Early Birds
Five Good Tips for Field Hunting Canada Geese
Scott Terning is Delta Waterfowl's resident Canada goose aficionado. He loves hunting the big birds, even during the early season when mosquito bites and sunburn sometimes go hand-in-hand.
"I love to call, and Canada geese are neat birds to hunt because they're very responsive to calling—even when it's hot outside," said Terning, Delta's Director of Waterfowler Recruitment and Education. "The early season is also the perfect time to mentor a new hunter. I've never met a novice waterfowler who doesn't like to watch Canada geese work the decoys."
Below are Terning's tips for the early goose season:
● Scouting: It's mandatory, and success depends on it. "It's a huge deal, obviously, finding the right field to hunt," said Terning. "You have to put your time in if you hope to kill a few birds. It's one of the most important parts of the hunt."
Terning says hunters need to be respectful of landowners when seeking permission to hunt. "Mind your manners and leave the property the way you found it," he said. "If you don't, neither you nor anyone else will be hunting there again."
● Calling: Terning says basic clucks and moans are usually enough to seduce early-season geese. "Use your judgment, but less is usually more during the early season," he said. "Learn how to blow a comeback call, too. You may need it."
● Concealment: Grounds blinds are portable and work well in fields. Make sure, however, you "mud" the blind before the season and use "natural" vegetation to camouflage it during the hunt. "New blinds can glare, and mud helps tone it down," he said. "As a rule, you should camo your blind with the vegetation from the field in which you're hunting."
● Decoys and decoy placement: Terning says he uses three to five dozen, sets them in small family groups typically in a U- or wishbone-shaped pattern, and plays the wind. "You don't need a huge spread in the early season," he said. "Remember geese like to land into the wind, so adjust the open area of your spread accordingly."
● Flagging: Terning says flagging works great when you're trying to attract birds at a distance. "Once they look committed, then I stop flagging," he said. Bottom line: motion—in the form of flagging, which mimics geese in the field—lends a pinch of realism to your spread. "Flags are mandatory," said Terning. "I never hunt Canada geese without one."