Spring Snow Goose Season 2023

[CBintheNorth]

Who's looking forward to getting out and getting schooled by the white devils this year?

I've never been a huge fan of snows simply due to their unpredictable behavior, but I'm going to make a more serious attempt this spring.
My youngest turns 10 in a couple weeks and I promised him a hunt in April, so time to get serious I guess...

Going to make a couple rotary machines and see how many more FB's the budget will allow me to add to the spread. Also trying a dual speaker setup for audio this year. Never used recorded calls before.
I'm not a fan of the 1,000+ sock setups so I'm hoping smaller with better decoys, more motion, and more noise will work, but not sure?

Like I said, not usually a fan of hunting snows. I take the boys with me a lot, so shooting birds in the dekes is preferred to spraying into the sky.
Any hints from the seasoned experts on pulling them in, instead of over?

[densa44]

Those electronic calls work great! Keep your powder dry and aim for the bill. I hope that you have a great time.

[NewLead]

attempting to do my 1st snow goose season myself... going to DIY some sock decoys and start asking neighbors soon. Any advice appreciated!

I'm shooting 1 1/4oz of #BB shot. does anyone have a guideline for pellets-inside-30" to be lethal for snow goose? Please say your shot size and shot weight, because it matters for this (my load for example has 90pellet total...)

Fwiw, total pellet counts from the internet: (so a lethal-inside-30" would be less than each...)
1 1/8oz: #2 shot 141 pellet, #BB 81 pellet
1 1/4oz: #2 shot 156 pellet, #BB 90 pellet
1 3/8oz: #2 shot 172 pellet, #BB 99 pellet

thanks for any advice. p.s. the table if you want other counts

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by NewLead

attempting to do my 1st snow goose season myself... going to DIY some sock decoys and start asking neighbors soon. Any advice appreciated!

I'm shooting 1 1/4oz of #BB shot. does anyone have a guideline for pellets-inside-30" to be lethal for snow goose? Please say your shot size and shot weight, because it matters for this (my load for example has 90pellet total...)

Fwiw, total pellet counts from the internet: (so a lethal-inside-30" would be less than each...)
1 1/8oz: #2 shot 141 pellet, #BB 81 pellet
1 1/4oz: #2 shot 156 pellet, #BB 90 pellet
1 3/8oz: #2 shot 172 pellet, #BB 99 pellet

thanks for any advice. p.s. the table if you want other counts

I wouldn't get too hung up on loads, using 1-1/8 oz of #2, through a Patternmaster Code Black Goose, I have killed snows , and dark geese regularly at 50- 60 yards. The biggest challenge, is actually placing the pattern, on the front half of the geese, most people don't lead enough at longer ranges.

[Andrzej]

IMO velocity is the most important factor when shooting steel, not payload (# of pellets)

90 BB pellets at 1220 ft/sec will not be as effective at longer ranges as at 1550ft/sec. or as Remington hypersonic at 1700 ft/sec.

Momentum product of the mass of a particle and its velocity
it is what kills.
As velocity increases you can reduce your lead, some sources indicate up to 8 inches going from 1220 to 1550 ft/sec at longer ranges.


Andrew

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by Andrzej

IMO velocity is the most important factor when shooting steel, not payload (# of pellets)

90 BB pellets at 1220 ft/sec will not be as effective at longer ranges as at 1550ft/sec. or as Remington hypersonic at 1700 ft/sec.

Momentum product of the mass of a particle and its velocity
it is what kills.
As velocity increases you can reduce your lead, some sources indicate up to 8 inches going from 1220 to 1550 ft/sec at longer ranges.


Andrew

The problem with the Hypersonic , is that they don't pattern well in many guns/chokes. I find the 1560fps loads, about the maximum for my shotguns/chokes, so that is what I use.

[Dale S]

The lakes in the south are frozen solid. It will be at least 2 weeks before open water. The snows won't be here until then.

[CBintheNorth]

Originally Posted by Dale S

The lakes in the south are frozen solid. It will be at least 2 weeks before open water. The snows won't be here until then.

Perfect. I need a month to get ready! Lol

Maybe the guys down south can throw out a migration update or 2 on this thread for us guys buried in snow?

I wish they were still running the goose tracker program. I found it interesting to follow them throughout the year.

[anthony5]

Originally Posted by Dale S

The lakes in the south are frozen solid. It will be at least 2 weeks before open water. The snows won't be here until then.

Not sure how far south you are, but it's going to a month in this area before any open water. If we get temps in the high teens and a lot of wind that may change.

[2 Tollers]

Snow goose migration report. Look at the map with the snow line. This is pretty accurate.

https://huntthenorth.com/springsnowreport/

[nimrod]

Originally Posted by 2 Tollers

Snow goose migration report. Look at the map with the snow line. This is pretty accurate.

https://huntthenorth.com/springsnowreport/

that site looks like its only used to book hunts

[NewLead]

@Andrzej my shells are 1500fps, so that should be fine.

just seeking info on a lethal pellet count to help me ethically hunt. Minimum lethal pattern is step 1, distance my gun shoots that pattern step 2, then in the field I at least have some distances to judge with. First season n all.

anyone have opinions on decoy counts? I read everything from "a few dozen" to "minimum 100" to "minimum five full semi-trailers of 10,000 each"... its a bit ridiculous imo...

