Just Getting into serious goose & duck hunting and have questions

[Chet43]

3 of my grand kids as of last year have decided to try to be waterfowlers and elected me to teach and be with them as the legal adult with them out in the fields.  I haven't hunted ducks for 40 years and never hunted geese. so I have questions as they want to get serious about this.

We will be doing 99.9% of the hunts in eastern washington in Grant county and surronding areas this year because we can stay with their other grandparents in a nice warm house. I also realize I need to start calling around to find and get permission to hunt on private property.

My first question for this thread is about deeks.

I under stand about water/floating full body deeks and can learn about various patterns on u-tube and the internet but what about deeks in fields? I see people talking about shells and have read about a type of deek used in the min-west and east coast that is similar to what I think is called a wind sock for hanging on porches.

As the kids are going to be using their own money for most of this and my 12 year old grand daughter who is one of the 3 hunters is also learning to sew as a hobby and is very willing and eager to try sewing the wind sock style of deeks. So here is my questions regarding deeks:

1.   Anyone who has used the wind sock style of goose deeks in eastern washington could you please tell me how well do they work?

2.   Has anyone used both the wind sock style and the shell style and which do they think is better?

3.   What type of fabric is used for the wind sock style as I realize it has to be very, very light weight to fill up and move  in order for the geese to notice them?

4.   Which is the most cost effective as the grand-kids have limited funds? This does not include the time to make the wind sock style as my grand daughter dosen't care how long it takes.

Thanks for the help and I will be posting again with other questions soon.

[h2ofowlr]

Silo sock type decoys work for us up north.  They are made of Tyvek.  Hunting the east side I would look into a few dozen full bodies.  You may be able to get some good buys of CL, Tri-Cities waterfowlers, Rodgers Sporting Good or other locations.

[Badhabit]

I second the full body decoys. Brands really don't make a lot of difference at first. Bigfoots, Old Hardcore, plenty of them out there. I'd try to get at least 3 dozen. Most importantly is how well the hunters are hidden. More often than not you'll be hunting out of a layout blind of some sort. Making the blinds blend in/disappear in a field is just as important as decoy placement. Making sure faces are covered/camo or masks are important. Many times I've been busted by someone face flashing the approaching flock. If you're new to the game you can never get the birds too close. Let em land. Jump them and pick a bird in your zone of fire and take your time on your shots. I've seen guys  go boom boom boom and the birds are still lifting off the ground. Aim at the head since they are rising. Most of all have fun and enjoy the hunting experience.

[ATM green head machine]

funny stuff right here i rely on my grandpa some times    enjoy it

[Joe Rothrock]

Hey Grampa,
Don't hesitate to take part in the September youth only duck opener. I took my grandson and a couple of his buddies the last 2 seasons, and we had a blast with limits of mixed breeds. The ducks are unsuspecting and decoy easily. They practically flew right down the barrel. I love to hunt big game, but its usually 1 shot and that's your season. With ducks its a box of shells a day for several days a year, and the dogs have a blast too. We focus on ducks and get a few geese by accident. I gave away my goose decoys and don't really miss them. Thanks for supporting the kids and providing them this opportunity. I honestly have just as much fun as they do. Good hunting!
Grampa Joe