Blue Goose Hunting

HUNTING TIPS & TACTICS

At one time the Blue goose was considered to be a completely separate species of waterfowl from the Snow Goose. However since the recent explosion of the Snow Goose and Blue Goose population across the continent, they have interbred so much that both birds are now lumped together in the Federal Hunting Regulations as “Light Geese.”

Many of the same tactics are used interchangeably when hunting Snow Geese and Blue Geese. Large decoy spreads, electronic game callers and flapper style decoys are all the norm these days when hunting these wary birds.

However there are some nuances that can be utilized when targeting the Blue Goose specifically. First off, it is a known fact that the actual percentage of Blue Geese vs Snow Geese intermixed in the massive flocks can vary from region to region.

It is believed that the largest concentration of Blue Geese has been noted to migrate through the Dakotas and down into Missouri. The percentage of Blue Geese in that specific flyway may be as high as 50%. In other regional flyways further west, the percentage of the Blue Goose mixed in with the Snow Goose flocks may drop as low as 10-15% or less.

Another theory that has come into play is that using an all-white Snow Goose spread may not attract as many Blue Geese into the decoys. In fact when testing that theory several years ago on two separate occasions when only white decoys were used limits of only Snow Geese were harvested in an area that had large concentrations of Blue Geese as well.

On the following days when Blue Goose decoys were inserted into the Snow Goose spread both species were harvested with nearly the same amount of each. This leads us to believe that a large spread of decoys containing higher numbers of Blue Goose decoys can only enhance the chances for decoying the Blue Phased Goose.

RECOMMENDED DECOYS

HUNTING TIPS & TACTICS

At one time the Blue goose was considered to be a completely separate species of waterfowl from the Snow Goose. However since the recent explosion of the Snow Goose and Blue Goose population across the continent, they have interbred so much that both birds are now lumped together in the Federal Hunting Regulations as “Light Geese.”

Many of the same tactics are used interchangeably when hunting Snow Geese and Blue Geese. Large decoy spreads, electronic game callers and flapper style decoys are all the norm these days when hunting these wary birds.

However there are some nuances that can be utilized when targeting the Blue Goose specifically. First off, it is a known fact that the actual percentage of Blue Geese vs Snow Geese intermixed in the massive flocks can vary from region to region.

It is believed that the largest concentration of Blue Geese has been noted to migrate through the Dakotas and down into Missouri. The percentage of Blue Geese in that specific flyway may be as high as 50%. In other regional flyways further west, the percentage of the Blue Goose mixed in with the Snow Goose flocks may drop as low as 10-15% or less.

Another theory that has come into play is that using an all-white Snow Goose spread may not attract as many Blue Geese into the decoys. In fact when testing that theory several years ago on two separate occasions when only white decoys were used limits of only Snow Geese were harvested in an area that had large concentrations of Blue Geese as well.

On the following days when Blue Goose decoys were inserted into the Snow Goose spread both species were harvested with nearly the same amount of each. This leads us to believe that a large spread of decoys containing higher numbers of Blue Goose decoys can only enhance the chances for decoying the Blue Phased Goose.

RECOMMENDED DECOYS