[CBintheNorth]

Originally Posted by NewLead

@Andrzej my shells are 1500fps, so that should be fine.

just seeking info on a lethal pellet count to help me ethically hunt. Minimum lethal pattern is step 1, distance my gun shoots that pattern step 2, then in the field I at least have some distances to judge with. First season n all.

anyone have opinions on decoy counts? I read everything from "a few dozen" to "minimum 100" to "minimum five full semi-trailers of 10,000 each"... its a bit ridiculous imo...

60% @ 40 yards is the rough guideline I use, but pattern quality is equally important. Big holes with spotty concentrations are not good.
Having said that, I would sooner head into the field with someone who practiced a lot with crappy shells than someone who bought the best of the best and has never shot at a clay.
Pattern placement first. Pattern quality second.

As far as shot size and speed go, you'll likely get a different recommendation from every member here. Pattern as many as you can regularly purchase, and go with the best. In my experience though, 1450 to 1550 FPS is ideal, whether it be BB's or number 2's.

As far as decoys go, are you talking darks, or whites?
I do very well on darks with 7-12 dozen full bodies. I'll throw out a few socks if there's good wind.
I've also done well with 4 dozen full bodies. In all honesty your hide is almost more important than your decoys. Especially later in the season.

For snows, well, I haven't figured them out well enough yet to have a strong opinion. lol

[NewLead]

whites. never been though, trying to get prepped for this season just like you :-)

got 50 white tote-bags coming in from amazon for cheap - the canvas kind so they dont shine... gonna get the scissors and paint out, see if I can rig them into half-decent sock style decoys on fence wire stakes. everybody starts their decoy collection somewhere :-)

thanks for the pattern advice. 2nd year of hunting so still learning. Been doing clays at the range over winter, practicing :-)

[CBintheNorth]

Originally Posted by NewLead

whites. never been though, trying to get prepped for this season just like you :-)

got 50 white tote-bags coming in from amazon for cheap - the canvas kind so they dont shine... gonna get the scissors and paint out, see if I can rig them into half-decent sock style decoys on fence wire stakes. everybody starts their decoy collection somewhere :-)

thanks for the pattern advice. 2nd year of hunting so still learning. Been doing clays at the range over winter, practicing :-)

One thing I do know is that spring snows are tough. Unlike the fall, they have been pounded all the way up here and we're pretty much last stop on the trek.
Come fall, we get first crack at them.
The first birds up will be the adults. They are extremely smart. A couple weeks after the first ones come, the Juvies start arriving. They're a little easier.

Many guys swear you need at least a thousand decoys to have any success. But I have watched a few groups layout that many just to have the geese land in the next quarter.
There's a reason they call them white devils.

If you're hunting with socks, you need wind. 15 to 20 km minimum. Check apps like windy or Environment Canada for the forecasted winds for that day.
I have set out my socks before in 40 km winds only to have everything go calm right when the geese started flying. Nothing will flare snows faster than limp decoys.

[CBintheNorth]

Another thing I have learned with spring snows is that they hop around a lot. Sometimes two or three different fields in a morning or evening.
Just because they were in that field in the morning, doesn't mean they'll be there in the evening.
Likewise, they could show up in your field with decoys, even though they haven't fed there yet.
If you're trying to 'traffic' hunt them though, I would say that is when you need 1,000+ decoys.

[CBintheNorth]

Originally Posted by nimrod

that site looks like its only used to book hunts

If you look at the reports from the different states it gives you their current hunting updates. Somewhat useful, I guess.
I'll keep an eye on North Dakota. When they start seeing snows I'll start getting excited.

[Frank_NK28]

I got rid of all my socks, silos and a rotator a few years ago. I hunt over nothing now but 50 fullbodies, two lucky duck mallard spinners and a foxpro with a whole 3 snow goose sound files(single snow, double snow and small flock). I have the volume maxed out at 40 and as the birds get closer cut it back to about 24 by the time they are in range. My hunting partner has 300 fbs, 800 socks, 240 silos, 2 rotators, 30 flyers and a Kenwood 8 speaker sound system. We shoot no more over all that than over my small spread and often they commit better to the small spread. He's decided to sell everything off but 100 fbs.

[waldedw]

Originally Posted by Frank_NK28

I got rid of all my socks, silos and a rotator a few years ago. I hunt over nothing now but 50 fullbodies, two lucky duck mallard spinners and a foxpro with a whole 3 snow goose sound files(single snow, double snow and small flock). I have the volume maxed out at 40 and as the birds get closer cut it back to about 24 by the time they are in range. My hunting partner has 300 fbs, 800 socks, 240 silos, 2 rotators, 30 flyers and a Kenwood 8 speaker sound system. We shoot no more over all that than over my small spread and often they commit better to the small spread. He's decided to sell everything off but 100 fbs.

