At the opposite extreme, decoys, calls and blinds are the order of the day. For many waterfowl hunters, there's no such thing as too much gear. I consider myself to be part of that school.

In farm country, there are two basic types of hunts you're going to encounter -- water hunts and field hunts. Some hunt might even be a combination of the two. But first, before we take a look at these two types of hunts, let's talk about how to find birds.

GETTING STARTED
During the fall and early winter, ducks and geese are fairly predictable creatures, especially in farm country. They spend their nights on water and then fly out to farm fields to feed during the day --shortly after first light, usually.

The ducks you'll likely see on farm-country hunts are primarily puddle ducks -- mallards, pintails, teal, widgeons, etc. Divers such as goldeneyes, ruddy ducks and canvasbacks are not likely to venture away from their big-water haunts. However, these birds sometimes show up on farm ponds if there's a large lake or river nearby. Don't be shocked if you spot a ring-necked duck gliding into your pond setup one morning!

At this time of year, scouting for ducks and geese is as simple as driving around looking for birds feeding on the ground. Generally, if you spot a flock on a farm one day, odds are they will be back the next day. As long as there's food available, count on birds returning to a particular farm throughout the season. Migrating ducks and geese need lots of energy for their annual southward trek, and once they find a good meal, they're reluctant to turn their backs on it.

Farms that have ponds in addition to crop fields are a waterfowler's paradise. These properties are the ultimate duck and goose magnets because they can meet both of the birds' primary needs for survival. They might not spend the night on a particular farm's pond, but they'll tend to stay on the property longer throughout the day if they don't have to fly out to find water after they've fed.

If you live in an area where waterfowling is popular, you might find the farms frequented most often by other groups who are already hunting geese. Fear not -- there is still hope.

To beat the crowds, find a farm that's on the daily flight path of locally-feeding flocks. Ducks and geese are like deer, in that they'll often take the same routes from their bedding areas -- roost water -- to their feeding areas. If you can find a spot under that flight path to hunt, you'll have a chance to draw birds to within shotgun range, using decoys.

PRE-HUNT PRIMER
Here's a trick I often use in such situations. Several weeks before the hunting season opens, I'll place a few silhouette decoys in a likely-looking crop field, or float some decoys on a pond, and leave them in place until the season opens -- with the farmer's permission, of course. This will attract ducks and geese that had been flying past the farm and make it the birds' new, preferred destination just in time for the season opener. (Don't use your best decoys for this tactic, however, because they might get swiped when you're not looking!)

WATER HUNTS
If there's a better place to hunt farm-country waterfowl than on a pond, I haven't found it. Most farm ponds are rarely more than an acre or two in size, which concentrates the birds that use them into a relatively small area. That makes for some awesome shooting opportunities. (Think "fish in a barrel"!)