But the geese wised up fast. Later in the season, the flock changed its pattern and rarely used the pond; when they did use it, they approached from a different route. We never took another resident goose from that bunch. From this, we came to understand that resident Canadas are predictable early in the season, and much easier to take than they are later.

One thing about resident geese: You can be assured they’ll remain in Oklahoma. Although some people think of these geese as domesticated, they’re still very wild -- no pushovers by any means. In a nutshell, these late-season resident honkers are not the naïve, easy targets that they appear to be early in the season.

I’ve stumbled on resident geese in the most improbable places, but they’ll normally find secluded wheat fields and land in the very middle on the highest terrace. They’ll spend most of the day there, where they’re safe and not apt to be interrupted.

Here’s a story to illustrate my point about the unpredictability of these huge birds: A few years ago, my good friend Chris Box and I were jumping some ponds on his farm in Logan County. We found few ducks, but did manage to shuttle some from one pond to another that we’d jumped without success 10 minutes earlier. We hopped in his truck and headed that way.

When Box parked the truck, he asked if I wanted to join him in his quest to ambush the pair of puddlers that we’d just spooked. “I’ll wait here in the truck,” I replied. “Go ahead and knock yourself out.”

Chris peeked over the high bank, and the water below him erupted; I stared in disbelief as 12 huge resident geese flushed from that pothole. Unprepared for the big birds, Box contrived to regain his composure in time to take a single.

With a grin wide enough for him to have eaten a banana sideways, Box returned with his prize goose. I learned a lesson that day -- and you can bet that the next time I’m invited to go to an area with potential goose activity, I’ll jump at the chance!

Find more about Oklahoma fishing and hunting at: OklahomaGameandFish.com