--- title: Early Season Goose Hunting Setup for Canada Geese description: Early season goose hunting rewards hunters who treat scouting as the real work. image: https://resources.mossberg.com/hubfs/Early%20Season%20Goose%20Hunting%20Setup%20for%20Canada%20Geese.jpg --- [Law Enforcement](https://lawenforcement.mossberg.com/) [Sign In](https://www.mossberg.com/customer/account/login) / [Sign Up](https://www.mossberg.com/customer/account/create/) [Firearms](https://www.mossberg.com/firearms.html) [Store](https://www.mossberg.com/store.html) [![Mossberg](https://resources.mossberg.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/mossberg-theme/images/logo.svg)](https://www.mossberg.com) [Support](https://www.mossberg.com/help/) [Journal](https://resources.mossberg.com/journal) [Dealers](https://www.mossberg.com/dealers/) [Cart](https://www.mossberg.com/checkout/cart/) [Sign In](https://www.mossberg.com/customer/account/login) / [Sign Up](https://www.mossberg.com/customer/account/create/) [Dealers](https://www.mossberg.com/dealers/) - [Firearms](https://www.mossberg.com/firearms.html) - [Store](https://www.mossberg.com/store.html) - [Support](https://www.mossberg.com/help/) - [Journal](https://resources.mossberg.com/) [Military/Law Enforcement](https://lawenforcement.mossberg.com/) - [Home](https://www.mossberg.com) - [Journal](https://resources.mossberg.com/journal) - Early Season Goose Hunting Setup for Canada Geese [Videos](https://resources.mossberg.com/journal/tag/videos) [How-To's](https://resources.mossberg.com/journal/tag/how-tos) # Early Season Goose Hunting Setup for Canada Geese 2 Min Read By [Just Hunt Club](https://resources.mossberg.com/journal/author/just-hunt-club) ![Early Season Goose Hunting Setup for Canada Geese](https://resources.mossberg.com/hubfs/Early%20Season%20Goose%20Hunting%20Setup%20for%20Canada%20Geese.jpg) The Just Hunt Club team is kicking off the season with a Canada goose hunt over decoys.    Early season goose hunting rewards hunters who treat scouting as the real work. Resident Canada geese open the season in family groups of six to a dozen birds, feeding on cut grain, hay, alfalfa, and green pasture, so the best Canada goose hunting starts with glassing fields at the same time of day you plan to hunt. Find the “X,” the exact spot where geese land, and set up there. Expect birds to switch fields overnight, so keep scouting until opening morning. Keep your decoy spread small. Most field hunting guides agree that 18 to 24 full-body goose decoys, set in loose family groups with feeders, a sentinel or two, and a few resters, looks more natural than a trailer-load of blocks. Leave a wide open landing zone between groups, and enlarge it when the wind picks up or big flocks are working. Geese land into the wind, so put the wind at your back, position the hide downwind, and place your most realistic decoys at the downwind edge. Before you settle in, walk 40 to 50 yards out and check for gaps or odd shadows. Concealment matters more than anything else. Brush layout blinds into the stubble, match the field’s color and soil, and keep your profile low. Avoid the middle of a clean field, where layout blinds stand out. Hedgerows, fencelines, ditches, and hay bales hide hunters better. Go easy on goose calling. Early season geese are rarely call-shy, so use simple clucks and moans, watch the lead bird, and add a flag for motion. Wait for the flock to commit, then shoot one goose at a time. One hunt burns out a hot field, so shoot, rotate, and keep scouting. Check your state’s early season dates and limits first. These goose hunting tips build a repeatable plan. If you want some other insights check out [this post](https://www.ducks.org/hunting/goose-hunting-tips-tactics/secrets-for-early-geese) from Ducks Unlimited on Early Season Goose Hunting. If you like goose hunting check out our **940** built just for the Snow Geese: [https://www.mossberg.com/940-pro-waterfowl-snow-goose-5-shot-85168.htm](https://www.mossberg.com/940-pro-waterfowl-snow-goose-5-shot-85168.html) [![Share on Facebook](https://resources.mossberg.com/hs-fs/hubfs/SocialShare/share-facebook.png?width=24&name=share-facebook.png)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fresources.mossberg.com%2Fjournal%2Fearly-season-goose-hunting-setup-for-canada-geese%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on LinkedIn](https://resources.mossberg.com/hs-fs/hubfs/SocialShare/share-linkedin.png?width=24&name=share-linkedin.png)](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fresources.mossberg.com%2Fjournal%2Fearly-season-goose-hunting-setup-for-canada-geese%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dlinkedin) [![Share on Twitter](https://resources.mossberg.com/hs-fs/hubfs/SocialShare/share-twitter.png?width=24&name=share-twitter.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fresources.mossberg.com%2Fjournal%2Fearly-season-goose-hunting-setup-for-canada-geese%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fresources.mossberg.com%2Fjournal%2Fearly-season-goose-hunting-setup-for-canada-geese%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=Early%20Season%20Goose%20Hunting%20Setup%20for%20Canada%20Geese) [![Share on Email](https://resources.mossberg.com/hs-fs/hubfs/SocialShare/share-email.png?width=24&name=share-email.png)](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fresources.mossberg.com%2Fjournal%2Fearly-season-goose-hunting-setup-for-canada-geese%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail%20&body=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fresources.mossberg.com%2Fjournal%2Fearly-season-goose-hunting-setup-for-canada-geese%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail) ### About the Author ![](https://resources.mossberg.com/hubfs/channels4_profile.jpeg) ### Just Hunt Club Just Hunt Club is a team of highly motivated Northeastern hunters that chase game and fish in a diverse and often overlooked region of the country. They have learned to adapt and be successful on mostly public access lands in extremely challenging circumstances. Whether chasing ducks, bucks, turkeys, or fish, these outdoorsmen demonstrate how to use extremely effective tactics to be successful while also showing the rich outdoor tradition and culture of the North-Eastern states. 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