Anyone going snow goose hunting???

[Cody Gruchow]

is there anyone going snow goose hunting this spring??? i want to go but i dont want to do another guide service, because its lame going by yourself. so does anyone willing to take a fellow MNO guy along? i dont have any decoys or calls but i can get some, i just have never bothered buying them cause i dont ever use them. im willing to split prices also. let me know thanks

[pheasantman2121]

I would love to go snow goose huntingtoo.  But I am in the same boat you are no decoys or calls and dont want to spend the money on them to get the spread needed. 

[fubar]

Im sitting with you guys. maby we shuld all just get a couple hundred and hook up... im going with some of my friends that have a prety impresive spread, id love to invite you guys out to nodak here but i dont think they would like that too much. they are prety into being secretive. let em know if you guys get any decoys and i will ee what i can swing with buying a few hundred.

[Bufflehead]

 We are going to our place in South Dakota. Go every year

 I tell ya what, we have took people in the past(guys). For me, it hasn't always worked out very well.

If a person hits it right, you can kill a fair amount of birds, but no matter. We always have a good time

 

 

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[MnDeerStalker]

I've never gone but think it would be fun!

Buffle
Looks like you got a good spot out there!

[Bufflehead]

Our property boarders a national wildlife refuge. I can stand on my front steps and pass shoot snows & blues. It's so loud at night. When I wake up at 2-3 o clock in the morning. All you can hear is GEESE!!!!!!!!!!! It's awesome!!!!!! When I'm too old or crippled to hunt anymore. I will still be in 7th heaven just watching the migration at it's best

Could you get use to this?

This is on the ice in front of our place

[MnDeerStalker]

might be tuff but I think with practice I could get used to it.

[Pegg]

I would go if we can find some people to go. I don't have any snow goose decoys or calls but I do hunt ducks and geese. We should set it up.

[Go Big Red!]

Damn waterfowl itch is back again... How many more days????

[fubar]

i just bought 600 rags, if anyone has the motivation id be willing to set somthing up this spring.

[Pegg]

I am up for it. Let do it.

[Cody Gruchow]

i may be up for it depending on how fast i heal up(just had knee surgery). let me know a possible time and ill pick up some rags also, and some calls

[HD]

Ok, I've never gone snow goose hunting in the spring...
And I would love to go as well.

When do you normally go? What month? Do you have a place in mind? Where would we stay, or is it just a drive out and a drive back? I can buy some rags too........

I use to go to North Dakota, on the other side of Devil's Lake.
And, the only thing I got left of my snow goose hunting days are a couple calls, and some white snow camo.

Hunter

[Go Big Red!]

I don't have rags or anything for geese but I will work my  off if someone needs an extra hunter.

[Cody Gruchow]

HD last year i went in the middle of march and the geese were already coming through, south dakota. i dont really have a place in mind, id look up some public land, i would be guessing stay in a motel or something of that sort.

[fubar]

it all depends on how fast the snow melts, i will probubly be going in eastern north dakota, there are a bunch of little motels out there or houses to rent for dirt cheap

[Go Big Red!]

What happened to the good old days when sleeping in the truck cab was sufficient???

[kingfisher1]

What happened to the good old days when sleeping in the truck cab was sufficient???

They're still here, you just have to look harder........  Some of us are content sleeping in the bed of a truck (Me being one of them) and others want a bed in a house or hotel........

[JCAMERON]

What happened to the good old days when sleeping in the truck cab was sufficient???

I don't want to stray to far off topic but here's a little story; A couple years back two friends and I decided to fish Red lake for the weekend. All we had was a 2 man portable, a cooker heater, my ext. cab truck and one sleeping bag.... about three in the morning I kicked the guy sleeping out of my truck so I could sleep and he could fish. It was roughly -30 with the windchill. Needless to say I got perdy could, perdy quick. After a nice arguement with a very drunk man, I persuaded him to leave us alone and let me sleep. 10 minutes later this fella comes back and opens up the door to my truck. I'm damn near pissed at this point, untill he tells me I can't sleep in my truck, that its too cold, that he had a bunk house for us to sleep in.... Very interesting trip!

I don't mind sleeping in my drivers seat, have done it plenty of times. I would deffinitely be interested in something like this, but I probably won't know for sure for a little bit.

