# Quantity vs. Quality



## Travery (Mar 15, 2005)

Lets hear it boys, whos running what, and how many this spring. Make your arguments for the 1000 socks vs. 100 fulls. :beer:


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## specslammer (Dec 1, 2005)

1100 rags and 150 full bodies. Some shells mixed in there also. Im gunna have to go with 1000 sillos. Quantity for me. Very few days when i would throw my fullbodies out there only, but when i can, its nice! :wink:


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## GooseBuster3 (Mar 1, 2002)

Who knows how many dekes will be added to our spread this year. From the sounds of it we will making making another batch of socks probably around 600-700 more. (You can never have enough socks out at one time)

But the big kicker for use this spring is I have a 4-wheeler, with racks in the making to haul out 4 windsock tubs and 3 blinds ontop at one time.


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## Chuck Smith (Feb 22, 2005)

I hope to be running about 300-400 socks this spring. I know that is not many but this is my first year hunting the spring season. I will have 120 custom painted silo socks and the rest custom painted snows and blues. Right now I have the 120 silo socks and 100 wind. I just need 100+ to make and paint this winter. I also have some old herters full body canada's that I might paint white....but I will need to replace them so I am not sure what I will do that or hold off a year.


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## Chris Schulz (Sep 7, 2004)

GooseBuster3 said:


> the making to haul out 4 windsock tubs and 3 blinds ontop at one time.


GB3, I am in the process of making about 1000 socks and would like to learn more about these "tubes" what are they? Did you make them or buy them?


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## mallard (Mar 27, 2002)

He is talking about the rubbermaid style storage tubs.


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## Travery (Mar 15, 2005)

The full story is that he got the idea for this method of storage and transportation from the one and only Chip. His next move is to mount an outdoor shower on the wheeler for himself. He could have used one last year apperently, after the thin-ice digger he took.


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## GooseBuster3 (Mar 1, 2002)

> His next move is to mount an outdoor shower on the wheeler for himself.


And a medical kit, I landed on some barbed wire and cut the hell out of my wrist. :lol:


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

I always thought you cut it on the ice??? :lol:


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## gandergrinder (Mar 10, 2002)

I still laugh about that weekend. The hunting wasn't great but we had fun.


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## PJ (Oct 1, 2002)

I cannot wait for the spring!


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## MnDiver (Oct 1, 2002)

Man, U guys are getting me pumped about the Spring already just thinking about it and it's only DECEMBER!! :lol:


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## Travery (Mar 15, 2005)

Anyone else running any big fullbody spreads, or is it still windsocks?


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## brobones (Mar 10, 2004)

Mix of full bodies and windsocks here, 5 dozen FB's and 1000 windsocks 2 dozen floaters to go with it... it should get some attention with this spread


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## h2ofwlr (Feb 6, 2004)

I am similar to Brobones except a smaller spread and also have silos.


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## brobones (Mar 10, 2004)

Oh thanks H20 I forgot about my 7 dozen blue and snow sillies...


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## aglatz (Dec 8, 2005)

Hey guys, anybody hear from Blake lately? Last I heard he was chasing Whitetails up Bismark then heading out to Boston for a diver hunt?


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## quackattack (Sep 27, 2003)

Yea blakes been busy, he got a nice buck with his bow. I haven't talked to him in a while but last I heard he was still killing things. :lol: Were gonna have a buncha boys team up for a weekend this spring, should have a spread of a bout 5,000 and a few ecallers, its gonna be a slaughterfest. :beer:


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## GooseBuster3 (Mar 1, 2002)

> its gonna be a slaughterfest.


I wouldnt count your chickens before they hatch...


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## gandergrinder (Mar 10, 2002)

Timing and weather have much more to do with harvest numbers than the quantity and type of decoys you hunt with IMO.

Wind is the key to hunting snow geese. I don't care if it is sunny as long as you get lots of wind. My ideal day to be out in the spring is sunny skies, 60 degrees, and a north wind about 35 mph with about 300,000 to 400,000 geese staged about 30-50 miles to the south. They have the urge to move north so bad that they will fight the wind to migrate. That means tired geese.

For migrators I don't think you can beat numbers of decoys. Especially if you are trying to get them to come down when they are in the stratosphere (there is nothing better in waterfowling than starting the tornado from way up there).

I've hunted over 4000 decoys in the spring and killed only a handful and hunted over 300 and killed triple digits a couple of times.

Hunt enough days and you will get skunked and once in awhile you get lucky and really get into them. But most of the time if you kill 20-30 you are doing real well.


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## Travery (Mar 15, 2005)

gandergrinder said:


> They have the urge to move north so bad that they will fight the wind to migrate. That means tired geese.


Jed... are these birds looking for food or water when they get tired?


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## GooseBuster3 (Mar 1, 2002)

The birds that run out of energy are looking for both. Thats why combo spots are a appealing in the spring.


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## gandergrinder (Mar 10, 2002)

In the morning up until 10:00 or so they are usually looking to feed but sometimes they want water that early too. Although after about 10:00 until about 4:00 it usually seems like they want the water.

Many times the birds are migrating at night and I really think some of them have been flying for most of the night looking for a roost to sit on.

Things change so fast in the spring. There might not be a bird to be seen anywhere at dusk and the next day their are birds flying all over the place at dawn. This is usually a good scenario if their are no birds on the ground where you are at and they haven't established a roost yet. They are just looking for someplace to sit down.

I can't wait for spring. :beer:


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## destoned (Nov 13, 2004)

Can some one explain what a silo sock is ?


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## Travery (Mar 15, 2005)

http://www.nodakoutdoors.net/index.asp? ... ProdID=141

Click here and you will be sent to the Nodak Outdoors store page with the sillosocks. Chris sells them right here. Google it if you are looking for the Company's webpage.


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## Travery (Mar 15, 2005)

When you boys are staying in front of the lead edge and are busting ice to get your floaters out, do you feel that success is determined by number of decoys, or by how much water you open up? I know I have seen flocks resting on frozen ponds midday when there is no water to be had, but I'm wondering if a guy should bust open a hole, or fill up a frozen shoreline. Seems to me that the birds are so unpredictable with there field choices in the spring, but yet they are partial to certain midday loafing ponds. Any thoughts?


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## Ty (Mar 11, 2004)

We run about 1000 custom socks

120 sillosocks- mostly blues

100 shells

75 floaters

12 fullbodies

175 silos

NO RAGS

Lots of stuff. We dont use them all at one time. Just depends on time of migration and situations.


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