18 Nebraskaland • March 2021
IN THE FIELD
SPRING SNOWS ON A BUDGET
By Todd Mills
PHOTO
BY
DOUG
STEINKE
When winter finally decides to let go, snow goose hunters
are just starting. Traditionally known as one of the most
difficult birds to hunt, light geese can make even the savviest
hunter look ... well, stupid.
In 1999 the Light Goose Conservation Order was enacted
to decrease light goose populations. In those early years,
hunting in the spring was relatively easy. Find the birds and
with little experience or budget, you could find success. But
like so many other aspects of hunting, the more pressure the
birds received, the more difficult they became to hunt. Snow
geese are highly adaptive, and they get smarter every year.
Long-time friend Jerry Johnson has mastered the art of
harvesting snow geese on a budget. Jerry and I first started
pursuing waterfowl 40 years ago, and it was with him that
I harvested my first snow goose. Johnson recently shared a
few tips with me on successful snow goose hunting.
"Snow goose hunting can be very challenging.
Weather
that time of year can be up and down, so finding the feed is
critical," Johnson said.
Most hunters who pursue snow geese know that following
the snow line can help you find birds quickly. Birds are
anxious to push north and often stay right on the edge until
the weather breaks enough to continue their journey to
breeding grounds.
"Scouting is critical," said Johnson. "You have to be willing
to put on the miles. Spend some additional time once you
find them to locate smaller groups that might be more
susceptible to a smaller setup. I like to hunt those birds that
have been in an area for a week or two. Find a feed they're
comfortable in and then set up."
While most experts recommend a large decoy spread with
a minimum of 500 decoys, Johnson has had great success
with 50-100 well-placed decoys. "Use the most realistic
decoys you can afford and add some motion socks with some
high quality silhouettes. I like to place a fairly tight group
and a few feeders 20 yards away to mimic how they walk
looking for food. I've also had some success with really large
groups being downwind 30 yards from decoys."
And one last tip, Johnson added, "A small decoy setup in
a wetland or pond with Canada decoys mixed in is money."
Spring snows can be a worthy adversary. Mixing in Canada
decoys can add to the realism of your setup.
