Getting Ducks/Geese to Finish

[Johnny44]

So my season here in Ohio ends in the next few weeks. I have seen more ducks/geese this year than any other year. I have also been working on getting my buddy into it. While we have seen plenty, our shot opportunities have been few and far between. We've missed a couple times as well, I'll admit. My general question is how can we get them to finish more consistently? We have had them circle, we have even had them cupped and landing gear down, ready to land and then flare at the last minute. On water, we use around 14 ducks with a few geese. In fields we use 14 ducks, 20 or so shelled geese. We also run a Mojo. I'll admit as well that my calling could probably use some work. Overall we are flat out looking for more consistent opportunities when we see them. We see plenty so I feel like we are in good places. When we set up on water, we put out two groups of ducks, with a landing spot between, geese just outside of the ducks, mojo on one edge of the groups of ducks. (We are focused more on ducks) When we are in the fields, we do one large group of ducks and one large group of geese. Mojo stays with the ducks. What are we doing wrong?

 

[Fire_9]

I think more often than not it has to deal with concealment and movement.

 

[Johnny44]

I think more often than not it has to deal with concealment and movement.

This has been one of our theories as well. I think we take that for granted sometimes because, and I may be completely wrong, I feel like you can get away with more movement than say, deer hunting.

 

[mplane72]

This has been one of our theories as well. I think we take that for granted sometimes because, and I may be completely wrong, I feel like you can get away with more movement than say, deer hunting.

I would disagree with your thoughts about movement. Outside of movement and concealment you might try adjusting your decoys in different patterns, losing the spinner, loosing the geese, setting up a jerk string or setting up for a cross wind.

If I have ducks consistently flaring and I'm confident it's not movement or blind shyness or whatever I keep changing things up until I find something that works. Sometimes nothing works and if you want to put some birds down you have to take them on a swing. That is not the same as sky busting and I only do that if I have to and I have the place pretty much to myself.

 

[NDGuy]

It sounds like you need to add to your spread for field hunting. Get some fullbodies or shells with stakes. You don't need 200 but you will want a good 3-5 dozen to hide 2-4 guys.

 

[TheJason]

Sometimes late season birds just don't want to land. I've watched them be super flaky over real birds.

I agree with the above, first and foremost check your concealment and don't take anything for granted. Second, how are your dekes for shine/glare? Like @mplane72 said, sometimes you get 2-3 passes and you either take them or you watch them fly.

 

[Johnny44]

Sometimes late season birds just don't want to land. I've watched them be super flaky over real birds.

I agree with the above, first and foremost check your concealment and don't take anything for granted. Second, how are your dekes for shine/glare? Like @mplane72 said, sometimes you get 2-3 passes and you either take them or you watch them fly.

We have definitely, after replaying some instances, not shot when we should have, hoping for them to come even closer. I am sure some of our hesitation can be chalked up to never having hunted with a season veteran.

 

[mplane72]

It sounds like you need to add to your spread for field hunting. Get some fullbodies or shells with stakes. You don't need 200 but you will want a good 3-5 dozen to hide 2-4 guys.

YES!!! More decoys is always the answer!

We have definitely, after replaying some instances, not shot when we should have, hoping for them to come even closer. I am sure some of our hesitation can be chalked up to never having hunted with a season veteran.

I struggle with it all the time. I really want them to put their feet down but the dog pouts if she sees to many fly away.

 

[Mallardsx2]

Spinners are effective opening weekend. Put it away during late season.

Start hiding better. When you think you are hid good, hide better. If you have your dog with you make sure he is 100% hidden as well.

If you have to hunt from a boat do it. If there is any way possible to not hunt from the boat do it. Hide that boat 200 yards upstream or down the bank.

Put your calls away during the late season for the ducks, stay hidden, and let them work. They have been shot at so much that they will likely even circle like ducks numerous times before committing.

I doubt its your decoys but the fully flocked duck decoys do work better than plastic painted Walmart decoys...thats a fact. Keep your decoys clean also.

Pull the goose decoys if your hunting just ducks and see if that works. A lot of times ducks dont like to be near geese and I have seen where geese dont like to be near ducks.

If you put out goose decoys where I used to hunt in upstate new york it was a death sentence of a morning.....I used to put out 14 dozen ducks up there and if you put 1 goose decoy out you would never kill a duck....it was strange.

