# greenhorn snow goose set up



## crewchief (Mar 16, 2006)

hunted last friday north of alexandria s.d.,had a small set up 100+;wind socks,sillouttes,canada full bodies & shells with white socks on their heads,migrator blind with snow cover on it (scattered snow spots in cornfield),i am fairly new to field decoy hunting any geese(a little on both species).there was small flock the night before feeding,i set up on the X;i had a ton of geese come in circle alot,also flagged in several of these flocks to my spread,couldnt get them to finish,hang up 70 yards+ out.didnt seem to flare but just drift off.walked the field,minimal corn in field?????.can the big flocks see this??what do you do when grounds frozen with sillo & wind socks?had more decoys to put out.


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## dleva (Mar 16, 2004)

You might have been hunting mostly adult birds and they can be pretty tough. The juvies are a lot easier to fool and they generally migrate after the adults have gone through. 
When the ground is frozen try sticking the stakes into the cornstalks they seem to go in a bit easier. If not in a cornfield get a ground punch or a cordless drill.


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## madhunt (Dec 28, 2004)

I had same problem at Britton the week before. Stakes into corn stalks make good sense. Can a person do any good with only a few decoys 100+-. Also, do the birds usually come back to same field 1 or 2 times or several?


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## MN_waterfowler (Sep 28, 2005)

we just got back from a trip in south dakota and came back skunked.

we put on 890 miles traveling the middle and eastern part of the state and could only find groups of 200 or less. they werent on ANY of the big lakes like Thompson, Poinsett, Madison, etc.

WHAT THE FLIP IS GOIN ON!!!!???? :******:


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## duck991 (Feb 17, 2005)

I hunt with silos in dec and the best thing i have found is a cordless drill with a 1/2" spade bit or auger bit.Try to find the auger bit it works a lot faster and stays sharp longer.


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## Gary Bottger (Nov 24, 2004)

crewchief - How many speakers are on your caller, what direction are they pointed, what cd and at what volume did you have it on? The auger bit is about the only way we have found to get it done. IMHO when the birds float you, you are almost right. I tend to move decoys around a bit and see what the next group does. I find with adults you need more around and infront of the blinds. What kind of spread did you have out - circle, X, etc?

MN_waterfowler - We saw a ton of birds move Friday and Saturday out of Nebraska. Sorry you didn't get into them.


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## ALLSTAR55 (Apr 3, 2006)

HELLO TO ND. I JUST REGISTERED AND WAS BROWSING THE SITE.
It looks very interesting. I see names from similar sites so I guess its ok to chime in from Missouri.

Regarding small decoy sets. It is possible but tough. Wind helps a bunch. I know it is a little contrary but we have had some success with no more than 2 people using about 120-150 windsocks and a few shells by setting up on winter wheat or other very low cover and packing the decoys real tight in an oval , like 2 feet apart at most. Then just laying down in them, on the downwind edge, with camo, burlap or whatever to keep a low profile. Use a shell bag for a head rest and you can even put a shell on your stomach. I white hooded sweatshirt and white face mask completes the outfit.
Use no more than two speakers in your ecall. 
You will probably not any groups but it seems like the pairs and singles will come in close enough to kill. Practice and use guns and loads that you can kill out to 50 yards.
A couple of snow goose magnets will also look good or a couple of flags.

Good luck. The juvies will be easier. Wish I were there!


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## qwakwhaker883 (Jan 19, 2005)

Last week me and a buddy were out near Britton SD. We were only using around 100 silo's and shells, we couldent get the windsock sticks into the ground. Our best day we shot 6, you can shoot some geese over few decoys. Wish we could have gotten all our dekes out we would have had more geese looking our way.


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## tb (Jul 26, 2002)

I've had decent luck using a very small spread. The guys on this site would probably call it a micro spread. The key is the weather. Wind speeds of 25 mph+ are preferrable and the cloudier and darker the better. Then use your brain. Figure out what the birds are doing and get after it.


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## ALLSTAR55 (Apr 3, 2006)

TB, are you using full bodies in the micro-spread?
Thnks All *


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## tb (Jul 26, 2002)

Just windsocks. They are mobile, I can carry them anywhere. I put 3' stakes on some to stick them in deeper water. They look pretty decent in the high wind.


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