West metro guide suggestions for early goose season

[Troller]

Hi everyone,

Anyone have any suggestions for a good west metro guide for the early goose season?

Any info would be much appreciated.

Thanks

[carpshooterdeluxe]

go with goosebusters guide service. you will be very happy.

[Rainman]

If you are from mayer why don't you just go out and knock on some doors? You are in a great area for goose hunting! I would suggest no guides!!!!

[Troller]

If you are from mayer why don't you just go out and knock on some doors? You are in a great area for goose hunting! I would suggest no guides!!!!

I'd like nothing better!! Problem is, I'm not really FROM Mayer....I moved here a little over three years ago, so it's not like I have the connections and relationships that a native would have.

I've always just assumed that knocking on doors would get me nowhere, especially being in the metro like this.... I'd think that hunting access would be pretty much locked up.

If you know otherwise, I'm all ears for suggestions

[Powerstroke]

You have to pardon my laugh, but Mayer is not the metro. That being said I understand your point. Trying to hunt within 90mins of the cities is nearly impossible unless you're from the town you plan on hunting. I've met plenty of nice people but they always say NO.

[Troller]

I don't know....Mayer is in Carver county (a metro county). It is, unfortunately, surrounded by sprawling subdivisions, as is every town around it. It's like 10 minutes from Shorewood. How is that NOT metro??

[Powerstroke]

Cause you can hunt in Mayer.

[Troller]

Barely...

[Rainman]

Thats all i do is knock on doors. You would be surprised!!!!! Gotta get off the couch!!

[MuleShack]

Thats all i do is knock on doors. You would be surprised!!!!! Gotta get off the couch!!

Rainman, where you having your best luck?

[WallyGader]

Rainman, where you having your best luck?

For real.. I knocked on over 40 something doors the past 2 years and 2 hours from the metro, and all I get is N-O. The no I hate the worst and burns me up is "I wish I could let you, but we have just had bad experinces with letting people out there." I hate that!

[brittman]

Asking neighbors, relatives, and classmates from HS ???

[shnelson]

Check out Maxxed Out Guides - they'll put you on birds in LQP.

[iceking]

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[RiverRunner]

I've actually have had pretty good luck getting on land with in one hour west of metro for field hunting. Early season goose is pretty hard since theres only so many decent fields to hunt. But during the regular season as the corn comes down it gets a little easier. Getting permission to hunt on water is tough, theres almost always someone else hunting it.

It all depends how you ask to. Unfortunatly your age maters to, if your 23 or younger your chances go down. If you go up to the house have no more than 2 people. Say you'll only hunt the land with a max of 4 people. If you have anymore than 4 your asking to get turned down. Always offer to walk your stuff into the field rather that drive. If they give you permission offer to help with stuff around the farm or get them a gift certificate for ice cream. Goes a long ways and you may get permission again. Theres a lot of farm land in the area, someone will let you hunt. Good luck.

[Bigtom]

Or drop them of some fish. Many farmers love fish but can not make it out, I works for me.

[Livin On The X Outdoors!]

Troller, I was trying to pm you with suggestions, but dont see how to on this forum. I live 15 mins from you, if you want to join us for a hunt or two, your welcome to. Plenty of options to hunt in your area.

[Troller]

Derek, wow I really appreciate the invite. And I don't know how to send you a PM either.....I tried clicking on your name to the left of your last message, and selected "Send a PM," but when I did I got a message saying that PMs are disabled.

Does anyone here know how to fix that?

[Livin On The X Outdoors!]

You got an email? Knocking on doors works all over but it may take some time with success. If other hunters were to specify when they wanted to hunt like a day or a weekend instead of "hey can I hunt your land this year" there would be alot more land available. I used to be one of those guys so I'm speaking from my mistakes. Now I always just ask for the next morning so others can hunt it later in the year when I haven't hunted it for months. It's nice to hear "yeah go ahead, the other guys were out there in Sept" instead we all hear this "well there was a group that asked back in june, so I can't say yes" That group proably hunted a weekend or two and are now deer hunting. Maybe I'm wrong, what are others thoughts on this?

[creepworm]

I ask for the whole year, simply because if there are birds in the field, I hunt it and if they are in a different field I hunt that one. Just asking for one day or one weekend would not really work for hunting where the birds are, unless they are already there and then in that case, there is usually a son in law that never hunts going out there to try it.

[Livin On The X Outdoors!]

If we find birds the night before our hunt, we try to gain permission then. Instead of getting a bunch of fields, and only hunting one or two of them. Just my 2 cents

[eyehead]

If we find birds the night before our hunt, we try to gain permission then. Instead of getting a bunch of fields, and only hunting one or two of them. Just my 2 cents

I wish more people did that instead of getting permission in July to hunt 20 different grain fields and then they end up only hunting one of them....happens all the time

[creepworm]

Sorry guys, but I just refuse to put all my eggs in one basket and hope for the best.

[Livin On The X Outdoors!]

eyehead, exactly. I can understand if you are hunting an area like fergus, rochester, hutch etc.. where there are birds around all year and are traffficing them. Then a field or two would be plenty. It's just how you word it to the landowner so others can enjoy the great outdoors as well.

[Lip'em]

It would be nice if you could go out and get permission the night before a hunt but in the west metro and the areas around glencoe, hutch, and dassel/cokato where i hunt it is next to impossible to get permission unless you ask a month before the season starts. Even then, your field may not be holding any birds and you are SOL! Then people start "stock piling" several fields (I know because i have done it)and that puts us right back to where this paragraph started with it being tough to gain permission the night before a hunt or a few days in advance. Its no wonder so many people hunt duck sloughs and public water during early goose. After my morning hunt today in a field, I drove to one of my favorite duck spots only to find four truckloads of guys hunting this small piece of water. They were packed in there like sardines hunting right across from one another competing for a few birds passing by. Hunting land has become a huge commodity in these areas as early goose has become more and more popular, and it can be tough to gain access unless you know someone!

If you can hunt during the week you might be pleasantly surprised at the amount of permission you can get, though. Most of what I have stated above pertains to early goose season, but as the season moves on into the duck season and late goose it becomes much easier to get permission. When a lot of hunters switch to sitting on buckets staring through a hole in the ice, some of the easiest land access and finest hunts of the year can be had.

Anyway, to get back on the topic of this thread, I would recommend using Phil Schmidt at Goosebusters Guide Service. He knows a lot of people around Hutch and west metro, and he is very good to his clients.

[Livin On The X Outdoors!]

I'd agree with goose busters as well. I'm fortunate to help out with Phil 4-5 times a season between work and hunting with our group. He gets them close thats for sure.

[fisherofmen]

Goosebusters is out of "Mayer" go figure, give Phil a call , he will take care of you

[Troller]

Thanks for all the suggestions, everybody....both for good guides and getting permission.

Not that we didn't value the advice (we did), but my co-workers and I ended up booking a hunt with a different guide than those named here. Like I said, we appreciated the guide suggestions, but didn't really get enough feedback in time for us to book our hunt.

I won't yet mention our guide's name for the time being, but I'll post an update after our hunt to let you know how our he pans out.

A bit off the subject, can anyone tell me how to send someone a private message here? When I attempt to, I get a promt telling me PMs are disabled.

Thanks

[Lonedrake]

There is a reason so many guys suggested Phil. He is very honest! He limits his fields to 4 clients and he schedules only 4 hunts per week....plus he kills alot of geese!