Decoying without a spread with be nearly impossible. Your best bet would be jump shooting small sloughs and small feeds.
It’s worth the trip just to see “it”….the spring migration. Jump shoot, pass shoot and just take it all in…it’ll give you the drive to buy the decoys and do it full bore in the coming years. Snow goose hunting is unlike anything else….some love it and some will never do it again.
Don’t skimp on a quality ecaller. You’ll want a minimum of 4 speakers, and run it off a vexilar style battery. Our group runs two callers with 8 speakers…plus a back up in the trailer. This is “normal” in the spring.
I’d suggest making your own 4 speaker unit to save some Ching….and use your fox pro as backup/supliment.
You have to have deep pockets and a hard core group of friends to really take on what “spring snow goose” hunting is.
If it comes down to flyers, vortex machines, or more decoys…buy more decoys. The rest are gimmicks.
Rochester geese have been tough to impossible since we lost the snow the first time. We made one last attempt on Thursday to know avail. It was a quick season this year for sure.
Only 7ish weeks until we’re back chasing snows though!
Was out there last weekend goose hunting. Tons of water and tons of ducks this year. You should have ZERO problem having a very productive weekend. Pressure is relative. If you never been to ND before, pressure will probably seem pretty light….although that area does attract a lot of non-residents and the Fargo crowd. Field ducks may be getting harder to get under by that time (residents start a week earlier), but pond/sheet water spots will be plenty.
Expect a lot of brown ducks….mallards, pintails, teal, and gadwall.
Love it!
Hey Team, just got back into the new website. Freaking awesome updates!
We spent last Fri-Sun in North Dakota chasing early season honkers. More birds, more fields to choose from, and waaaaay less competition. Had a great time and shot plenty of birds feet down at the boot bags. Overall a great way to kick off the 2014 season!
Sounds like the molts started showing up out there yesterday with the front that is pushing through. Should shake things up and make for a good rest of the early season. Might try to bang a few on the river closer to home in the next couple days.
-Jake
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You’re heading to a great area and you’re duck and pheasant hunting in South Dakota, life is going to be good no matter what! 
For more information…..What are your dates and what is your goal? (ducks, geese, greenheads, divers…..ponds, fields?) Success will vary greatly depending on effort and expectations.
Agree. Ditch the gimicks, hunt the right spots.
Holy cow it’s almost duck season! 
There were still cars driving out on Lake Winona yesterday. Should be good!
Thanks for the ideas so far guys.
I have talked to James before regarding this…..he offered up some good advice on wireless mics. Definitely a professional.
I would really like to find a camera shop that would carry something like this so I can see and feel the options available. Or is buying this stuff online common practice these days?
My main problem is I can’t see the screen with my current camera when filming in bright sunny skies (which is often when hunting snows in the spring). It doesn’t have to be a full on professional camera…an amateur grade camera with a view finder would be best. Was hoping to spend closer to $1000 than $2000.
Just looking to get some final opinions before March.
Oh hell yeah. As soon as the Asian Carp take over the upper Mississippi, I’m moving to South Dakota. 
Now just to get wifey on board. 
Next weekend will probably be to early for snow geese in North Dakota. There might be a scattered few, but not truly huntable numbers (in snow goose terms). The big numbers of snows are usually in ND from Nov. 1 thru Thanksgiving.
Snow geese usually work vertical (straight down)…no need to lead them, point and shoot in face! 
3″ BB Black Cloud works well for snows and Canadas!
No water in a duck boat. No mud in a duck boat. No weeds in a duck boat. Yeah right. DUMB DUMB DUMB.
Here’s a photo of 2 MINNESOTA CO’s trucks at a WISCONSIN boat landing this Saturday. I wonder how long they spent on their hands and knees getting every last pinch of weed stuck between the bunks and rollers off…… 
Also, the further NW is better sharpie habitat….wheat and grass vs. in the south you get into corn, sun flowers. The towns of Garrison or McClusky would be my suggestion.
I’m not sure what room availability is with the Oil boom going on. I would definitely call and ask though!
Yes, the MO river corridor is a pretty good target. I know this is a ducks map…..but lots of breeding ducks means lots of habitat. The west edge because it gets you further away from MN/Fargo pressure (that was the stay away from I94 and Devils Lake comment)….and historically the further west you go, the better the pheasant hunting.
