This major movement usually doesn't occur until late December, but for the past two seasons, the Northern Zone has been buried in snow during the first week of December. In both instances a major migration resulted, and goose hunting in the Central Zone took off big time.

The nice thing about these mid-season mini-migrations is that they provide ample warning to hunters that the geese will be coming. You don't have to drop everything when a heavy snowfall hits the Chicago area. All you need do is check the long-range weather forecast to determine how long the white stuff will remain on the fields. If a warming trend is predicted, nothing is going to happen. But if continued cold temperatures will hold sway for the next week, start loading your decoys into the truck.

Geese are tough old birds, and in their own way, stubborn. Being amply protected from the cold by several inches of warm, downy feathers, they will refuse to leave their winter quarters until they can no longer find anything to eat. Even then, hunger will drive them south in search of open fields, but it may take five to seven days for them to decide to leave. In the worst of winters I have seen small flocks of geese huddled against the south side of brick buildings, where the sun heats the walls and melts a narrow strip of snow, exposing the dried grass. How those big birds survive on that meager fare I will never know, but somehow they manage to get through the toughest of times.

Although Central Zone goose hunters will be alerted in advance of an impending migration, they should move fast once the geese begin pouring into their area. Unlike migrations of years ago, when all the birds wintered in the big refuges of southern Illinois, the goose flocks today will only stick around until the weather moderates, and then they will return en masse to their Northern Zone haunts. Another storm may chase the geese into the Central Zone again, but their stay will last only until the weather breaks up north.

Hunting access for waterfowlers in the Central Zone can be classified into two categories: private and public lands. Private lands need little explanation; you either own or lease the land, or have permission to be hunting on it. Many private duck clubs call the Illinois and Mississippi rivers home.

These clubs manage their own land, often raising dykes, planting crops and pumping in water to flood them in the fall. Some of the clubs kill a lot of birds, others not so much, but memberships in all are at a premium, and the dues can be very high. If you are considering joining one of these clubs, be sure to check out their rules and regulations carefully to be sure they suit your needs.

I would divide public hunting lands into two classifications: state properties, and commercial daily fee clubs. The state hunting sites are available at little if any cost, while the commercial clubs charge when you use them, but are much less expensive than membership in a private club.