# Any Help?



## TKM goose slayin (Feb 18, 2011)

Ok, I have several questions. First, we hunt SE nebraska for 4 or 5 weekends and usually wed through sunday every first week in March due to our schedule's. We are finishing up on year three. We are shooting birds each time out but birds are consistently doing the same thing and our result is the same. We have hunt over 1,000 sillosocks several times and also a mix of 160 fbs and 430 socks. Two ecallers with 4 speakers. Two rotaries and 10 or 12 flappers out of Scheels outfitters Layout blinds that we put shoulder to shoulder. Our day totals this year have been 7,2,10,6,5,4, and 7. We have hunted in crappy rainy days, windy days, perfect 45 and sunny days, south and north winds. We've ran different spread shapes, migrator fields, X fields, ran rotaries, turned the rotaries off, turned up the ecalls, turned them down, tried extended flags, different ecall tracks, adding a mouth call on singles/pairs, decs close and decs spread out, had 3 speakers around blinds and one downwind, all of them upwind. Our blinds are kw-1, mudded, and and heavy stalks. Hunting out of cornfields.With raising all the decs around the blind and heavy stalking I can't figure out a better way to conceal. Outside the spread looking you can't see the blinds at all. (I know the birds are coming from above) but I have just no clue. We change locations within the state. We usually have it on snow bait feeders and callers or feeders and fighters track. I really enjoy it but my crew is getting to the point of where if its really worth it. I'm trying absolutely everything to put birds on the ground for us. Our first year we killed 16, the second year we got 15, and this year 41. Should we just be content with killin single digits each day? We'll be set within the same area of other groups and we'll have 4 or 5 down and they have well over 40. We see tons of birds each day and MANY work us. It seems like everything works like it's supposed to until they get to 70 yds. We've never really had any bird that I can think of straight flare out. We'll be under a huge spin and then all of sudden they'll drop to 70 and then just move off. We don't have any problem with birds given us a look but we can't barely finish anything. We'll get a couple thousand start spinning and look great and then before we know it most will move off and we'll be tryin to beg the couple singles that are left. Now if this is how they work on a certain day I can understand that but this is how they cooperate everytime out. I know adults are smart and snow geese are snow geese and realize those single digit days happen and I keep waiting for "one of those days". I'm not expecting a hundred in a day at all. But even like 15 or 20 would just give our crew a little moral and confidence. We've only hit double digits once with the 10 we shot this year. Does anyone have any info, or help, or advice, or anything, I am trying everything I can to keep these guys in the field and make it worth it. For me it is but I can't do it without them. I know there's not a golden ball that tells everything but is there something obvious I'm not tryin or doin? I appreciate anything.


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## lesserhunter (May 9, 2008)

Dig the blinds down, are you putting decoys between your blinds? The spread should look no different where the blinds are then any other upwind part of your spread. Also adding more sound wouldn't hurt. It's not about volume, it's about sound coverage


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## TKM goose slayin (Feb 18, 2011)

Ok, will try! and ya we put decs above and in between blinds. May need to invest into some more speakers. Thanks!


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## goosegrinder (Mar 4, 2005)

> May need to invest into some more speakers


we run 1 ecaller with 2 speakers.


> We'll get a couple thousand start spinning and look great and then before we know it most will move off and we'll be tryin to beg the couple singles that are left.


 Take what they give ya. You'll miss out on 99% of the birds that fly over ya on any given day cause what you desribe is how snow geese react. Nearly every video you see of a huge tornado of birds and guys getting a huge amount of birds in range is because they are on an X and it's the first 15minutes or so of shooting time. Learn,adjust,and you'll kill snow geese on a more regular basis. After everything you describe,you may be doing some overkill with all the gimmicky crap(IMO) that guys think they need to kill snow geese.

Alex


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## bluebird (Feb 28, 2008)

If you have a tornado above and 5-10 birds drop below 50yrds but you want to wait for the other 700 birds working to get lower, this is a mistake. take the 5-10 at 50-60yds. If you have the right choke shell combo set up (Drakekiller/Fed Blue box) you can consistanlty kill birds at that distance. Each day is differnt any birds work with in 30yds but some days they just wont and you have to be shooting.

Hunt with some other people see what they do. I hunt NE all spring long and if you want to get together for a shoot next year let me know. It's fun to meet other people.


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## dakotashooter2 (Oct 31, 2003)

Welcome to snow goose hunting..................................... :rollin: :rollin: :rollin: :rollin: :rollin: :rollin: :rollin: :rollin:


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## shooteminthelips (Jun 13, 2007)

That is snow goose hunting. Try to do everything diffrent then the groups around you. Look for area with less pressure, look for flocks with more gray in them. If everyone else is hunting during the day, then you try hunting in the afternoons. Leave the junk at home flyers and rotaries. To get good at this game you have to think out side the box and become obsessed with getting better each time out.


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## fieldgeneral (Feb 12, 2013)

shooteminthelips said:


> That is snow goose hunting. Try to do everything diffrent then the groups around you. Look for area with less pressure, look for flocks with more gray in them. If everyone else is hunting during the day, then you try hunting in the afternoons. Leave the junk at home flyers and rotaries. To get good at this game you have to think out side the box and become obsessed with getting better each time out.


Agreed. We've had more luck leaving all the gadgets out of the field. People get caught up in all the stuff that's out there nowadays. Get a good # of decoys out there,cover up good and hunt. The more your out there trying the law of averages will catch up.


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## the professor (Oct 13, 2006)

Ditch the blinds and don the whites.


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## goosegrinder (Mar 4, 2005)

> Ditch the blinds and don the whites.


 I still prefer blinds over whites but can see some advantages to wearing whites.

Alex


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## goosegrinder (Mar 4, 2005)

> To get good at this game you have to think out side the box and become obsessed with getting better each time out.


Become a snow goose. :beer: I watch every bird that comes in and nearly all birds when they get close will work a spread in generally the same manner. If I see birds start lifting over a group of decoys,they get moved. If birds are wanting a hole that isn't great for shooting,it gets closed with decoys. If they are coming right to the speaker and then lifting,the speakers go behind us. Ya have to be willing to learn the birds and what they want and are expecting. Learn to read the birds and they'll tell you everything right/wrong with your setup.

Alex


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## dakotashooter2 (Oct 31, 2003)

If you really want to use blinds consider breaking them up with white at the foot and head.................


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## poutpro (Mar 8, 2006)

Get out there now and hunt some of these flocks that have more juvies and ross.


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## Firehunter (Feb 3, 2010)

Im sure you altered your setup but think outside the box. These birds see lots of spreads. If hide is marginal use whites we have had good luck in whites. Buy tall stakes for your socks for hide. Hide has to be real good to put blinds like ur saying. A lot of times your hunting a condition which will make or break you thats just luck. Details are key to getting em. Close


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## jim and tuck (Mar 14, 2013)

Most of get disappointed pretty easily. First we start to early in the migration, and like most I am one of those guys who has a hard time waiting. These leading edge birds are tough.. They have seen it all. They are hunted the hardest and basically have to endure the worst of it in every state they enter.. Just be patient, have faith in your spread, and just wait til the pressure dies..there are more coming and a hell of a lot easier to decoy..


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