Call-shy winter birds can be very difficult to decoy. Each day is different. Sometimes you can wail on a call, while other times a couple of toots is all birds will withstand without flaring. If you find birds that have not been hunted, chances are good you can pull them down by calling loudly and frequently. Start with loud greeting calls when incoming flocks are far away. Flag to get their attention, and call loudly and frequently by using hail honks to draw birds to the spread. Once they are coming, don't give up calling unless they flare. Talk them down with a series of clucks, and mix in a honk or two to make calls mimicking several different geese. Some people prefer to soften the calls as birds get close, while others keep up the loud music to imitate a flock of unalarmed geese. The sequence, tone and loudness you use while calling can vary with how birds react. If they lock wings and dump for loud calling, keep up the racket. If they flare and swing away after you talk to them, tone it down.

Winter birds talk very little and they keep calling somewhat subdued. Perhaps they do not want to attract attention of predators or hunters. Some flocks -- after they have been hunted -- will fly to a corn field, land and feed without making a loud call. They will actually travel and land without making a peep. This silent treatment is the result of gunning pressure that makes birds go silent. If you are hunting heavily pressured birds, use hailing and greeting calls sparingly. Wait for a member of the flock to return a call before you honk back, and lower your volume as birds get close. The trick to success is to read your birds, and if they are flying into your decoys without making a peep, keep calling to a minimum. Most geese expect return calls from birds on the ground. If you are silent when they are calling to you, they will become suspicious and avoid close encounters. Large flocks often require more calling than small scouting groups.

There are few hunting experiences that compare with the thrill of giant Canada geese floating into close gun range like feathered B-52 bombers slowly gliding to the runway. When geese are close, I'm talking kissin' close when you can hear the raspy "swoosh" of their massive wings and feel their awesome power. The adrenaline rush is intense. Such waterfowl experiences are addictive, and Michigan's late goose season provides an opportunity for you to sample some of the finest hunting the Great Lakes State has to offer. Don't miss a golden opportunity to cash in on the excitement. Plan now, call your hunting buddies and start scouting. The extra effort can produce impressive results.