The 2022-23 hunting license went on sale for New York State sportsmen this past week. While I am still not a huge fan of the a-la-carte system, I’m sure, for some, it works. The old system of sportsmen and super-sportsmen licenses, which included everything I needed, was easier for me. Now I have purchased a fishing license separately and if I don’t do it when I get my hunting license, well one tends to forget these things. The good side is, the fishing licenses are now good for a full year from the date of purchase. You just have to remember to get it.

Deer Management Permit numbers will be down a little this coming season for 9J. While there is a great chance to receive your first permit/tag, the second draw is going to be only fair. Remember to report your kills through the NYS Harvest hotline number, 866-426-3778.

Reporting your kill isn’t only a requirement, but it helps the DEC keep track of the game numbers. Through this system and others, permits like DMPs are issued each season.

The 2022-23 hunting season kicks off on Sept. 1 with the early goose and squirrel seasons. This year should be another interesting one for local waterfowl hunters. The growing season hasn’t been the best for local farmers. From what we can see and hear from farmers, corn may be staying long after the early goose season closes.

With the early season running 25 days and a huge limit of 15 birds per day, now is the time to get in some early season wing shooting. This season — like none in recent memory — will be one that includes a lot of scouting. The traditional way of sighting up on freshly cut field of corn, oats, wheat or alpha is going to take much more work.

Understanding why geese hit a field and not another, then knowing where they are going and when they are going to be where and how to get them to set their landing gear in your spread is a lifelong passion.

When looking for fields to hunt, I prefer areas close to water where birds are spending their evenings or roosting. These fields do not need to be right on top of the roosting areas but I like to get as close as possible to them.

We hunt several areas that are located so close that we can hear birds as they exit their roost in the morning. These are great the first few days, but they go dry quickly.

Being this close has its pros and cons. Getting set up in the pre-dawn hours needs to be done very quietly and early. As the season goes on, geese will get wise to the sounds of truck doors closing and banging of decoys. This often times is all it will take to have these birds fly over your spread. If you set up close to the roosting area/water when the first group lifts off and shoot at them, the next group that lifts off figures out really quickly that they don’t want to come to your spread.

The first couple days these setups can work, but as the season continues and birds get educated, they will stay clear of the spread too close to their roosting areas.

Remember, more often than not geese are smarter than we give them credit for.

Back in the day, early season decoy spreads were insanely simple, but today there are more ways to place your decoys than goose calls.

The first rule of thumb to remember is that geese will most always land in the wind, hence we need to set up accordingly. I prefer setting up small family groups with our blinds in the middle of the sets. A good rule is to have decoys for several small family groups — four to five decoys — and placing them in U or V format for early season hunts.

Place your hunters on the outside of the closed area of the U or V and let the open areas of the U and the V act as landing zones.

Geese like to land in the middle of the family groups then feed their way in their own family groups outside the landing zone. Having proper knowledge of how to set up your decoys will do more for success than anything.

Each year I spend hours before the season watching geese land in fields and on the water and how they communicate with each other. There is nothing like first-hand experience before the season begins. I have learned more by just sitting back and watching birds in their natural undisturbed states than on any hunting video.

Once you have your spread set up it’s time to place your hunters. Over the years of guiding hunters, there are many things I have learned. One thing is for sure. If you tell a hunter not to look up when birds are on their way to spread, the hunters will look up. It doesn’t matter how many years they have hunted or how many birds they have killed, they will, without a doubt, look up. With that in mind, I figured out the best way to keep birds from flaring is to keep my hunters well-hidden. That is a difficult task when you’re laying in the middle of a freshly cut field with no cover around.

One of the best and, in my opinion, the only way to keep hunters hidden is the use of portable blinds. Placing your hunters in ground blinds is one of the best ways to conceal their movement and not scare off the birds.

There are many ways to hide hunters. In the early years of field hunting, we would lay in the field with corn stalks or grass thrown over us. This system had several faults and wasn’t fully proven. Hunters will still move their heads as geese cupped their wings, only to have them flare off at the last minute.

One of the best blinds on the market for multiple hunters is a hay-bale style blind. This style of blind is basically a pop-up blind made to look like a hay bale in the middle of a field. With the hay bale camo and little brushing in on the hunter’s part, these blinds are great anytime of the year.

Layout style blinds are widely used and very effective in the goose fields. Once the blind is brushed in, the hunter can sit back — actually lay back — and wait on the geese. If you haven’t seen these in action, check out a few of our goose hunts on backroadoutdoorstv.com. The ease of setup and mobility of layout blinds is a must-have for any goose hunter.

We prefer to use blinds made by Avery Outdoors. Avery has been making portable ground blinds for years and, as hunters, they understand the importance of comfort and portability.

Avery’s Finisher ground blind is the Cadillac of ground blinds. With a padded head and back rest area, it would take a lot of water to get you wet. The Finisher isn’t the number one selling ground blind for nothing. From the gun rest to zippered flagging ports and plenty of room for any size hunter, it’s easy to see what makes the Finisher the top selling ground blind in the world.

Calling geese is as much a part of the hunt as anything, but I have watched as birds with their wings cupped pulled away when a caller lays on a call too hard. Like anything to do with calling wild critters, we all need to know when it’s time to talk or shut up.

When choosing a goose call I look for a short reed call that is easy to work with. This is not to say that I would use a good flute, but I prefer a short single reed for new callers.

When calling, keep in mind to use your call appropriately. One of the old wives’ tales about calling geese is you need to be a master caller to be successful. Nothing could be further from the truth. I have watched first-time callers turn birds and get them close enough to get some shooting in. Now I am not saying anybody who walks into a store to purchase a call can call in birds, but it’s not rocket science. Calling waterfowl is an art form. The more time you put into practicing the better you will become which will make you a better hunter.

Beginning to learn to use a goose call needs an understand of the basics of calling.

One of the biggest mistakes I see new callers make is puffing their cheeks. Air needs to come from your diaphragm not your mouth. Whether it’s feeding or comeback calls, where your air comes from will allow you to control your calls and make your calling more realistic.

The main rule of thumb I tell new callers is to imitate the same call the geese are making. Once you are able to do that, you are on your way to becoming a goose caller.

When calling, don’t overdo it. Call when the birds are talking to you. Don’t overblow a call, but call loud enough so the birds can hear you. Talking to geese is exciting and some think it’s the most important part of the hunt.

As the dust is beginning to settle on the summer of 2022, local hunters’ minds begin to wander as we mow the yard about that first flight of geese or the sound of twig snapping in the fall woods. Now is the time to start the process of getting all your ducks in a row, so to speak, for the upcoming season.