# Stocking Spring Snow Geese



## ValleyCityHunter2008 (Jan 13, 2008)

*Do you usually have succes stocking snow geese?*​
Yes1548.39%No1651.61%


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## ValleyCityHunter2008 (Jan 13, 2008)

Hey every one i have been hunting spring snow geese ever since i was 14, I am now 18. My only approch to having success with the spring snow goose hunting is by stocking or crawling up to snow geese. I'v been trying this for four years now. I'm not vary succesful, (in four years i'v probabley only shot about 9 snow geese) I even travel to south dakota and follow the migration all the way to the northern boarder of North Dakota, I go out every weekend Saturday to Sunday. Most weekends i come home empty handed, but i love the feeling of just watching thousands of snow geese flying around and doing their white twister. Do to the fact that i picked up the sport of hunting on my own, and don't have any one to really bounce off of i need some help?

After this little brief info about my self i realy need some help. I love stocking these birds but i need some advice. I usually have to go by my self and sneek up on these birds. I'v heard of the cow and have acutally seen real cows walk right past a group of about 1,500 snow's, i was quite amazed. Does any one have some crazy ideas or anything. I'v thought about dressing my self up like a bush or a tree and aprouching them. Any one tried anything weird like that and had success? I'm just a young adult that needs a little help because i have had such little success. Buth when i nock one of those snow geese out of the air i feal like a million bucks. I love reading about or watching videos where guys shoot 20 to 100 snows that is awsome. The most i'v ever shot in a shoot is 2 and i was completley jacked man if i shot 3 i'd feel like a kid who just go a new girlfriend. So any advice would be great1


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## mudhunter (Dec 10, 2007)

It is a rush to jump a flock. But then reality sinks in to pick up 50 to 100 birds laying around and on the pond. But the rush of 1, 2, a few, hundreds of geese coming at you, feet down, landing around you, and you get to say "take em".!!!!! And the next thing you say is load up, theres more coming. Grown men high-fiving each other. Age has no limit on the comradery amongst hunters. You only hope to get this rush several more times either this day or the next. 
The white spot in the sky several miles away, that magically appears with hundreds of white and blue spots in a minute or two. Give me the dekes any day. Dave


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## shooteminthelips (Jun 13, 2007)

I would first say that I used to be like you. Jumping snow geese is the only way I used to get birds. Then I started decoying them. If you think crawling on them is a rush wait until you land a 1000 in your decoys. There are lots of threads in this forum about decoying snows. I think that decoying is the most effective way of killing snow geese. So in no way do do I think that jumping snow geese is the best way to kill snow geese.

However, when I was jumping them back in the day I looked at it like this. You can not get up on every flock of snow geese you see. You have to pick your battles. I would drive around all day until I saw the right flock something that was close to cattails, a fence line, or my favorite a flock of geese just over the top of a hill. I would wear a homemade gillie suit when doing this. I was very successful at sneaking on geese. But I am way more successful at decoying them now. I kill triple the birds at closer range, with less effort then jumping all season long.

When I used to drive by a flock of snows I would think. How the heck can I get up on those. Now I think where the heck am I going to hide my blind.

My advice is take up decoying. But if you dont pick your battles, leave them alone on the water, and keep the wind at your back.


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## hunt4P&amp;Y (Sep 23, 2004)

First off, you say you hunt alone. I say find someone that you can hunt with. It will be 100 times better, and cost half as much. I know how it goes trying to get togather all the money needed to make a spread. If you can find a couple guys that you can split it with. 
Sneeking geese is fun, but as stated decoying is a whole different level. I see you are from VC. I go through that area all the time going out hunting, if you have trouble finding a group around there I would be more then willing to pick you up on the way through. It's always fun to get someone new into hunting. AKA decoying!!

Good luck man. Another idea is a mirror. Hold that at a 45 degree angle and walk to them. It works, but it can't be sunny.


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## goosehunter20 (Oct 19, 2006)

Id have to say that the second best way to hunt snows , decoying being the best, is to find a good sized flock on a windy day and then find a spot were when they get up they are swinging over the road and sit yourself in the ditch and chances are youre gonna get a shot off. Its alot esier to do this if you have someone to hunt with you. That way instead of crawling half a mile with your gun and shells one of you can just drive down the road and you just bail out where you think the geese are gonna be.


