# Hunting on the ice



## 28hotshot (Jan 31, 2009)

Gonna try late goose season on a private lake. Planning on cutting a hole to make some open water because I know geese fly over every day. Question is how big do I have to make the water pocket to make it worth my time? Also what sorts of spreads do you guys run? I have 2 dozen or so full bodies and 3 dozen shells. Planning on setting up with a sheet over my layout blind


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## Jerry Lamb (Aug 3, 2015)

28hotshot said:


> Gonna try late goose season on a private lake. Planning on cutting a hole to make some open water because I know geese fly over every day. Question is how big do I have to make the water pocket to make it worth my time? Also what sorts of spreads do you guys run? I have 2 dozen or so full bodies and 3 dozen shells. Planning on setting up with a sheet over my layout blind


It all depends on how much other water is open. If your area is holding birds with little water you have a chance. You'll be running traffic so bigger is better. Hate to say this but for geese I would make it 30x30 yards. And I wouldn't put too many other hunters out there. And by all means make sure the ice is safe.


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## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

Don't bother cutting the hole. Geese roost on ice all the time. Mostly sleeping though. A bunch of feeding full bodies probably won't look that real. Here's a spread of home made sleeper silhouettes used for just such occasions.


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## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

Not to mention cutting a huge hole in even private water is a good way to kill someone that stumbles into it, even if it's not that deep.


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## michiganoutdoorsman (Dec 29, 2010)

Try doing something like this.


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## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

Black Rit dye mixed and splashed on the ice will look like water but stains everything it touches.


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## Aaronjeep2 (Nov 18, 2016)

You can run blue tarps.


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## webbedconnection (Jan 13, 2006)

If there's not too much snow on the ice and it's not too cold... Try drilling a few hole in the ice and pumping water on the ice. Put your decoys around the water and a few in the water and set your blinds close with Snow Covers. They'll come right in. And silos work great on the ice, as do shells.


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## jwinks (Mar 20, 2014)

Buy a snow cover, a sheet isn’t gonna look right.


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## 28hotshot (Jan 31, 2009)

michiganoutdoorsman said:


> Try doing something like this.


This is a really cool idea. Will definitely be a lot less work than sawing. Just hope the ice is nice and clear


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## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

Visqueen is great for hiding on ice. If you use a sheet, check it against the snow to make sure the u v brighteners don't make it glow purple. Had a guy I told repeatedly told get a tyvek suit show up with sheets at mww. Flared every thing. Sent him to his truck and shot my mallards in minutes, then had him come back out and we never closed another bird, with hundreds circling the field.


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## TheHighLIfe (Sep 5, 2017)

we had 5 guys lying together on the ice within 15 yards of a small open patch on reopening day. ducks were coming right into the hole. some guys were wearing white hats/masks, others camo hats. some laid on the ice under a white (it was soiled) bed sheet, other wore white meat coats.
the same 'camo' has worked great for many years on the ice for geese during the mid part of late season
go to a meat plant, pharmacy or grocery store where white coats are worn and ask to buy some - or get the name of their linen company.
buy them 2 sizes larger, or more, to fit over your clothing


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## ajkulish (Nov 16, 2013)

camo problem solved. These are the tits

https://www.coverallsdirect.net/dup...MIz8rTlcXf2AIVS7XACh3vcQrGEAQYAiABEgI1Z_D_BwE


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## Cody Brown (Feb 22, 2017)

Hunting on the ice can be very rewarding in some cases, but it can be dangerous. Always take caution and be safe. No duck is worth dying for. You live to hunt another day. CB


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## michiganoutdoorsman (Dec 29, 2010)

Not super cheap but I think this would also be a good alternative for sitting in the snow as opposed to sitting under a sheet. Not a bad price IMO.


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## 28hotshot (Jan 31, 2009)

Its looking like we will have little to no snow come Saturday. And it's calling for rain. Great, this oughta get interesting trying to hide on glare ice lol


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## michiganoutdoorsman (Dec 29, 2010)

28hotshot said:


> Its looking like we will have little to no snow come Saturday. And it's calling for rain. Great, this oughta get interesting trying to hide on glare ice lol


I’ve seen guys lay on the ice in snow camo when the ice is pretty clean of anything and still do ok. Maybe pack more decoys around you but I wouldn’t worry.


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## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

Visqueen looks a lot like ice. Enough that I've wrapped a 14' boat in it and shot ducks feet down 30 yards away after parking the boat against the ice shelf.


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## Jerry Lamb (Aug 3, 2015)

28hotshot said:


> Its looking like we will have little to no snow come Saturday. And it's calling for rain. Great, this oughta get interesting trying to hide on glare ice lol


Theres always old time hockey...


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## John Singer (Aug 20, 2004)

I often wonder if geese would decoy to a rig set near a portable ice fishing shanty. When I lived near Jackson, I fished on a lake where geese often landed on the ice. They also flew near fishermen.


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## TheHighLIfe (Sep 5, 2017)

a tip
beware loading your backpack with 4 boxes of shells, enough food and water bottles to hold you for three days, thermos, extra clothes, every hunting gizmo ever invented......


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## Jerry Lamb (Aug 3, 2015)

Little Moot ridge?


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## webbedconnection (Jan 13, 2006)

Bet that shortened his hunt, eh!?


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## TheHighLIfe (Sep 5, 2017)

actually, he had an inch to his wader tops left. pockets froze, but he stayed out there - haha


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## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

Hiding under the ice? That's thinking outside of the box.


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## BumpRacerX (Dec 31, 2009)

Bumping an old thread rather than creating a new one...Same principle apply for ducks? Could a person use something like these garage sale find jewels to setup next to the corn with no open water?

Only problem is I've currently only got 4 on hand. But...I think I know where I might be able to get more.


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## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

We set shell decoys on the ice next to our open pocket at Shiawassee once. Kept having birds swing and get down on the corn. Kept waiting for them to pop up in the pocket. Nope. They were landing with the shells on the ice. We finally broke a path down there and moved 20 yards closer so we could get shots at them when they did this.


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## Lamarsh (Aug 19, 2014)

I wouldn't bother cutting ice. I would hunt on top of it like some said above, or better yet find some cut corn or beans they're using.


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## AaronJohn (Oct 18, 2015)

BumpRacerX said:


> Bumping an old thread rather than creating a new one...Same principle apply for ducks? Could a person use something like these garage sale find jewels to setup next to the corn with no open water?
> 
> Only problem is I've currently only got 4 on hand. But...I think I know where I might be able to get more.


If they want to be there or are using get it frequently yes. Otherwise I’ll say nope


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## TheHighLIfe (Sep 5, 2017)

webbedconnection said:


> Bet that shortened his hunt, eh!?


fortunately, he fell in last year. with water levels up, this year he would have taken water over his wader tops - that would have made his day short!


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## 28hotshot (Jan 31, 2009)

Since this got bumped may as well share the story from last year. Ended up borrowing a buddy's ice saw and spent hours opening a 20 ft diameter hole in 6 inches of ic . Lot of work for sure. Hunted in the weeds near shore. Had full bodies on the ice and a few in the water. Nothing decided to come check it out except goldeneyes but it was late goose so no shots. Picked up all the decoys and had them in a bi pile in the bags when 2 honkers decided they wanted to land on top of the bags. Needless to say we jumped back in the weeds and they came home with us lol


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