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Calling in high flying geese over expanses of open prairie often requires large spreads of decoys. The Texas rag decoy consists of a wind sock mounted on a stake, with a molded goose head stuck on the top. They are an inexpensive way to set out hundreds of decoys that appear real from the sky. Snow geese spreads require 300 to 400 rag decoys; however, Canada geese can be drawn in with as few as three to four dozen rags. The wind sock rags are available in colors to match Canada, Snow and Blue geese.
Hunters who target Canada geese employ decoys to create a realistic scenario which causes live geese to fly within shooting range. Goose hunters use decoys when they hunt on dry land, and also when they hunt over water. When live geese spot a decoy spread, they believe it is a safe spot to land since there are other geese in the area. Hunters can increase the realism of their spread by using a variety of different decoys.
Goose decoy spreads help hunters lure geese into a range close enough to shoot the birds effectively. Spreads can be set up on land or in the water, and can consist of anywhere from a few to hundreds of decoys. Some of the most popular spreads are shaped like a "J," a "V" or a circle.
Diving ducks -- pochards or scaups -- are a popular hunt for sportsmen who enjoy the game of hunting fast flying fowl. Named for their feeding habits -- diving beneath the surface of the water and foraging along the bottom of the water body -- diver duck decoy spreads are most successful if scattered in a symmetrical arrangement. Typically, the more decoys arranged, the more successful the spread as the birds intuitively presume large numbers indicate prominent forage.
Hunting over decoys is a good way to bag the big tom turkey. The decoys are very portable and easy to set up. Most hunters choose to use a set of three decoys that includes one jake and two hens. This fools the larger toms into thinking a jake is about to get a couple of his hens.
Geese are one of the most popular types of waterfowl that hunters target. The big birds oftentimes flock together and will respond to calls and decoys that fool them into thinking there are live geese in the area. A properly arranged spread of goose decoys will fool even the most reluctant geese. Read on to learn how to set up goose decoys in the field.
Goose hunters use decoys to help attract geese into shooting range. Hunters place anywhere from a dozen or fewer decoys to more than 100 of them, depending on the hunting situation and whether they are targeting geese in agricultural fields or over open water. Decoys are designed to fool geese into thinking other geese are in the area, which makes them believe it is safe, and knowing how to set up decoys is an integral part of a successful goose hunt.