How to Set Up Texas Rag Decoys for a Canadian Goose
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.
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Instructions
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Set up the decoys in front of or around your blind. Choose the location for the blind first, then build the spread around it. Blinds can be hidden in brush or tall weeds, or coffin blinds can be put in the ground in open fields.
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Place decoys in groups of seven to 10 to resemble family units of geese that stay together. String the decoys five to six feet apart and do not bunch the group tightly. Make the group resemble geese naturally feeding.
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Push the stake with the rag on it into the ground and then put the head on the upright stake. Point the heads in different directions to make the decoys look more natural. Use a mixture of heads, some upright like sentinel geese and others down, resembling geese that are feeding.
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Scatter the full spread of all decoys over an area 75 yards long and 15 to 20 yards wide, if there are more than 100 decoys. Keep the family groups separated by 20 to 30 feet of open field. The overall length and width of the full spread should be less if only a few dozen decoys are used.
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Leave a 30- to 40-foot circle free of decoys that is 20 to 30 yards out from the front of the blind. This gives the incoming geese a place to land, because they will not want to land on the geese already on the ground. They will land on the opening within shooting range.
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Use a goose call to bring geese in close to the blind once they spot the decoys and move toward the spread. The decoys catch their attention, but a call is needed to bring them the rest of the way in and convince the geese that the spread consists of real geese.
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Tips & Warnings
The number of rag decoys used on a spread is up to the hunter. For Canadian geese, 125 rag decoys would be enough for a large spread; 30 to 40 for a small spread.
Add a few shell or full-bodied Canada goose decoys to the spread to give it a more realistic appearance.
On private lands, rag decoys can be set out prior to hunting and left in place for the duration of the season, rather than setting them out and taking them up on each hunting trip.
Do not place rag decoys in the water. Rag decoys are meant to be used in open, dry fields where the wind sock body can fill with air and expand the body of the decoy. If the body gets wet, it will flop down and not fill out.
References
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