I want to get into the duck and geese hunting thing. I have the dog and am starting to train her. I need to know what I need to get started. I have a 20 gauge but will probably invest in a 12 before I go after geese. Any help from any of you guys would be great.
How do I get started
- Thread starter sreekers
- Start date
DesertWingsHunt
New member
You are going to need waders and decoys. Read up on some articles and buy some videos. Hopefully you can find a buddy that will take you out. Get out there and try it out and have fun! Good Luck.
Krustyklimber
New member
Hunting geese is a team sport, unless it is legal to use an electronic caller. It's hard to make enough noise to match a large spread of dekes by yourself.
It's also hard to purchase, transport, set and retrieve, 100 or more goose decoys by yourself.
Most beginners use too many decoys, and too much calling. It took me a long time to be able to leave most of my crap at home, when calling small ponds.
A small piece of camo cloth just enough to break your outline, and half a dozen dekes, will do you more good than an elaborate blind and a cartful of dekes.
Winter days are short, you don't want to spend all morning "building a home", just to spend all afternoon tearing it back down.
For anchors and lines, I like a weight that the line coils around, so the deke has "just enough" line out to reach the bottom every time.
With the mushroom weights, all the line plays out, and the dekes can wander and tangle. Or they don't reach the bottom well (as a way to keep them from wandering the lines are shortened) and you catch one drifting off... making a break for it!
I generally run about 20 feet of green dacron line on each, but I rarely set birds in water over 8 feet deep (unless I am trying to "guide" birds in, by blocking, ducks generally won't fly in to land, over birds on the water).
Next year, if your private lands work out this winter, spend some time building more permanent blinds (with an eye towards comfort), and some nesting boxes and platforms to rear more birds.
I have had as many birds come into the set, without calling at all, as I have with (over) aggressive calling... you get to dozin' and the sound of mallards plopping into the water wakes you.
It's way more of a visual thing, than a sound thing.
Set your dekes well, and they attract the birds, set em wrong, and they won't come in range, or just swing on by without even slowing down.
I hunt one area, with several small ponds, fairly close together. I have found that if I throw a couple birds in each pond, I do better than if I throw 6 in just one pond.
I might have to do some sneakin' and jump shooting, but it looks more natural, so more birds are drawn to it.
They say not to hunt your best spots in the afternoon. A duck can't remember where he was shot at in the morning, but he will worry all night long about where he was shot at in the afternoon, and may not return there for days.
As far as firearms, depending on shell size, and shot size a 20 ga has every bit of (and sometimes more) the killing power of a 12 ga.
When I reload for my 20 ga (3"), I use exactly the same amount of powder and shot as in my 12 ga (2 3/4").
Being that the tube of the 20 ga has a smaller interior volume, it actually reaches considerably higher pressure, and therefore velocity at the muzzle is a few hundred feet faster.
Going to longer shells (3" and 3 1/2") in 12 ga, or fatter shells like a 10 ga only increases the amount of shot you can throw, not necessarily the velocity.
And you pay for it, in increased recoil, and cost... more lead (or worse non-tox shot) costs more money.
Until your dog comes all the way around, I'd consider a small boat, and even after that, it's totally handy to have... even the best dog can't set and retrieve dekes worth a dang.
My season opens Saturday, can you tell I am excited?
Krusty
It's also hard to purchase, transport, set and retrieve, 100 or more goose decoys by yourself.
Most beginners use too many decoys, and too much calling. It took me a long time to be able to leave most of my crap at home, when calling small ponds.
A small piece of camo cloth just enough to break your outline, and half a dozen dekes, will do you more good than an elaborate blind and a cartful of dekes.
Winter days are short, you don't want to spend all morning "building a home", just to spend all afternoon tearing it back down.
For anchors and lines, I like a weight that the line coils around, so the deke has "just enough" line out to reach the bottom every time.
With the mushroom weights, all the line plays out, and the dekes can wander and tangle. Or they don't reach the bottom well (as a way to keep them from wandering the lines are shortened) and you catch one drifting off... making a break for it!
I generally run about 20 feet of green dacron line on each, but I rarely set birds in water over 8 feet deep (unless I am trying to "guide" birds in, by blocking, ducks generally won't fly in to land, over birds on the water).
