Southern Illinois snow goose hunting seen as ‘great experience’

Some waterfowl hunters have already put up their gear by the time the regular season ends at the end of January. They might be hanging up that firearm a bit too early though.

Snows Unlimited Outfitters of Marion, Ill., goes all out during the snow goose season which begins Feb. 1 and runs through the end of March. This is the 11th year for the organization.

There is no limit on the amount of snow geese that hunters can harvest. The outfitters harvest numbers are usually in the teens and 20s per field.

“Our best hunt this year was 66,” said Rex Shoot Jr., who runs Snows Unlimited with his partner James Frerking, both of Marion. “We hope to hit in the 100s this year if we’re lucky.

“We started with one pit and we are really growing” Shoot said. “We now have five pits.”

Shoot said the snow geese migrate through Southern Illinois from February through March.

“The best time (to hunt), is any time during the peak migration from February to mid-March,” Shoot said. “We hunt them until the end of March.”

The snow geese migrate back north in the spring when the frozen water thaws. Shoot said the birds need open water. “They got to have water to roost,” he said.

When the spring migration begins, large numbers of snow geese pass through the area in a matter of weeks. They migrate quickly, sometimes traveling hundreds of miles at a time.

Snow geese often move through an area in waves, often staying only a day or two and seldom more than a week.  That’s why the outfitters have their hunts near feeding and roosting areas by fields, sloughs, or lakes.

Shoot has his Snows Unlimited trailer parked   at Grassy Lake Hunting Club during the snow goose season to coordinate the hunts from there.

The Snows Unlimited Outfitters lease five fields in Southern Illinois for hunts, including one in Ullin in Pulaski County, two at Horseshoe Lake in Alexander County and two at Grassy Lake Hunting Club near Ware in Union County.

There are 1,500 snow goose decoys at the Ullin hunting site, 1,800 at Horseshoe Lake and 2,200 at Grassy Lake Hunting Club.

The birds average 5-6 pounds each and lack natural camouflage, so the geese are extremely alert, wary and suspicious, he said.

Shoot said that is why a lot of different tactics are employed to lure them into shooting range.

The outfitters use their own decoys and custom wireless sound systems. They use snow goose kites and other tricks also to entice the snow geese.

Shoot said that Frerking designed the decoys the outfitters sell. He also designed the website for the outfitters.

They have six snowgoose guides working for them at the various hunts.

Waterfowl hunters accustomed to fall hunting and migrations that are pushed by northern cold fronts need to adjust their thinking, Shoot said. Snow and cold winds from the north can stop a spring migration while warm southerly winds will encouage the geese to move.

Gusty winds and fogs are favorable conditions for goose hunts. They usually fly lower.

Bright sunny “bluebird” days will have the snow geese remaining in one area and flying at higher altitudes.

Since snow geese tend to approach a decoy spread from a much greater altitude than ducks or dark geese, they have a broader view of the spread, as well as more time to see anything that seems unnatural.

Shoot said that snow geese are nicknamed “sky carp,” however, there are many different methods to cook them and he said they can be very good eating.

“If you love waterfowl hunting, you will love snow goose hunting,” the Snows Unlimited brochure says. “What a great experience.”