Decoy Spreads for Hunting Snows and Canadas

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Ethan Smith
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Video canada goose decoy spreads

January 24, 2022 by Prairies Edge Outfitting

Hunting Snow Geese VS Canadas in Saskatchewan

Are hunting techniques the same for Snows and Canada Geese?

Canada Geese

VS

Snow Geese

by PEO Pro Staff Member, Foster Webb

History

Snow geese are known for their white plumage, but many of them are actually darker, gray-brown birds known as blue geese. These birds were once thought to be two separate species, but they have recently been found to be merely two different color morphs of the same bird. A single gene controls the color difference.

Snow geese are harbingers of the changing seasons. They fly south for the winter in huge, honking flocks that may appear as a “U” formation or simply as a large “snowstorm” of white birds. They spend the colder seasons in southern coastal marshes, bays, wet grasslands, and fields. Their diet is entirely vegetarian, consisting of grasses and grains, grazed from damp soils or even shallow water.

At winter’s end, snow geese fly north to their breeding grounds on the Arctic tundra. Pairs mate for life, and produce two to six eggs each year in a shallow ground nest. Chicks can swim and eat on their own within 24 hours, but families remain together through the young’s first winter. Families can be identified as groups during both the southern and northern migrations.

Canada geese are one of the best known birds in North America. It is found in every contiguous U.S. state and Canadian province at one time of the year or another.

Canada geese are adaptable to many habitats and may thrive wherever grasses, grains, or berries are available. Because of changing weather, settlement, and farming patterns, many Canada (not “Canadian”) geese have begun to alter their migrations. Typically, the birds summered in northern North America and flew south when cold weather arrived. This cycle endures, but some northern populations have shortened their flight to traditional wintering grounds in the southern U.S. and Mexico. Other Canada geese have become permanent residents of parks, golf courses, suburban sub developments, and other human habitats across much of North America. In some areas, such as airports, they are so numerous that they are considered a nuisance. Just 50 geese can produce two and a half tons of excrement in a year.

When the birds do migrate, they form impressive and aerodynamic “V-formations.” They can cover 1,500 miles in just 24 hours with a favorable wind, but typically travel at a much more leisurely rate. These noisy groups honk their way along established paths that include designated “rest stops.”

Hunting Snows in Saskatchewan

Many people think that hunting snow geese can be done in a similar manner to Canada geese but that could not be further from the truth. When spotting birds and watching how they act on a feed a person can learn a lot. Well, watching snow geese feed it is immediately noticeable that they are very different then Canada geese.

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First of all the sheer numbers of birds on a snow feed is incredible. Usually ranging from 5- 30 thousand birds. With this many birds in a field you can imagine there is a huge amount of competition for food. Snows feed very aggressive chasing each other and moving quickly to find the best food source. A typical snow spread may look like a tear drop or similar shape with the downwind side being the point of the tear. Generally the shooters will be placed on the upwind side of the spread, with kites and spinners either directly behind or just in front of their position. This is because on a feed the snow geese on the downwind side will not have any food and will hop up and fly to the front of the group leaving the back portion of the flock sparse with birds searching for food. As the birds approach on the downwind side they will generally look to immediately land at the head of the spread where they know there is still food left for them to forage. Having this many birds in a field at a time will cause the field to be ate out very fast so hunters must catch the feed early and hunt within a couple of days to ensure birds will still be there in large numbers.

Setting up for snows usually starts very early in the morning or very early in the afternoon, because of hunting such large numbers of birds your spread of decoys needs to reflect this for realism and for confidence. Generally a snow goose spread will range from 500- 1500 decoys and be a mix of full body snows and blues, and silo sock rag decoys. Along with the various types of motions decoys on the market. Also to provide some confidence e callers can be used to replicate the sound that thousands of snow geese make.

Snows are known to be very weary birds, the old “eagle heads” can be very tricky to decoy. It also does not help your cause when birds are coming hundreds at a time floating gracefully through the air looking at your spread. Snows get a great look when coming in because they work in a very vertical manner and will typically come in high and circle just out of range well taking a look. This is why the hide has to be perfect, no matter what you choose you must be concealed to the max. The most common way to hunt snows are from ground blinds covered in the fields waste and covered up with decoys all around, but another popular way is to wear all white and lay down right in the decoys spread with decoys all around, giving you a lower profile than a blind but no cover in case of unnecessary movement.

