Ultra-basic canada goose decoy spread: socks vs sillouettes, etc?

[Macintosh]

Newbie waterfowl hunter. I got some good info on a basic starter pack for ducks this year—had a blast, enjoying the steep learning curve and exploring new places. We have a long canada goose season here. I’ve been a few times with friends, with a spread ranging from an overflowing truckload of full-body decoys, to nothing more than a dozen sillouettes. Most of my hunting would be on fields where they feed in the AM, or on sandbars or marsh edges where they come to loaf midday. There are both lessers and bigger birds, and as far as I can tell they seem pretty well mixed together. For you guys that hunt canadas, I’d love any insight you have on “must haves” for an ultra-basic kit.

-do you need full-body decoys at all? If so, when? (a couple floaters for loafing areas?)
-sillouettes, socks, or both—and why?
-minimum number? Portability is important. I see groups of birds of all sizes both feeding and flying around, so what is a good minimum place to start?
-does it matter bigger decoys vs lesser decoys?

On sillouettes, how much difference does flocking make?

On socks, I see them both with and without heads. How much difference does it make, and are there caveats (ie maybe “no heads needed if supplementing full body decoys, but you really need heads if they are the bulk of the spread”)

How necessary is a call? Suggestions for the most basic starter call? Aiming for minimum “non-throwaway” investment here.

Any other pieces of info or advice?

Thanks in advance!

 

[LongWayAround]

Skip the socks. Just buy silhouettes. You do not need full bodies.

A cheap basic call will work fine. Practice until you sound good. The Goose Society DVDs are a good place to start.

If you want to hunt water, four to eight floaters would be a good idea but they're kind of a pain to store and transport.

Silhouettes kill geese and store easy. You can put 5dz silhouettes in a bag that won't hold four full bodies. Flocking is not "important" but greatly improves the contrast of the decoys with the background, especially the black head/neck. Given the choice, flocking is better.

We will put out 6-12dz silhouettes with a few full bodies where we want the birds to finish. But you would do just as well without the fulls.

I don't see many silhouettes define the "size" (Big Al's might be exception). For full bodies, lessers are fine and probably preferred by most people with lots of them.

If you can drive to your setup spot and be where the geese want to be, I would rather have 3-5dz full bodies than silhouettes. If you have to walk in, hunt public, etcetera, I would take the silhouettes. A good rule of thumb is that one full body equals about three silhouettes. You can build a much larger spread for less money and hassle with flat decoys.

 

[LongWayAround]

In this picture you can see several types of silhouettes.

There are real geese pro 2 in the back. These have a fabric face that acts similar to flocking.

To the left are divebomb silhouettes. Some with flocked heads and others with no flocking.

There is a shell decoy with a flocked head and painted body to the right.

 

[Macintosh]

Thanks, thats super helpful. Yes, I dont have good access to fields, 100% are posted and generally hunted by family and friends so its probably the hardest access to get around me. The rest would be public and none of it is drive-in—all 1/4-1mile walk or kayak access, so space and weight are at a premium. So would you say 3 dozen sillouettes is “minimum” then? Does 2 dozen just disappear? Im seeing plenty of flocks of 3-5 geese so just wondering what it takes to get a group of geese to land. I know several of those small flocks land in the same place and before long theres a bunch of geese there, is more always better?

 

[LongWayAround]

More is not always better. For example, everyone else is hunting 5-10dz full bodies or 10-20dz silhouettes. You might do well to throw 6-12 full bodies.

Small spreads need to be more realistic because there's less for the birds to look at.

Three dozen silhouettes would be a decent "minimum" for one guy. Most manufacturers seem to start their bulk deals at five or six dozen.

Small silhouette spreads do essentially disappear, unless you are on a high contrast situation like snow or a sandbar. There's just not a lot of surface area to show them.

If you can get their attention, or they want to be in that spot, it doesn't necessarily take a lot of decoys.

One thing I didn't mention is that you can always use a full body decoy. Ice or hard frozen ground isn't a problem. With a staked decoy, you may have to drill holes to set them up.

 

[Macintosh]

Thank you Sir, thats very helpful.

 

[KurtR]

Big geese hate socks.

I like the fully flocked and i really like the db black and whites they pop really good. My fil has killed more geese than the avian flu using 18 big foots and being where they want to be. On the x you can get away with alot less. Running traffic is where numbers do help. If not the most important its right up there get a flag you can get geese to turn your way from a mile or more when they see that flag.