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## shooteminthelips (Jun 13, 2007)

That is really dangerous. Jumping out of your vehicles with guns. Traffic and other variables. Pass shooting is effective, but not bailing out of vehicles. Be safe and smart. If I ever see someone do something like that I stop and tell them what I think of them. And they hang their heads and agree it wasnt very smart!!!!!

Getting between a food source and a roost. Or between two flocks trading back and forth works well stay out of the ditches though.. It isnt safe...,.


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## h2ofwlr (Feb 6, 2004)

When I read the title, I went huh? Somebody wants to stock geese??? Stocking is what the G&F do with fish, EG stcoking is adding fish to a lake. Where as stalking is what a hunter does while moving slowly and looking for a big buck that you are tracking. 2 entirely different words and meanings.

As for the run and guns (they run up and down the roads harassing and shooting guns at geese), that is not stalking, and I am not at all for it. Personally I wish it were banned because it has produced a breed of shooters (they certainly are not hunters) that in my mind are lacking in respect for their quarry and are unethical at minimum, and more than a few are straight out law breakers. Like tresspassing. Loaded gun in a vehicle. Leaving cripples without trying to recover them. Etc.

My advice is team up with a Snow hunter that will teach you the art and craft of hunting over decoys. Are there not any veteran decoy hunters in the area where you live? If I lived near you, I would take you out in a heart beat, but unfortunately I don't. But if the moons align right, maybe I still could get you on some geese this spring for some up close and personal action over the decoys.


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## mudhunter (Dec 10, 2007)

DECOY SETTING AND HUNTING

You said it all. Met one of our best friends after he hunted in our decoys. Now, when we set out, he is there at 4 in the morning. When we pick up, he is there to the bittersweet end. 
Have taken numerous people along with that are now hooked on decoy hunting. 
My doc, that helped get me back hunting this spring, will be watching a snow video and cd, and will go hunting with us. If he hadn't directed my procedure, NONE of us would be going. 
So my advice would also be, Kyle, meet someone on this forum that would take you along, and you will surely gain years of knowledge. Not saying it will all be good. 
Be careful about buying lots of dekes, because the choices are endless. I would assume that in Sask that just about any good deke would work in the Fall. You are in an envious position that most of us would love to be in. Dekes are expensive, and if you could find a couple of buddies to hunt with, you can have a fantastic spread. 
Shoot well, because you can and will get hooked on this sport. Just look at a flock coming into the spread with feet down, the light coming through the translucent wings, your heart racing, and the final "take em". 
Hunt with someone that has been doing it for a while, and you will learn to have a great time. Dave


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## MWC (Oct 1, 2004)

You are getting some good advice here. Your also young enough to be impressed upon by both the good and bad elements in our hunting community.

Take the time to read some of the posts on this site in areas your interested in. Introduce yourself via PM or post and you'll find most are more than willing to help you out. Decoy and pass shooting snows are the most popular methods of hunting snows. Decoy hunting can get expensive for snows. Pass shooting is not expensive, but takes some time to pattern the birds from roost/feed. Either method will be far more rewarding than jump shooting IMO. Good hunting.


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## bluebill25 (Mar 29, 2006)

I had good results stalking but u have to have a few guys. Its easiest during main migration. Wait for the tornado to start the move fast. the birds will start on the down wind side of the field and eat there way upwind. So find a little hump upwind and move fast cause they eat quick. Then just hold tight and they will get to u. I tie my layout blind to my leg and leave my gun in its waterproof case and wear waiters and waterproofs jacket{mud} then when i get to the little nob i get in the blind and get ready to rock. If there is no little nob in the field do not even waste your time just find the next tornado.


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## hunt4P&amp;Y (Sep 23, 2004)

So you pull your blind and gun out in the field? Humm I am liking spending the time setting up more and more all the time.


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## goosebusters (Jan 12, 2006)

I'm going to try that some day in the spring. Just for S and Gs.


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## MrSafety (Feb 22, 2005)

h2o.......I thought the same thing........"stalking.....stocking"...........DECOYING........ :wink:


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## bluebill25 (Mar 29, 2006)

i do prefer decoying birds. I was just saying that i have had stalking and how i do it. It works good as long as u dont mind getting very muddy


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## maple lake duck slayer (Sep 25, 2003)

I have stalked snows for the last 3 seasons. Generally, we don't jump shoot them, we try to pass shoot as it is way less work, people don't seem to mind as much, and we have way more success than when we have tried sneaking up on flocks. Each year we have slightly more success with our total for a 3 day hunt last year being 35 for 4 guys.

