Hunt on Your Own Goose Hunting Private Land Kansas, Missouri, IowaGoose hunting falls into three basic categories. The first are those that prefer the large crop stubble fields and place out 400 to 600 decoy spreads. Goose hunting on a lesser scale are those that wait until the end of the duck season, scout where the geese are laying over and then place out a quick spread and call them in. The final category of goose hunting are those that harvest them incidental to a duck hunt. Those that harvest geese while in the duck blinds are able to do so as many of our wetlands have more than one type of habitat. A common wetland in Missouri is a slough that is pumped into a levee surrounded area that includes the trees and brush along the slough out to open farm ground where the crop stubble starts out as flooded next to the wood line and later is dry land stubble. With a blind or two in each of the areas of this wetlands in some places ducks will be predominate and in other areas the geese will be. In all cases the overlap will allow for a mixed bag during one morning's hunt.  Another large crop field capable of several 400 decoy spreads is near a power plant lake that has open water regardless of the winter's temperatures. The combination waterfowl wetlands consist of standing crop fields, flooded, water level controlled crop fields, marsh, sloughs and flooded timber. Several hardcore large spread hunters will team up though the buddy hunt system and work together to place out the decoys and enjoy the hunt. Many first time waterfowl hunters have started this way and it is always interesting to see a flight of several thousand geese come into a spread. It is also a testing situation when small groups of 10s come in making for more challenging shooting.
These next two pictures are from crop fields well away from water, but within the micro flyway between a refuge and large crop fields used for feeding.
Goose hunting for those that can hunt on their own and only need the place to hunt.
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Snow Geese and Canadas are available with many of the Canadas wintering over with our mild temperatures and many wetlands.
In all cases the hunter is recommended to the region where geese have been reported by the conservation department, local land owners and several upland bird hunters that extend the courtesy to other Association members by calling in flock sightings to the office. The hunter is then expected to go to that area of any reported county, scout the geese and determine where to set up to test his calling and decoying capability. This is the guidance part without guiding that MAHA provides to its membership. The hunter gets to hunt on his own employing his own methods. 