See also  .300 Winchester Magnum for Grizzly Or Brown Bear Hunting? Best Ammo (Round, Load, Cartridge) for a Successful Grizzly Or Brown Bear Hunt Hunting Calibers 04 Apr, 2020 Posted By: Foundry Outdoors Is the .300 Winchester Magnum a viable caliber/load/round/cartridge for grizzly or brown bear hunting? The accurate answer is “it depends”. However, the goal of this article is simply to address the question of whether the .300 Winchester Magnum is within the ideal range of suitable calibers to harvest grizzly or brown bear. As with anything, the devil is in the details. To answer the question completely, we would need to evaluate the downrange distance to the grizzly or brown bear, the bullet type, the grain weight of the bullet, the physical condition of the firearm, the size of the grizzly or brown bear in question, the shot placement, the local wind conditions, the expected accuracy of the shooter, the ethics of the ideal maximum number of shots – the list goes on. [Click Here to Shop .300 Winchester Magnum Ammo]What we can do is provide a framework to understand what average conditions might look like, and whether those are reasonably viable for a shot from the average shooter to harvest a grizzly or brown bear in the fewest number of shots possible, i.e., ethically. Let’s dive right in. In the question of “Is the .300 Winchester Magnum within the ideal range of suitable calibers for grizzly or brown bear hunting?” our answer is: Yes, the .300 Winchester Magnum is A GOOD CHOICE for grizzly or brown bear hunting, under average conditions, from a mid-range distance, with a medium grain expanding bullet, and with correct shot placement.Let’s look at those assumptions a bit closer in the following table. Assumption Value Caliber .300 Winchester Magnum Animal Species Grizzly Or Brown Bear Muzzle Energy 3520 foot-pounds Animal Weight 595 lbs Shot Distance 200 yardsWhat is the average muzzle energy for a .300 Winchester Magnum? In this case, we have assumed the average muzzle energy for a .300 Winchester Magnum round is approximately 3520 foot-pounds. What is the average weight of an adult male grizzly or brown bear? Here we have leaned conservative by taking the average weight of a male individual of the species, since females generally weigh less and require less stopping power. In this case, the average weight of an adult male grizzly or brown bear is approximately 595 lbs. [Click Here to Shop .300 Winchester Magnum Ammo]What is the distance this species is typically hunted from? Distance, of course, plays an important role in the viability of a given caliber in grizzly or brown bear hunting. The kinetic energy of the projectile drops dramatically the further downrange it travels primarily due to energy lost in the form of heat generated by friction against the air itself. This phenonemon is known as drag or air resistance. Thus, a caliber that is effective from 50 yards may not have enough stopping power from 200 yards. With that said, we have assumed the average hunting distance for grizzly or brown bear to be approximately 200 yards. What about the other assumptions? We have three other primary assumptions being made here. First, the average bullet weight is encapsulated in the average muzzle energy for the .300 Winchester Magnum. The second important assumption is ‘slightly-suboptimal’ to ‘optimal’ shot placement. That is to say, we assume the grizzly or brown bear being harvested is shot directly or nearly directly in the vitals (heart and/or lungs). The third assumption is that a projectile with appropriate terminal ballistics is being used, which for hunting usually means an expanding bullet.Various calibersA common thread you may encounter in online forums is anecdote after anecdote of large animals being brought down by small caliber bullets, or small animals surviving large caliber bullets. Of course those stories exist, and they are not disputed here. A 22LR cartridge can fell a bull elephant under the right conditions, and a newborn squirrel can survive a 50 BMG round under other specific conditions. Again, the goal of this article is simply to address the question of whether .300 Winchester Magnum is within the ideal range of suitable calibers to harvest grizzly or brown bear - and to this question, the response again is yes, the .300 Winchester Magnum is A GOOD CHOICE for grizzly or brown bear hunting. [Click Here to Shop .300 Winchester Magnum Ammo]This article does not serve as the final say, but simply as a starting point for beginner hunters, as well as a venue for further discussion. Please feel free to agree, disagree, and share stories from your own experience in the comments section below. Disclaimer: the information above is purely for illustrative purposes and should not be taken as permission to use a particular caliber, a statement of the legality or safety of using certain calibers, or legal advice in any way. You must read and understand your own local laws before hunting grizzly or brown bear to know whether your caliber of choice is a legal option.Foundry Outdoors is your trusted home for buying archery, camping, fishing, hunting, shooting sports, and outdoor gear online.We offer cheap ammo and bulk ammo deals on the most popular ammo calibers. We have a variety of deals on Rifle Ammo, Handgun Ammo, Shotgun Ammo & Rimfire Ammo, as well as ammo for target practice, plinking, hunting, or shooting competitions. Our website lists special deals on 9mm Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 45-70 Ammo, 6.5 Creedmoor ammo, 300 Blackout Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 5.56 Ammo, Underwood Ammo, Buffalo Bore Ammo and more special deals on bulk ammo.We offer a 100% Authenticity Guarantee on all products sold on our website. Please email us if you have questions about any of our product listings. Leave a commentComments have to be approved before showing up Your Name * Your Email * Your Comment * Post Comment

