The author with proof that water spreads for geese work great. Photo courtesy of Mike Gnatkowski

Hunting geese on the water versus in a field has its advantages. With either you need to scout, but when hunting over water, the scouting options are far fewer. Geese heading out to feed can spread out far and wide, and their destination can change with the wind -- and in the amount of time it takes to chop a cornfield. Just finding the field they're feeding in requires time -- time many of us don't have.

Finding just the right field is only half the battle. Then you have to get permission to hunt. In this day and age, a good goose lease can cost plenty. That is if the farmer who's worried about liability, theft and his land is even willing to take your money in trade for a good goose hunt or two. Find the right combination and it can be heaven, but it requires a lot of time, expense and effort.

Hunting geese on the water, on the other hand, is relatively simple compared to field-hunting. Most large reservoirs, lakes and impoundments have public access, which makes them open to public hunting. That's one major hurdle already solved. Rules and regulations may vary from state to state, but I don't know of anywhere where you can gain public access that you can't hunt if your feet aren't on the bottom. Of course, there are safety zones around cabins and homes that you have to be aware of, but for the most part, lakes and reservoirs offer plenty of room to roam and a lot of goose hunting opportunities. The lake I frequently hunt is ringed with cottages and resorts on about half of the lake. The other half is state park that offers miles of shoreline open to hunting. There are similar opportunities in every state. You just need to find them.

Locating concentrations of geese when they're around is not difficult. Get yourself a good pair of binoculars and glass the water during midmorning through mid-afternoon to locate geese that are resting on the water. Water usually means roosting areas when it comes to geese. The geese will feed in the fields early and again late in the day, and spend the hours in between resting, preening and sleeping on the water. During periods of nasty weather the birds may trade back and forth all day. The geese will use established routes when trading that you can home in on. Finding a concentration of geese is a start. Find the same group of birds in the same location two or three days in a row, and you have a pattern.

Just prior to the late segment of our state's goose season last year I spent parts of several days watching a location where geese were roosting on our local impoundment. Initially, there were only a couple of dozen birds using the area, but as the week wore on, more and more geese were attracted to the area. The birds were feeding in some cornfields to the south and returning to the lake to roost. Some were sitting on the water while others had made their way to a sandbar to rest on shore. I'd found their comfort zone. It was the perfect water setup. Opening day of the late season found me situated exactly where I had seen the geese, and it didn't take long to down my limit. I quickly got out of the spot so returning birds would continue to use it. The hotspot provided several more limits that week.