# Calling or no calling?



## GooseBuster3 (Mar 1, 2002)

Well after I have been reading some other forums I came up with this question. Do you call all the time or do you call up until the birds start locking up when they are 75-100, yards out? Some people say geese shouldnt be called at in late season, but when I hunt big honkers late in the season I call them all the way until the shot is called. Honkers react to calls so well that I will never not call at them.

What are your others guys thoughts?


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## Chris-ND (Nov 27, 2003)

GB3, here's the general rule that I go by with late season geese. No calling when the birds close to within 100yds. Why? one reason, concealment. These birds are learning that those grassed up bumps in the field are hunters (lay-out blinds) and are also very good at knowing where the sounds are coming from. Have a good decoy set-up and hide the hell out of your blinds and "most" of the time it isn't necessary. Some exceptions: A single or pair that come in moaning and clucking loudly, first group in shows me that they're uneasy not hearing anything, flocks that are very vocal that day. Other than that they don't get the music. The early, middle and even start of the late season go ahead and give them the juice. But when the late birds have been in an area for a while(pressure), and their numbers are few, you have to get tough on them to consistly kill them. Limit your calling, good decoys, numbers, movement, no flags laying out on the ground, and spent extra time on the blinds, these are the things that help me late season. ..."Ducks are always looking for a reason to come in, Geese are always looking for a reason not to". Well back to the decoy flocking.Chris-ND


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## dblkluk (Oct 3, 2002)

My opinion. If youre calling at them from the time you see them, you should be calling at them until you call the shot. From about 75 to 100 yards, I just choke down my call and get soft with moans and growls with a cluck here and there. I dont think you should ever stop calling at geese once you have started. I think it makes them nervous. Example ever hear nervous geese right before the take off? Yep, they get silent! 
Call em til ya kill em!!


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## mallard (Mar 27, 2002)

In my opinion,let the birds tell you what they want.If they are noisy,hit them with the calling.If they are very quiet,just do enough on the calls to show that there is sign of life in the spread,a few clucks,moans,and murmers.Blind concealment and decoy movement are also issues for late season birds.


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## turkishgold11 (Oct 25, 2004)

I agree you should really call them in until you call the shot.


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## Decoyer (Mar 2, 2002)

IMO, It depends on the time of year. In early september, as long as you are clucking and moaning you are going to kill geese. Later on in october when we get migrations of geese, they behave somewhat differently. Logic would say that you should back off on the calling once the birds are inside of 100 yards, but a lot of times if you do that the birds will slide to one side or the other of the decoy spread. This is esspecially true with the big geese that have had a lot of hunting pressure. By getting agressive on the call you can "tell" them where to land in a sense. Late season geese LOVE moans. One thing that me and GB3 noticed this late season is the birds eat it up when one of use would do nothing but long, drawn out moans and the other one would go nuts on the clucks.


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## mallard (Mar 27, 2002)

Decoyer,did you notice that low pitched,almost a grunting sound the spooked geese would make when they found something wrong?I noticed that the last time we hunted together.


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## Matt Jones (Mar 6, 2002)

I can't remember who said it (maybe Fred Zink?) but someone talked about how most people don't call geese the right way. Meaning they start calling them at 400 yards go nuts when they're at 150 yards and then they shut up at 100. But when you watch live geese in a field they usually call the most as the geese are coming in and setting down and rarely ever even notice a flock before they hit the 100 yard mark.

If you're concealed well enough, I like to call a lot to them as they approach. The only problem is that if you really get on them as they're coming in they can pick you out, especially if you only have one or two callers in the spread. So if you're only marginally hidden I'll back off.

I agree with what others have said that the time of year and the type of geese you're hunting will make a difference too. As with anything when you're goose hunting; calling is no different, adapt to what the geese are doing and you'll be fine. They really can be inconsistent pricks a lot of times so you need to change it up. :lol:


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## Ron Gilmore (Jan 7, 2003)

I am converting one of my Full Body decoys to a talker this off season. Set it at the base or off to the side of your blind, Couple of guys I have hunted late season birds have done this and it worked well. Might be something to think about!


