You may hunt on moving waterways without permission, as long as you do not tie up or anchor on the bank, which is almost always somebody’s private property. There are some waterways where the adjacent shoreline is public land, but that’s a limited situation.

“One of the toughest things about goose or duck hunting in the mid-section of the state is that often in a localized area where a lot of resident birds are found, there’s just not much public hunting land. In order to be anywhere close to where the birds are, you have to get permission to hunt on private land,” said Pritchert.

The biologist is referring to the numerous horse farms, golf courses and sometimes, big manufacturing-operation ponds and lakes that Canada geese will use. It’s now routine to see flights of birds going to and from these kinds of locations all year ‘round -- but for most of us, it’s tough to get access to those lands.

“The alternative is when the weather gets rough and cold, and those private ponds and lakes freeze over,” said the biologist. “That’s when it’s time to scout along rivers or creeks.

“There will be spots to hunt along rivers like the Kentucky, Salt, Green, Rolling Fork, Licking and even the Elkhorn Creek. Look for areas where the rivers run through agricultural lands, were geese feed on during winter periods.

“If you can locate some fields, or see birds feeding in fields somewhere close to a large creek or river, you’ll have a decent chance of being able to hunt those birds by floating that waterway,” said Pritchert.

When most of the geese in the vicinity are forced to the river to find open water, you might be surprised at the number of birds you can see. They will move up and down those waterways, looking for undisturbed spots and other birds, and that’s your chance to cash in.

“The best waterway is usually going to be the Ohio River, in the stretches near cooling ponds of big power plants, or slough ponds that freeze as winter progresses,” recommended Pritchert.

“Sometimes, both migrants and residents will use the Ohio as a resting area and natural travel lane, even before they can’t find open water elsewhere,” he said.

If you’re willing to cover some ground -- water, actually -- and are flexible enough to change locations and hunt a little to find groups of birds, going the route of working rivers isn’t a bad bet at all.

Just dress correctly, go slowly and make wise shots. If you’re not familiar with the closest spot to put in on the waterway you want to hunt, contact the KDFWR for a list of boat launch ramps on public waterways.

PEABODY WMA & CAVE RUN LAKE
The Peabody WMA and Cave Run Lake have specialized goose-hunting zones set up around them to let hunters utilize the established resident flocks in these two areas. Those zones are the West-Central, and Northeast Goose zones, respectively.

In both areas, the KDFWR has helped maintain a larger collective flock of birds that use a variety of waters within those land areas, both for nesting in spring and to call home during winter.

The birds on Peabody and Cave Run Lake tend to regenerate themselves each year, providing waterfowlers in those regions some local hunting on a limited basis. These areas aren’t open to the full goose season, simply to ensure the flocks aren’t over-harvested and to sustain the resource from year to year.

This year, Rocky Pritchert expects several other state parks to more or less follow suit, and be opened to goose hunting like Greenbo.