About 10 minutes from my home in Will County, there is a cornfield where I can hunt for geese. One afternoon last week, I harvested a couple of honkers. It was good to get out.
Geese have pretty good eyesight, and if something doesn’t look right, they’ll flare off from your decoys and stay out of shooting range. Hunting for waterfowl calls for concealment and camo.
The ultimate concealment is an underground pit. Goose pits typically are 4 to 5 feet deep and wide enough for 3 or more hunters. Pit covers are level to the ground and have similar cover of the surrounding.
There are no pits where I hunt, so it’s up to me to cover up in the field.
Most often I’ll grab the shotgun and a bucket with a swivel seat and head out the door. The bucket is a good place to store a box of ammo and extra gloves, a cap and goose calls. My camo bibs and jacket are always in the truck next to a few bags of decoys.
For quick outings I’ll sit in a treeline or in standing corn the farmer left up for cover. Last week, with the snow cover in the fields, I brought out my layout blind.
A layout blind is like a camo-patterned, canvas-covered shell. You lie inside, and when you’re ready to shoot, twin doors that cover you from the waist up are pushed open. As the birds are coming in, sit up and take the shot. Being level with the ground, you blend in well.
When there is snow on the ground, I’ll tuck in white sheets on the layout, the doors and over the backrest. Some snow hunters have white camo bibs and jackets. I wear a butcher’s coat and white stocking cap on snowy days.
If there’s no snow, I’ll stick pieces of corn stalks into the stubble straps for a more three-dimensional look.
Layout blinds are not comfortable for everyone. When I hunt with people who don’t own a layout blind, I’ll drag out my hay bale blind, a large cylinder-shaped tent. It’s about 6 feet tall, 8 feet long and 5 feet around. It’s good for three hunters. The blind material is camo-patterned, but I cover mine with raffia. It blends in well with bushes on the edge of a treeline.
A propane heater can be used when it’s cold or windy, and with a small stove I’ve even cooked up a few breakfasts in there. It never fails though; start cooking some eggs and the geese start flying.
Whether you’re in a blind or tucked into a treeline, camo clothing is still necessary.
Camo hats and jackets are a must. Even in a blind, I’ll wear a camo mask that covers up my chin, cheeks and, oh yes, my white mustache.
It doesn’t take much to blend in, but when it’s done right, you’ll be able to experience the excitement of seeing a flock of birds with their wings locked up, gliding right to you.
Don Dziedzina’s blog is at IllinoisOutdoors.com
