Beginner’s Guide to Canada Goose Hunting

Canada geese are a blast to hunt, they’re great-tasting game, and you might find easy access for Canada goose hunting from farming neighbors tired of having pastures and fields fouled.

By Kenneth L. Kieser
Published on October 13, 2016
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Canada geese are educated these days. I just surpassed 50 years of waterfowl hunting, and I’ve witnessed the changes.

We once hunted geese with black flags on stakes, tires cut in half with wooden heads, and silhouette cutouts painted in Canada goose colors. Old decoys are now replaced with flocked head magnum versions and battery-powered swimming decoys. A few lucky hunters in the old days had big sets of full-bodied decoys made of plastic or a composite material that to this day I can’t identify.

Mediocre calling fooled geese in the 1960s and 70s, when most calls were made of wood or plastic and very inexpensive. Olt, Lohman, Herters and Faulks controlled the market with their surprisingly effective calls.

Goose calls today are acrylic and over $100. The old her-honk sounds we once only made are replaced with double clucking, come-back calls, and perfect goose chatter. The geese and hunters got smarter.

So, how do you hunt modern-day Canada geese on a limited budget? Here are some tips to get you started. Before anything else, check state and federal regulations in your area to make sure you are fully legal, equipped, and within the appropriate hunting season.

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