Waterfowl Hunting

[Whitetail Addict]

The New York State DEC just released the tentative waterfowl hunting season dates and bag limits.

We have an early Canadian Goose season here, that runs through the month September, with a bag limit of 15 birds a day.

Our resident geese have been causing some problems here for golf course owners and some other folks, hence the bag limits.

I could take a shotgun out on most days and shoot a bunch of geese, but It's way more fun to hunt them with a bow.

I don't kill a lot of geese with the stick, but I always have a blast, and I do have roast goose now and then.

I have a few different places to hunt them, but my favorite is close to my house, where they fly over a hedgerow between a farm pond and some corn and hay fields. They come off the pond, and aren't much higher than the trees when they come over, headed for the fields.

The corn doesn't usually get cut til later in the season, but I have some other places to hunt them earlier.

I'm stoked already just thinking about it.  :D  

Who else likes to hunt geese with their bow?

Bob

[Skipmaster1]

I've killed a few geese over the years but the were resident geese. I took them while they were on the ground feeding in a few areas I was asked to help chase them away and thin them out. Every year I say that I'm going to find a spot to actually hunt them and try with the bow in the wing. So far I haven't. Maybe this season I will.

[Whitetail Addict]

Nothing wrong with shooting them on the ground. As wary as they are, they're a challenge to get close enough to for a shot regardless.

Bob

[Izzy]

I've been watching some goslings feeding on mulberries on the bike trail and my stomach growls ever time I see them. About half grown and delicious looking.

[reddogge]

We do but want them decoying to a spread with wings outstretched and breasts exposed.

[Steve in Canton]

Migratory birds are one set of animals that I think is unethical to hunt with a bow.  To often we see in the news a duck or goose with an arrow in it walking around a subdivision or golf.  There is to small a kill area on most birds to kill on the wing.  Just my opinion, it is hard enough to judge distance and lead on a kill zone the size of a ping pong ball flying with a shotgun at 1500 fps let alone a 180 fps arrow

[Mike Vines]

Not only is it possible, it is one hell of a good time.  

Some will agree that it is an awesome hunt, some will not.  I say go on the hunt, but only go with confidence.  As with anything in life, if you go into it as a "Debbie Downer", you aren't bringing your best forward, and you are setting yourself up for failure from the get-go.

If you approach waterfowl hunting with the dedication it takes to use a stickbow, and only take ethical shots, at preferably REALLY CLOSE distances, it will jump to the top of your Favorite Hunt list.

All you gotta do is have experience in setting decoys up accordingly, be, or have, a good caller, position yourself so the birds will be landing on top of you, aim for the head (aim small, miss small).  If you hit the head, they WILL fall like a sack of taters.  If you miss, you just educated that flock, and they live to fight another day.

Here is a picture of the first of five geese (early season limit here in Michigan) to be killed with a Howard Hill Longbow and wood arrows that day.  

     

[Steve in Canton]

I hunt waterfowl a minimum of 30 days a year usually much more and the last 6 years have averaged 150 birds a year.  We are really good at calling, setting decoys etc.  I know that it would be fun to hunt waterfowl with a bow, but once again in my opinion there is to much of a risk in wounding the animal.  If you aim for the head and miss, it is real easy to hit the bird in a non leather area that could only lead to problems, this is why every year we see video of geese walking around with a arrow through a wing or on one leg.

Most people who hunt waterfowl use a dog to retrieve, I would hate to have my lab try to retrieve a goose with a broadhead sticking out of it,

[Mike Vines]

That is why an ethical (read that as SMART) hunter NEVER uses a broadhead when there are dogs present.  

In the above picture, I used a Ace Hex head blunt.  They work awesome.  

Go into the hunt with confidence and your way ahead of the curve.  Go on the hunt not prepared, and it is just like anything else in life that you don't prepare for.

Like I said earlier, some will agree, and some will not.  I say, if you want to do it, and it is legal, go for it.  

As hunters, we need to support one another.  As soon as we start fighing among ourselves, we are helping the Anti groups.

[Izzy]

Ive never seen a wounded goose on the news with a broad head sticking out of it, kids arrows or field pointe arrows yes. They are tough birds and after killing scores of Canadas with shotguns I would only shoot broad heads at them if shooting the in their bodies..

[Whitetail Addict]

I knew there had to be others here that like to hunt geese.

I've killed a bunch of them over the years with a shotgun, and enjoyed every minute of it, but I've gotten so I don't hunt anything with a gun much any more.

I've never had the experience of hunting over decoys, though I'm sure It's a blast. I've always found places that I could catch them coming into a field to feed, or a body of water, where the shots were close enough for a bow. I'll try to sneak close enough to get a shot when they're on the ground too, when the opportunity presents itself.

I don't have a retriever, so I've always used broadheads, and I've had good results with them. Arrows shot up into the air have always been easy to find, due to the shot angle. My favorite set up, mentioned above, is that hedgerow between two fields. The geese come over low, offering good shots at their exposed undersides, and It's easy to find the arrows that missed. There's always a bunch of them, and they're almost alway sticking straight up in one of the two fields, so I rarely leave an arrow behind with a broadhead on it.

Steve, we all have different opinions on things and I respect yours, but I honestly don't see a higher rate of crippling with geese than I do with anything else I shoot with a bow. I'm not trying to argue with you, but I know I've put a pellet or two into geese with a shotgun, that flew off to die somewhere else over the years. I don't like it, but I know It's happened.

Almost all the geese I've hit in the body with broadheads have come down, though some I've had to finish off with another arrow.

I HATE to cripple anything, and do my best to avoid it. If I was seeing much evidence of it, I'd stop shooting them with a bow.

Thanks for the replies everybody.

Bob

[Whitetail Addict]

I meant to comment on your post Mike. Congrats on the geese and thanks for the picture. Good shootin'  

Bob

I have never had a goose or a duck fly away with my arrow.  It seems that city parks and target arrows are most often involved with the stories we see.  The crippled birds from shotguns are less public than city park geese.  Not saying that it cannot happen, but I do not believe that it would ever happen often enough to declare waterfowl off limits to bowhunters.

[reddogge]

I wouldn't use a retriever with broadheads present either and most photos of geese walking around with arrows in them are field points shot by a pimply teenager or other brain dead miscreant.