Snow Goose Tips From the Late Tim Peterson

[Shane]

Perhaps the most neglected and misunderstood aspect of the art of snow goose hunting is calling. "One of the greatest misconceptions among waterfowlers is that snow geese have a simplistic language consisting of short, high-pitched barks," says Tim Petersen, a veteran snow goose guide and designer of Goose Magnet decoys. "Snow geese bark primarily while in the air, which is of little value to hunters trying to draw birds into decoys. On the ground, snow geese make a complex range of clucking, grunting, and murmuring calls. That's why snow geese respond so well to electronic callers, because a tape recording of live birds includes the wide variety of sounds the birds make while feeding."

Petersen contends that with the exception of recently developed diaphragm calls, most commercially manufactured snow goose calls are not capable of reproducing the most important sounds made by feeding snow geese. As a result, he prefers short-reed Canada goose calls, which have a much greater tonal range. "To imitate the bedlam produced by a flock of feeding snow geese, you need several callers working together like a musical group," Petersen says. "Hunters should strive to create a constant wall of sound, composed of a blend of high-pitched barks, low-range feeding murmurs, and excited gabble. Also, watch the birds to see what they respond to best. On some days, they may like one sound more than another. Give the birds what they want to hear."