By Talkin’ Timber
It’s not duck season. It ain’t cozy. And it damn sure ain’t quiet.
It’s early goose season — loud, hot, fast, and absolutely badass if you do it right. This is where you shake the rust off, talk some serious shit in the blind, and maybe — just maybe — drop some big honkers from the sky before the leaves even think about turning.
It’s a different beast, but if you're not fired up about early goose, then you might be in the wrong damn sport.
1. It’s Hot. Plan for It.
Forget frost-covered decoys. You're more likely to be sweating through your camo.
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Wear lightweight camo or base layers you can shed.
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Hydrate (and we don’t just mean Busch Light… though that’s important too).
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Bring bug spray, sunscreen, and a cooler — seriously, act like it’s a beach hunt with shotguns.
Comfort = focus. Focus = more geese down.
2. Scouting Wins Early Season
Geese aren’t dumb — not even early season birds.
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Hit the gravel roads. Look for freshly cut wheat, barley, and hay fields.
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Roost watching: Evenings are clutch. Where they sleep is half the battle.
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Morning pattern: Watch fly routes and landing zones. Lock in on where they want to be.
If you’re not scouting, you’re gambling — and early geese don’t pay out often.
3. Gear Up (But Keep It Simple)
You don’t need a 12-man spread and $4,000 worth of silhouettes — but you do need the right shit.
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Decoys: 6-12 full bodies or silhouettes can kill just fine if you're on the X.
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Calls: A good short reed and someone who doesn’t sound like a dying seal.
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Blinds: Layout or A-frames work — just make sure you hide. Tall grass, standing corn, or brushed-up fence rows are golden.
Early season is less about flash, more about being where they want to land — and not lookin’ like a clown.
4. Call Aggressive — But Smart
These birds haven’t been pressured hard yet. That means:
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Flagging works
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Moans and clucks kill
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Confidence calling matters
But don’t just lean on your loudmouth buddy to sky-honk ‘em into the next county. Read the birds and know when to let the decoys do the talking.
5. Stack Up Meat for the Season
Early goose ain’t just practice. It’s your first real shot to put meat in the freezer.
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Goose pastrami? Unreal.
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Jalapeño cheddar honker brats? Getcha some.
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Smoked goose breasts? Fire for the grill or the duck camp table.
You drop a few limits early on, and you’re eating good while everyone else is still dreaming about October mallards.
Final Honk
Early goose season ain’t glamorous. It’s hot, loud, sweaty, and sometimes a grind. But it’s also the start of something primal. The alarm clocks, the coffee-fueled truck rides, the flag waving, the chaos of birds cupped and committed.
This is where the season starts. And for the Talkin’ Timber crew — we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Clean the calls. Load the truck. Find the X. Let’s raise hell and make some noise before the duck boys even dust off their waders.
— Talkin’ Timber
