Hoosierland waterfowlers will find good shooting this late season and should come prepared for the same. Grain fields and open water are the golden combination to look for as the winter winds set in and the temperatures begin dropping.

Guide Kyle Williams of Critt'r Gitt'r Outfitters spends a good deal of his time on late-season birds.

"Late December and January are usually our best hunting months," said Williams. "We usually get a solid freeze in December on the ponds and flooded areas, so we start checking for ducks and geese on the dry fields and the rivers. This is my favorite part of the season."

Williams checks outgoing flights to find the fields being utilized and sets up accordingly. In late December or early January, there will usually be a thaw and some rain. Fields flood and the ponds and marshes on Indiana's public-hunting areas usually open up at about the same time. It can be a tough call to pick the best spots when there are so many to choose from.

Scouting is the name of the game, said Williams. When the birds are concentrated on the open sections of rivers, they're easy to find. Once a thaw sets in, they can be just about anywhere, and it will take some extra effort to pinpoint the roosting areas and crop fields.

Here's a look at five hotspots that will take some of the guesswork out of where you should be spending your time this winter.

KINGSBURY FISH & WILDLIFE AREA (FWA)
Most of the waterfowlers at Kings­bury FWA look to the marsh and overlook what can be some exceptional river hunting. According to area manager Mac Carlisle, Kings­bury is overshadowed by some of state's larger waterfowl hunting spots but yields a lot of harvested birds every year.

"Last year wasn't the best with just 281 ducks taken, but on a good year, we'll harvest 600 birds," said Carlisle.

Goose hunting is fair, but the mallards take center stage. The record year for ducks of all species put 674 birds in the bag. It isn't always that way and there's no predicting if this year will see that level of success or not.

Mallards are the draw in December but earlier in the season plenty of pintails and gadwalls went into the bag as well. Goose hunting is more hit and miss with only 36 honkers being bagged last season.

There's a good chance of getting in on the daily draw, but you may not get your choice of spots to hunt, said Carlisle. There are a varying number of blinds provided from year to year. There are regular blinds and a couple of walk-in areas, and a "free" spot where there is no particular place that hunters have to sit. All hunts end at 1 p.m.

The Kankakee River borders the property on the east and waterfowlers floating downstream will have the river pretty much to themselves. The problem is that if a duck goes down to the west onto private property, access is a problem. Shooters will have to do their best to place birds in the water or down on state land.

A little jewel that most hunters don't know about isn't connected to Kingsbury, but the hunting there is handled as a Kingsbury unit in the daily draw. The St. Joseph County Parks Department owns the Plate Trail Marsh and allows limited, draw-only hunting. Those drawn at Kingsbury can pick a spot on the 300-acre marsh if they wish with a limit of three parties daily. Hunting can be excellent but is only allowed on Sundays and Wednesdays.