That eastern prairie population tends to stick to the western portion of the state. The giants can be found throughout the prairie and transition zones. Rave said the highest population of those giants can be found in places like Fergus Falls and Alexandria down to Windom.

Waterfowlers are becoming more and more tech savvy and for good reason: There's a ton of information online that enables hunters to monitor the pulse of the goose migration.

With the ability to hunt geese over land or over water, goose hunters in Minnesota have a wide variety of options for locations. Nylin said he believes the vast majority of waterfowlers hunt geese over the fields. There is some controversy about hunting geese over water, but Nylin said it could be a very effective strategy.

"I always look for smaller water when going after geese -- not little sloughs but not giant lakes either," he added.

As most every hunter knows, geese roost on the water and feed in the fields. The key to being a successful goose hunter is to position yourself in one of these areas at the right time. Hunting them over the roost is a controversial topic, but Rave said the state allows it because it's largely an issue of hunter access: Minnesota waters are much more open to the public than are the fields.

Hunting the Prairies
The area around Lac qui Parle is a traditional goose-hunting location that many hunters know about and hunt throughout the season. With several tracts of the Lac qui Parle State Wildlife Management Area scattered around the region, strong numbers of geese are usually present here. The challenge is getting on locations where they haven't been heavily hunted.

"There are a lot of other similar places around the state that are often forgotten by goose hunters, where there is plenty of water and also lots of fields," Rave said. "I've had a great time hunting them around the Willmar area, and I've hunted them on the water south of St. Cloud by Watkins and Eden Valley. Those are some great places to check out," he added.

Other great goose-hunting locations are found in northwestern Minnesota, such as the areas around Detroit Lakes and Fergus Falls.

"There are so many lakes up there and so many management areas. The opportunities are just great, and those areas are our state's duck factories as well, so you can have a mixed bag if the conditions are ripe," Nylin said.

Sliding farther south, the southwestern corner of Minnesota -- from Mankato to Marshall -- is another excellent location with plenty of water.

"It can be tremendous down there, with lots of geese around during each of the seasons," Nylin added.

Hunting the Transition
Geese also inhabit the transition zone areas from the northwestern corner of the state down through Bemidji, Brainerd and into the metro area of Minneapolis-St. Paul. Mille Lacs is a terrific fall location for fishing, but the huge marshes, sloughs and fields in the area also hold plenty of geese.

Rave said the transition portion of the state does well for geese with a healthy mix of agricultural fields as food sources and potholes for the roosts.

Gary Drotts has served as the MDNR's Brainerd-area wildlife manager for the past 33 years. He said the geese around him tend to concentrate along the two major rivers.

"The early season (congregation of geese) is mostly around the Crow Wing and Mississippi (rivers), with some field hunting going on. But around here, it's usually an early-season hunt because once they've been shot at enough, they move to the refuges," he explained.