I killed a lot of geese by calling them literally right into those ducks decoys. If you stopped calling they would flare....also seemed weird.....clearly they were coming to the call.

Another time I had out my big spread of ducks and nothing would finish so I picked up 2 decoys and walked down the bank and tossed those two ducks out on a jerk string and killed a limit in a half hour leaning next to a tree. They just didnt want to commit to a big spread....also unusual.

I remember one time I had a hard time getting ducks and geese to finish and I had to take a crap so I went over in the woods to do my thing and birds started pouring into the decoys..... I learned right then and there that they simply didnt want to be called at.....I put my calls in my bag and put both hands on my gun. 15 minutes later I was loading the boat up heading up the river.

Make sure you have motion on the water in your ducks spread. Jerk string or something to create the look of feeding ducks.
Last but not least, if you have more than 1 group flare you better make the change. Dont wait for 6 groups of ducks to flare before you make a change or you wont kill many limits. I give it 1 flare personally. If the first group flares I am making changes immediately. I dont wait.

 

[SRW]

For what it's worth, I've had success in the past with a Mojo more toward the center of the spread rather than on the outskirts. That was in rice fields in the MS Flyway with very large spreads, but is likely anecdotal evidence.

One other thing to think about is whether the positioning of yourselves and your decoys allows for a natural landing for the birds. I.e. - are you setup where your landing zone/shot window allows the birds to cup up and land facing into the wind? You'll want the wind at your back. If it's not, then that could explain some of their hesitation to sit down.

Ducks and geese can be pretty wily. Their behavior doesn't always follow logic, it seems.

 

[Nick87]

Short answer, be where they want to be and concealment is #1 cant over stress that.

If your not 110% positive in your calling then put that thing down. Give em enough to get there attention and shut up. Mojo will flair geese imo, so you need to have a remote. If your just running traffic getting them to finish is not easy, especially late season sometimes you just cant make them commit if there not going there in the first place. If you are trying to pull birds in somewhere there not going your going to need a bigger spread imo especially for geese. Was in your shoes a few years ago starting out with no one experienced to show me either. If you have four days to hunt for example you'll probably kill more birds if you scouted 3 and hunted 1. That was a tough one for me to accept. All advice above is spot on about flocked decoys etc. Are you using layout blinds in the fields? Hunting stubble?

 

[ida homer]

Flag when geese are on the corners at 90 degrees, don't flag when they're looking straight on unless they're far.

For ducks, use the mojo that half hour before sunrise, then pull it. Use a couple jerk rigs for all water hunts. Quality motion
and no stone unturned when it comes to your hide. To me the jerk rig is the ticket, especially if you hide
the string well.

 

[Nick87]

For ducks, use the mojo that half hour before sunrise, then pull it.

Couldnt agree more.

 

[SAJ-99]

I would say ducks and geese are practically two different threads. Land vs water are different too. Ducks in a field will flare from live ducks. Don't take it personal. Until there are 500 of them on the ground, they are nervous. Geese don't like the mojo. It needs go off on the approach. Even ducks late in the season might flare from it, where in the early season they would practically land on it. Regarding calling, there are no definite answers other than give them what they want. Sometimes that means getting more excited as they get closer until their feet hit the target, especially on geese this time of year. Your locals are starting to get protective of pair relationships and they are not calling other geese in, they are calling to warn them to stay away (which ironically just draws the other birds closer). Other times, a nice steady honk is what they want. Some of that depends on the weather. If you are not good are calling, it is tough. Practice makes perfect but late season birds are skittish.

 

[Birddog916]

Many ducks especially teal, mallards and widgeon need to be called all the way into gun range, but you need to tone down the calling once they start to get close. Get their attention then use the single quacks or feeding chuckles very softly when they are just at the edge of range to get that extra 20 yards. This technique really works to get them to finish. I see a lot of hunters who stop calling and don't keep the bird's attention. Ducks in a lot of ways are easily distracted keep them dedicated to your spread and keep calling softly.

