NO PRIVATE ACCESS? TRY HIRING A GUIDE
Hunters new to goose hunting should consider hiring a guide if they want to maximize their time, and save a few bucks to boot. When you factor in the cost of buying decoys, now ranging from $80 to $400 a dozen, layout blinds costing over $100, and the high price of leased hunting land, hiring a guide seems reasonable.

Employing a guide takes all the guesswork out of goose hunting and stacks the odds in your favor. If the guide is worth his salt, and wants return clients, he no doubt scouts his areas almost daily. A good guide also has the latest, most authentic decoys, as well as blinds built for the best sort of concealment of hunters looking to take wary late-season migrants.

Avid goose hunter Russ Higbie operates Law Dawg Hunting Lodge -- (405) 613-6913 -- in Cogar. As the name implies, Higbie worked in law enforcement for 30 years as a narcotics officer.

"I went from busting dopers to busting geese," joked Higbie, a 40-year goose-hunting veteran. "I decided that with my goose-hunting knowledge, combined with my family's homestead that's located in Caddo County near Fort Cobb, opening up a guide service and having some fine goose hunts seemed like the thing to do."

OTHER GOOD GOOSE SPOTS
With resident geese now at nuisance levels, finding geese near your locale is an easy task. "There are a tremendous amount of geese around Oklahoma City," said Stanfield. Stewart echoed Stanfield's assessment and added, "With gas prices being at an all-time high, it is becoming more cost-effective to hunt closer to home. I hunt six days a week during the season, and I take a lot of geese near Oklahoma City."

Tom Steed Reservoir and Hackberry Flats, both located in the southwest, are sleeper goose haunts that swell with geese each winter.

According to Stewart, the area around Canton Lake is becoming a goose magnet. "Farmers there are begging hunters to come and rid them of the scavenging geese," he added.

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
If you're a seasoned goose hunter who has not hunted late-season geese, then the challenge is on! I hope to harvest several before the season ends.

While some waterfowl numbers are dropping, Oklahoma's goose numbers seem to be rising. With the availability of an estimated 50,000 resident geese living in Oklahoma, a goose hunter generally doesn't have to go far to engage in his sport.

The bag limit of dark geese is three Canadas and two white fronts. The daily limit on light geese -- snows, blues, and Ross' -- is 20. Steel shot is of course mandatory.

If you're new to goose hunting, and buying decoys for the first time, buy the best ones you can afford. Some of the new full-bodied decoys feature flocked heads and look incredible, but they can cost as much as a new shotgun.

Practice calling -- and keep in mind that, when calling to geese, you should as a rule answer them in the manner in which they call. For example, I've had substantial success by exactly imitating the lead goose.

For Okie goose hunters, the good ol' days are now. Vary your decoy spreads, be adaptable, and scout your hunting spots often -- and you too can experience the peak of goose migration through our state at its finest. Good luck this season!