SUBSCRIBE NOW SUBSCRIBE NOW SUBSCRIBE NOW SUBSCRIBE NOW
Game & Fish
HUNTING | FISHING | STATE-BY-STATE | SPECIES | MARKETPLACE
 
advertisement
 
You Are Here:  Game & Fish >> Texas >> Hunting >>Ducks & Geese Hunting
 
RELATED STORIES
Movers 'N Shakers
On bluebird days, when there's no wind to move your otherwise immobile decoys, resort to these motion decoys to add some action to your spread. ... [+] Full Article
>> How To Fool Open-Field Geese
>> Dropping In!
>> State-Line Geese
>> The Farm-Field Duck Hunting Option
>> Texas Sportsman Home
 
 
CAMERA CORNER
photo of the week
This Week's Photo:
Look who bagged a 160-pound black bear during a hunt near Kokadjo, Maine, near Moosehead Lake...
[+] Enlarge Photo
 
OUR FAVORITES

Bear Attacks!

[+] MORE
>> Alligator Attacks!
>> Those Dangerous Leaping Fish
>> Lolo Pass Disaster
>> Charged By Bison
 
RELATED HUNTING
North American Whitetail
North American Whitetail
A magazine designed for the serious trophy-deer hunter. [+] See It
>> Petersen's Hunting
>> Petersen's Bowhunting
>> Wildfowl
>> Gun Dog
 
RELATED FISHING
Shallow Water Angler
Shallow Water Angler
The nation's only publication dedicated to inshore fishing, covering waters from Texas to Maine. [+] See It
>> In-Fisherman
>> Florida Sportsman
>> Fly Fisherman
>> Game & Fish
>> Walleye In-sider
 
RELATED SHOOTING
Guns & Ammo
Guns & Ammo
The preeminent firearms magazine: Hunting, shooting, cowboy action, reviews, technical material and more. [+] See It
>> Shooting Times
>> RifleShooter
>> Handguns
>> Shotgun News
Texas Sportsman
Geese From Top To Bottom

Tyler had heard that hunters in Canada cut the white wings off geese they had downed and used them for decoys. That's what gave him the idea of using the white tablecloths he spread in the restaurant he operated at Altair in Colorado County.

The technique worked, but Tyler's linen service didn't like picking up muddy tablecloths covered with rice straw. They suggested old bedsheets instead, and offered to sell him some cheap.

In 1955, Tyler began guiding goose hunts. He would have his clients meet him at his eating place, the Blue Goose Lodge, and then lead them to a rice field where he had spread white rags to lure the birds.


continue article
 
 

Tyler's business grew slowly, but as word of his technique spread, other guides began offering the same service. By the late 1960s, the Altair-Eagle Lake area may as well have been renamed Goose Lake, because it had become the goose-hunting capital of Texas.

The most recent step in the evolution of Texas Coast goose hunting came in the mid-1970s when one of Tyler's guides realized that white plastic would do the same thing as white rags, and be a lot lighter and easier to handle. Not to mention eliminating all the washing and drying that using cloth rags took.

In addition to perfecting the style of coastal goose hunting still used today, Marvin Tyler taught his son Clifton to hunt and guide. The younger Tyler began operating his own goose-hunting club in 1975. The Blue Goose Hunting Club is now operated by John Fields.

Wherever in Texas you choose to hunt, as Morrison puts it, "To have a good season, you've got to have good production. The breeding ground has to be in good in shape."

For light geese, for example, those factors include the amount of ice, temperatures and the availability of groceries. At the end of the flyways in Texas, availability of water for roosting and feed are crucial.

"In the Panhandle, if more cotton than corn or grain gets planted," Morrison said, "you're going to have fewer birds around."

Some good news is that with higher rice costs, the extent of the fields along the coast is likely to increase this year.

"It's all tied to habitat," he said.

SOME GOOSE BASICS
Late-season geese are combat veterans. That makes them wary to the point of being easily spooked. They are less likely to decoy.

Most hunters believe a cloudy day makes for better hunting, since the big birds usually fly higher during clear weather. The savvy birds that have lived through hunting season also realize the altitude is good for their health.

Geese fly faster than it looks. The main reason for missing a bird is not leading it sufficiently.

Successful hunting isn't about luck; it's about observing the geese and learning what their day is like. Geese, for instance, generally avoid fencelines. They like open areas so they can keep a look out for danger.

The big, high-flying flocks of geese know where they're going and are not much interested in diverting to investigate a spread. Usually, only smaller groups of a half-dozen or so will decoy. The good news is that geese are more likely to check out a spread later in the season.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
Forget the weather, time of year, or anything else -- the secret to successful goose hunting is being at the right place. You, or more likely your guide, have to know where the geese are going to be coming to feed.


page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
 
QUICK NAVIGATION
 
 


 
 
OUR NETWORK: IMOUTDOORS WEBSITES
[Featured Title]
Shallow Water Angler  
Shallow Water Angler
The nation's only publication devoted to inshore fishing, covering waters from Texas to Maine.
 *See the Site
*Subscribe to the magazine
[Features From Shallow Water Angler]
>> Complete the Illusion
>> Make It a Mondo Mullet
>> Solitude & Shallows - Chandeleur Island
>> South Carolina Creates Second Inshore Reef
* Subscribe to the Shallow Water Angler
[All Titles]
 >> CONTACT>> ADVERTISE>> MEDIA KIT>> JOBS>> SUBSCRIBER SERVICES>> GIVE A GIFT