Trad Gang
Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Ron+dog on December 20, 2010, 11:32:00 PM
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going hunting for geese thursday, first time with the bow. had good luck with pheasent last yr. any pointers ?
:help:
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Bring lots of arrows ,Not yours :laughing:
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be mindful of broadheads if you use a dog.
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I only done it a couple of times but just start practicing saying ohhh, that was close and dang I thought sure that arrow was there. Then move on to ducks and try a couple teal, then you will say things that are not repeatable.LOL
Na, just have fun and enjoy.
The only thing is I was impressed I thought they were flying slower then what they were. I guess it is their size.
Earl
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I want to get after some myself.
It just sounds like it would be fun.
I have to be honest and say I don't have the 1st clue as to how to pull this one off or how to start.
I would appreciate an e-mail or a pm from anyone who has had any "no water" hunting experience with geese.
Thanks in advance.
God bless,Mudd
God bless,Mudd
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If they fly directly overhead.... dont look up! :laughing:
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Turkey guiollotine broadheads and aim for the head. You tend to hit them in the neck. No broadhead left in the bird and instant kills. Use flu flu's.
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yea i wanna give goose hunting a try any idea how much a desent setup would cost someone?
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Can't wait to hear how it goes. Planning to do the same myself soon. I made some modified FLu-Flus to get extra range since I'll be hunting over large fields and shooting against shot gunners. They can only kill out to about 40yds so I figure and extra 10 yds gives me an advantage...lol
Here are my arrows 3 - 4" uncut feathers but trimmed with a burner to stand 1 -1/8" tall. Gives me about 75-80yds of flight If I shoot at a 45 deg angle (440gr arrow 47# at 29"). Should be plenty of sticking power out to about 50-55yds.
Shoot when their feet are down and dropping. They move faster than they appear. With a shot gun at 25-35yds I lead at the base of the body to hit the chest and neck when they are dropping into decoys. I'd guess with a bow I'd be shooting at least 2-3 feet under at that range on a dropping bird. Hope to compare notes soon.
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I'm supposed to do this myself soon but the other two hunters are using compounds. I made up my flu flus with 4 -5" uncut at 90 degrees and I'm getting close to 100 yards from them and they still pack a wallop at 30 yards.
I just made two arial targets to practice but need a helper to throw them.
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I usually pass shoot them, use regular arrows and broadheads as the arrows are easy to pick up out in the field. We set up as they are heading out to feed using willows or bales as blinds. With the right conditions they fly over between 20-60 feet up, and they are moving! Lots of shooting and never the same shot distance twice. I usually get 3 or 4 per year over a month, probably 10 -12 shots per bird. I have a good set up, shoot a dozen arrows at geese and then head to the deer stand for the rest of the evening. Mornings its either geese or deer depending on when the geese are flying. One day they leave at dawn, next week they are on the fly about 2 1/2 hrs later. Terrible birds, they will never wave but always HONK.
Terry
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Originally posted by $bowhunter$:
yea i wanna give goose hunting a try any idea how much a desent setup would cost someone?
Well that all depends on what you call decent. $200-40,000 is a good range. If you have a truck and maybe trailer to hall all the stuff you can get by with less on the high end, but I cold drop $10,000 easy on a decoy rig and accessories. At the low end if you want to field hunt and try and shoot birds close up you can build some silhouettes, silo’s, use some burlap or other camo fabric to help cover up. You can get a decent plastic short reed goose call and some instructional CD’s or DVD’s so you can learn to call decent. You also need a flag; you can make one with a stick and old black shirt. That will get you started. You can also garage sale and craig’s list for goose shells, and then there are the classifies on all the water fowl forums. From there the sky is the limit on goose hunting gear. Better decoys calls, dogs, dog food, vet bills, Blinds…………………………….. It is way worse than bow hunting when it comes to equipment believe me. My rig gets the job done most times and is what I consider minimum for decent success most days in the field. I use a layout blind camo’d to the max to match the field, and I run 36 shells on stakes, 12 sock decoys for movement when there is wind, and fill out the spread and provide the look of moving birds by using 5 doz. real geese pro I and II silo’s. This will get the job done most of the year starting with maybe 25% of that early season to all of it late season. Even with this much stuff it is hard to get those late season birds.
Now the problem with geese is that they can be kind of hard to get in your face. You need to be able to call decent and know when and how to call. You need good decoys to get them cupped and legs down otherwise they will wise up as they close the distance and see you don’t have realistic decoys on the ground. The later you get in the season the smarter they get and the harder it is to get them in close. You can have a great decoy layout and just call a little off and they will skirt you. Late season geese are very difficult to land, and can be downright difficult to even get into range even for a seasoned goose hunter who can call well and had a good decoy spread. Your best bet is early season when you can hunt family groups with mostly two older birds and a bunch of stupid youngsters. In the early season you can get by with just a doz. decoys and mediocre calling if you are where they want to go.
Your best bet late season, or anytime really with a bow, if you don’t know someone with a lot of experience, who can produce birds this time of year, is to try and see where the birds are feeding or resting. Then see where they fly out or in. Set up in some good cover where they fly low on takeoff or landing. Then do your shooting from there. In a good spot where you are not seen you could easily get a lot of shots as the groups go over. My water fowl hunting partner has them fly low over his house all the time. I would try them with arrows if I wouldn’t land them in the swamp or neighbor’s houses. I think the best options for field hunting are the right kind of pit blind with a big flip up roof, or pop-up blinds in a hay field with round bails; this would be great early season and you could likely get them to land and shoot them on the ground.
Having a big group of honkers feet down, wings cupped and inside 10 yd. is as thrilling as dropping a string on a deer any day for me, but it is far from easy to make happen without the right equipment and some experience.
If you really want to learn about goose hunting go to duck hunting chat and sign up. It is the closest thing you can find to a trad gang for water fowling.
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One tip I would add to what others have said is when shooting geese in the air with a bow shoot at them as they approach down wind. Do not get all caught up in the moment and shoot into the wind to straight up. Dodging broad heads doesn’t sound like much fun at all. This kind of mistake would be much easier to do on geese than flushing birds that jump and fly away.
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I have killed hundreds of geese, but never one with a bow. Goose hunting in a field is an expensive hobby. You have to be willing to put the money into good decoys, and a lot of them. Lay-out blinds are absolutely deadly, but there is not enough room in one to hide a bow and arrows. I also think shooting from a lay-out would be extremely awkward. Canadas will flair from anything in the spread out of the ordinary, a bow laying on the ground next to a blind is not going to work. I think you would have to have a pit to kill geese with any consistency. With a pit, proper placement of decoys, and good calling you should have no problem getting easy 10 yard decoying shots. That is the shot one needs on geese with a bow. I don't believe in taking shots at game unless I expect to kill the animal. The problem is getting a farmer to let you dig a pit. Knowing when to shoot them is as important as being able to shoot well.
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aim for the head.
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thanks guys !set up over about 50 dekes and baged out 2 dozen flu flus in the air and four geese down AWESOME !
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I would love to see pictures!
Thanks in advance!
God bless,Mudd
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Originally posted by Mudd:
I would love to see pictures!
Thanks in advance!
God bless,Mudd
sorry mudd im not very photogenic im not sure anyone with me even had a camera at any rate i diddnt think to ask
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Over the years I've tossed maybe a dozen arrows after grounded flocks of geese in my fields. Shots of 150 yards or so. Always shooting for the tight groups of honkers in the corn.
Not a feather have I struck yet. LOL
Jack
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error
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Carbon Jack, would you shoot at a herd of deer bunched up at 150 yards? Or do deer deserve more respect than geese?