The upper Midwest/Great Lakes region hosts some of the top goose hunting in the world. With vast areas of water available, as well as an incredible amount of the region's landmass devoted to farm crops that geese love to eat, the places and methods hunters use for taking geese here are almost infinite.

But veteran hunters know the key to success with geese lies in the use of decoys, blinds and calls. The more experience a hunter has, the more likely he will come to depend upon specific types of decoys, calls and hunting blinds for certain situations. But for most beginning hunters, the tricks of veterans appear merely to be subtle differences adapted to local conditions. Every hunter needs a basic set of equipment and calling skills that will take geese under the majority of field conditions.

One experienced hunter who optimizes his goose efficiency with a modest amount of gear is Ray Heidel of Onalaska, Wis. He hunts waterfowl -- and Canada geese in particular -- extensively across the upper Midwest. Heidel is so successful that he's on the professional staff of Knight & Hale Game Calls and Pradco Hunting Products, which sells Carry-Lite hunting decoys.

"I have a 300-acre goose-hunting field in front of my house, and I have access to the entire upper Mississippi River system virtually from my back door," Heidel said. "I've hunted waterfowl most of my life and I can tell you geese are not all that smart. But they are wary and have excellent vision."

Excellent vision is a two-edged sword. It is key to bringing Canada geese into the decoys but can also flare them away. For any type of hunting, whether over a water set or field spread, Heidel begins by putting on a camouflaged facemask.

"I cover all exposed skin," he said. "That means gloves, too. You can't look up without wearing a mask or use a flag with an ungloved hand. A goose can recognize human skin at incredible distances. They see lots of hunters who aren't cautious about covering up. That's what educates them about decoys and calls."

Likewise, the same fantastic eyesight that can alert geese also attracts them to decoys.

THE WATER SET
"The Carry-Lite Dipper decoy imitates a feeding goose," Heidel said. "It's essentially a goose's rear end sticking up, and it shows lots of white. That little bit of color added to the spread really makes the difference, particularly in an area where there are lots of hunters. Hunters flock to this region of North America, just like the geese. Most of those hunters don't pay any attention to what the big flocks look like when they're feeding and resting. But a few geese are going to be upended. It's the first thing that attracts your attention when you're trying to spot a flock. Think how visible it is to a flying goose."

While Heidel has used several styles of full-bodied floating goose decoys, he prefers the Carry-Lite Aqua-Vac. Since this decoy has no keel, it can be used under many types of hunting conditions. Keel-less decoys can be used in very shallow water or set on sandbars and banks without tilting like a decoy with a keel. However, the real key to their attraction is their lifelike presentation when floating.