WaterfowlForum.Net

i know some of the bigger clubs run large snow spreads.. how effective is a floater spread on snows?? say 1500 or so snowgoose floaters..

never seen anyone set up a spread to target snows over water so i'm looking fo any insight on the practice..

The guys that hunt the natural clubs around Sacramento refuge do big water spreads. They smashed the snows the last Mont of the season.

I've never seen it, either, but there are two big sand quarries near here right next to the highway that are absolutely covered up in snows, from about mid-January until late March. They go feed on the winter wheat in the area, but there are always a lot of them in these ponds. They're about 40-50 acre ponds, and at any time of the day the ponds are about half covered, however many that is, with tons of geese flying in and out. I'd have to think a floater spread would work, but the reason they don't really "exist" is probably the cost. Rags are cheap. Floaters, not so much.

assateague wrote:I've never seen it, either, but there are two big sand quarries near here right next to the highway that are absolutely covered up in snows, from about mid-January until late March. They go feed on the winter wheat in the area, but there are always a lot of them in these ponds. They're about 40-50 acre ponds, and at any time of the day the ponds are about half covered, however many that is, with tons of geese flying in and out. I'd have to think a floater spread would work, but the reason they don't really "exist" is probably the cost. Rags are cheap. Floaters, not so much.

i am thinking along those same lines.. when you have a club (Cali) with high dollar buy ins and yearly dues, what is another 6k or so..

our area sees a lot of migration activity, and will peak numbers approaching 1mil light geese on a really good year.. if we can average 15-20 lights a day during the CO, i would call it a success.. they need water too, and some years that can be tough to find around here during that time.

possumfoot wrote:

assateague wrote:I've never seen it, either, but there are two big sand quarries near here right next to the highway that are absolutely covered up in snows, from about mid-January until late March. They go feed on the winter wheat in the area, but there are always a lot of them in these ponds. They're about 40-50 acre ponds, and at any time of the day the ponds are about half covered, however many that is, with tons of geese flying in and out. I'd have to think a floater spread would work, but the reason they don't really "exist" is probably the cost. Rags are cheap. Floaters, not so much.

i am thinking along those same lines.. when you have a club (Cali) with high dollar buy ins and yearly dues, what is another 6k or so..

our area sees a lot of migration activity, and will peak numbers approaching 1mil light geese on a really good year.. if we can average 15-20 lights a day during the CO, i would call it a success.. they need water too, and some years that can be tough to find around here during that time.

here in ND if you can find open water a floater spread would be killer. Especially with 5-600 socks along the edge as well.

3geese4me wrote:

possumfoot wrote:

assateague wrote:I've never seen it, either, but there are two big sand quarries near here right next to the highway that are absolutely covered up in snows, from about mid-January until late March. They go feed on the winter wheat in the area, but there are always a lot of them in these ponds. They're about 40-50 acre ponds, and at any time of the day the ponds are about half covered, however many that is, with tons of geese flying in and out. I'd have to think a floater spread would work, but the reason they don't really "exist" is probably the cost. Rags are cheap. Floaters, not so much.

i am thinking along those same lines.. when you have a club (Cali) with high dollar buy ins and yearly dues, what is another 6k or so..

our area sees a lot of migration activity, and will peak numbers approaching 1mil light geese on a really good year.. if we can average 15-20 lights a day during the CO, i would call it a success.. they need water too, and some years that can be tough to find around here during that time.

here in ND if you can find open water a floater spread would be killer. Especially with 5-600 socks along the edge as well.

I know this is what a lot of guys will do down here in the Rainwater Basin area. Stack socks along the edge so you can just lay on the shore in whites, can be absolutely deadly.

sws002 wrote:

3geese4me wrote:

possumfoot wrote:

assateague wrote:I've never seen it, either, but there are two big sand quarries near here right next to the highway that are absolutely covered up in snows, from about mid-January until late March. They go feed on the winter wheat in the area, but there are always a lot of them in these ponds. They're about 40-50 acre ponds, and at any time of the day the ponds are about half covered, however many that is, with tons of geese flying in and out. I'd have to think a floater spread would work, but the reason they don't really "exist" is probably the cost. Rags are cheap. Floaters, not so much.

i am thinking along those same lines.. when you have a club (Cali) with high dollar buy ins and yearly dues, what is another 6k or so..

our area sees a lot of migration activity, and will peak numbers approaching 1mil light geese on a really good year.. if we can average 15-20 lights a day during the CO, i would call it a success.. they need water too, and some years that can be tough to find around here during that time.

here in ND if you can find open water a floater spread would be killer. Especially with 5-600 socks along the edge as well.

I know this is what a lot of guys will do down here in the Rainwater Basin area. Stack socks along the edge so you can just lay on the shore in whites, can be absolutely deadly.

not really what i am looking to do.. this is a flooded 28 acre corn field with a pit in the middle (big comfy pit). it has a rd on one side, power lines on one, these make an L on the south and west sides.. there is also a small tree/fence line that runs about 1/3 of the way up the north side and maybe 1/5 way down the east side.. 3 large oak trees stand where the fence row/growth ends on the north side.. edges are not really a good option.. i want to hunt in the pit (where we have heat, can cook, are very well hidden) and shoot a few birds.. hope that clears things up a bit.. this is not a mobile spread.. this will be put out once, picked up once.