I can attest to this, we killed a truck load of snows over those 4 dozen full bodies last fall, quick to set up and tear down, 3" - 1 1/8 oz #2's @ 1550 FPS, mod choke, kills them dead as does 2 3/4" - 1 1/16 oz #2 @ 1550 FPS

[Diesel_wiesel]

I am forced to sit this migration out unfortunately
shoulder operation, heart surgery , wife passed, just wont be able to chase the birds this spring

[CamPang]

Originally Posted by CBintheNorth

Who's looking forward to getting out and getting schooled by the white devils this year?

I've never been a huge fan of snows simply due to their unpredictable behavior, but I'm going to make a more serious attempt this spring.
My youngest turns 10 in a couple weeks and I promised him a hunt in April, so time to get serious I guess...

Going to make a couple rotary machines and see how many more FB's the budget will allow me to add to the spread. Also trying a dual speaker setup for audio this year. Never used recorded calls before.
I'm not a fan of the 1,000+ sock setups so I'm hoping smaller with better decoys, more motion, and more noise will work, but not sure?

Like I said, not usually a fan of hunting snows. I take the boys with me a lot, so shooting birds in the dekes is preferred to spraying into the sky.
Any hints from the seasoned experts on pulling them in, instead of over?

We run a smaller spread, maybe 400-500ish with a mix of FB's, silo's and flapper dekes. I feel like some sort of movement in the spread is key to get them fixated on and come right into your lap. We use a mix of a couple of snow goose flags and splurged for a couple of power flappers.
The rotary machine will work but we had one and when winds were strong it hurt more than it helped.
Lastly, I found some recordings for my E-caller for free and they weren't nearly as good as ones I paid for, worth the few bucks to get a good quality audio download.
Good luck, hope to see some hunt updates from you!

[PartTimeHunter]

Originally Posted by CamPang

We run a smaller spread, maybe 400-500ish with a mix of FB's, silo's and flapper dekes. I feel like some sort of movement in the spread is key to get them fixated on and come right into your lap. We use a mix of a couple of snow goose flags and splurged for a couple of power flappers.
The rotary machine will work but we had one and when winds were strong it hurt more than it helped.
Lastly, I found some recordings for my E-caller for free and they weren't nearly as good as ones I paid for, worth the few bucks to get a good quality audio download.
Good luck, hope to see some hunt updates from you!

I didn't know you could use an e-call for geese. New rules?

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by PartTimeHunter

I didn't know you could use an e-call for geese. New rules?

It's legal to use snow goose sounds only.

[CBintheNorth]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

It's been legal for snows for years.

This.

Just have to be sure the recorded calls are snow geese only, and you're actually hunting snows.
You can still shoot darks if they come in in the fall, but primary focus and setup has to be for snow geese.
From the regs:

It is unlawful to:

5.- set out, use or employ any of the following items for the purpose of*hunting any wildlife:
...recorded wildlife calls or sounds, or an electronically operated calling device except; 1) when hunting migratory game birds with the use of calls or sounds that mimic snow geese...

[pikergolf]

Originally Posted by Diesel_wiesel

I am forced to sit this migration out unfortunately
shoulder operation, heart surgery , wife passed, just wont be able to chase the birds this spring

Sorry for your loss, and hoping you heal up fast.

[CBintheNorth]

Originally Posted by Diesel_wiesel

I am forced to sit this migration out unfortunately
shoulder operation, heart surgery , wife passed, just wont be able to chase the birds this spring

Originally Posted by pikergolf

Sorry for your loss, and hoping you heal up fast.

I don't know how I missed this post.

My deepest condolences for your loss.
Hoping you are able and willing to be out there again soon.

[waldedw]

Originally Posted by Diesel_wiesel

I am forced to sit this migration out unfortunately
shoulder operation, heart surgery , wife passed, just wont be able to chase the birds this spring

Sorry for your loss sir and hope your shoulder heals up so you can get back in the field by fall, hunting is good therapy for the soul.

[Frank_NK28]

Originally Posted by waldedw

I can attest to this, we killed a truck load of snows over those 4 dozen full bodies last fall, quick to set up and tear down, 3" - 1 1/8 oz #2's @ 1550 FPS, mod choke, kills them dead as does 2 3/4" - 1 1/16 oz #2 @ 1550 FPS

Yes we did and once I'm home in April between work rotations we'll get after them again. Get your binocs ready to do some scouting for us and locate us a good patch of nice dried brone grass to grass up the a-frame.

[KGB]

Originally Posted by waldedw

I can attest to this, we killed a truck load of snows over those 4 dozen full bodies last fall, quick to set up and tear down, 3" - 1 1/8 oz #2's @ 1550 FPS, mod choke, kills them dead as does 2 3/4" - 1 1/16 oz #2 @ 1550 FPS

A bit of a side question- what do you do with all the goose meat? I mean- a truck load of snows is a lot of meat!

[sns2]

Originally Posted by Diesel_wiesel

I am forced to sit this migration out unfortunately
shoulder operation, heart surgery , wife passed, just wont be able to chase the birds this spring

Man, I am very sorry to hear of your wife’s passing. Deepest condolences.