Should I Use A Spinning Winged Goose Decoy?

 A common question that people have that are planning to go chase geese out in the field or the water is whether are spinning wing goose decoy should be added to increase their chances at bagging a goose.  Given the great success that duck hunters have enjoyed over the years with these decoys it is no wonder that the question arises so often.  Before you head out and purchase one of these for your decoy spread read the rest of this article to understand their affect on geese.

Let’s start with looking at what a goose landing looks like to the human eye.  The reason I say this is due to fact that the spinning winged duck decoy was designed specifically due to how a duck looks to the human eye when landing.  With a duck there is a distinct flash that is associated with their fast backpeddling as they prepare to land.  In the case of a goose, the wings beat much slower in general than that of a duck.  This is very evident when and also when you watch them land they do not flash when they backpeddle.  They land the same way as a duck in terms of into the wind and using their wings to slow them down.  Due to the slower wing beat the tell tale flash is not a part of their landing procedure.

Now, just because a goose doesn’t flash when it lands doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t work.  After all, a spinning wing decoy does a great job of attracting the eye of both humans and birds.  That said, it is a common held belief that geese flare when they see a spinning winged goose as they approach a decoy spread.  So if you are looking to decoy geese into your spread you are better off not having a spinning winged goose decoy in your spread.

This doesn’t mean that using a spinning winged decoy is a serious no-no. Let me explain, if you are only planning on hunting geese, then you should definitely not be using a spinning winged decoy, even if you find some great specklebelly goose decoys for sale. The spinner will flare the geese as they approach your spread. However, it is quite common to hunt both ducks and geese in a spread. If this is the case a common approach by hunters is to use the spinner early in the morning and late in the evening for the duck flight as it generally is not the same time as the goose flight. This is kind of the best of both worlds, as ducks readily decoy right into a spread with a spinner and geese are wont to flair. When the ducks are flying you will have the spinning decoy workings its magic and drawing the ducks in. When the duck flight is over and the geese are going to start flying turn it off and go without a spinner.