bowhunting geese... anyone tried it?

[Wildfoot]

I'm thinking of going out in Reg. 8's late goose season (starts tomorrow). I dont have a 12ga so I was thinking of using my bow and those gobbler guillotene broadheads. I have a pack of the 100g (2") blade style.

Any tips on how best to ambush these birds with a bow? I was thinkin of using my canoe and parking it in some reeds and just waiting? I highly doubt its possible to stalk them LOL.

If anyone wants to go out goose hunting around osoyoos.. drop a PM. I wouldnt mind someone to hang out with while im sittin in the cold haha.

If someone has an extra 12ga I would be willing to give shotgun hunting a go too lol. I have a box of 2.75 winchester steel bb sittin here too.

[Crazy_Farmer]

We've got a dvd from a company down in the states that make decoys, In one of the hunts a guy comes along and shoots 3 cackler geese with his bow. They were in laydown blinds on the edge of a grass field, and he kindof just sat up and shot, when he picked up one goose another came in and he just crouched and walked towards it and it didnt even fly away before getting hit too. Pretty neat to see, as I've never seen one shot that way. I think if you waited and got them to land on either land or water thats the best bet but you could easily stalk them and get close enough if you're in a hilly field.

[NEEHAMA]

i have seen an alive goose with an arrow sticking out of it once.

[greybark]

:wink: AHHHH NEEHAMA , Care to count how many live geese wandering around with shot in them ??
Cheers

[Will]

:wink: AHHHH NEEHAMA , Care to count how many live geese wandering around with shot in them ??
Cheers
Enough apparantly.....that now we must use non toxic shot ! :rolleyes:

Btw the Park across the street has about 1500 of them right now.......you can walk to within 10 paces of them before they get spooky, of course they frown on Hunting in a Municipal Park.
I would think Hunt em like the Shotgunners.....blinds and decoys, call em in ?

[NEEHAMA]

YA, more with shot in them than arrows for sure.
just the arrow looks more shocking..

[Crazy_Farmer]

Even if you dont get a lethal shot with an arrow through the chest, they seem to go into shock for awhile after getting hit, you should be able fetch them up before they make an attempt to fly away.


i have seen an alive goose with an arrow sticking out of it once.

Now thats a goose made for the bbq, its pre-skewered and you could eat it like a corn dog.

[NEEHAMA]

i have a bow. i may give er a try.

[Bowzone_Mikey]

for the most part you can get to within bow range with em but a blind would be ideal .... If ya want some real fun get a long bow and some Flu Flus with wide BH and hammer em on the wing ....

Those Gob Gullitines will disapoint you if you take a shot longer than 25 yrds

[moosecaller]

I used to hunt them in Penticton on the golf courses. Easy to get close to them and the golf course owners welcome anyone that can get rid of these destructive birds off their greens.

[Sideofabarn]

This sounds like more fun than it should be, I'd be up for it...

[Wildfoot]

Those Gob Gullitines will disapoint you if you take a shot longer than 25 yrds

is this because of accuracy and they drop like a brick? or will the broadhead not be able to remove the head/neck from the body?

well I think i will give it a go. Hopefully no one will find a goose with half my arrow in it!

[Bowzone_Mikey]

is this because of accuracy and they drop like a brick? or will the broadhead not be able to remove the head/neck from the body?

well I think i will give it a go. Hopefully no one will find a goose with half my arrow in it!

they are great to about 25 yrads out then the arrow drops like a bad habit.

the pin gap from 30-40 is about 2 x as much as the gap from 20 - 30 In my expiriance anyway

[BANG!]

This sounds like more fun than it should be, I'd be up for it...

ha ha! me too!

[Marlin375]

You need a good blind or a gilly suit and 20-30 decoys.
The decoy set up (in the dark) is key.
When it works you should be able to get the flock to land right in front of you 20-30 yards.
You will get 1 shot. (untill the next birds)
On a nice sunny day the geese will circle around your decoys and look for things that are out of place. (like a dogs face)
On a shity windy day they come straight in and land.

The crapy days are best.

I never used my bow, but I shot a few at 15 yards, well within bow range, and you would have just enough time to draw and loose an arrow before the birds figure out that all their buddys are plastic.

[SPEYMAN]

Do not shoot straight up!!

[Wildfoot]

You need a good blind or a gilly suit and 20-30 decoys.
The decoy set up (in the dark) is key.
When it works you should be able to get the flock to land right in front of you 20-30 yards.
You will get 1 shot. (untill the next birds)
On a nice sunny day the geese will circle around your decoys and look for things that are out of place. (like a dogs face)
On a shity windy day they come straight in and land.

The crapy days are best.

I never used my bow, but I shot a few at 15 yards, well within bow range, and you would have just enough time to draw and loose an arrow before the birds figure out that all their buddys are plastic.


do you call when you use decoys? or are the decoys enough to attract them in?

[Marlin375]

do you call when you use decoys? or are the decoys enough to attract them in?

The fellow that I hunted with (had been hunting geese a lifetime) I hunted with him for 2 seasons.
He could call geese (voice only) I had a canadian tire special. We would call abit when the birds were high fliers or they were passing (you could usually turn them and get at least a fly-over) if they were coming straight in we just let them come and call a couple of times when they were close.
I saw my friend bring two high flying geese into a back yard at a house party by calling them in.........it was hillairious.....and proved to me that it works.

Don't forget that you need to do abit of scouting. We found that the late season flocks get into a routine and usually hit the same field first thing in the morning when they come off the water (they spend the night rafted together on the lake/ocean). Get the OK from a few land owners, and if you can, set up a blind along a hedge row or beside a rock-pile later in the day after the geese have left.

[Wildfoot]

i have 8 homemade decoys set up in an open corner of my land that had a ton of geese footprints around. I have a blind made of sticks and grass set up 20 yards away in the orchard trees. Hopefully tomorrow I can get some to land and wack them!

I dont have a goose call. i tried to move the reeds around on some of my deer and elk calls.. but none of them sound good.. hopefully it wont matter too much!

[Marlin375]

So Wildfoot, how did you make-out?
Are you up to your neck in feathers or what?

[Wildfoot]

lol my neighbors cut down about 5 acres of apples in the last 2 days. Now all the geese are over accross the road from my place and they wont budge. The landowners are away all day :( I walked down the road and could get within bowrange lol but Im not breaking laws to pop a goose. I will go knock on some doors and see what happens. I think I could have got some last night.. called them in.. but my call froze up then i lost the white reed in the snow when trying to fix it lol. I could have tried a shot when they flew overhead (around 10 yards above me) but i was nervous about losing an arrow since im hunting close to the corner of my property. and I dont want to have to explain to the neighbor why my arrow is 100 yards into their yard lol.