My normal spread is 5 doz silos with a couple doz full bodys in the kill hole. As the year goes and we get into bigger feeds we will use more decoys. One day late season they hatted the spread the next day we said hell with it set out a doz full bodys and whacked them. This was a 5000 bird feed.

If i was going to get a dozen full bodys and try to fool them with a small number I really like the dsd for that.

 

[Macintosh]

Thanks @KurtR thats helpful. My use would be almost exclusively walk-in so hoping to avoid full body decoys at all unless needed (for water??). The feeding areas in ag fields are where I have the most trouble getting access so that probably would not be normal for me.
We have an early goose season the month of september that is before any other seasons open, as well as a late season with generally goes almost a month longer than any other seasons, so those would be my focuses. Given that, whats your perspective on minimum # of sillouettes to have much hope of being effective?

(A flag is easy and thats good feedback)

 

[KurtR]

Early season geese i would say 3-5 doz but they can be pain in the ass they dont pattern like latter in the year. They will go to the same place for a week and then up and change for no reason. But if they come they generally always decoy

Later season you could get away with the same but lots of variables like pressure and such and what time of day they are feeding.

Late season the birds are smart and your hide better be on point as they will pick stuff apart circling .

This is for field hunting in northern Sd so stuff can be different for how birds act in other parts of the country .

 

[Macintosh]

Much appreciate the insight, thank you Sir!

 

[JMasson]

I usually use a mix of full bodies, silhouettes and shells. I put some of my shells on a stake and others I lay on the ground. Shells can be a decent substitute for full bodies if space is limited. You could carry hundreds (or more) shells in the space a few dozen full bodies occupy. If you’re near water then a handful of floaters are a good idea but they’re obnoxious and most are pretty heavy. How many decoys I use depends on the time of year and how many birds I’m hunting. That being said, you’ve already got example where a handful of decoys worked when many dozen weren’t. Sometimes it happens like that and then others it doesn’t. If you are on the X, birds most likely come. When you start to hunt traffic is typically when big spreads are necessary. I wouldn’t use socks or fliers for Canada geese. I’ve never had much success with them. I have however had really good success using a flag or two to draw attention to myself.

 

[JMitchell121]

I dont use alot but a mix of silos full bodies and shells. I have been told by very good goose hunters silos give you numbers and geese have eyes on side of head so not great binocular vision and that silos could give you movement to your spread. Obviously shells and full bodies give you definition and visability to birds above your spread. Long walk in areas I have killed geese with just silos.

My buddy and I went north right before Christmas and he said I will borrow a guys trailer. I was driving and said no lets only take 3 doz shells 1 dozen full bodies and 5 dozen silos in the back of my truck. Still had room for coolers, blind bags and blind chairs. I hate pulling a trailer in the winter. We limited out every day. They weather wasnt too cold so silos went in easy with a rubber hammer. You dont need hundreds of decoys to kill geese. Your hide is important.

When we have put out huge speads we put out my buddies 6 fully flocked full bodies. Over the many years we have had probably 10 eagle attacks. Every goose decoy they have ever hit was a flocked one. So I do think birds can tell. The flocking has talon scratches. One hit so hard we had to look for the head that was found probably 25 yards away. That said I wouldnt buy flocked decoys when my non flocked kill birds. Good luck.

 

[spur60]

A few things:
Big geese generally don't like socks or fliers, especially when windy, but if that's what you can afford, you can kill birds over them.

Flagging is more important than the type or number of decoys. But knowing when and when not to flag is a learned skill and can take time. You can educate and burn birds really fast with a flag.

Calling is important, but knowing when to shut up is just as important. Learning to read birds and how they respond to the notes you throw at them is key. Just like flagging you can educate and burn birds by over calling.

Decoys - pick the type that works for your transportation and budget. Got an enclosed trailer, decent land access and generally don't deal with mud all fall? Go fullbodies. Have to hike in, or carry your spread in a chevy malibu? Go silhouettes. Options are good. My buddy an I have 20 dozen divebomb silos and 20 dozen hardcore fullbodies. Along with 5 dozen sleeper shells and 3 dozen floaters. I often run traffic solo and will set 10 dozen silos. On migrator days we might have every dark decoy out plus 200-300 snows too.

HOW YOU HIDE trumps anything else in this thread.