That being said, our goal is to begin decoying them. I planned on buying a spread this year but my career hasn't really taken off yet, so I'm not sure I will be able to.

Last year we had a perfect situation where it was snowing, 30 mph winds, and cold. We found a huge flock leapfrogging over a road into another field, flying against the wind. We laid in the ditch of the road on a hill and had flocks of birds coming over us at 10-20 yards, nearly stationary. That was a fun time. Only thing was that after 1 hour of hunting the spot, we were all so cold we needed to go to town to warm up and eat. Plus we had been up the whole night driving because we didn't leave to get to ND until 1:00 AM. We came back and the flock had already leapfrogged way North. If you find a perfect situation like that, stick it out and make it pay.

I don't recommend jump shooting...they ALWAYS see you, it doesn't matter how good of a sneak you think you have. A fence line may look good until you spend 2 hours belly crawling 1/4 mile down it to realize the grass gets thin 100 yards from the birds. :eyeroll:


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## B20XD (Aug 30, 2007)

Alright Im not to much older than you are and I know exactly what your going through. Some of these guys on here dont reccomend jump shooting but thats retarded. Its the most effetive way to put numbers on the ground. If I really worked at it by myself I could probably kill 50 plus a day by MYSELF. By now though I would about consider myself a pro at this stalking thing. You have to think smarter than a goose thinks, which is tough because they to are very smart. Ditches are the easiest way to go about stalking up on them and its a safe way to do it as long as there isnt alot of water in them, I mean you have to be smart going about this. Dont put yourself in a bad situation, that could get you hurt just use common sense. Assuming that you dont hunt around ditches cow decoys like you mention are sometimes an effective way to stalk up on them. The main thing is to stay behind the decoy and to not move to fast. Stop every ten or fifteen steps and kinda let them get used to seeing you, so they kind of get comfortable seeing the cow decoy. Geese have very good eyesight when it comes to having something come up on them. Another good tactic we like to think we invented is the roll, or "To get your roll on", as we say. If you have a small incline that is not high enough to crawl down without them seeing you, lay down on your side and start rolling parrallel to the incline. It will take a while bc you will get really dizzy doing this, so take your time. This is the easiest way and most effective way to stay low to the ground without them seeing you. Remember to always watch the way the geese are feeding as well, this can be an easy set up to sit and wait on them like you would be deer hunting or something. For flock shooting I would also recommend your first two shells to be # 1's followed by BB's or BBB's with an improved cylinder choke. It is also best to shoot them when they are all standing on the ground just before they get up, you will kill more when they are standing vs. when they are all getting up off the ground. Another good way to kill a bunch on a windy day is to get downwind of the flock a few hundred yards. With the geese flying low bc of the wind you can pick them off before they approach the main flock, and this is also a good way to watch for overpassing neck collars to fly by. There is a bunch of ways to go about stalking these geese, guess you just have to find your own stlye, but remember to stay low because if you can see them, then most of the time about half the flock will have their eyes on you. If you are decent enough shape, army crawling works, but you will be sore the next day. Well hope I have gave some insight that will help you this spring. You will get the hang of it, and if not you can come down and I will show ya the ropes of killing 30 to 50 at a time. Dont overlook decoying them though bc from my experience now it's the funnest way to do it. Think with age you get smarter not to put your body through all that work though. Good Luck to ya.


