# Shooting on ice



## Jedidiah (Oct 10, 2014)

I had some guys tell me that a good idea for hunting geese for someone without a boat or dog would be to go out on the ice with a white sheet and a couple goose decoys. You would set up the decoys and hide under the sheet, then call/wait until some came along and let loose. Anyone know if shooting on ice is safe? I've looked around and can't find anything fer or agin' it.


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## robiland (Jan 20, 2008)

It can be safe. Make sure you have at least 4" of ice. I have had some good success and bad and almost deadly days. Several years ago we were on Utah lake on 6-8 inches of ice. Had 1 hell of a set up. We had been watching the geese and where they were going. So we set up 9 or 10 dzn decoys. All was well except for the fog that day. So we didnt shoot at all. About 10 am, we heard a funny sound and BANG!!! I giant crack went through the middle of us. I was not worried, since Ice fishing, this happens all the time, right? at least for me. Well about 10:30 we heard that sound again and BANG and SHAKE and BANG and SHAKE and all of the ice around us was busting up and breaking all around us. Water shooting up, ice shooting up intop of ice, holes opening up, and decoys going under. We litterally jumped from 4x5 chunks of ice to chunk of ice to get back to solid ice. IT was a $#itty day. I lost several decoys. I think 1 dz full bodies, and 14 shells, or more. It was an expensive day. There was 6-8 inches of ice. Just a freak thing that happened that day. 

It can be fun and can be adventurous. It will work. Lay low! Good luck!


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## utahgolf (Sep 8, 2007)

what are your safety concerns? either the ice is thick enough to hold you or it isn't. if it isn't then you'll be setting dekes on the ice and hiding in some cover. The only real safety concern is if you're trying to do this in deep water and if that is the case you'd treat it just like ice fishing. There's always some goose hunter at utah lake that falls through and gets into trouble when the ice isn't quite thick enough. so be careful, but other than that if it's a regular marsh style in a foot of water than worse case scenario you get a little wet or have to change plans because the conditions aren't right.


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## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

robiland said:


> It can be safe. Make sure you have at least 4" of ice. I have had some good success and bad and almost deadly days. Several years ago we were on Utah lake on 6-8 inches of ice. Had 1 hell of a set up. We had been watching the geese and where they were going. So we set up 9 or 10 dzn decoys. All was well except for the fog that day. So we didnt shoot at all. About 10 am, we heard a funny sound and BANG!!! I giant crack went through the middle of us. I was not worried, since Ice fishing, this happens all the time, right? at least for me. Well about 10:30 we heard that sound again and BANG and SHAKE and BANG and SHAKE and all of the ice around us was busting up and breaking all around us. Water shooting up, ice shooting up intop of ice, holes opening up, and decoys going under. We litterally jumped from 4x5 chunks of ice to chunk of ice to get back to solid ice. IT was a $#itty day. I lost several decoys. I think 1 dz full bodies, and 14 shells, or more. It was an expensive day. There was 6-8 inches of ice. Just a freak thing that happened that day.
> 
> It can be fun and can be adventurous. It will work. Lay low! Good luck!


 I almost threw up when I read this.


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## Greenhead_Slayer (Oct 16, 2007)

If birds have been resting on the ice in that particular area its worth a try. I haven't had very good luck laying on the ice and putting out 5-6 dozen shells/full bodies and hoping to pull down birds onto the ice. There are times when the birds will go rest on the ice and that can be a good time to do it, I'd be a bit hesitant to go through all that work just hoping to traffic some birds though.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

White sheets never look white with all the detergents and UV brightener. How do you get rid of the UV?


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

Fowlmouth said:


> White sheets never look white with all the detergents and UV brightener. How do you get rid of the UV?


They used to put phosphates in the detergent to make your clothes brighter but it has been banned for a while now. If nothing else there are products that you can wash your clothes or sheets in that will eliminate the UV signature in them.


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## Jedidiah (Oct 10, 2014)

Fowlmouth said:


> White sheets never look white with all the detergents and UV brightener. How do you get rid of the UV?


