Setup question for Texas rags?

[richard b evers]

I have never used them, so I guess that makes me Texas Rag goose top water. I got 100 new T/R to set up and 20 or so speck shell that I will be setting them up for the first time this week end. What kind of formation is best?

[quackalot]

You cannot wake up early enough to get there before daylight, how do you expect to get there early enough to set up over 100 goose decoys+ duck decoys??

[Wingman]

In all honesty, I don't think it matters how you set up 100 rags, because they will still look like 100 rags.

I've never had any luck with rags and, yes, all I had was 100. I have hunted with folks that put out several hundred and we managed to kill a few juvies, but very few adult birds. The people I know that kill birds over rags put out thousands and still sometimes they don't kill birds.

You will probably fare better by creeping a flock in a ditch. Sorry, I am not a fan of actually setting up and hunting snow geese.

[richard b evers]

thanks Wingman

[goosebruce]

rags cover area.... 100 wont do much. 1000 is more like it, but 6-700 are a minimum to really make any effect. put your good looking decoys, shells and full bodies on the down wind approach side, and your rags cover the 10 acres behind that. used to be you could sit in white in your deeks, but those days are pretty much over. best bet is to find a low ditch you can hide in 80 yards or so from the approach to your decoys.

The best way to kill snows over deeks is to find them one afternoon, put them to bed, so nobody shoos them outta the field. set up just enough decoys on the x, i mean the very spot they quit feeding to hide yourself under some flyer decoys and some camo laying underneath. if the wind dont change, and they dont get skybusted off the roost, and they dont change their mind, they'll come back to that very sqaure inch they stopped feeding the night before. being in the field next to them, or 200 yards off that spot, is worthless, you got to be on the foot. Some of the best decoy shoots I ever had where that way, with less than 100 (real) deeks.

If the wind is extremely hard, you can find them built up in a field, you can simply park where they are sliding over the cornor to get into the field, and shoot them as they fly over. We call it truck hunting, just sit in the truck until they are overhead, and jump out and shoot them. dont do it in a truck you care if get hits by a 6 pound goose. if the geese are in wave after wave, wait until they are overhead to shoot, so they keep going straight and not veering... if they veer, all the ones behind them veer. if they go straight, the next bunch will too, and will fly right over you (as often as not). works the same if you can get in their flight path, let them get over you before you pass shoot, and the ones behind wont flair as bad.

clear still day, give it up. fog is the goose hunters friend. scouting is more important than hunting. travis

[Wingman]

Richard, the speck shells will work better than the rags, in my opinion. Take Travis' advice and put the shells up front (downwind side) where you want the birds to land and the rags in the background. I say ditch the rags and just go after specks with the shells. As he said, go to the X and not 100 feet from it. I watch my birds 2 days and try to hunt them on the 3rd. If a large flock is in the field, they'll feed it out quickly so you have to get on them in a hurry. If it's a small flock, you can watch them for 2 or 3 days and them hunt them the next. You are patterning them before you hunt.

I'll see if I can find an old article I wrote on speck hunting (with the help of some MS Duckers) and send it to you. I've got 2 dozen full bodies if you ever find the geese and need another gun. I'd just as soon hunt specks as I had mallards.

[richard b evers]

Thanks again Wingman, and I will send you a pm when I find some birds for a hunt, we would enjoy you going with us.

[YazooValley]

I think I've set out my last snow goose rag. Too much effort. Too little reward.

[goosebruce]

Setting out 1500 rags for some birds that are damn near inedible, yup, theres a reason i dont do it anymore. But a couple snow full bodies sure make your speck deeks much more visible. travis

[duckter]

The best way to kill snows over deeks is to find them one afternoon, put them to bed, so nobody shoos them outta the field. set up just enough decoys on the x, i mean the very spot they quit feeding to hide yourself under some flyer decoys and some camo laying underneath. if the wind dont change, and they dont get skybusted off the roost, and they dont change their mind, they'll come back to that very sqaure inch they stopped feeding the night before. being in the field next to them, or 200 yards off that spot, is worthless, you got to be on the foot. Some of the best decoy shoots I ever had where that way, with less than 100 (real) deeks.

That right there is spot on. Guides I have hunted with in Texas drive in the afternoons after the morning hunts to find them in the fields and mark their locations. Then, as they have told me, you've got a 75% chance they'll return to that same field, unless they've eaten it up.

Good luck!