Snow Goose hunt near Calgary
 

Hey guys,

I am looking to arrange a snow goose trip around the Calgary area. As a novice snow geese hunter I am hoping to get a group together to pool decoys. If you are interested drop me a line.

Snow Goose Hunting
 

I have hunted lots of dark geese, but I have never hunted snow geese. I have 4 dozen snow goose dekes and 6 dozen dark dekes. I have heard that you need like 500 dekes for snows my 48 would be a start.

Don't put the darks out with the snows--will flare the snows off fast.

Silosocks will be your friend

Sounds great moose, maybe we can put together another trip to utilize those dark decoys, or is there a way to enhance a snow goose formation by putting the dark decoys nearby? or will they just give the snow geese another reason to flare?

Anyone have a bunch of Silosocks decoys that wants to come? or perhaps rent out there decoys?

No darks at all--only whites

Not sure the AB spring laws....

Can use any decoys in the spring here in MB

I have no problem putting out some darks to make my spring spread more realistic. Now, 3-600 whites will have more pulling power obviously.

This spring I will hunt smaller ponds/sheetwater near the big feeds whenever they show up. Smaller but very natural. Probably will throw in a few darks. Going to be so wet this spring here, no way Im hauling 500+ dekes in the soup.

Been there done that. They will be pushing the snowline hard and should stick around here for a week maybe. All adults, terribly hard to decoy.

Small open pond is my ticket this spring.

Well I cannot agree with you. While scouting, if you see the snows mingling with canadas and specks; why not put down some darks? I have shot a lot of snows over canada decoys mixed in with snows in the fall and in the spring. I also did not have over 800 decoys, only socks and about 300 socks and many of them were home made.

traditionally snows in Alberta usually were Brooks and east
 

maybe it is just me but I have never seen huntable numbers of snows around Calgary. We keep seeing a few more each year around Weed Lake but I have never seen them feeding in fields by the thousands covering a whole quarter section like I have in Saskatchewan. it was probably only 3-4 years ago when I saw 3 snows come in with a flock of Canadas for the first time on my property and seeing a snow here was a big deal. Last year by far was the most birds we had seen in this area and there were several hundred hanging out in the middle of Weed Lake.

Ive never seen them mix---the Canada are always separated in my experience. Yeah, not much around Alberta for snows--headed to Sask in about a month to thin them out

We will definitely head east from Calgary. I am not sure how this cold weather has impacted migration. I am hoping they will be hungry and bold.

I have many times near Villeneuve, Provost, Onoway, Oyen, Hannah and even Tofield area.

It is true though that there are huge numbers in Sask, but slowly they are moving west it seems. I have seen snow geese landing on Wabamun which is fairly west.

Snow geese
 

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Attachment 153618[/ATTACH]I hunt south of Lethbridge and last fall they were spreading . Took my grand son out and he loved it . He can’t wait till he can shoot to . Looking forward to a great spring hunt they come in by the thousands . Attachment 153614

I don't think the snows will be in southern Alberta any time soon. The lakes that are usually thawed by this time of the year, are frozen solid. Maybe next week when the warm temp. hits. They have been here by this time, since there's been a season.

Snow geese
 

Went out today driving east of Calgary to do some scouting. Everything’s still frozen. I am also eager to hunt snow geese.

Save you gas guys and watch the reports...


https://www.ducks.org/hunting/waterf...n-headquarters



http://www.huntthenorth.com/springsnowreport.html

Snow Goose Hunting
 

These are the best sites to keep an eye on and when to start spotting. Might be a few weeks yet.

Large flock of geese spotted ne of Castor Friday afternoon. Both black and white in flock. About a thousand birds.

Sometimes true but not always.
 

I find the lessers are more likely to mix with the snows and specs and the greater’s want nothing to do with them.

From what I've seen the last couple of yrs, the first birds are honkers and swans, make sure of what you are looking at if you see white birds around in the next couple of wks. Take a look at the snow line thru Montana and Wyoming to figure out where our birds are. Central birds are still only starting into S. Dakota, may be some in Iowa/ southern Nebraska. That last storm that went thru the northern US this last wk, likely pushed a lot back and is holding up the leading edge in S.Dakota.

growing up in your at the edge of Langdon back in the 60's we only ever saw swans , huge flocks of them on weed lake , before they drained it
very rarely did we see snow geese
east of Brooks is where we started seeing snow geese,
I remember riding on the school bus between Langdon and Indus and Chestermere high schools the ponds and slews were loaded with swans
but never snow geese in the spring

Snows don’t hunt lakes in spring
 

Been hunting snows for some time have lots of open properties to hunt in the south . Never see much on frozen lakes the odd few. I’m quit fortunate to be able to hunt property that farmers have winter wheat on and as the snow melts they pool standing water . It’s a muddy walk but worth it . I uses my lay down blind with a old painters drop sheet . My sores is ablout 75 wind soaks which I break up in scattered parts from from kten to thirty in a bunch at the wind head I put 50 standing with three kites . And of course me laying there . Went out yesterday and seen about 700 they r just starting . Give by end of week they will be here . Got three yesterday with two shots . In one field but Thursday should be a good hunt day . Still no big flocks yet . But lots of standing water four five inches deep.

Snow geese
 

[QUOTE=paul1964;3948395]Been hunting snows for some time have lots of open properties to hunt in the south . Never see much on frozen lakes the odd few. I’m quit fortunate to be able to hunt property that farmers have winter wheat on and as the snow melts they pool standing water . It’s a muddy walk but worth it . I uses my lay down blind with a old painters drop sheet . My sores is ablout 75 wind soaks which I break up in scattered parts from from kten to thirty in a bunch at the wind head I put 50 standing with three kites . And of course me laying there . Went out yesterday and seen about 700 they r just starting . Give by end of week they will be here . Got three yesterday with two shots . In one field but Thursday should be a good hunt day . Still no big flocks yet . But lots of standing water four five inches deep.[/QUOT

Just wondering where about you normally see them. Ball park figure

I have seen a few hundreds of snowies last April on Crawling Valley but they stay far away from a shore.

I spotted a small flock of Canada Geese in Cochrane today, any other sightings?

Saw 6 swans today.....

Had a good look around the last couple of days. No snow geese, but a few swans have shown up.

Still no snows around Langdon. If anyone is willing to take on a novice, let me know. I have blind, silosocks, and willing to scout. Would like to get some success this spring season.

Snow goose
 

Has anyone ever seen any snow geese around dalemead lake?

Small flock(cpl dozen?) big honkers flew over the house yesterday morning....smack dab in the geographical Center of Alberta near Fort Assiniboine.
There’s really no open water around here yet other then ponds forming in fields from snowmelt and guessing maybe some open water up on Slave Lk 50 miles north of here as the goose flies?

Snow commung in good
 

Lots of snows south of tyrell lake. Multitude of flocks approx 100 per flock or more seen a constant flow all morning today . Build up over 2000 on fields