I've made and bought so many goose decoys over the years I lost count. My first were silhouettes I made myself from 1/4" plywood. I had 460 of them (I used them guiding) and took a whole summer putting them together. I had to haul them around in a trailer. Later, I went with shell decoys that I got at a discount from the factory because I was a professional guide. After that I got two dozen 747's made in Klamath Falls, Oregon and was finally able to haul them in my pickup but packing them out to the field was a real chore.
Now days I'm no longer guiding but still hunt for and, most times, by myself. I carry 10 dozen Real Geese silhouette decoys out on a cart and can set out the entire spread in like 20 minutes. Picking them up takes about 45 minutes but it's easy work. I know there are better decoys out there like the Stan Smith full bodies but they're expensive and harder to transport. If you guide larger parties then the expense is justified and you have plenty of help getting them into more remote locations. IMO Outlaws and Real Geese are on a par for performance. I got Real Geese because at the time I started buying them Outlaw was having some legal difficulties. They are extremely effective. I hunt where there is strong competition and almost always get limits of Canadas plus quite a few mallards that are attracted to the decoys.
One thing you need to consider. To be a consistantly successful waterfowler it takes equipment. You can sit on a small pothole in farmland and shoot a limit of ducks over 1/2 dozen duck decoys and that's great. If you live somewhere where you can do that you're lucky. I've done it many times myself and have shot geese over as few as 3 decoys but if you're hunting the refuges and competing with a bunch of other spreads the guy with the most of the best equipment will win darned near every time. Calling is important, too. Overrated but important. I know a guide who was considered the absolute best in California and he never blew a call. Most people overdo it because they see videos made by call makers and that's what they do. Sometimes it's best to keep quiet especially if you're inexperienced. I've had clients and partners who've spent $150 on a call and scared the geese off the spread by making a racket on their call. To me that's grounds for murder.
I know this is a sore subject with some right now but you may want to take a look on Ebay for some silhouettes. Don't bother with the Jenny Vanes, they don't last as well. There are guides who buy new gear every season and are selling decoys at a big discount and will last you almost forever.
Again, IMO, I would go to the field with no less than 5 dozen decoys. If you're hunting snows in the west at least double that. In the midwest and Texas they set out like 1500 windsocks. I use the windsocks for snows at Tule Lake in California. I put out my 10 dozen Real Geese and five dozen windsocks. It works well. I need a partner, tho.
BTW...A good caller can pull birds off the larger spreads for a shot but be prepared for a fight. The Foiles Straight Meat Honker call is one of the easiest to use and sounds great. I use a Saunders Traffic call and a Tim Grounds Cut Down Honker. Both are difficult to learn but are highly effective when used properly.
Good luck!
