decoy spreads

[corey hendrickson]

This will be kinda long...Today we had tons of geese lock up, come straight towards us, and at 60 or 70 yds veer off and go right on by. We had 12 FA fullbodies, 12 FA shells, 4 BigFoots, and probably 5dz shells from reg. size to the super mag shells(good to hide gear under). We were using 2 finishers and a FA S.u.b, hunting cut corn, except the stubble was only 4 maybe 5 inches tall. we set the full bodies, and FA shells and big foots 15 yds in front of us, and the other older shells in no particular pattern starting 5 yds behind the blinds. We tried moving the blinds, rearranged the dekes at least 6 times, and all the flocks did almost the same thing :x , None of us are good using a short reed so we all used Big River flutes, which have produced before. We tried aggressive calling all the way to being silent and the same results. We are hunting a hay field tomorrow, which we scouted and is holding geese consistantly, so any advise to avoid this tomorrow? Thanks

[greenhead]

How did u set them up the fullbodies

[corey hendrickson]

In a couple groups on the left and right of us with a hole in front of us for them to land in

[SMOKE]

sometimes thats just the way it goes. i think we have all been there at some point or another. but i heard jeff talk in one of his videos and if i remember right he said try and set up some sentry real close to the blinds along wtih some feeders. the sentries will look just like they lit in there. Might work worth a shot i guess. also make sure your blnids are brushed good and your faces are covered.

[IowaMigr8tor]

Suggestion: put your blinds maybe 40 yds in front of your spread or about where the geese stall at. Another suggestion is to work on the short reed, at least one of you guys should be able to blow one even if it sounds kinda bad it will still be covered by the other calls. Most of the Big River flutes I have heard and used all sound the same. Adding a different sounding goose in there will convince them that you are the stuff they want.

[Mark Spence]

Honestly, first thing that comes to mind is.....where the blinds hid well enough??? It's hard to hide a Finisher or an S.U.B., or any other bind for that matter in 4 - 5" stubble. MAKE SURE, above all else, that all of the blinds are concealed the best you can, that all gear is either in the blinds or concealed just as good as the blinds, and like mentioned above....your faces are either painted or covered.

Second thing that comes to mind is decoy placement....I did not see where you mentioned a "kill hole" or an area that was left open for geese to work into. Granted the "black hole" or "blob" spread has its days, but normally geese want a fairly open area to work into or set down into. There are many ways to do this, but your best bet is to imitate the flock as you saw them while scouting.

Just a couple of things that popped out at me.....

[Max4Gooser]

Great Advise from all. Another Idea is to see if the farmer will allow you to dig down a few inches under your blind to lower your profile, probably wont happen as most farmers dont like this idea, even if you where to relplace the dirt when you left. Also what was the wind conditions like, durring your hunt, where you facing into the wind etc.? Last allways try to step back and look at your spread and blind, see if their is anything that really stands out or just doesnt look tight. Do you have shiny gun barrels that are reflecting light, are your hands making to much movement and giving away your location when calling,

Another thing, if you are having trouble using a short reed, but are good with a flute, one of you should consider buying a Meat Cutter. I have used flutes for 20 plus years, from about everyone, PS Olt A-50 to Tim Grounds and the Foiles Meat Cutter is with out a doubt the best sounding, most Goose like flute on the market, and you can shake things up a bit with great clucks, moans, and feeding growls with it. Definately worth the $$$.

Good luck.

[Scott Curtsinger]

As mentioned in an earlier post, try moving your blinds up closer to the area where they flare, this was the only way we could kill honkers in ND starting about mid Oct. we were actually putting clients 60-70 yards downwind of dekes w/great success. Try spreading your hunters out further instead of having everyone in a line together. At this point, we are putting clients in pods of hunters(3-4) and setting spreads in wierd configurations, espically with the weather being so warm, and it is working, last weekend we had 15 guys for 3 days and managed to kill 146 geese and sandhill cranes. dare to be different and it should help put the odds in your favor.

[corey hendrickson]

I think concealment was the name of the game, because today, in the wheat field we had geese coming right over us, 20 or 30 feet up, just really hesitant to put the gear down, but hey it's a step in the right direction, and a lesson learned, We tried a new set up w/the decoys but they just weren't wanting to land. We are surrounded by corn, wheat and alfalfa and disced up sweet potato fields, so the menu for em changes every day. We're going to work on permission for more places after the season, and maybe try to get a lease worked out for exclusive access. Lots of variables, which makes it fun. The kill hole, is going to be changed after readin the post, because we leave holes, but the hole has decoys surrounding it....Going to open it up a little more. As far as the short reed goes, as soon as I get the hundred bucks from a reward banded duck(first banded duck, had a silver band and a reward band :) ), I am gettin a SMH, I wish I had a Gander Mtn around here and knew about that sale a few weeks back.....I am hell bound a determind to be atleast decent by next season, I just wish there were some expos around here or pro-staffers offering clinics, because no one I know blows a short reed, so it would be nice to get the thats right or that sounds like crap kinda deal...But we got a few today so it's gettin better.....Thanks for the tips!!

[Killer Miller]

Hey Corey, so did you limit out in the wheat field or what?
About the spread. I hunt with iowamigr8tor and Im with him. If the geese keep sliding out before they get to you, then you gotta move your blinds to where they have been sliding. I know, I hate to do it to because then you think they'll come right to the dekes. But they wont. Im sure you've seen it too. Whatever the first group of birds do, the rest normally will do almost the same exact thing. So dont be scared to but your blinds way downwind of your dekes if the first group slides. I would also try hitting 'em real hard with your calls when they start to slide. But you're hunting late season birds so theyre gonna be wary no matter what. Honestly, I think geese flying are even scared of real live geese on the ground sometimes during the lateseason when they get alot of hunting pressure. You need to try different decoy patterns too I think. I like the U but if that doesnt work, I like a long line with the tips of the line curved out just a little pointing downwind. Make the line thin at the ends and fatter in the middle (where you want the blinds). Sorry this was so long. I could probably write a book about decoy spreads. haha

[corey hendrickson]

We didnt come near limiting out, but thats good anyways 'cause I'd be late for work if we had that many birds to clean. I work 3pm to 11 at night, get home and hang out with the wife and baby and get a few hours and get up and go hunting. We are going to try and go Friday morning so if that's happening we'll try that. We could probably have shot more geese but we really don't shoot at 'em unless they're locked up comin in, which I still can't believe how I can miss some of the shots that I do, I can hit ducks all day at 30-40 yds and totally miss a goose @ 10-15 yds. And Max4Gooser, the wind has been ridiculous, been blowin steady at 20mph or so for the past 2 hunts, thought it was gunna break my FA flag a few times, it rained pretty much all morning today, and monday it hailed but the geese were still moving.

[coy]

geese are really good at locating sound so make sure you put your blinds in the decoys or put half a dozen around each blind and make sure you cover the blinds with whatever you are hunting in make sure your spread looks real