One of the biggest barriers to being a great goose caller is understanding the full breadth of language that a goose uses.  From the simple cluck, to the reverse cluck, the squeal and so forth, simply understanding what they sound like is imperative to finding a way to try and mimic them. If you have never used a short reed goose call you will undoubtedly be in a surprise your inaugural use.  The ley advantage that short reed goose calls afford is the range of sounds that you can make.  In many ways you are able to mimic nearly the entire library of vocalizations that real geese make.  WIth this range and variablility comes its drawbacks, however.  Using a short reed call is akin to playing a musical instrument in many ways. 

The keys to being successful in the goose hunting blind are attributable to several key factors, the most imperative being in the right location.  If you are no where near where geese are you aren't going to be successful hunting them.  In addition, placing a realistic spread of goose decoys also is an important step to bagging more birds.  That said, a great goose caller will always shoot more geese that those who are inferior to their calling. The goose hunting game actually does draw winners and losers in the calling aspect.  Unlike duck hunting where you can sometimes get away from being a good caller, with goose hunting you had better be able to make some goose sounds or you are likely to be out of luck.  Geese are far too vocal of creatures to not require some calling on your part to find continued success.  Thankfully, there are many easy to use goose calls.  The two key ones being the goose flute (a staple in many waterfowl hunting blinds) and the simply double reed goose calls.  Like anything, ease comes with its drawbacks, and when looking at these calls neither have the capacity to make the full range of sounds a short reed goose call does.

When looking at the vast array of short reed goose calls, it often helps to narrow it down to a manageable number of options.  To keep it simple I would focus on the Tim Grounds Super Mag Call, The Foiles Strait Meat Call, the Rich n Tone Mt. Quackhead Goozilla call and the Zink Paralyzer.  There are obviously many other makes, models and brands, but these calls have been tried and tested by many hunters and have stood the test of time.

Now, the short reed goose call is a single reed call.  The beauty of single reeds are that they afford great range and sound making variety.  This reed is adjustable, which also leads to many more sounds types that can be made as well as different pitches.  For instance some prefer the deep, throaty call of an old goose, while others have found great success using a higher pitched version of a young goose or cackler. 

When it comes to short reed calls, there are two key areas that need focusing on. The first is the hand position and the second is the vocalization into the call. Let's take a look at both to understand the nuances:

Hand Positioning (for right handed callers, flip for left handed calling)

Grab the call with your left hand and make the okay sign around the call. Using the fingers that are making the "ok sign", close them so that they only make the letter "O" (i.e. no "K"!) By opening and closing the left hand creates one of the key ways that the short reed call works. Moving onto the other hand, take your right hand and cup it over and on top of the left had. Much like the way a superior trombonist will cup the end of his trombone with a hat you want to use your right hand as the hat to muffle and change the sound of the call. Remove your right hand and open your left hand on the goose call. These will be your two movements that work in concert to create great goose sounds on the short reed. Opening and closing the left hand and muffling to varying degrees with the right.

Vocalization into the call (speaking into the call while blowing)

When you use a short reed goose call, it is best to master the basic honk call first. The honk is the most basic "word" in the entire Canadian goose language. All other sounds are just a variation of this key sound. To that end, don't move on until you have mastered it! To make a good honk, you will need to speak words into the call. There are a few variations, but the most common words are Too It. The "Too" portion creates the low end beginning sound of the honk from a canadian goose. The "It" portion snaps the reed and creates the high pitch at the end of the call. Using the air from deep within your lungs and diaphram, build up the air pressure while saying "too" and then follow it up with the "It" sound as you press your tongue to the top of your mouth. The stop of the air with crack the reed into the open position and give you that unique "honk' that you often hear geese making.

The key at the end is using your hand positioning and the speaking in harmony to create the sounds. Play around with how they work in concert to produce the litany of sounds that geese make. Start with muffling your call and see what affect it has on the sound. Keep this in mind and practice to make sounds that mimic geese on the water and in the field. If you can master this fundamental "honk" sound with and without the muffle, the other sounds come naturally. .

Short reed goose calls when done correctly sound exactly like live geese. Using this precise language will absolutely making you are superior goose hunter.