Next year, if your private lands work out this winter, spend some time building more permanent blinds (with an eye towards comfort), and some nesting boxes and platforms to rear more birds.
I have had as many birds come into the set, without calling at all, as I have with (over) aggressive calling... you get to dozin' and the sound of mallards plopping into the water wakes you.
It's way more of a visual thing, than a sound thing.
Set your dekes well, and they attract the birds, set em wrong, and they won't come in range, or just swing on by without even slowing down.
I hunt one area, with several small ponds, fairly close together. I have found that if I throw a couple birds in each pond, I do better than if I throw 6 in just one pond.
I might have to do some sneakin' and jump shooting, but it looks more natural, so more birds are drawn to it.
They say not to hunt your best spots in the afternoon. A duck can't remember where he was shot at in the morning, but he will worry all night long about where he was shot at in the afternoon, and may not return there for days.
As far as firearms, depending on shell size, and shot size a 20 ga has every bit of (and sometimes more) the killing power of a 12 ga.
When I reload for my 20 ga (3"), I use exactly the same amount of powder and shot as in my 12 ga (2 3/4").
Being that the tube of the 20 ga has a smaller interior volume, it actually reaches considerably higher pressure, and therefore velocity at the muzzle is a few hundred feet faster.
Going to longer shells (3" and 3 1/2") in 12 ga, or fatter shells like a 10 ga only increases the amount of shot you can throw, not necessarily the velocity.
And you pay for it, in increased recoil, and cost... more lead (or worse non-tox shot) costs more money.
Until your dog comes all the way around, I'd consider a small boat, and even after that, it's totally handy to have... even the best dog can't set and retrieve dekes worth a dang.
My season opens Saturday, can you tell I am excited?
Krusty
Krustyklimber said:
OK, sorry. Krusty had some good points.
sreekers, I hope you get into the waterfowl hunting and have a good time with it. I really enjoy chasing the birds, but if I didn't have a dog, I wouldn't do it any more.
As Krusty mentioned, a 12 isn't needed. While this is true, I don't think getting a 12 guage is a bad idea, but not a necessity.
I only have a few dozen decoys, but usually hunt with a dozen or less. I like the G&H mag mallards and I think they run just over $100/dozen.
You will need some weights. I like the straps and you might as well keep them light unless you are hunting some deeper water with windy conditions.
Nearly all my duck hunting is for dabblers (ie. they like the shallow water). I would only put on 6 - 10' of line, an you can always shorten it depending on the water depth. As you can see on the decoys I recommended, you can wrap the excess line around the base and place a loop around the front hook to keep the line from running off. Difficult to explain, if you struggle with it, let me know and I will post a couple pics. Keep you line as short as possible to reduce the chance of lines crossing if the wind direction changes and on windless days the line can sometimes be seen from above. Most of the time it is too late for the bird, but something to think about.
I agree with Krusty, if your dog isn't ready, you better have a boat. My first year I was the bird dog and no boat. Used a lot of steel trying to stop cripples and had no fun trudging through the mud. I have an Aqua-pod and love it. Lots of others out there, but weight and room are my biggest considerations.
I shoot #2 steel at my ducks and BBB/T for geese and swans. That being said, I have killed a triple on honkers and a few swans with 2's when they surpised me. Even the biggest birds will die if you let them get in your face.
Calling. I would rate my calling as piss poor. I probably kill just as many ducks when I forget the call in the pickup. I think it is still a good tool to get a birds attention to the decoys, after they see the dekes put the call away. Last weekend I had birds fly by my spread and I jumped on the call. It brought a few of them back and into the bag and really I had nothing to lose since they were headed somewhere else.
I don't like electronic decoys, but apparently they work. I did just order a wind generated spinner, so I will have it on the marsh next weekend.
All of my opinions are what I have learned since I started hunting ducks in 1998, so there are others much more knowledgeable about waterfowl hunting and this works where I hunt. You may have different conditions than what I have. Grab a couple dekes, a gun, your pup and something that makes some noise. Have fun and you will learn as you go.
BTW, try duckhunter.net and check out the Montana/Wyoming forum. You might find someone that can take you out down there.
