One if by land, two if by sea. We all recognize this famous signaling code used the New England settlers to warn of an approaching British attack. The threat of attack could come by water or over land and the colonists weren't taking any chances.

Waterfowl hunters also conduct their battles over land and water, but the majority of these Nimrods concentrate on water. Tradition more than any other factor leads waterfowl hunters to water. Certainly both ducks and geese can be successfully harvested over water, but it's important to understand that geese are less dependent on water than most ducks.

Primarily geese use water as a resting or roosting site. The birds leave the security of water each morning and spend most of the day feeding in nearby grain fields or scouting out new feeding areas. Typically geese abandon their roosting sites before shooting hours in the morning and rarely return until after shooting hours are over in the evening.

A single shot fired at a roosting site has been known to scare off geese and prevent them from returning. Roost sites are like sanctuaries that hold large numbers of birds in a given area. If the birds are disturbed on the roost site, they often abandon the region all together in search of more peaceful haunts. With the departing birds goes any chance of hunting success.

Goose hunting season stretches into December, January, and even February in some areas. Most of the action takes place on terra firma, but putting out decoys in any old field isn't likely to warm a gun barrel.

Locating Feeding Fields

The real hunt begins long before the first shots are fired. Geese are creatures of habit and their daily feeding forays must be effectively patterned before hunters have any hope of luring birds within gun range.

Daily scouting trips are the only practical method of locating the fields geese flock to when the feed bell rings. Hunters can pinpoint favored feeding areas by simply following the birds from the roost site to their feeding grounds.

The process sounds easy, but it often requires a considerable amount of effort to locate the fields geese single out for feeding. A couple hunters working together can follow geese in a vehicle if one hunter concentrates on driving while the other uses binoculars to keep the birds in sight.

During the short days of late fall, geese often fly early and late in the day and very low. It can be tough to keep low cruising birds in sight for long. If a group of birds are lost, note the direction they were traveling and wait for awhile to see if another flock happens by in the same direction.

Not all the birds leave and return to the roost at the same time. Birds that straggle behind often help hunters pick up the trail to feeding areas.

Geese normally feed within 10 miles of their roosting sites. As a general rule, hungry geese will only travel as far as necessary to find suitable feeding grounds. The sight of these long-necked birds spiraling towards the ground is a sure sign that a feeding field has been located.

Sometimes birds can be located by simply driving back roads and glassing open fields that look promising. Once hunters get to know the general area geese prefer to feed in, it isn't hard to keep tabs on foraging birds.

Certain types of fields consistently attract geese while others almost never see a webbed foot print. Canada geese favor certain grains like wheat, oats, and corn, but to attract geese these fields must be cut. Geese ignore standing grain fields and many crops that are cut seem to offer little geese are interested in.

Wheat and oat fields that have been combined and chisel plowed are prime fields for hungry Canadas. Geese gorge themselves on the waste grain.

Chopped corn fields are also top bets for locating feeding geese. Corn fields chopped for silage leave lots of waste grain that geese suck up like a vacuum cleaner.

Also cut fields where farmers spread manure are favorites of hungry geese. Geese eagerly pick through the manure looking for bits of undigested grains and grasses.

Any of these field types can attract geese, but all will draw better if they contain low spots with moist soil or a little standing water. Take cut fields with waste grain, add a little mud and water, and you've found a goose's dream come true.

Ask for Hunting Permission

Once a feeding field is located, the hunter must obtain written permission from the land owner before hunting. Most dry-land goose hunting takes place on private lands, but getting permission to hunt isn't as difficult as many hunters expect.

Geese are voracious feeders and even small flocks of birds can do great damage to farm crops. Many farmers welcome goose hunters.

After a successful hunt, waterfowlers are wise to offer the host farmer part of their harvest. Offer to clean the birds, invite the farmer hunting on future trips, and make sure the man gets on your Christmas card list.

Good hunting contacts are hard to come by and should be treated with tender loving care. Most of all, be friendly and treat the farmers property with respect at all times.

Hunting Strategies

Once a field that's attracting good numbers of geese is located and hunting permission secured, head back to the field to analyze what part of the field birds are concentrating on. Normally the birds stay well away from fencerows, ditches, and other cover that could hide a hunter or natural predator.

It's critical to make your stand in the exact area the birds are feeding. Otherwise approaching birds may decoy to the field, but land out of gun range.

The more open space a hunter has around him the better when decoying geese to fields. The larger the field and more open the space, the more likely geese are to respond to decoys and calling.

Hunters must be at the field and with decoys set long before the feeding birds arrive. Sometimes the birds arrive right after sunrise and other mornings the birds trickle in throughout the morning.

The object of field hunting is to lure incoming birds into shooting range for one or two good shoots. If the birds haven't been disturbed they will naturally gravitate towards the parts of the field they have been feeding in. The use of decoys and calling further insures that incoming geese can be talked down where hunters will enjoy excellent shooting opportunities.

