# Best place to hunt snows in sodak?



## ritt (Mar 21, 2009)

Headin out on thursday. Wondering where would be a good place to start for snow geese. we will just be jumping them. Where are there large numbers of birds right now?


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## USSapper (Sep 26, 2005)

90 Miles North of Aberdeen is probably the thick of them right now


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## sdgoosekiller (Mar 26, 2008)

i heard they have been nailing them southwest of mobridge about 70 miles around eagle butte.


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## the professor (Oct 13, 2006)

call the hotline.


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## ritt (Mar 21, 2009)

i called the hotline but they only update it about every 4 days


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## tnelson1 (Mar 16, 2008)

Just 30 miles west of Dickinson, ND lots of double banded Blue Phase Ross to boot.


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## thame (Feb 6, 2008)

People on this forum spend thousands of dollars for decoys. Countless hours and money driving around scouting to figure out where to set up. So forgive us for not giving you the name of the towns the birds are in so you can help screw up our decoy hunts. :eyeroll:


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## ritt (Mar 21, 2009)

dont comment on it then, sorry i cant spend "thousands" of dollars and be a "pro" hunter like some think they are. How is jumping geese any different than these decoy hunters sky busting the geese? your sayin geese dont learn from people poppin rounds of at them 80 yards up there.


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## mallard (Mar 27, 2002)

ritt said:


> dont comment on it then, sorry i cant spend "thousands" of dollars and be a "pro" hunter like some think they are. How is jumping geese any different than these decoy hunters sky busting the geese? your sayin geese dont learn from people poppin rounds of at them 80 yards up there.


 We all started some where and it wasnt thousands spent on decoys right away. I did well with 300 windsocks my first year decoying. Prior to that I pass shot snows. I quickly realized how unsatisfying raking heads was. Jump shooting was purely bush league.

Is it just me, or has the spring snow goose hunt cheapened the status of the snow goose. All any one cares about is numbers, so kill as many as you can no matter what the consequences. I have a great deal of respect for this very wary bird, The new breed of spring snow goose hunters act like they have zero respect for this incredible bird.

I am conviced that the only way to appreciate them is over a spread of decoys, whether it is 120 like my origional spread, or 1000. To watch them work, make a fool out of you often, or that magical moment when they come maple leafing into the spread that is when you gain an apreciation for this incredible bird.


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## if it flies it dies1 (Mar 22, 2008)

your exactally right mallard. Alot of people just care for numbers of birds to shoot, I have been SD decoying birds now all week and we have shot just a handful of this wondeful bird. And im loving every minute of the action. Who cares how many we get were having fun.


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

I would try the fields. They seem to be producing better then behind the screen!


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## mjschuette (Feb 24, 2005)

> We all started some where and it wasnt thousands spent on decoys right away. I did well with 300 windsocks my first year decoying. Prior to that I pass shot snows. I quickly realized how unsatisfying raking heads was. Jump shooting was purely bush league.
> 
> Is it just me, or has the spring snow goose hunt cheapened the status of the snow goose. All any one cares about is numbers, so kill as many as you can no matter what the consequences. I have a great deal of respect for this very wary bird, The new breed of spring snow goose hunters act like they have zero respect for this incredible bird.
> 
> I am conviced that the only way to appreciate them is over a spread of decoys, whether it is 120 like my origional spread, or 1000. To watch them work, make a fool out of you often, or that magical moment when they come maple leafing into the spread that is when you gain an apreciation for this incredible bird.


[/quote]

Well said!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Ritt, check your other post, i wrote a long message on sd or nd.

2 years ago, I talked to a guy that shot geese hiding in a rock pile, using 2 real wings, that it, nothing else. 29$ ea. sometimes you get lucky. 100 rags in the right spot at the right time make you want to decoy them for the rest of your life, and slowly build them as you can with silo, shells, rags anything you can afford at the time!


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## I'm with Diver (Apr 7, 2008)

Well said Mallard.