 

[Macintosh]

Thanks all, this is super helpful. I dont really have any field access and Im iced-out as of this past weekend, our small water has been frozen for a month and a half, but even the bays on the big lake are frozen out too far from shore for this kid to risk so it’ll have to wait for september. This thread will be a good refresher for me at that point. Thank you!!

 

[BigDuckHunter]

HOW YOU HIDE trumps anything else in this thread.

This is 100% the most important thing to note. And the #1 reason for guys not killing birds, or not killing as many as they should.

When I started I thought that having a camo blind with a little brush stuffed into the stubble straps was enough. I’ve learned over time that anything less than “I can’t find my blind when I’m standing right next to it” can keep you from killing birds at times. Are there days you can kill them without the perfect hide? Sure. But you’re missing opportunities.

I’ve found that I can kill birds without flagging, without calling, and sometimes without even having decoys if I’m perfectly hidden.

 

[Macintosh]

Yeah, the hide thing was probably my biggest takeaway this season, I definitely had a few setups duck hunting where Im certain my lack of hide flared birds. thats really the only thing Im planning different for next fall, is what it’ll take to be really well hidden. Since I’m doing a lot of of my hunting out of a small kayak, often in places where you really can’t even walk in, physical space is a big consideration. I’m thinking about something like a very lightweight layout chair with a grassed-up gillie blanket, both for ducks and geese. Also trying to fabricate something like a tanglefree 360 blind but much lighter and more packable too, have a badminton net Im thinking of doing something with along with some fiberglass rods. Those would give me better options for the sparse grass along shore that I found a lot, as well as some of the set ups that are out in sparse bull rushes in eight or 10 inches of water. Not exactly sure how that’ll shake out, but for sure it seems like a critical element.

Any ideas, tips, suggestions, photos or snide remarks on good, highly portable hides?

 

[LongWayAround]

Plastic construction mesh fencing with zip ties and burlap. You can get the fencing in green and black.

If you can't find it, send me your address and pay shipping, I have a bunch.

 

[BigDuckHunter]

Yeah, the hide thing was probably my biggest takeaway this season, I definitely had a few setups duck hunting where Im certain my lack of hide flared birds. thats really the only thing Im planning different for next fall, is what it’ll take to be really well hidden. Since I’m doing a lot of of my hunting out of a small kayak, often in places where you really can’t even walk in, physical space is a big consideration. I’m thinking about something like a very lightweight layout chair with a grassed-up gillie blanket, both for ducks and geese. Also trying to fabricate something like a tanglefree 360 blind but much lighter and more packable too, have a badminton net Im thinking of doing something with along with some fiberglass rods. Those would give me better options for the sparse grass along shore that I found a lot, as well as some of the set ups that are out in sparse bull rushes in eight or 10 inches of water. Not exactly sure how that’ll shake out, but for sure it seems like a critical element.

Any ideas, tips, suggestions, photos or snide remarks on good, highly portable hides?

The best hide is highly dependent on the area you’re hunting. Could be anything from a two story blind in the timber complete with a kitchen and bathroom to a gray spray painted layout in open water. That makes it kind of hard to give specific advice, but I’ve found a couple principles always apply.

1. Make sure you’re hidden from above. It seems obvious, but people often forget that. When I started waterfowl hunting I’d focus on building things around me with nothing overhead and would still get busted by many of the birds flying overhead.

2. Break up and angles or lines. If you stand back a ways you shouldn’t be able to see any lines along the top, edges, etc and the corners should look like blobs.

3. Use as much vegetation that you’re hiding in as possible. Waterfowl has great eyesight and color discrimination (far better than ours) so leaving the cornstalks that are left in your layout blind to hunt a bean field will have you sticking out like a sore thumb. Same with using saplings in a marsh with no trees.

The first picture is an example of what a lot of guys do and struggle to kill birds with. Very defined edges, straight lines and hard corners, not great coverage from the top, setup close to the decoys.

The second picture is a picture from one of my hunts. Just to the right of the goose decoy that’s inline with my elbow is mine and a buddies layouts. There’s good coverage from above, it’s all natural vegetation that matches what we were hiding in, and aside from the lines of the crops, there’s no visible lines or edges. (Sorry it’s not a great picture of the blind. It’s the only picture I could find in my camera roll that had a picture of one of my hides. )

The third photo is just one I found on the interweb that is another good example. I’ve built hides like this many times. Obviously it’s best suited to water that has similar isolated patches of saplings. Note the coverage overhead and how there’s no sharp lines or corners.