Opening morning field geese

[sheepheadslayer]

I think the law states that you can't put out dekes until 8:00. What i would do is if the field isn't that beg just go hide out in the field with no decoys and let them land where ever. If there is 500 of them chances are when the fly off you will get some shooting. If they land in your dekes and have to stay there an hour before you can shoot they may figure outthat your decoys are all pretty lame geese!

[bigbucks]

I'd be surprised if option #3 worked. If you can be still enough to lay among live geese & decoys for an hour & a half without spooking them, you're a 10 times better hunter than I am.

Not totally understanding the setup, I'd say #2 is your best choice. I doubt you'd get close enough making a run as suggested in option #1, unless there's a little rise in range that you can belly crawl all the way from behind that rise. That could work, but would be quite a task.

[big drift]

Well i would lay off the feild until sunday and get them then or let them come in and use something to allow to sneak up on them. Bush or ow cutout some thing like that, or waut until the afternoon to see if they come back to feed. Running 200 yds. to maybe get a ssot is a sure miss or a bunch of cripples.

[johnnyC]

Thanks,

I guess my best option is to get in the tree line early and wait for that gimmie passing shot. Can't hunt Sunday and have been waiting to experience the decoy shooting..... I guess I'll just have to wait a little longer.

Thanks

[Finlander]

The placing decoys one before shooting time only effects public water or land as I read the law book as a write this.
So you can put decoys out before sunrise, and if I was you, I would get one of those layout blinds that totally hides you and get in it within range of where the geese will land and wait it out! I would!
Or dig a pit and put a lid on it and cover the lid with cover from the field, that would probobly work the best!
Good Luck!

------------------
GET THE NET!
THE DUCKS IN THE WATER!

[johnnyC]

Keep in mind I have a 1 goose limit.... That's alot of work (digging a hole, I don't have a blind) I think I'll sit in a tree row with dekes in hand. If they for some unthinkable reason don't land in this field, I'll set up the dekes and do some calling.

Good Luck All.
johnny

[duckbill]

I would personally like to see #1. But make sure that you have a buddy with a video recorder filming it. At 200 yards away when you start running at them they will start getting up. Unless your a really fast runner and I do mean WR speed. You will still be 100 yards away after 15 seconds of running straight at them. A good shot for a goose is under 40 yards. Though longer shot's have been made the chances not good from that far away. I am just laughing thinking about it. I am not making fun of you at all because we have all tried once in our life to sneak up on some geese. Let us know how it turns out.
Duckbill

[bigbucks]

duckbill, yep been there done that.

We did sneak up on a pair once & got one. Should have got both, but my buddies gun jammed. The stupid geese were sitting in dip in the field instead of on a rise like normal, so we got pretty close, but still long shots. I knocked the one down & then gained enough on him to finish him from about 50 yards.

[Roosterslayer05]

Actually the runing works but you cant start runing from 200 yards, you would have to some how sneak within 80 yards then get up and run as fast as you can, you can shoot birds, I have done this many times with ducks and once last year with geese, the geese actually sat there while I ran up to them then when i was 30 yards away I stopped and started yelling and jumping before they got up and this was a month into the season. Since you only have a one goose limit I would just sit in the tree line and wait for a goose to fly over, if there is 500 geese using this field some should fly over you after 9. All you need is one goose to come over within 50 yards and you can drop it, unless your a bad shot you shouldent have to shoot at more than 3-4 flocks before you get your goose, you will probly drop your goose the first shot you get.

[johnnyC]

This will be my first ever opener for goose in field decoys. I'm lined up nicely on 500+ geese in a field w/ permission to hunt. The geese fly in at 7:10 - 7:35. I figure I can do few things:

1. Set up decoys and hide nearby (200 yds away in some trees.) Let them land in the decoys. Come out at 9:00 with BB flying.

2. Hide nearby the heavily used field early before they come in and shoot them as they leave. after 9

3. Lay in the decoys right away, experience the geese landing into dekes. ( something I have yet to experience) and hope that geese stick around until 9:00.

Someone help! I am excited but I don't want to screw this up.

Thanks,
Johnny

[huntnfish]

If you are going to sit in the trees, I would let most of the flocks fly by before you start shooting. That way all of the birds in the field won't be educated and you can hunt them in that field another day. If you shot at the first flock there is a chance that the birds in the field will here you shoot and take off out of range. I'm pretty sure that #3 wouldn't work. The birds won't stick around very long when the decoys don't move. I use all fullbodies with flocked heads and motion bases and the longest I have had a goose stay in them is about five minutes.

[johnnyC]

Thanks all,

I will have no problem getting a goose. My partner and I got 9 in early season, so I'm not worried. me 6... him 3...

I'll get back to you all monday.

[Nitebiter]

I'd say every option sounds like alotta work for 1 goose... say screw it and go kill some ducks..

[johnnyC]

Well,
I sat in the trees. I saw more than 1,000 geese, mixed with just as many cacklers. A few flocks of gadwells that were over 300 each. There were probably well over the #'s that I mentioned.

At nine I had a chance to sneak out into the field and set up decoys. By 10:00 the birds were coming in again, moving around ect. As the first group of 4 landed into the decoys, I dropped an overhead goose. 12 pounder.

It was amazing to see that many geese fly over early. I must have had 50 gimmie shots that went over approx. 15 yards up. All I can say is.... WOW.

Thanks for the info everyone.

johnny