Preparing for Your Upcoming Snow Goose Hunting Trip

If you’ve never been on a spring snow goose hunt in Missouri before, then you’re really in for a treat. Snow goose hunting is not only fun and rewarding, but challenging in a way that’s different from other types of hunting. However, a goose hunting trip is just like any other experience worth exploring in life. You get a lot more out of the experience when you’re properly prepared first. Here are some points to consider when preparing for your trip in order to make sure everything goes smoothly.

Do Some Serious Shooting Practice

Shooting practice is a good idea before any hunting trip, no matter how experienced a hunter you already are. However, it’s especially important for novice hunters or those that are new to snow goose hunting in particular. Start by spending a little quality time with your gun. Clean it thoroughly. If you’re new to handling a gun, practice shouldering your gun and following through with your swing until it is like second nature to you. You want to be able to load and handle your gun effortlessly once you’re out there in the field.

You’ll also want to engage in plenty of shooting practice, of course. It’s definitely advisable to make sure a lot of that practice is deliberately done during cold weather. Goose hunting season in Missouri is going to come along with some chilly temperatures, so you’ll want to go into the experience accustomed to shooting under those conditions wearing heavy clothing.

Choose Your Clothing

Naturally, it’s important to be comfortable during any trip, but it’s going to be especially important during a spring snow goose hunt. Make sure you’re going to be comfortable in the clothes you bring beforehand. As touched on above, it’s going to be quite chilly, so dress for cold weather. You should also expect to get wet, because you will. Make sure everything you’re planning on wearing will feel comfortable with your gear, as you will be wearing your gear for hours at a time.

Last but definitely not least, you need to make sure your hunting boots are going to be comfortable. Make sure yours fit you properly and are in decent condition long before you go. If it turns out that you need to buy new boots, get tall insulated rubber boots, being waterproof is essential as fields tend to be wet and muddy in the spring. If your boots are not new, but you rarely wear them, a short break-in period of a couple of days is still recommended. You should also make sure your socks are warm and comfortable – no holes or bunchy seams that could irritate your feet on long walks in muddy field conditions.

Go with Someone Experienced

If you’ve never been on a spring snow goose hunt in Missouri before, you’ll get a whole lot more out of your trip if you arrange to go with a hunting buddy or a group that has done it before. The more experienced person will have dealt with these birds, so they’ll be familiar with their instincts and habits. They’ll also have a better understanding of the area, the lay of the land, and the environment in general.
If you won’t be going on the trip with someone already familiar with hunting snow geese and with the area, then you may want to consider hiring a snow goose hunting guide rather than going out alone and winging it. Being with someone that really understands the land, as well as the behavior of snow geese, will drastically increase your chances of having successful hunt and an enjoyable trip overall. It really does pay to be prepared!