Resident Canadas Provide Early Season Challenge
Your last goose hunt probably included frigid temperatures and frozen noses, but the Conservation Season of your state’s Canada goose population can have you putting out decoys in your shirtsleeves.
The special early season for these giant Canada geese can be extremely rewarding as well. When these big beasts lock their wings and coast into your decoys, it’s a guarantee you’ll get a jolt of excitement and a trembling trigger finger.
“Scouting is by far the most important thing you can do to ensure success with resident Canadas,”said Knight & Hale pro staffer JR Adkins, who actively looks forward to hunting the big birds every year. “If you can pinpoint where they’re feeding you’ve accomplished the first step to success. Then, you’ve got to get in there early and set up a scene they like.”
Setting up the scene is not the same as putting out a spread for migrating geese. Resident geese live in the area, and thus know the area and what it’s supposed to look like. The appearance of a blind in the middle of a field will spook them.
“It’s like rolling into a new town,” a goose pro told me once. “If you’re looking for the best place to eat you look for the place with the most cars. That’s what migrating geese do, and why you need big spreads of decoys when hunting them. But resident geese aren’t like that. They know where the food is and what they want. You have to play this game on their terms.”
Their terms may mean no blinds at all, and instead opt to hide in natural tall-grass areas or fencerows. A low profile coffin blind, appropriately mudded and camouflaged, will work, but taller blinds are out of the question in most instances.
“Your decoys should be put in family groups,” said Adkins. “This means groups of five or six decoys. While there may be 200 geese feeding together, they’re often not all arriving together in a big flock.”
It also means the total number of decoys is a mere percentage of what is used during the regular season for migrating geese. In many instances, hunters can set up the most realistic scene with only two dozen decoys.
Warm weather and a light load of decoys make going after resident Canada geese fun. With some scouting, you can take advantage of the special season.