Silhouette, shell, and full-body decoys can all be used effectively for field hunting. A good spread of full body decoys is the best possible attractor. Many of these deeks are so real even other hunters can't tell them from real birds at a distance.

Field hunters typically use more decoys than those who hunt over water. A spread of 50 to 100 decoys is common and many hunters use even larger spreads.

Oversize or magnum decoys draw birds from greater distances and are worth the investment. Expensive items, goose hunters often pool funds when buying decoys to ease the pain of owning 100 or more blocks.

Motion decoys are also a big plus on birds that see heavy hunting pressure. There's a wide variety of products designed to add motion to a decoy setup. Some of the most popular include the Higdon Finisher, a full-body decoy that allows the hunter to mechanically move the head/neck and body using a stake and string. Livewire Moving Heads are another trick hunters use to add motion to their decoys. These replacement heads fit most shell decoys and consist of a sock-like material stretched over a spring that allows the head and neck to move in the wind.

Northwind Windsock decoys are also popular with goose hunters. These lightweight decoys are made from tough Tyvek that moves with the slightest breeze. Flapperz are lightweight plastic wings that attach to any decoy with hook and loop tape. There are also full-body foam decoys that move with the breeze. The Upwind Goose decoy is made of lightweight compactable foam that always point into the wind.

In addition to these decoy tricks, many hunters swear by a technique known as flagging. A two-foot square chunk of black cloth is waved at approaching birds to simulate the flapping wings of birds on the ground. This technique may appear crude, but it works wonders on call-shy geese.

When setting decoys spread the blocks out well apart so from a distance the flock appears larger than it really is. Leaving large spaces between the decoys also encourages incoming geese to land right among the decoys. Bunching up the blocks can lead to birds landing outside the decoys and at maximum shotgun range.

Blinds and pits aren't necessary for hiding hunters. Since the field is only likely to produce one or two good shoots before the birds wise up, it makes no sense to build elaborate blinds.

Hunters simply lay on their backs in the decoys and wear camouflage clothing that blends well with the ground. Some hunters use blankets camouflaged with bits of whatever natural materials are on the ground to cover themselves. Hands, faces, and guns must also be camo covered to prevent sharp-eyed geese from spotting danger.

Most important, the hunters must remain absolutely motionless until birds are well within shooting range. The temptation to shoot is great when the first birds start dropping their landing gear. Wise hunters hold off until birds in the front of the flock are touching down and birds in the back of the flock are well within gun range before making their move.

It takes nerves of steel, but waiting until all the birds are within shooting range makes for closer initial shots and higher quality follow-up shots. The results are cleanly killed birds and fewer cripples.

After a field produces a shoot or two, the birds often become wary and avoid fields that see hunting pressure. Staying on the birds requires hunters to scout out other fields for future hunts. It takes a lot of work to keep a goose hunting rig flowing smoothly.

Guns and Loads

Geese are large birds that require lots of killing. The average Canada goose is 8-12 pounds and some adults are even larger. Large guns, heavy steel shot loads, and tight chokes are the answer to consistent success.

While geese can be effectively harvested with 16- and 20-gauge guns, the 12-gauge is the superior weapon. The popular 12 delivers more knock-down power, longer effective killing range, and greater ammunition choices then the smaller tubes. Serious hunters swear by the 12-gauge 3-inch magnum loaded with 1 5/8 ounce loads of BB or BBB shot. Fired from a modified barrel, these loads provide dense goose killing patterns to 40 yards and beyond.

Maximum loads in a 12-gauge and 12-gauge 3-inch magnum are the best possible choice. It's hard to overkill a goose. Even birds taken over decoys are best handled with heavy loads of large shot.

My favorite goose gun is a Remington model 11-87 with a Mossy Oak finish. By simply changing the choke tube or adding a different barrel, the gun is quickly converted into a top-notch turkey and deer weapon. Other reliable auto-loading shotguns are produced by Browning, Benelli, Beretta, and Mossberg.

Hunter's may want to consider the new 12-gauge 3 1/2-inch magnums. These guns offer 10-gauge performance in a 12-gauge shell. To date only a few manufactures offer guns chambered for the big 12, but as these smoothbores see more field use, other models are sure to follow.

Some hunters believe the big 10-bore is the ideal goose gun. There's little doubt that a 10-gauge can kill geese at amazing ranges. If you feel a 10-gauge is the answer, I'd highly recommend a gas operated auto-loading version. Gas operated shotguns are much lighter on recoil, allowing the hunter faster and more calculated follow-up shots.

The new Remington SP 10 Magnum comes in both a black matte and camo version that is ideal for waterfowl hunting. The 10-bore from Big Green also features screw-in chokes, a vent rib, and an optional deer slayer barrel.