Pritchert says that in the Northeast Goose Zone at Cave Run, most of the land and water lies within a four-county area, and the land around the lake is public land. The lake itself is basically a refuge, but most of the surrounding area is open to hunting. Hunters can find the feeding spots these birds use daily when they get up off the water. To hunt in this area, you need to obtain a free permit. But for the northeastern section of Kentucky, this is where the bulk of the geese are, by and large. Scouting is, of course, necessary to see what places the birds are using and to locate spots to set up.

Except for a couple of refuge lakes on the Sinclair and Homestead Mines, the vast lands and network of ponds and small lakes on the Peabody WMA in the West-central Goose Zone are open, as long as you have a Peabody user permit from the KDFWR.

The report on Peabody goose numbers is decent, but Pritchert says that last year’s reduction in hatch survival may knock the population back some this season. He says the key to success on Peabody lands is moving around, getting out there and locating birds in advance, and having two or three potential locations in mind that you can try during a given morning.

“Our goose numbers have leveled off in this area, and it still ranks as one of the best public land spots for geese. But I don’t want to mislead hunters that it holds thousands of birds,” said Pritchert.

“Since this area was opened and developed a flock, mining activity has continued, and the landscape is in perpetual change. This causes birds to move around, and it effects hunting year to year.

“Peabody is a big area,” he said. “These birds have a lot of spots to choose from when they want to roost and hang out, and which fields they want to sit down and feed on. Those locations may not be the same ones every year, depending on how the landscape changes, and if work is going on in an area where it was undisturbed and quiet before,”

So if you want to be successful, you have to get out there, look around and find out what the geese are doing. You also have to have two or three options in mind should the birds not be there that day, or if someone else shows up before you, which sometimes happens on public land.

“If you’ll take time to do that, you can have some pretty good days there, and around Cave Run Lake,” Pritchert concluded.

Lastly, he stresses the importance of keeping tabs on the weather, on which Kentucky waterfowl hunting is so dependent. Mild winters make for less productive hunting seasons. It keeps birds spread out, because they can sit down anywhere on open water. If they get spooked, they just move half a mile up the road and find another hole to stick their feet in.

When you scout a WMA, your first order of business might be simply to learn where all the ponds and lakes are, and if a river or creek runs through the land. This will save time if you have to move around when conditions change.

The 2007-08 Kentucky Waterfowl Hunting Season Guide is available on line at fw.ky.gov, or by calling toll-free 1-800-858-1549, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern time, weekdays.

Remember to have your state hunting license, waterfowl permit, federal waterfowl stamp and get the lead shotguns shells out of your pockets before you go goose hunting.