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

B20XD said:


> Alright Im not to much older than you are and I know exactly what your going through. Some of these guys on here dont reccomend jump shooting but thats retarded. Its the most effetive way to put numbers on the ground. If I really worked at it by myself I could probably kill 50 plus a day by MYSELF. By now though I would about consider myself a pro at this stalking thing. You have to think smarter than a goose thinks, which is tough because they to are very smart. Ditches are the easiest way to go about stalking up on them and its a safe way to do it as long as there isnt alot of water in them, I mean you have to be smart going about this. Dont put yourself in a bad situation, that could get you hurt just use common sense. Assuming that you dont hunt around ditches cow decoys like you mention are sometimes an effective way to stalk up on them. The main thing is to stay behind the decoy and to not move to fast. Stop every ten or fifteen steps and kinda let them get used to seeing you, so they kind of get comfortable seeing the cow decoy. Geese have very good eyesight when it comes to having something come up on them. Another good tactic we like to think we invented is the roll, or "To get your roll on", as we say. If you have a small incline that is not high enough to crawl down without them seeing you, lay down on your side and start rolling parrallel to the incline. It will take a while bc you will get really dizzy doing this, so take your time. This is the easiest way and most effective way to stay low to the ground without them seeing you. Remember to always watch the way the geese are feeding as well, this can be an easy set up to sit and wait on them like you would be deer hunting or something. For flock shooting I would also recommend your first two shells to be # 1's followed by BB's or BBB's with an improved cylinder choke. It is also best to shoot them when they are all standing on the ground just before they get up, you will kill more when they are standing vs. when they are all getting up off the ground. Another good way to kill a bunch on a windy day is to get downwind of the flock a few hundred yards. With the geese flying low bc of the wind you can pick them off before they approach the main flock, and this is also a good way to watch for overpassing neck collars to fly by. There is a bunch of ways to go about stalking these geese, guess you just have to find your own stlye, but remember to stay low because if you can see them, then most of the time about half the flock will have their eyes on you. If you are decent enough shape, army crawling works, but you will be sore the next day. Well hope I have gave some insight that will help you this spring. You will get the hang of it, and if not you can come down and I will show ya the ropes of killing 30 to 50 at a time. Dont overlook decoying them though bc from my experience now it's the funnest way to do it. Think with age you get smarter not to put your body through all that work though. Good Luck to ya.


Wow! :eyeroll: :eyeroll: :eyeroll:

Theres some pretty big boasts in there......50+ a day? Not doubting you can do it a couple times man, but consistantly? Id like to see it.

Advocating flock shooting? Shoot em on the ground? (Youll find the BEST time to shoot em is right after they all open their wings and spring off the ground, NOT when their wings are folded up and their on the ground, the vital are better exposed with open wings).
Are you for real dude?

There comes a time in every snow goose hunters career, a time when it becomes more fun to simply LAY in the mud, rather than crawl, run, roll, and slither through it.


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## headshot (Oct 26, 2006)

> I could probably kill 50 plus a day by MYSELF





> You have to think smarter than a goose thinks, which is tough because they to are very smart


I want to see the pics. Sounds like you got it all figured out.lol


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## B20XD (Aug 30, 2007)

Man I get slammed because I try to give the guy some good advice. Is there anywhere I can post to where people dont think Im lying or something. Is everyone jealous of what other people kill, if its more than they do? I came on this post just to help someone out with some ideas of my own, and to give him a little encouragement. Yes, now I would rather decoy them. I could really care less most of the time to do anything else. I love to see them tornado down into the spread, but not everyone can decoy them so they have to resort to other ways, even if it sounds unethical to everyone. Remember they are over populated, so however you go about killing them is fine by me. I would really like to hunt them 20 years from now, and without ditch jumpers and stalkers doing there part the population will never be controlled by just decoying them. So whatever, ruin the tundra I guess if its that unethical. Not that this matters or anything but my record was 34 in 5 shots stalking them.


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## headshot (Oct 26, 2006)

> I would really like to hunt them 20 years from now, and without ditch jumpers and stalkers doing there part the population will never be controlled by just decoying them.


So your saying the hundreds shot by jumpers and "run and guns" have more impact then the thousands killed over dekes every year? Let me guess you shot 1000 yourself last year. :bs:


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

B20XD said:


> Not that this matters or anything but my record was 34 in 5 shots stalking them.


I like how you had to throw that in there. :roll:

I dont think we were necessarily slammin your hunting style, mostly the boastful nature of it. You did make some pretty big claims there.

I do disagree with ya on shooting em on the ground though, as a former mud pig myself, I can tell you from firsthand experience that youll kill more alot better if you wait till the moment their just springin into the air and their wings are open rather than ground pounding em.


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## mallard (Mar 27, 2002)

Most everyone started out jump shooting. The thing is, it is a heck of a lot of work for little results. It also screws up the hunting for everyone else.
If you dont have the funds for a decoy spread, try pass shooting. It is more productive and does little to scare huge flocks out of an area.


