I must admit, hunting snow geese during the special conservation season is a guilty pleasure I look forward to each year. The restrictions are largely removed, allowing hunters to use electronic calls and decoys. Harvest limits are out the window. In fact, I have been on hunts where five hunters harvested more than 125 snows a day for two or three days, and we missed the best week. After the migration moved past us, we’d head back, collect our gear and move 50 miles north to get back into the migration.
During the special snow goose season, only three shots in the shotgun is a handicap. Sure, pulling the plug will up your firepower, but why not go for broke and run an extended magazine fit for a half-blind 3-gun shooter? There is a fine line between ammo testing and sky busting, so pick your shots wisely. Of course, as an outdoor writer, I never sky bust; I ammo test.
Lest some who read this believe snow goose hunters are blood thirsty or wildlife managers have been derelict, let me explain. We are not out there just to drop a bunch of geese (although that does not hurt our feeling). In truth, snow goose hunters are conservationists. As the snows head north to their breeding grounds on the tundra, we knock down their numbers by a few. That’s true.
However, the vast majority will make it back and raise next year’s crop. The sheer number of geese wreaks havoc on the tundra, causing considerable damage. Because of the overpopulation and degraded habitat, goslings in some areas are smaller than goslings were 15 years ago. The gosling mortality is also high. Diseases such as coccidiosis (a disease of birds and mammals that chiefly affects the intestines, caused by coccidian) kill significant numbers of goslings and can affect other birds. The survivors remain small as adults and may be less able to withstand the stress of migration. This has been the main concern of wildlife managers and the impetus behind the loosening of restrictions on hunters.
Top 10 Tips
Visibility
Weather plays a role in visibility. If you have stormy conditions but good visibility, you’ll want to use as many blue-phase snow decoys as possible. Sound and motion will also increase your odds dramatically.
Stick to the Plan
This one applies to most any waterfowl hunt. Shooters need to stick to their lanes and work from the inside out. During snow goose season, the action will be heavy, and there will be plenty of birds to go around. There is no reason to be doubling up on a bird with the kind of action snow geese provide. However, shooting only within your lane is also a safety issue.
Stay Strong
Snow goose hunting is an investment whether you book through an outfitter or team up with a group of buddies. Either way, quality equipment that will endure the rigors of the hunt, travel, bouncing from one location to the next and season after season will yield dividends over its service life.
The Dog
Snow goose hunting is action packed. Your duck dog may not immediately understand that fact and will likely want to break after the first shot or two. This will take some work ahead of time. The dog will also have many more birds to retrieve than it is used to. This can overexcite your pup, so be prepared to rein it when necessary.
More birds down could result in more cripples that your dog will have deal with. Ensure that your pup is ready for this eventuality. A spare dog or two isn’t a bad idea either. As enthusiastic as your dog may be and ready to make a dozen or two retrieves on a duck hunt, you could be looking at 150 to 200 retrieves. If you don’t want to play dog and get your own birds, ensure that your dog is conditioned and bring a spare.
Scout for Snow Goose Success
Your spreads, number of decoys and amount of equipment will be too great to target a small number of birds. Likewise, the flight of birds coming in will be huge. You need to rethink your way of scouting. Remember, once the limits are off the table, your goal is to drop as many birds as possible. To do this, you have to scout big feeds to put lots of birds at ease when feeding.
Just like when on the tundra, snow geese will feed until there is nothing left during the migration. Often, they will hold in an area for days when comfortable. Scout smart, play the wind, and try to keep from hunting with the roost at your back. Always hunt the X.
Camo
However many geese you have, there will be twice as many eyes looking at you. Therefore, concealment becomes tougher and more critical. Position your decoys to hide your position, and keep the geese looking elsewhere for danger.
Keep Moving
Today there may be a few hundred thousand geese hanging in the lake, and tomorrow there may be less than 20,000. Be ready to follow the action. That means not being married to a field or setup. Whether the birds have moved or simply do not like your setup, the birds are calling the action; follow their lead.
Keep Moving, Part 2
Relax. This time it isn’t you who has to move; it’s your decoys. Motion decoys are taboo during most seasons because of the advantage they offer, so why wouldn’t you use them once legal to gain an advantage? Motion doesn’t necessarily mean breaking the bank. Never underestimate the effects of a bunch of flags and a light breeze. In fact, you could go so far as to recommend adding flags to any spread to increase the effectiveness of your decoys and your flyers, but you’ll still have to do a little research to understand how and where to set them.
Decoys
If there were a downside to hunting snow geese, decoys would be it. Decoys are a lot of work and expense. Odds are, to do it properly, you’re looking at a decoy spread ranging between 1,000 and 2,500 decoys. At a minimum, you’ll need at least 500 dekes. Numbers aren’t everything, though. You still have to set your spread according to the time of day, the food source and the wind.
Your strategy needs to be to create a funnel and concentrate the birds. Snows are very aggressive when it comes to food. Pack them into your shooting zones for maximum action.
Go with a Pro
You probably already came to this conclusion when you thought about the price of 1,000 decoys, not to mention the logistics of setting them up once, never mind breaking them down, moving them from location to location, and resetting your spread while chasing the migration. Then there is scouting and getting access to multiple hunting locations to consider. For most of us, your solution is to simply hire a guide who has the resources to put this altogether. After a season or two, once the snow goose bug has really bitten you, start putting your team of buddies together and strike out on your own.