Secrets to Hunting Geese: Part Two
John E. Phillips 12.07.11
Calling Geese with Steve Bierle
Steve Bierle of Canton, South Dakota has hunted geese in various areas of Canada and the northwestern United States his entire life. He’s won several state championships and has competed in and judged many regional and national goose calling championships.
Goose calling is basically simple, if you understand the primary components for being a successful goose caller. The most critical ingredient to calling and taking geese is to be where the geese want to be. If you’re in a place where the geese don’t want to be, you may be a world champion goose caller, but more than likely you won’t take many geese. However, none of us are lucky enough to be in the right spot at the correct time every time the geese arrive. So, the second biggest key to being a successful goose caller is to learn how to read the geese when they’re in the air and understand what calls they want to hear, how they want to hear those calls, and when they want to hear those calls.
For instance, sometimes geese will come off the roost and be silent. You don’t need to call then but instead depend on your decoys to lure in the geese. One of the hardest calls to teach a goose caller is the shut up call, when you just sit still, be quiet and watch the birds. On other days, geese will come off the roost and are extremely vocal, even if they’re in pairs or small bunches. On those days, you have to understand how to blow a goose call, if you want to bring these geese to within gun range. You need to talk to the geese the same way they’re talking to each other and listen to what they say and the way they say it. Also, for successful goose calling, don’t be afraid to make the cluck a goose gives, and learn how to produce the basic moan of a Canada goose. If you feel comfortable giving those two calls, then more than likely you will call in about 70 percent of the geese that you have an opportunity to call. You can use your calling skills, if the geese are somewhat off-course, or if you haven’t guessed exactly right on where the geese want to be. If the geese start to slip away from me, I’ll often change to a different cadence or note to once again get the geese’s attention on me and my spread and help the birds focus on where they need to come. When the birds start doing what I want them to do, then I continue to hit the same note that I’ve used to get their attention.
A good goose caller is like a fisherman. The advanced goose caller has more notes, which are the same as the numerous lures in a fisherman’s tackle box. The more lures a fisherman has, the more chances he has to catch a fish. The more goose sounds that the goose caller can blow, the greater his odds for calling in geese. But, whether you’re calling geese or trying to catch fish, watch the animals, and let their responses to your attempts dictate how you continue to try and fool them. If one style of fishing or goose calling doesn’t work, use something different.
This article is part of a series on hunting geese. Click here to go back to part one and click here for part three, situational goose calling.
John, the 2008 Crossbow Communicator of the year and the 2007 Legendary Communicator chosen for induction into the National Fresh Water Hall of Fame, is a freelance writer (over 6,000 magazine articles for about 100 magazines and several thousand newspaper columns published), magazine editor, photographer for print media as well as industry catalogues (over 25,000 photos published), lecturer, outdoor consultant, marketing consultant, book author and daily internet content provider with an overview of the outdoors.
Phillips has been a contributor to many national magazines, has been affiliated with 27 radio stations across Alabama serving as their outdoor editor and wrote for a weekly syndicated column, "Alabama Outdoors," for 38-Alabama newspapers for more than 13 years. Phillips was Outdoor Editor for the "Birmingham Post-Herald" for 24 years. Phillips was also the executive editor for "Great Days Outdoors" magazine for 3 years.
The author of almost 30 books on the outdoors, Phillips is a founding member of the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) and an active member of the Southeastern Outdoors Press Association (SEOPA). Phillips also is the owner of Night Hawk Publications, a marketing and publishing firm, and president of Creative Concepts, an outdoor consulting group.
Phillips conducts seminars across the nation at colleges in freelance writing, photography and outdoor education besides teaching courses in how to sell what you write to writers' groups. Phillips received his photography training as a still-lab photo specialist for six years in the Air Force. He was the chief photographer for Mannequins, Inc., a Birmingham modeling agency, for 11 years.
While serving as 2nd Vice President of the Alabama Wildlife Federation, Phillips was in charge of all press releases for the organization as well as serving as Chairman of Alabama's Big Buck Contest, which he founded more than 30 years ago. He also was president of the Alabama Sportsman's Association for three years.
Phillips is the recipient of a Certificate of Merit from the Governor of Alabama and the Department of Conservation for his work in the outdoor field. Phillips is vitally interested in the outdoors and travels the nation collecting personalities, stories and how-to information for his articles and features.
EDUCATION: B.S. degree from the University of West Alabama with a physical education major and a history minor.
EXPERIENCE: 10 years parttime and fulltime physical director for YMCAs and 34 years as a freelance writer, photographer, editor, book author, lecturer and daily-content provider for websites. Currently, Phillips is a field editor for Game and Fish Publications; serves on the editorial board of Grandview Media; is a regular contributor to 12 internet magazines and a daily content provider for 8 websites.
WRITING AWARDS: Runnerup - Best Outdoor Magazine Feature - 1981 - SEOPA; Certificate of Merit - Awarded by Alabama's Governor for writings on conservation; Most Outstanding Sports Writer in Southeast - 1983 & 1984; Best Outdoor Feature in Alabama, 1987 - Alabama Sportswriters' Association 3rd Place; Best Book of the Year - 1989 - SEOPA; 2007 - inducted into the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame as a Legendary Communicator; 2008 - received award naming him 2008 Crossbow Communicator of the Year from the Crossbow Manufacturers' Association; 2009 - GAMMA Honorable Mention for Consumer/Paid Best Essay for July/August 2008 in "Southern Sporting Journal."
