How is it already March? This marks one of the biggest turnings of the page for the outdoors here in Devils Lake. While we still have plenty of ice to fish on for the foreseeable future, a lot of people’s attention is getting turned to “Spring fever”.
Now is the perfect time to get ready for your Spring adventures. North Dakota’s fishing licenses are set to expire at the end of March and this is a great time to make sure you renew your license before you forget!
Spring light goose season is now open and in full swing, with the 60+ inches of snow we have in the Lake Region and much more to the south of us, it may be a few weeks before we start to hear the cackle of snow geese migrating north to their Spring breeding grounds.
With a great fall harvest in 2022 there is sure to be plenty of food and open fields to hunt in once the snow starts to make its Spring melt. Snow goose hunting is the perfect cure for Spring fever and can be done in a couple different ways.
First off is the traditional “spot & stalk” style of snow goose hunting, this entails driving around and finding where these geese are staging or feeding and then planning a hunt based off cutting them off. This could consist of hiding yourself in a ditch, shelter belt or fence line to camouflage yourself as the geese move from their roosting area to where they are feeding. The best days to “spot & stalk” snow geese will be on cloudy and windy days, this helps keep the geese low and within range while they are flying.
The second way to target snow geese is with layout blinds and decoys. Over the past decade or so, decoys have evolved along with the concealment of blinds. If you have never been in a decoy spread and listened to thousands upon thousands of snow geese fly over, you are in for a real treat. The sound of these giant flocks landing is almost deafening.
The key when utilizing layout blinds and decoys is to scout the day before to find where the geese are feeding and then using the cover of the night to move in and setup your decoy spread and lay out blinds. Keep in mind that there is something to be said about “safety in numbers” and it isn’t uncommon to see decoy spreads closing in on 1k mark for the number of decoys setup in the field.
North Dakota also allows the use of electronic callers during the Spring season which helps coax these weary birds in within range a little more easily. If you don’t feel confident of comfortable with either of these two tactics there are a handful of guides in the area that do guided spring snow goose hunts as well.
As always, make sure you have permission to where you are hunting. With today’s technology and phone apps, it has never been easier to find who the land owners are and how to get ahold of them. A little common courtesy and respect with the land can go a long way and ensure you have a place to hunt for many years to come.
Best of luck during this Spring’s snow goose season!
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