 

[Doublecluck]

Your best bet, go hunt with some guys who got more experience and can tell you what they think your doing wrong if anything. Could be one or any number of the things mentioned above, could be none of those. Don’t be afraid to change things. This Sunday, set up running traffic from a a frame in a pasture field next to a plowed dirt field that was the x but we couldn’t get permission to. First two hours we had two champion goose callers in the blind and 60 dozen Dakota full body decoys on the field, we picked off a half a 6 man but only singles and doubles would Finish. About noon one caller left, ducks started flying and we put two spinners in the field, all of us have shot a ton of geese this year and who doesn’t love Shooting ducks in a field, geese and ducks were coming together so I let the spinners run. While I was out picking up a few we dropped, a 20 pack of Geese came by, guys got on the calls, I layed down next to a couple decoys and had my golden retriever lay next to me. Started in with a series of clucks and moans and they set up and landed 10 feet from me. Guys knocked down about half but there was a lot of hesitation because obviously they had to wait till they were far enough away from me to shoot when they lifted. Repeated it again on the next flock and finished off our limit in two flocks and 20 mins. My point, on that day, In that field, in those conditions, with that spread the geese were picking apart that fact that the goose sounds were not coming from the geese. Our a frame was 15-20 yards from the decoys. But those geese (2 consecutive flocks) landed 10 feet from a guy in optifade marsh and a golden retriever laying in a hay pasture with no blind and two spinners going right next to them simply by changing to calling from the decoys. Sometimes even the guys who hunt em 6 months a year and have all the fancy decoys, blinds, sponsorships, etc can’t get em to finish. Just don’t be afraid to change things, we’re constantly looking at every hunt and what worked and what didn’t. When it don’t work we change things fast. Make sure you are playing the wind, birds gotta have a way to get in the hole.

 

[Deleted member 38069]

Spinners are effective opening weekend. Put it away during late season.

Start hiding better. When you think you are hid good, hide better. If you have your dog with you make sure he is 100% hidden as well.

If you have to hunt from a boat do it. If there is any way possible to not hunt from the boat do it. Hide that boat 200 yards upstream or down the bank.

Put your calls away during the late season for the ducks, stay hidden, and let them work. They have been shot at so much that they will likely even circle like ducks numerous times before committing.

I doubt its your decoys but the fully flocked duck decoys do work better than plastic painted Walmart decoys...thats a fact. Keep your decoys clean also.

Pull the goose decoys if your hunting just ducks and see if that works. A lot of times ducks dont like to be near geese and I have seen where geese dont like to be near ducks.

If you put out goose decoys where I used to hunt in upstate new york it was a death sentence of a morning.....I used to put out 14 dozen ducks up there and if you put 1 goose decoy out you would never kill a duck....it was strange.

I killed a lot of geese by calling them literally right into those ducks decoys. If you stopped calling they would flare....also seemed weird.....clearly they were coming to the call.

Another time I had out my big spread of ducks and nothing would finish so I picked up 2 decoys and walked down the bank and tossed those two ducks out on a jerk string and killed a limit in a half hour leaning next to a tree. They just didnt want to commit to a big spread....also unusual.

I remember one time I had a hard time getting ducks and geese to finish and I had to take a crap so I went over in the woods to do my thing and birds started pouring into the decoys..... I learned right then and there that they simply didnt want to be called at.....I put my calls in my bag and put both hands on my gun. 15 minutes later I was loading the boat up heading up the river.

Make sure you have motion on the water in your ducks spread. Jerk string or something to create the look of feeding ducks.
Last but not least, if you have more than 1 group flare you better make the change. Dont wait for 6 groups of ducks to flare before you make a change or you wont kill many limits. I give it 1 flare personally. If the first group flares I am making changes immediately. I dont wait.

Amazing advice, right here!

 

[Doublecluck]

It’s also important to learn to read birds, how they react to your calls says if you should be calling or not. In general if you don’t know exactly what you are doing, don’t quack or cluck at birds with locked wings. And above all make sure your face is hidden or painted.

 

[AlaskaHunter]

I like to setup with a cross-wind.
That way the ducks are landing without looking directly at me.
I will often setup way upwind of the dekes as later season ducks tend to land outside the dekes.

I also believe the ducks learn to avoid square shapes, and high profiles.
So I am a big fan of laying out in a sled, typically the ducks never see me and shooting is close.

 

[Jc2020]

like a lot of people have said cover and concealment can be an issue we were hunting from a boat with a blind once ducks started to come in but then would flair off after this happened a few times I got out of the boat to try and figure out what they where seeing only thing I could see was the red registration sticker on the boat had become visible I covered it up with the blind grass and it solved the problem they get really leary and small things can make a difference