The reason I would stay in the PPR is because there are alot of available PLOTS and WPA’s you can hunt.
Here is info on the PLOTS – Private Land Open To Sportsman
http://gf.nd.gov/hunting/private-land-open-sportsmen
The MO river corridor is a good target region. The motel in Garrison is a nice place for hunters. There’s also a new motel in Oakes that is frickin’ immaculate for the price/location if you’re looking to stay in the SE corner.
You don’t need permission to hunt unposted land in Nodak….and there are more WPAs and PLOTS than you can shake a stick at in that country. Stay off I-94 and away from Devils Lake and you will be fine.
If I were doing just an upland trip I’d go to the western edge of the pot hole region the week before Thanksgiving…..hunt the slough edges/cattails. Ponds should be well frozen by then so walking should be easy. A little snow can only help.
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(MN) In yrs past its been 5 birds for early season and 2 for the regular season, and as of now I havent heard that they have changed
It was 5 for early season and 3 for the regular season last year.
Possession limit has always been twice the daily limit, but I thought I heard talk of raising it to 3x the daily limit this year.
I have a 25hp Pro-drive that the dealer said is equivalent to a 15hp outboard. It works fine, but I will go bigger next time simply for a higher top end speed. I don’t think they even make them that small anymore.
4-strokes are smooth and quite, mud motors are loud and wrichty (sp?).
What are you looking at?
What are we supposed to do Nov – Feb? Frozen plugs don’t come out….frozen plugs don’t go in. 
I’ve posted about this before. It happens every year. I guess the DNR just doesn’t care? It’s not like it’s hard to see or they’re miles away (what’s the refuge office, like 6 blocks from the lake?).
I saw a middle aged guy walking down Kato ave a couple weeks ago with a 15lb+ northern. Ignorance of the law would be the excuse I guess.
Here’s an honest question: If you answer the game warden’s question “whatcha fishin for”….with “I don’t know” or “whatever bites”….can you get a ticket?
I assume you were the one we talked to on Saturday night aways NW of Litchville, ND? We did pretty good that night…..30 birds for the 4 of us. Not bad with zero wind.
The hunt in the video was Monday 3/26.
Sunday 4/1 we missed wind and FOG for our drive home! Our buddies shot 138 that morning. 
Lars, We run 1100 – 1300 of the White Rock Decoys.
The ecaller is homemade.
Jeff,
Following the big concentrations of geese in the spring is pretty easy now-adays. The official Game and Fish reports will start up in SD any day…..if you follow the reports, finding geese is NOT hard.
South Dakota Reports
http://gfp.sd.gov/hunting/waterfowl/migration/default.aspx
#1-605-885-6401
North Dakota Reports
http://gf.nd.gov/multimedia/news/spring-light-goose-update.html
#1-701-328-3697
A pretty safe bet is the Sand Lake NWR near Aberdeen, SD…..3-4 week of March (depending on what mother nature has in store for the rest of spring).
http://www.fws.gov/sandlake/migration.htm
If you’ve never seen the spring migration of waterfowl in the dakotas….it will blow your mind. I see it every year, and it still blows my mind.
8.6 lbs.
BF 3 lbs.
Awesome. That is exactly what I was looking for guys!
Sounds like I need to look into wireless mics….and just buck up and buy 5 or 6 extra batteries. It’s not ideal for the type of week long hunting trips we do…..(always on the go, cramming in motel rooms)….but you’re right, I’m not ready to jump into complete video nerdum.
Appreciate the info!
Thanks for the links Jon.
Maybe this is a better way to word what I’m looking for:
I have a $500 Canon VIXIA HF R21 and a GoPro…..I am looking to upgrade to a $1000 – $2000+ camera…..what does that buy me? I’m worried about sound, battery life, and shooting in low light conditions.
I was hoping James or someone else involved with IDO-TV could chime in.
My girlfriend has a 3 year old TempurPedic…..and I absolutely hate it. I sleep hot and the thing just melts me, even in the winter months. The firmness of the memory foam also kills my back for some reason.
I’ve heard that a lot of people like them and she loves it….but I much much much prefer my $400 old spring mattress.
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Are you looking for vocals or just instruments?
I’m looking for just instrumentals. Long loops that I can over lay as I edit clips in iMovie.
