Howdy friends, honk honk (that’s goose speak) what’s flying high today? Oklahoma is home to what seems like a bazillion geese. While goose hunting can be quite costly, it can be some of the most intense fast paced, shotgun shell slinging fun there is. Steel shot, of course.
I’m lucky in the fact I live on some land with an abundance of waterfowl. Crosslin Park ponds hold a lot of birds as does Golden Oaks retirement home. I live in between the two and the birds are buzzing my tower each day. I literally can stand on my back porch or lay by my pond and kill birds daily. Grill a steak, shoot a goose. It’s fantastic.
That said, here are just a few tips for getting that Christmas goose (“Save the neck for me, Clark”).
- Decoys. Yes, they are expensive, and you typically need a bunch of them. Find a buddy with an enclosed trailer and split the cost. Get there early and spread them out. Designate a “landing spot” in your spread.
- Multiple calls: Loud sharp calls are my preference, but it all depends on the weather conditions.
- Decoys: I saw a drone video that showed the tract marks a UTV made while hunters while setting up their spread. While goose decoys vary in regard to numbers, it’s something to consider when deciding how and where to set out your spread. The aerial video was drastically different than the one where no UTV was used marking up tracks all over the field when setting out decoys. The less intrusive; the better even from high in the sky.
- Geese are skittish, floaters are key. Movement is key. Floaters have natural movement along with the current.
- Cluck and moan, fast and slow. Sound like a goose, be a goose.
- On foggy days, flag rather than call.
- Practice, practice practice. Make every shot count. Practice shooting out of your pit or layout blind. Practice when the weather is less than ideal.
- Be different. If everyone around you has dozens of decoys, downsize and maybe use a couple dozen. Don’t call much. “You can do that by giving your decoy spread a different look. Remember, curiosity kills geese.” – Hunter Grounds
So go out and get you a few decoys, get some steel shot and get after the loud, honkin’ creatures in the sky.