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## Canada_Hunter (Mar 21, 2004)

I've never had great succes without calling...I always call untill they are feet down


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## 4CurlRedleg (Aug 31, 2003)

Call until the hammer falls. The speed and tone might change a bit with their reactions but the calling must continue.

I've never seen geese on the ground quiet when birds are approaching and also calling.


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## purepower (Sep 11, 2004)

my suggestion is call until there about 100yds out then read there body language if there sucking right in then let them come and dont hit them with dblkluks just do a nice low murmur with a honk in there every now and then itll keep there attention and it will also keep the realism of the spread.


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## gandergrinder (Mar 10, 2002)

When we were scouting birds for Sept one goose would just cluck as flocks approached and then as they got closer the birds started picking up the pace and making more noise.

When we hunted the last few times this year it seemed that if we didn't call them all the way the birds would not come in at all. The last time out in particular we called like mad and small flocks and pairs were breaking out of the big flocks (40+) and coasting in feet down. We shot most of our birds that day at about 15 yds as they fluttered down into the dekes. We even landed a few bunches of 8 to 10. The geese were really talkative that day as they came out so I don't know if that made a difference.

From what I have seen in Sept the more noise you make the better they like it.

I like to call and so do the guys I hunt with so we usually call. I think it just depends on what style of hunting you like. We hunt in groups of up to 7 or 8 guys sometimes and in order to get everyone some shooting we have to get birds to come in and we can't screw around testing different flocks and more often than not the more we call the more birds we get to commit feet down. Theres alot of times that I know if I was by myself I could get three honkers without calling but there would be no way to get 20+ without calling.


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## djleye (Nov 14, 2002)

I just try to get Ron and Monte to shut up!!!! :lol:


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## GooseBuster3 (Mar 1, 2002)

GG or we would try to land birds and guys would jump and and figure out we werent shooting.. :lol: :wink:


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## mallardhunter (May 15, 2004)

I think calling tends to scare them away if you call too much. I try to hold back on calling.


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## djleye (Nov 14, 2002)

Tyler, you guys aren't happy unless they are crapping on you as they land!!!!


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## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

I am not much of a caller, Sometimes I think they come in to my spread to see their sick friends  But I have always been one of those guys that has the opinion of "call em till you kill em" 

Maybe next year with a brand new spread :******: :******: the calling will not cause them laugh at me so much.

I wonder if varmints would come in to a sick goose 

Bob


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## buckseye (Dec 8, 2003)

Hey Bob that must be why I always had coyotes coming into the spread, I think a murmur is as safe as can be. I always hear a murmur when there is a good feed going on.


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## PJ (Oct 1, 2002)

Read the birds. I typically call all the way till I have to click my safety.


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## gandergrinder (Mar 10, 2002)

No Dan. We just want them to crap on you. Besides we have to get them close for you. The only confirmed kill I've seen you make was on a snow goose. How much air was between that ones feet and the ground? :idiot:


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## Decoyer (Mar 2, 2002)

Love the signature jed, you should also mention the 90 minute BS session that leads to the response.


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## djleye (Nov 14, 2002)

Hey, Field hunter has to be good for something, as I have mentioned on occassion, he doesn't own any decoys except for 3 enticers!!! :lol:

Jed, That snow goose was just thinking aboiut jumping, I could see it in his eyes!!!!!


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## mallard (Mar 27, 2002)

I never said anything about not calling them all the way in,I like to do that to,I was comenting on the amount,and type of calling.Sometimes you can hammer them with the calls,and sometimes you cant.Learn to read the geese and see what they are reacting to the best.One of the guys on this site mentioned a while back that some guys call at them,and some guys call to them.Big difference.


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