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## B20XD (Aug 30, 2007)

Ok first of all we have the most realistic decoy spread out on the market. We are currently at just over 500 GHG full bodys so dont tell me that we are to poor to afford flippin decoys. Secondly I do most of my hunting over decoys. Third I dont know where you guys hunt at, but when Im decoying geese I pray that there are a bunch of people chasing them around so they move more, and just dont sit in one field all day. Fourth Im willing to bet that since the conservation season has opened me and my other two buddies have put more geese on the ground stalking and decoying than most people who are arguing this fact with me have in their lifetime. Fifth, stalking has no impact on most decoying hunting situations where I come from, in fact most people just do the stalking thing anyway. Sixth, if you know what the he#% your doing, stalking will in fact put more on the ground day in and day out than decoying ever thought about no questions asked (this is not an argueable sentence its a FACT), Although I will agree it is not as fun as decoying them in, WHICH IS WHY I NOW DECOY THEM 80% OF THE TIME. I do find it rather amusing though that you guys dont even know me but act like you do.


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## B20XD (Aug 30, 2007)




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## B20XD (Aug 30, 2007)




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## B20XD (Aug 30, 2007)




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## B20XD (Aug 30, 2007)

Heres just a few pics for ya some as you can tell were shot from decoys and the others were from stalkin. Dont take a whole lot of snow pics just mainly duck pics, sorry...


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## headshot (Oct 26, 2006)

> me and my other two buddies have put more geese on the ground stalking and decoying than most people who are arguing this fact with me have in their lifetime.


Wanna make a bet? 99% of the ppl posting in the snow goose section are die-hards. I have been hunting snows for 8 years now and we are finally starting to be able to really pound them up here. I see in your pics that you have hunted snow's but the minute someone starts telling me how easy snow goose hunting is, alarm bells go off in my head.


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## mudhunter (Dec 10, 2007)

Political Correctness:
Hate to say it, but everyone is right. Got a rush the 4 x we hit em on a pond. Screwed up when they wouldn't come to the dekes, so tried popping them on a field. Someone was already cowing them. They probably got 50+, and we got 2 when they swarmed over us. 
Just gonna also say, that it is mostly awesome for me to get em in the dekes. But I will also agree, that if someone isn' t chasing them, they won't move around. But again that depends on where they are. Some places they just move on, and you are left without birds to hunt. 
It all plays into it. So I think everyone is right.

We need to remember that we are just a few of die-hard hunters that enjoy hunting. The friends we meet. The young-uns that we introduce to the sport, and sometimes some of the old-uns. Heck, my doc that enabled me to go this year is gonna hunt with us. This will be his first hunt. Right now he has huntupnorth, nodakoutdoors, tape, and the Zink 24-7 cd to see what it is possibly like. 
Take someone along this year. Either jumpin or dekes. Just introduce someone else to the sport. That way, more guns, more dropped geese, and we all win. 
Wanna get a laugh, Senator Ernie Chambers, of Nebraska introduced a bill into the legis to ban hunting in Nebraska. The first time you are caught, a misde, the second time a felony. 
This is the guy you need to direct it at. He doesn't get it, there would not be geese, ducks, deer, pheasants, grouse, quail, without us crazy hunters. This guy and his friends probably spend more on their parties in a day, than we do hunting.

GOOD HUNTING: we open Feb. 7, and 2 years ago they were here then.

Trailers are almost all loaded, gotta get propane in the bunkhouse trailer, and get-em to our friends land. When the first set of feet show up in the dekes, hope it ain't a spec or a canada. Been waiting and planning all winter for the snow and blue. Dave


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## B20XD (Aug 30, 2007)

We just got our trailer loaded. Still tryin to finish the duck season out. Think its like 16 outside right now and we are still holding a lot of ducks,,, its crazy. Will be prolly hunting over decoys about everyday of Feb. So will let everyone know how it goes. We have a few here right now.. Think we are on the very northern edge of them.


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## h2ofwlr (Feb 6, 2004)

Must be from AR if you are 16, as it is -20 in the northern plains this AM.


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## ValleyCityHunter2008 (Jan 13, 2008)

Thank you B20XD for your post it was vary helpful.


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