Truth be told snows can be the hardest of the waterfowl to hunt but when the conditions line up just right and the birds want to play it can be the best day of a waterfowlers life. Liberal limits of birds can provide hunters tons of wing shooting action and the possibility of coming home with over 100 birds. The thought of that is what keeps us going back for more.

Hunting Canadas in Saskatchewan

Canada geese are one of the most popular waterfowl species to hunt in North America. With steady and growing populations across the nation this is sure not to slow down. How we hunt these birds though can change where ever you go. Depending on time of year, food available, and weather can have a dramatic effect on how they act and how we as hunters should choose to hunt them.

When hunting Canadas we can see a huge difference in comparison to snow geese, from flock size to feeding patterns these birds are a complete 360. When spotting a Canada feed to hunt it is not always about how many birds are in a field. Early in the year many fields that are hunted may not have more than 200 birds well later you may be hunting 5000. You can run a successful hunt with just a couple hundred birds. That is why scouting Canada geese is so important. You must watch how the birds come into the field, are they coming in small family groups or are they coming in 2-3 big flocks. Family groups will generally provide shooters with good decoying bird’s right in the kill hole. Giving the hunters easy limits of geese. Give me the choice between 200 birds coming in 10 flocks of 20, or 1000 birds coming in 3 flocks of 300+ and I will take the small shoot every day of the week. This is why scouting Canada geese is a must.

Canada geese do not feed as aggressively as snows they will feed as a group usually and do not hop around and chase like snows do. This means the geese feeding in the field will have a distinct pattern which should be imitated with the decoys. Lots of the time this is sort of a broken U shape as the geese land down wind and follow one another toward the head of the spread it will form this shape. Other common spreads are the J or the L for more of a crosswind hunt. Hunters in these spreads are centrally located usually 20 yards off the kill hole or landing zone. Canada geese will land on the downwind side of the spread and walk in to the body of the group. With the number of geese usually much less than that of snows with feeds ranging from 200- 10000 birds the decoys spread should represent that with numbers. Spreads generally consist of 50-250 full body Canada decoys and shell decoys. When hunting Canada geese silo socks are not a common practice like with snow geese. The aggressive movement will flare geese much of the time and is an un-realistic representation of the way these species feed. But a good alternative is a goose flag that can be flashed a bit to show a bird stretching its wings or just landing. Sometimes that is all you need to finish off a flock.

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Canadas are no push over when it comes to decoying to a hunters spread and just like snows you need to be concealed to the max. Either using a laydown blind brushed with field waste, or using a standing blind like the Avian X A- Frame blind will give hunters great concealment and allow for minor movement without alerting birds to your presence. When Canada geese are working a decoy spread they generally work in a more horizontal pattern not coming in as high as snows but swinging way out around and downwind of the spread to center up and commit. This gives them a good view of the spread 360 all the way around. So the hunters must be patient and well hid to get their shooting opportunities. Unlike snow hunting e callers cannot be used for Canada geese so having a good caller or 2 can really help convince these weary birds to cup those wings and drop into the spread.

Canada geese are one of the most hunted waterfowl in North America making them no slouch when it comes to hunting. But when you cover all your bases and have a good wind blowing they sure are a riot to hunt. There is nothing like the sound of a distant honk echoing across a field coming your way, and giving them an answer on your short reed.

Whatever your bird of choice you will not always have an amazing day in the field. That is something we all are well to aware of. But if you do your homework and really spend time looking at the details, you will give yourself the best opportunity to consistently have amazing hunts. Lastly always remember a lousy day in the field is better than a good day in the office.

Interested in booking a hunt with a professional outfitter in Saskatchewan Canada? Prairies Edge Outfitting is Saskatchewans premier waterfowl hunting outfitter for ducks and geese including snow geese and Canada geese.

www.prairiesedgeoutfitting.com

Or call Mike McLane at 403-807-9939

Posted in: Waterfowl Hunting

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