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## ICE'EM (Mar 5, 2008)

To whom it may concern, I wonder why they started the spring hunt in the first place!?!? was it to thin the heard maybe?? i think so, so that being said if this guy wants to go jump geese and shoot them to do his part in the snow goose management whats wrong with that? I would say in general people who put on the majestic sneek actually help out more than people who spend hours decoying. im not knocking people who decoy cuz we all have our thing, but personally i would rather sneek up on them and line up those heads. it has nothing to do with money either im happy for you cuz you and others can spend THOUSANDS on decoys i am so jealous! and as for us "jumpers" screwing up the hunts for people decoying, thats complete b.s. is it a law that says we cant jump them? i doubt it so quit trying to regulate how other people hunt its not gunna happen. just beacuse you like to decoy doesn't mean everyone does. oh and this also isn't about respecting the geese either if you really want to respect them DONT SHOOT THEM. And it is about numbers!! does anyone know about the threat of the tundra??? Do some research!! Oh and one more thing, the guy asked where the geese were not how much you spend on decoys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## mallard (Mar 27, 2002)

ICE'EM said:


> To whom it may concern, I wonder why they started the spring hunt in the first place!?!? was it to thin the heard maybe?? i think so, so that being said if this guy wants to go jump geese and shoot them to do his part in the snow goose management whats wrong with that? I would say in general people who put on the majestic sneek actually help out more than people who spend hours decoying. im not knocking people who decoy cuz we all have our thing, but personally i would rather sneek up on them and line up those heads. it has nothing to do with money either im happy for you cuz you and others can spend THOUSANDS on decoys i am so jealous! and as for us "jumpers" screwing up the hunts for people decoying, thats complete b.s. is it a law that says we cant jump them? i doubt it so quit trying to regulate how other people hunt its not gunna happen. just beacuse you like to decoy doesn't mean everyone does. oh and this also isn't about respecting the geese either if you really want to respect them DONT SHOOT THEM. And it is about numbers!! does anyone know about the threat of the tundra??? Do some research!! Oh and one more thing, the guy asked where the geese were not how much you spend on decoys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Is there anything really majestic about a sneak, or a goose drive? Sure it has to be planned and thought out a bit, but majestic? Not at all.
As far as spending thousands on decoys? Most will agree here it is a group effort between friends. You DO NOT have to spend thousands.

And yes, you get a bunch of jumpers in an area it does screw up the hunting. Any one that has spent any time in the decoys has found birds that were left alone for a few days. That is when you have good hunting. Not when the road toads are out in full force. When that happens the snows get so paranoid they are impossible.

It has everything to do with repecting our quarry. Raking goose heads is more just flat out killing just to kill and snap a picture when you are done. To acctually fool them is at a whole different level. I love to hunt snows, watch the flocks work, watch the barrel rolls as they get closer to the decoys. On a sneak, you just aim for the thickest part, and rap off shots as fast as you can. Then chase cripples for the next few hours.

Yes I know the plight of the tundra, I have followed it closely since "97" . 
I know that the flock numbers need to be reduced, unfortunately it has come at a cost. To many of the new snow goose hunters snow geese have been relegated to the status of a coot. Tundra magots, sky carp, I have heard it all.

The guy did end up making the coment about spending thousands on decoys, no one is going to give up a favored spot unless they are a fool.

Have fun jumping them in the mud, may I suggest scuba gear as it is nothing but fields covered in water or boot sucking mud.

Or better yet, try pass shooting


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## BeekBuster (Jul 22, 2007)

I heard that the co. season was put into act mostly to prevent the birds from putting on alot of fat so there is less of a chance of them having a good hatch.


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## jpallen14 (Nov 28, 2005)

sand lake and north


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## Ty (Mar 11, 2004)

Good lord. You guys need to take it easy.

I love jumpers!

Come bust up the feeds within 4 miles of me all day long. Keeps the birds moving and searching.

Even when they bust up roosts its not like the birds take off to Canada. Some will come back again that night.

Where I hunt there are roosts everywhere and I am sure its the same in SD.

Our decoy hunts are WAY better when we got jumpers kicking the birds up all over.

JUMP AWAY!


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