That's a really good point and I'd have totally missed that. I'll have to try and find some white material without a UV brightener already in it, or wash some white sheets with some non-UV detergent.

I guess the safety concern I have is with shooting a shotgun on top of ice on deep water, and wondering how thick the ice should be or if ice can even be thick enough to be safe for this sort of operation. I guess people do it so 8 inches should be good.

On second thought though, they're going to be concentrating around inlets anyway so why not shoot from solid or marshy frozen ground and then go out and retrieve?


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## Jedidiah (Oct 10, 2014)

robiland said:


> It can be safe. Make sure you have at least 4" of ice. I have had some good success and bad and almost deadly days. Several years ago we were on Utah lake on 6-8 inches of ice. Had 1 hell of a set up. We had been watching the geese and where they were going. So we set up 9 or 10 dzn decoys. All was well except for the fog that day. So we didnt shoot at all. About 10 am, we heard a funny sound and BANG!!! I giant crack went through the middle of us. I was not worried, since Ice fishing, this happens all the time, right? at least for me. Well about 10:30 we heard that sound again and BANG and SHAKE and BANG and SHAKE and all of the ice around us was busting up and breaking all around us. Water shooting up, ice shooting up intop of ice, holes opening up, and decoys going under. We litterally jumped from 4x5 chunks of ice to chunk of ice to get back to solid ice. IT was a $#itty day. I lost several decoys. I think 1 dz full bodies, and 14 shells, or more. It was an expensive day. There was 6-8 inches of ice. Just a freak thing that happened that day.
> 
> It can be fun and can be adventurous. It will work. Lay low! Good luck!


Funny you should say that about the fog, I'm used to seeing fog when there's a big difference between the water temperature and the air temperature, I wonder if the lake might have had some warm water moving in from somewhere and causing the ice to deform and shift.


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## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/German-Snow...740?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43d53728b4

I do this.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

Hey JuniorPre 360 
These guys are in Tooele......http://www.oquirrharms.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=67_89&products_id=597


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## Crndgs8 (Sep 14, 2013)

Work out ok for me yesterday.
In my experience, you can harvest geese in/over water, fields, ice, weeds etc...the key is, your hunting spot needs to have birds using it to rest, loaf, or feed. Hunting geese around the GSL public marshes can be frustrating. Stay persistent and spend more time watching than actual hunting and you will put some on the ground. Hope this helps.


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## robiland (Jan 20, 2008)

Jedidiah said:


> Funny you should say that about the fog, I'm used to seeing fog when there's a big difference between the water temperature and the air temperature, I wonder if the lake might have had some warm water moving in from somewhere and causing the ice to deform and shift.


It was a funny thing. We had a huge storm a few weeks before of rain and lots of it, then it turned to snow then it got down right cold for a week or more. I think what happened was the water level rose temporarily and then that flash freeze we had, then it stayed **** right cold for the week in single digits. Then I think the water level dropped but left an air gap. At least thats all I could think of. But that same day, several people had to be rescued from the lake from that same thing happening. It was freaking scary. I dont ice fish like I used to any more. It makes me sick when I hear the moans and groans of the lakes.


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## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

Fowlmouth said:


> Hey JuniorPre 360
> These guys are in Tooele......http://www.oquirrharms.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=67_89&products_id=597


 Wow... wish I would have seen this a while ago.


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## silverkitten73 (Sep 20, 2007)

Get ahold of Paddler. This is his time of year as he loves to ice hunt on public lands. And a lot of it is done with his 28 gauge.


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## Kevin D (Sep 15, 2007)

Back when I was a kid, a couple buddies and I used to wander out onto the ice at Hyrum Dam after geese. None of us had any decoys, so we'd squat down, hold our shotguns vertical, and wait for the geese to come back in from the fields. From a distance we had the same form as a sitting goose. I was always amazed at how many flocks would fly within shotgun range to check us out. I suspect geese today get a little more pressure, but I've killed a lot of geese on the ice with no cover at all, just hunkering down.


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