Good luck
Build a garage...you gotta be able to store hunting crap (boat, blinds, decoys, gun safe, and a place to sleep after you spend all your money and your wife kicks you out of the house)...beyond that, don't buy the cheapest of anything you can find, you don't have to spend a mint, but remember you get what you pay for. Start with one or two dozen decoys if you're hunting small ponds, in rock springs, you might not need a boat on a small pond, just wait till the wind blows your dead birds across the pond...and then ducks will come in to your spread while you're all the way across the freaking lake. A dog is the real reason I hunt, I like to watch him work, and I like to train him, without that, I may as well be deer hunting. As for calls, I like single reed calls better, they're just easier for me, but I call less and less the more I hunt, and NEVER when birds are already headed my direction. Motion for decoys is most important, you can get that with a jerk cord, and like all hunting, if you're where they already want to be, it's much easier.
Krustyklimber
New member
MtMiller,
I have seen plenty of dogs that (with enough coaxing) will bring in most if not all of the dekes.
I have yet to meet one that can put out a decent spread.
I got two 12's and a 20, so I agree there's no harm in having one.
And in a pinch you are more likely to find (a wider selection of) ammo for a 12 ga.
100 bucks a dozen... Holy Cwap Elmer Fudd!
I have a few dozen of the Greenhead Gear "Hot Buy" decoys, $20-$30 a dozen, and almost a hundred other decoys I inherited, with most of the rest of my duck gear.
I have converted them (the Green Heads) to water keel, by cutting off the plug that holds the sand in, and drilling a 1/2" hole through the front of the keel. Man, this helped a lot.
My favorite decoy of all is my blue herron, they are totally common around here, and inspire confidence by their skittish nature.
Most of my hunting is also puddlers, in flooded fields. But I also hunt the coulees and creeks of the Columbia River Basin, as well as the estuaries of the Puget Sound rivers (sea-ducks, and puddle-ducks).
One day I might take 6 dekes to flooded timber, another I might take 100 or more to a tidal flat (where the tide can change 12 feet, twice in a day).
These are the weights I use. They're obviously home-made.
You can see the line is coiled in a figure 8, this is to keep it tangle free.
The line plays out easily, and lets out just enough to reach the bottom... every time.
I never have to shorten them, or have to worry about them being too short.
Like I say, that way if I need some "guiding" with deep water dekes I can get it done without hauling out the longline and clips.
It's nice to be able to undo the rubber band, and blindly huck a deke out of the boat, knowing it'll set itself.
The key is to not only use the dekes as an attractant, but as air traffic control too.
MtMiller hit it right on the head, get out there and do it, it'll all come to you.
Krusty
I have seen plenty of dogs that (with enough coaxing) will bring in most if not all of the dekes.
I have yet to meet one that can put out a decent spread.
I got two 12's and a 20, so I agree there's no harm in having one.
And in a pinch you are more likely to find (a wider selection of) ammo for a 12 ga.
100 bucks a dozen... Holy Cwap Elmer Fudd!
I have a few dozen of the Greenhead Gear "Hot Buy" decoys, $20-$30 a dozen, and almost a hundred other decoys I inherited, with most of the rest of my duck gear.
I have converted them (the Green Heads) to water keel, by cutting off the plug that holds the sand in, and drilling a 1/2" hole through the front of the keel. Man, this helped a lot.
My favorite decoy of all is my blue herron, they are totally common around here, and inspire confidence by their skittish nature.
Most of my hunting is also puddlers, in flooded fields. But I also hunt the coulees and creeks of the Columbia River Basin, as well as the estuaries of the Puget Sound rivers (sea-ducks, and puddle-ducks).
One day I might take 6 dekes to flooded timber, another I might take 100 or more to a tidal flat (where the tide can change 12 feet, twice in a day).
These are the weights I use. They're obviously home-made.
You can see the line is coiled in a figure 8, this is to keep it tangle free.
The line plays out easily, and lets out just enough to reach the bottom... every time.
I never have to shorten them, or have to worry about them being too short.
Like I say, that way if I need some "guiding" with deep water dekes I can get it done without hauling out the longline and clips.
It's nice to be able to undo the rubber band, and blindly huck a deke out of the boat, knowing it'll set itself.
The key is to not only use the dekes as an attractant, but as air traffic control too.
MtMiller hit it right on the head, get out there and do it, it'll all come to you.
Krusty
