Goose spead question

[Cody Gruchow]

so i was thinking today, now that early goose is coming to a end, and they have been pressured pretty hard and have seen the X J U patterns alot and so forth, besides using the wind in your favor dont you think these birds would catch onto these patterns? like how about throwing the decoys out randomly. i mean how many of you have actually seen geese out in a feild feeding in a J U or X pattern? maybe im just ranting but its a pretty fair question i would say

[MTCOMMER]

I have never seen geese in the field in any position, only flying in the V.  They land in the field on in the water at random - that is my thought on the topic.  Only time I goose hunted, we threw them out in the water, placed some randomly on land - never had a bird come in, but didnt see any either.   
Alot of hunters use what works for them, but it doesnt necessarily work, but they think it does, so they do it - its all about confidence.

[guythathunts]

I have done the "Blob" and it works. You just nee to give the birds a reason to land in your face instead of on the outside or behind you. That is the only reason for a hook type of pattern. If you do the "blob" set some in a line out in front of you to stimulate newly landed birds. The ones comming in will follow them more times than not. Make sure tose ones are far enough out that the landing birds can land in front of them and you should be just fine!

[HD]

I put family groups out in a circle around the field and leave the middle open for them to land.
It works pretty good, and we refer to it as "The Killing Zone" 

[HUNTER2]

I use a u shape and have a couple flyers on the edges of it coming in. Most of the time they head for the landing zone.

[Cody Gruchow]

well last year i seemed to have better success during the duck season using the blob. HD i have heard of the "circle of death" but never tryed it. i know what the patterns are for i was just thinking that after so many times they would figure it out..,.

[Tyler Rother]

Not sure really, wish I could look down from above, ah yes, I am working with a few photography pilots right now to take me some pictures looking down and flocks of geese from above near the Lakeville Airport, to get a better understanding of how they set up in real life, and not how we throw plastics out. Will send out once I acquire them.

[guythathunts]

Tyler - That would be cool to see! Please share.

[Go Big Red!]

Early goose for us is small family groups of full bodies and shells mixed.  Usually 1-2 "feeders", a "rester", and a "sentry" facing into the wind.  A random spread with many landing areas.

[kenhuntin]

When the early season starts I set out a group of 9 shells in the yard. And I like to put out an odd number of blocks with one shell a distance away from the others. My theory is that single brings down loners that are looking for their lost mate that they keep for life. I do always keep a sentry at each end of the group. Right now I am watching 13 live geese wandering and feeding about the yard. They came down in two groups about a half hour apart. They do not tolerate each other as they keep chasing those from the different group away when they get too close to their space. It was also fun to see 22 hens and poult tukeys come in about fifteen minutes ago and walk through the geese. Seems as if the geese give them a good berth as a small turkey chased away the geese that were near it. As usual one of the geese is wounded and keeps laying down. When it gets up it hobbles pretty bad. I get one or two every year that way. They do not lift off when the flocks leave. There was alot of shooting around here this morning.