good to have a dozen shell decoys. When you call you dont have to cal that much but a couple dubble clucks are good. I hunt a friend farm and I have two blind sites on a river I think geese decoy better on the water and you only need about a dozen deocys for that.


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## GOOSE_BUSTERchris (Oct 31, 2005)

The best distance for geese is when their abot 10 15 yards and about to land in your decoys. I have killed geese up to 50 yards but thats with triple x turky choke and 3 1/2 in bb shot.


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## goosemangler (Nov 4, 2005)

try the new avery goose decoy with flocked heads they are easy on the pocket book. 1 1/2 dozen will do the trick. 
the best thing to do with your gun if it has a tighter choke than a modified barrel and does't have changable tubes is to not shoot steel in it. the best bet is to take it to your favorite gunsmith.


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