Beaver ponds, skinny creeks, or different small water in ruffed grouse habitat can maintain wooden geese. Right here’s the best way to hunt them
On reflection, I ought to have anticipated to run into wooden geese. A few oak timber towered over prime of the shallow water. Acorns lined the steep shore the place springtime flows eroded it away. We’d packed for upland birds, however when a flush got here from beneath the eroded shoreline, neither myself nor my looking companion have been ready for it.
These wooden geese flew off, whistling and screeching the entire time whereas I studied the tiny creek they’d rushed out from. It was a trickle not more than six toes extensive and twelve inches deep. However all of the plucked feathers indicated these 4 woodies spent important time right here, and that was one thing we couldn’t assist however observe.
Wooden geese may be sneaky like that. How they discover places so seemingly insignificant nonetheless baffles me. Nevertheless, what I’ve discovered is that these skinny water puddle geese are definitely worth the time it takes to search out these spots and hunt them successfully. Let’s dig proper into the best way to go about it.
Scouting For Wooden Geese
To begin with, you’re going to wish to scout. Quite a bit. I begin scouting primarily whereas I’m spring turkey looking and proceed all through the summer time whereas I’m foraging within the woods. These our bodies of water, in case you may even name them that, vary anyplace from tiny wooded potholes in the course of the woods, half-dried streams, flooded irrigation ditches, and something in between. It’s vital to not overlook a set of H2O that you just would possibly in any other case stroll proper by, particularly if it has the opposite vital issue on this equation: meals.
As talked about, my first expertise with these tiny water denizens was in a creek I may simply soar throughout at its widest level. I’m not solely positive if these woodies would have been in there if it weren’t for the heavy crop of acorns that have been always dropping onto the bottom and into the creek. Up till that time, I didn’t understand wooden geese would even hassle with acorns, however I couldn’t have been extra unsuitable. The subsequent day, we went again with some non-toxic shot and flushed those self same 4 geese, bagging two of them. Once we processed these birds, they have been filled with acorns ready to be crushed of their gizzards. Go determine.
Oak timber hanging over any physique of water goes to draw wooden geese, however they’re not their solely meals supply. Hold an eye fixed out for issues like wild grapes, which may be wooden duck magnets, beech nuts, that kind of factor. All of these, and an entire lot extra, are prime candidates for making a wooden duck smorgasbord. Bugs spherical out the platter properly, too.
Utilizing Path Cameras on Wooden Geese
One trick that has reduce down the quantity of occasions I stroll right into a spot is establishing path cameras in mid-August and never bothering with them till roughly every week earlier than waterfowl season opens. I do know, I do know, most folk with a superb head on their shoulders received’t use a path digital camera on a puddle, hoping to get eyes on a handful of wooden geese which will or might not use it. However hear me out as a result of these microscopic watering holes typically entice all the opposite wild recreation that I’ll be searching for later anyway. It by no means hurts to know who else is wandering the neighborhood.
Path cameras will let you collect the mandatory intel with out having to stay round too lengthy, exhibiting precisely which spots are shaping as much as be productive whereas eliminating the spots that aren’t. Imagine me, there will likely be fairly a number of of them.
If you discover a spot that’s constantly holding wooden geese, don’t take the digital camera down simply because the season opened. Hold one there after you’ve hunted that specific location. Despite the fact that there might have been solely a handful of geese utilizing it, I’ve discovered that these locations will entice extra birds because the early season progresses.
Select Shot for Each Wooden Geese and Ruffed Grouse
Surprising encounters with these deep forest wooden geese has made me rethink how I arrange hunts in these specific areas.
The locations I discover wooden geese are sometimes the place I additionally hunt ruffed grouse. After I head into the sector, I virtually completely run three inch shells loaded with No. 4 shot. It’s nonetheless sufficiently small to keep away from ruining a ruffy that pops out of nowhere, however can also be sufficiently big to deliver down a cumbersome wooden duck drake, too. My shotgun has a modified choke, which actually helps these quantity fours punch by heavier brush, which is sort of a certainty when wooden geese come out from nowhere.
Despite the fact that you’ve been to a spot a number of occasions and comprehend it properly, you wouldn’t imagine how tight wooden geese in small water will maintain and the way shut they’ll allow you to get earlier than they break from stated cowl. In some cases, it virtually has a pheasant looking really feel about it, however the surroundings is all unsuitable. Examine the format of the water you propose to hunt and make psychological (or bodily, if it helps) notes about which angle of strategy will greatest conceal you and permit for one of the best taking pictures alternative when the wooden geese inevitably take flight. Figuring out this stuff forward of time will put extra birds stomach up.
Circumstances Will Fluctuate—Observe When and The place You Discover Wooden Geese
One of many greatest classes I’ve discovered by the seasons of using this tactic is from yr to yr the situations will differ, typically drastically. For instance, three years in the past, the realm that I hunt had one of many wettest summers I’ve ever seen. Spots that usually can be dry in September have been virtually ponds. Due to this, we discovered way more birds in bizarre locations, typically bathing proper in the course of ATV trails. The looking was unbelievable, the autumn stayed heat, and we took wooden geese straight by till the top of October.
Final yr, not one spot the place I’d usually search for skinny water woodies survived the summer time drought. I believe I took a single wooden duck and that was that. All this to say that some years will likely be prime, and a few years it received’t be value it to test wooden duck spots out in any respect. Because the years transpire, you’ll acquire an intimate data of which locations have a tendency to carry water higher than others. From there, you’ll be able to kind an informed guess as to which locations will likely be productive and which won’t.
To shut this out, I wish to be very open and upfront about one factor: looking wooden geese this fashion will not be a numbers recreation. In actual fact, it’s the furthest factor from it. In case you’re the type of one that must hunt limits, that is positively not for you. The very best day I’ve had was 4 geese, and that was after going to 6 completely different spots. However I’ll let you know this: every one of many wooden geese I’ve taken have been value all the hassle.
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