Snow Geese: The Bonus Season!

Snow Geese: The Bonus Season!

By Ryan Eder

This season we have examined what it takes to be successful hunting Canada geese; from decoy spreads to the time of the year and everything in between on how to strategize for success in the field. Snow geese present many of the same challenges, along with additional struggles that make success more difficult to attain. Routine items such as scouting and decoy spreads can become twice as much work when pursuing snow geese so knowing where to start, where to look and what to do is essential. Talk to any waterfowl hunter who has experienced a successful snow goose hunt and they will likely tell you that being in the middle of a snow goose tornado is unlike any hunting experience you have ever been a part of. To see that many birds (as well as hear them) in one place is unexplainable. In order to witness this for yourself, it is important to understand a few key tactics that are specific to hunting this type of bird.

Snow geese are extremely intelligent. The slightest hunting pressure will cause them to be very wary of where they land and where they go. Additionally, they travel in very large flocks. Simply put, there can be thousands of birds that are “hunter-wise” and skeptical about every field they consider. For obvious reasons, this can make them much tougher to hunt. I’d like to share with you a few basic tactics that I have found useful and effective in our hunts.

Scouting
No matter what type of waterfowl species you are hunting (or any type of hunting for that matter) scouting is important. I maintain that scouting is the most important step in any hunt. The difference is that with ducks or Canada geese there is always a chance that a single bird or small group happen to come across your field or water and give you a chance to pursue them. With snow geese, while this is possible in theory, it is less likely because of how large of groups they travel in. Snow geese follow specific feeding patterns, and unless they are pressured typically return until the food source is exhausted. For this reason, successful snow goose hunts start with very aggressive scouting. You might have more drive time, and go down more back roads than you are used to, but once you located the spots these groups are feeding, that is going to be your best bet. Of course make sure to knock on land-owner’s doors and secure permission once you find the feed.

Decoys & Setup
We are trying to hunt very wary birds, so regardless of what kind of decoys you put out make sure to park vehicles away from your field. If you notice any other non-natural items in the field get rid of them or cover them up (this could be tire tracks, ruts, packaging or wrappers from your gear or food, etc.). Because of the large group sizes, I would suggest a minimum of 500 decoys in your spread. Full body decoys are costly, but they do work and look the best. Other alternatives include shells, silhouettes or “socks” (also called rags or plastic bag style decoys). As mentioned above, the birds will return where there is food; but now you are hunting them. To maximize the usage of a field, try to setup by midafternoon so that you can hunt that evening and possibly the next morning. In some cases, you might be able to get another afternoon hunt as well but after that the birds will be gone from the pressure. You will then get back to scouting!

Calling & Shooting
Overcalling can be a common mistake. With such large groups of birds, you do not need to overcall, rather, provide enough noise to make your spread “life-like” and let the birds work. For singles, or even pairs, calling will likely be more effective. I’d like to note that calling is one of those things you test out during your hunts. Much of the success you’ll have or not have based on calling is based on experience level and overall calling ability. For me, I am not a strong caller so less is more.

Shooting is a science when it comes to snow geese. In many cases, we take shots at snow geese that we’d likely not take on a mallard or even a Canada goose. With snow geese traveling in large groups, it is very unlikely that the entire group commits to your decoy spread. At some point, your hunting group will need to decide when to take a shot, and when you do, only a portion of the group will be in shooting range. Some suggest to let a few birds land first, then begin to fire so that as birds in the air begin to flee the area, you will have shots at birds that are getting off of the ground. I would also recommend that your group establish one person to call the shot, so that everyone gets up at the same time. Furthermore, make sure everyone in the group shoots in their lanes (the area of the flock in their line of sight). You will not be as successful if everyone is shooting at the same bird!

It is possible that you will be taking longer and higher shots when hunting snow geese, so I recommend BB loads, particularly in windy conditions. I shoot 3 ½ inch shells, but that is not necessary. Make sure to keep in mind at longer distances and heights, shot gunning principles will apply. Take the wind into account and lead the birds accordingly. If your sight is on their beak 40 yards in the air with strong winds, you will shoot behind the bird!

This type of waterfowl hunting is more work than the rest, and the birds are much tougher to succeed against. The reward, however, is that much greater! Give snow goose hunting a try, as you can hunt them in Iowa all the way into April with the Light Goose Conservation Order. Whether you try privately or take advantage of several outfitters within the state, this is a unique experience and quite enjoyable.