[fubar]

sleeping in the tru is fine for the regular season but i dont realy like it for snows because its so wet and muddy, everything will be COVERED in mud and it is nice to go somwhere and dry off and get a good nights sleep. the last 2 years we stayed in a little house we rented and it only cost us 20 dollars a person for a 3 bedroom 1 full bathroom and a washer and dryer. im hardcore but for that kind of money i will take the bed! i jsut got about 400 rags and im working on getting an e-caller so anyone that is interested get your rags now so we can seyt somthing up!

[Cody Gruchow]

im working on it...im getting my tax returns next weekend so ill buy 400-500 rags also, if i can find them. as for sleeping in the truck, ive done it numerous times but snow goose hunting isnt one of them, as stated your all muddy and wet and it gets everywere.

[snow]

Well the migration has started down south,reports from Swan Lake MO ckaim they have 20k already,this will change daily,Squaw Creek MO is a major stagging area usually heats up by mid march,#'s will be in the millions when the migration is in full swing, thats when things get exciting.

You guys that want to go that never have hunted the spring really should consider a guide,some will offer just daily hunts and supply decoys and layouts,most will have e-callers and such,prices start around $100/day for most states and go up from there which can include lodging,guides will have areas scouted and land access locked up,all you need to do is show up with lots of ammo.License fee's in Missouri for the spring hunt is $6 and NO daily limits (bring lots of ammo),Nebraska I believe is still $100,NoDak/SoDak is still $50 with a 20 bird daily limit,no possesion limit.

The birds will follow the snow line as they migrate north,they need the food source and water of course.

Sure you can head west and hope for the best,maybe get into some jump shooting or pass shooting,but thats a dice roll and having a few 100  rags and not a scouted out location can be fruitless.

Just a few thoughts.

This is what ground ZERO looks like... "becareful of falling debris"  Did I tell ya to bring lots of ammo?



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[Pegg]

I am up for it.

[JCAMERON]

I just ran the idea by MRS. Camo. She just shook her head no..... With our second child due March 3rd, and the first just turning one year old I don't think she's too crazy about being left home for a few days to fend for herself...

[ChrisWallace]

Snows spot on.

Jumping birds is not any fun. Get underneath a tornado of em and youll be hooked.

y follow that snow line and it helps having connections up the flyway to let you know when the birds are thick where and when so you cna adjust your plan as according.

There are a ton of juvies around. Atleast what I seen this fall out west. It could be a great year to kill a lot of birds but Im banking on the weather to really screw us up.


A majority of the birds are in northern arkansas but they are having 60 degree weather and 50 mph winds right now, so that just start pushing em back. Not to mention the huge storm cell in okalahoma right now.

Texas has been incredibly dry and it sounded like the birds stuck around till the crops were out and were gone by night.

Calls are pretty pointless imo, buy an ecaller or make one. I made my own out of plano tackle boxes and hooked em up with an mp3 player and the volume controls are always in my pocket to adjust sound levels. You can make em for about the same price of a foxpro or other ecaller but with more modifications and capabilities.

People get caught up in the numbers craze of snow dekes. Way I look at it Tyson  and Tonys crew killed over 2000 birds one spring setting up over 1000 full bodies, it looked great in the video. Absolute crap ton of work not to mention the cost with buying that many. The next year they do a small spread of no more than 500 and had just as good of luck.

[fubar]

well im out in nodak right now going to school and i have a prety large network of hunters i hang out with over here so knowing when the birds show up isnt my problem. the only thing i have left to get is a e-caller and im planing on building one in the next couple of days.

[PJ Maguire]

Well I think you guys are on the right track. Sleeping in trucks is fine, hotel rooms are nice. The first two years I hunted snows in the spring I never used decoys. Just pass shot and jumped. Nothing wrong with that. I would just head to Sodak and drive til you find birds.

[fubar]

well, i odered an amp and 2 100 watt powerhorn speakers and bought an mp3 player today so im hopeing to have an e-caller put together by the time the snows get here. all i have to do it get it all wired together and mount it in the drybox. this is getting prety expensive putting together a full snow spread in one year, but its an investment just like the canadian spread...and the duck decoys...and the blinds....and guns... now i jsut have to get my girlfriend to think of it the same way!

[ChrisWallace]

Your better off to not tell them.

I kept my field spread in a rental garage for 2 years so my parents and gf wouldnt know.

[Go Big Red!]

Exactly.  Out of sight, out of mind.

My wife doesn't tell me the Target credit card balance and I don't tell her about how much hunting gear, dekes, guns, etc. I have.