If there's enoigh corn, you're good.

3legged_lab wrote:If there's enoigh corn, you're good.

corn is pretty much always gone 3/4 of the way through duck season.. but i'm looking to manly target migrating birds.. how will they know if there is food or not??

Hell I dont know, you're the guide, put more corn out.

3legged_lab wrote:Hell I dont know, you're the guide, put more corn out.

i think that would be frowned upon.. just looking to expand my opportunities.. not ditching the field spread, but it would be nice to have a set up to hunt on those nasty days, and a place to get after em right before and right after a weather event.. they get stupid at those times but currently there is no good way to do it at those times.. jsut wondering how effective it would be..

Only problem is, the big water spread would be a spendy trial.

If you go for it, I hope it works out.

possumfoot wrote:

3legged_lab wrote:If there's enoigh corn, you're good.

corn is pretty much always gone 3/4 of the way through duck season.. but i'm looking to manly target migrating birds.. how will they know if there is food or not??

Corn? Are you hunting the delta?

GadwallGetter530 wrote:

possumfoot wrote:

3legged_lab wrote:If there's enoigh corn, you're good.

corn is pretty much always gone 3/4 of the way through duck season.. but i'm looking to manly target migrating birds.. how will they know if there is food or not??

Corn? Are you hunting the delta?

Come on kevin, corn works at any blind.

3legged_lab wrote:Hell I dont know, you're the guide, put more corn out.

Yep, get real possum and just tell us, how many bags of corn per acre of sheet water? I mean what is the cost of operation per hunter/day?

QH's Paw wrote:

3legged_lab wrote:Hell I dont know, you're the guide, put more corn out.

Yep, get real possum and just tell us, how many bags of corn per acre of sheet water? I mean what is the cost of operation per hunter/day?

Are you saying that corn that's planted in October and not sewn deep enough won't grow? I thought I could just dump it in a pile and add water.

GadwallGetter530 wrote:

possumfoot wrote:

3legged_lab wrote:If there's enoigh corn, you're good.

corn is pretty much always gone 3/4 of the way through duck season.. but i'm looking to manly target migrating birds.. how will they know if there is food or not??

Corn? Are you hunting the delta?

He's not in CA.

Tiler_J wrote:

GadwallGetter530 wrote:

possumfoot wrote:

3legged_lab wrote:If there's enoigh corn, you're good.

corn is pretty much always gone 3/4 of the way through duck season.. but i'm looking to manly target migrating birds.. how will they know if there is food or not??

Corn? Are you hunting the delta?

He's not in CA.

Gotcha

QH's Paw wrote:

3legged_lab wrote:Hell I dont know, you're the guide, put more corn out.

Yep, get real possum and just tell us, how many bags of corn per acre of sheet water? I mean what is the cost of operation per hunter/day?

after a good bit of math, our standing crop alone (not counting waste grain (i don't know the average per acre on that)) my field can support 4500 ducks per day all season long if they are only feeding on us.. if they eat some some where else, it obviously goes up..

270,000 DUD at 292 Kcal/day per duck.

any one know the average % waste per acre of harvested corn??

corn is 3.67 Kcal/g
there are 453.6 g/pound.

Obviously not alot of people do it, So I would try it. The geese obviously don't get shot at often from spread like that if no one uses them, and I see geese on the water all the time.

Hey possum, your thread on TOS CA forum is really going great. All the know-it-alls telling you what they would do, but not answering your question. Love that forum. Haha!

Tiler_J wrote:Hey possum, your thread on TOS CA forum is really going great. All the know-it-alls telling you what they would do, but not answering your question. Love that forum. Haha!

Right! He says he can get cheap goose decoys, and says the price isn't the issue anyway, and some guy tells him how to make cheaper floaters.

I'm sure it would work great. I've never seen a floater spread like that around here but our geese have a ton of options for water. If they have limited areas for water and loafing seems to me like it would be good.

ducks~n~bucks wrote:

Tiler_J wrote:Hey possum, your thread on TOS CA forum is really going great. All the know-it-alls telling you what they would do, but not answering your question. Love that forum. Haha!

Right! He says he can get cheap goose decoys, and says the price isn't the issue anyway, and some guy tells him how to make cheaper floaters.

Did you see the dildo thread got deleted.

Bootlipkiller wrote:

ducks~n~bucks wrote:

Tiler_J wrote:Hey possum, your thread on TOS CA forum is really going great. All the know-it-alls telling you what they would do, but not answering your question. Love that forum. Haha!

Right! He says he can get cheap goose decoys, and says the price isn't the issue anyway, and some guy tells him how to make cheaper floaters.

Did you see the dildo thread got deleted.

Haha, I did notice it was gone. It was such a great thread too!