How many decoys for goose hunting

For many, going after Canada geese involves a half dozen or more hunters and a large decoy spread in a field where birds have been feeding. Such a spread is typically transported into the field and set out before daylight. It must be spacious enough to conceal hunters in layout blinds or pits.

It must also have a natural appearance and a design that lures incoming geese into predetermined landing zones. Mann uses only Real Geese silhouettes because of their toughness, lack of shine, and the fact that a dozen contains 12 different poses.

Also, three dozen fit inside my portable layout blinds for easy transporting. Mann continues, "The different poses with the silhouette decoys give the illusion of movement built in. As geese circle my spread, all the variation looks like real birds on the ground.

Geese can't see straight down. Instead, they see to the sides, so if they fly directly over my spread, they don't notice that all the 'geese' on the ground are flat-sided. Not having full-bodies doesn't matter. Bartz says, "One-hundred-twenty or more decoys aren't uncommon in a field spread when I'm hunting migrators in the latter season.

This is where incoming geese will be looking, and I want my best decoys in this area. I'll mix some shells in with the full-bodies. When live geese are in a field, some will be up walking around and others will be resting, so the shells look like resting birds. And the silhouettes go in the back upwind part of the spread.

Cochran says getting decoys into a Willamette Valley field can be a challenge. Seasonal rains usually start by late October, and the fields become quagmires. Driving in is out of the question. In the area where he hunts, shooting is prohibited until 8 a.

Hunters in this area must pass a Canada goose identification test before taking to the field. Oftentimes, geese will be working and landing in a spread long before shooting time. Cochran knows from experience that ultra-realistic life-size decoys will land and hold geese far better than less-lifelike decoys.

By swiveling the blinds 90 degrees, we're looking into a new landing zone. Mann continues, "If I'm hunting close to a tree line or fencerow, I might deploy a V-shaped spread with the point of the V pointing into the wind. Or, if the wind is from the west geese will be coming from the east , I might set a V in the middle of the field and align my hunters in one arm or another for a crosswind shot, to keep them from having to shoot into the rising sun.

Bartz sets his spread so it "forms a funnel to lead birds into a trap. Sometimes he also sets a mass of decoys with a long arm running at a degree downwind angle. With either set, his hunters shoot from just inside the downwind edge of the spread.

He spaces their layout blinds 10 feet apart so that they will blend in better. Thus, the number of hunters determines the width of the base of his spread. A six-hunter set will be 70 feet wide. Also, with the Christmas tree design, he arranges the downwind edge of the spread like a shallow U pointing upwind to funnel incoming birds to the center of the spread.

Instead of using a standard pattern, Cochran prefers setting his decoys randomly. I look for the best place to hide, maybe a patch of higher cover or a low spot to conceal the profiles of the blinds. Once I position my blinds, I'll set the decoys around them, and I'll leave a landing hole in the spread from 15 to 30 yards from the blinds, depending on wind speed and quality of concealment.

I face all my decoys in different directions. I put some decoys close together and others far apart. I want them totally absent of any order, the way real geese are in a field. Beyond basic configurations, what tricks do Mann, Bartz, and Cochran employ to make their spreads effective? First, Mann: "When I'm setting out decoys, I place them at all angles, not just facing into the wind. This way circling geese always have silhouette decoys that show up.

Also, I set my decoys 10 feet apart—no closer. This makes the spread look real to approaching birds. The decoys appear relaxed, not alert or anxious, and there's plenty room for geese to land in the decoys. This keeps them from cutting to the edge.

Equally important is not showing your entire hand the first week of the season. There's no need to come out of the starting gate with 10 dozen fully flocked full-bodies; keep those in reserve until you really need them. A family affair Small family groups of widely-spaced Canada decoys — five here, four there, another four there — are an excellent idea during the early season. Realize, though, that family groups don't necessarily carry on throughout the season.

Once the weather turns and food sources go from plenty to a premium, it's every bird for himself; thus, you're either dealing with the Big Black Blob Theory of goose decoy placement — especially true with the smaller subspecies like lessers or cacklers — or individual decoys placed more or less an equal distance apart.

Lunch lines Good friend, Travis Mueller, incorporates what he calls lunch lines into his goose spreads, especially during the late season when the birds' stomachs dictate many of their actions and reactions.

These represent geese that have just landed, and are hot-footing it into an area of heavy feeding activity. Essentially," he continued, "these lines direct incoming birds where they want to be AND where I want them.

By mixing silhouettes throughout your spread of full-bodies and shells, the appearing-n-disappearing act that the silhouettes do is the same thing that flashing wing decoys do. That flagging does. It gives the illusion of movement in the spread. But Freddie did say this with caution. On the everyday hunt, I don't mix decoys. But more importantly, geese will be looking into the sun while approaching you from downwind.

This decoy spread is the old reliable of decoy rigs. It can be used on water or land and is equally potent on ducks and geese. The idea is to look like a lot of birds feeding while leaving a wide open landing area right in the center of the spread. Theoretically, this landing area will act as a magnet to approaching geese. In practice, birds do seem to like it. However, I often have them land short at the tip of one of the arms.

For this reason, I try to keep the arms short while goose hunting in fields. On the water, geese and ducks will swim in most of the time and give you an opportunity to shoot them trap style. In fields, they seem to figure out the decoys a little easier and usually walk or fly off. The J-Hook is made by removing one of the arms of the crab. This is my favorite spread for late season hunting. The easy pickings in fields are long gone and birds become less organized in fields. Randomly place your decoys in a big glob as if they have spread out looking for food.

Since you are spreading the decoys out more, place your layout blinds right in the middle of the dekes to keep shooting distances ethical. I place the farthest decoy at twenty yards. This gives me good, close shots and a forty yard by forty yard spread twenty behind, twenty in front, and twenty to each side. Cover your blinds with surrounding natural cover because you will be under more scrutiny right in the middle of the spread.

Like the other formations, most of your decoys should be in feeding poses. Some hunters like to mix in goose kites or wing flappers. But once they turn in your direction, shut it down and be still. Any unnatural movement will change their minds and prevent you from clicking your safety off. One of the most important aspects to having success with small spreads is choosing the right spot to hunt. The advantage to big spreads is that it is visible from long distances.

With a small spread, being where the birds want to be is a necessity. Scout with precision. You have to know exactly where in the field they are going. Birds will favor one spot in the field over others due to contours in terrain, wind direction, and proximity to tree lines and other places predators can hide.

Having quality decoys will also help. Some of those giant permanent decoy spreads used in the south utilize milk jugs to help fill out the spread. The opposite is true for smaller spreads. These decoys are going to be inspected, especially if geese make a few passes before setting their landing gear.

Try to use as many poses as possible and if you can afford better decoys, buy them. Flocked heads and realistic molds can really make a difference. Hunter concealment is the key to everything.

A lot of goose hunters set their layout blinds on the upwind side of the decoys or sometimes right in the middle of the decoy spread. This works fine when there are a lot of decoys or the birds are uneducated. When hunting small spreads, set your blinds perpendicular to the wind direction. When using blinds, stuff them with natural vegetation.

Yes, it will take you an extra half hour to do so but the old days of muddying up your blind and calling it good are over. Blinds have to look like part of the field. Remember those Duck Commander guys? Take a lesson from them and cover your face. Face paint can be a bit of a hassle but I prefer face paint to looking through a face mask all day.

Goose hunting with small spreads can seem like a big disadvantage. But I believe small spreads have a lot of benefits. Just about everyone is hunting with as many decoys as possible. Geese begin to associate large decoy spreads with danger later in the season. The big advantage is mobility. No matter how good your scouting is there will be times when you strike out.