Obviously interested, I stayed on the call and the lead goose started to answer as the birds began to lose altitude. About 500 yards out, the honkers locked their wings and began a slow decent. Rick had his head buried in the blind, but I chided him that he had to peek. He peered through the mesh to see the entire flock 100 yards out, rocking from side to side with feet extended.

With a big grin, Rick said, "Tell me when." I waited until the geese were hanging over the decoys 30 yards out before I yelled, "Take 'em!"

Sound really carries over water, so don't be afraid to call to geese that seem too far away. You never know. Calling can be especially effective when hunting over water when visibility is poor. In fog or blinding snow, geese get turned around, they're looking for company or a place to sit down. Calling then can help them home in on your decoy spread, and your calling should be more animated. Usually, I use just the hail and greeting calls until the birds are relatively close, and then a few excited clucks and double clucks seal the deal.

Geese don't seem to fly as early as ducks, so don't be in a panic if you don't see geese right off the bat in the morning. On extremely cold days, the geese may not even leave the water until midmorning. Usually there are ducks flying all over the place before geese even think about getting up. It is usually well after daylight before the geese start honking excitedly and lift off to head for the fields. Often a good ploy is to wait until the geese leave before setting up. It's kind of "banker's hours waterfowling." Once the geese have fed and return, you'll be in position.

Geese have keen eyesight. Any hint of unnatural movement will send them backpedaling, so you need to stay super-still when birds are approaching. We all know how hard it is to stay motionless for hours on end, but resist the temptation to move around. Just about the time you get up to stretch or do the necessary deed, the geese will show up. Keep dogs, shiny Thermos bottles and spent shell casings out of sight.

And your camouflage needs to match the surroundings. During the early season, use camo patterns that have more green in them to match the still-green foliage. Add more dead grass and earth tones later in the season to blend in with the surroundings. On bright days, a facemask is a good idea.

If you do your homework, the geese should be in easy shotgun range when you decide to take them. Generally, water spreads aren't the place for tightly choked guns. In fact, you'll find that a modified choke or even improved cylinder will work well with geese over water. No. 1 shot in loads like Heavy Shot or Kent's Matrix work great. BB-sized shot is a better choice in steel loads for giant Canada geese.

Once the bird is down, dispatch it quickly if its head is up before it gets out of range. While geese are strong swimmers, they don't always dive like ducks. If you can catch up to them, you usually can retrieve them. I like to have a handful of light No. 7 steel loads handy for dispatching birds on the water.

There aren't too many more satisfying sounds than the one of a big goose thumping the ground. But if you lack the resources or the time to hunt the fields, look to the water for geese. After all, they don't call them "waterfowl" for nothing!