I just received notice that Atlantic flyway is going to a limit of 1 goose for the 2021 season. Last year the limit was 2 which was a drop from the previous year. I recognize the biological realities behind these reductions so I'm not critical of the decision. Just makes me realize how good we bowhunters have it.
If any of you goose hunt, I'm sure you realize that it's not even worth the effort to put out a spread when the limit is 1. I wonder how many goose hunters will be lost given these persistent bag limits.
I'm surprised by that. It's gone up here in the Central. It was 2 back when I was really interested in it. And it's 3 now. And seems like there are very positive numbers of them
We can shoot like 10 per day here at certain times of the year. They are like rats, we drill the eggs in the spring time in places because of depredation. You guys need more golf courses and city parks I guess. :)
Seems like it would make more since to have a season bag limit than a 1 bird a day limit. If I was a goose hunter and could only shoot 1 bird I think I would take my bow at least it might make worth getting up in the morning.
Interesting! Is the population really that bad or has there been a shift in migration patterns? As others have mentioned doing fine here in the central flyway. Our daily bag limit is 8 here in Oklahoma and no lack of them.
My pond still has enough ice to drive on and they are already fighting over nesting sites here in central MT. Have about 4 acre pond with 1+ acre island and they love it. One year there were 126 eggs on the pond. Then something figured out how to get out there and killed almost all the next year.
Regs here in CT came out today. Staying at 2 for Canada Geese and Mallards.
Regardless of the limits waterfowl hunting is a nice break from pursuing deer. The comradery is priceless and time spent in the pit creates great memories.
^^^Sky carp X2. I’ve got a couple pairs of Canadians that nest on the river below my house. They’re constantly flying around the house, honking all the time, to the point of being annoying.
One positive aspect of them sounding off is...they make great locator calls, as the turkeys all seem to be irritated by them, too.
Lived through and hunted geese here in the Midwest when it went from two a day to a one per day limit. Literally saw fist fights when hunters from two different parties tried to claim the same dead goose. One guy had his shotgun broken over a fence post one morning. Brutal and eye opening to say the least. That's kind of when I got our of waterfowl and into bow hunting.
In the few patches of bare grass here at my work site, there is already goose overcrowding eating the dead grass, and goose poop all over the sidewalks next to it. Its still the dead of winter here. They are like flies here. A limit of 1 seems absurd. This IS the mid Atlantic... wheres the shortage?? Are these residents? Early goose seasson allows like 15 geese a day or something like that in this area.
We can shoot 6 Canada's a day here in KS, two Specks, and like 50 Snow's. Couldn't seem to get "on the X" this year...but last year we had a few good hunts. Probably wouldn't be worth hauling all the gear out for 1 a day, but I've shot less.
Whoever is setting those limits are on dope. There are so many flippin’ Canadian geese in WV, it’s ruining our waterways. I’m talking hundreds and hundreds on any piece of grass.
There are so many full time and fly by geese, the waterways where they set are polluted. You can’t wade fish anymore from all the goose crap causing algae growth. The water in summertime is a couple degrees higher then 10 years ago. And, my guess is it’s all the goose crap and algae causing it.
Seems like the goose population in the Atlantic fly way has been dropping for the past few years, thus the reduction to the limit. Yea, many will not take the time to goose hunt with a limit of one, especially any waterfowl guides. Here in Ft. Collins and Central Flyway, we can killed 5 per day with 15 in possession.
Now if I could only kill one Yard Hoper per day here with the bow, if that was the limit, I would keep at it. Maybe one bow killed goose is surely worth 5 shot gunned.
I hate geese! They crap all over the sidewalks and they do the same to our vehicles that are outside. When trying to drive down the street they stand there like they own the place. Then, these bird lovers had signs put up to stop for the birds. I don't stop. If they are in my way they become roadkill.
I hate geese! They crap all over the sidewalks and they do the same to our vehicles that are outside. When trying to drive down the street they stand there like they own the place. Then, these bird lovers had signs put up to stop for the birds. I don't stop. If they are in my way they become roadkill.
They could raise it to 10 per day here (Indiana -3 Canadian per day in regular season) and the majority would be safe since they never leave the big factory lawns and retention ponds. Can drive a 3 mile stretch on the south side of the city here and easily see 3000+. It’s unbelievable and they know they can’t hardly be touched in city limits.
I love goose hunting. I grew up duck hunting in SW MI and we rarely saw geese back in the 70s. There were migrators (lesser Canadas) that would stop at Allegan SGA south of where I grew up. They nested way up on the Arctic Circle. We went there to hunt geese and the limit was one. It was like shooting a trophy back in those days. Then I moved to MN when the local giant Canadas were starting to explode. Now we can shoot 5/day and start in early September and end after Christmas. Nothing like the thump a goose makes when it hits the ground or water. I wouldn't hunt them that much, but my kids love to hunt them. So I go.
This is directly from the CT Biologist this morning. The goose part is all that I am pasting as there's a lot of other info that's not relevant.
"Hi CT migratory bird hunter, Personally, I am coming off one of the most unforgettable duck seasons I have had in 30 years. I was in the Federal diary survey again this year, and when I look back at the season, I harvested some birds, but it was just an unforgettable and crummy season. Hope springs eternal, though, and hopefully 2021 will be better.
Attached you will find the proposed 2021-22 hunting season frameworks for migratory game birds in CT. No breeding surveys were conducted in 2020 due to COVID, and it is very much looking like there will be limited surveys conducted in 2021. There are very few changes from last year to what we are being offered this year. The biggest is that the AP Canada goose bag is going to 1. This is across the entire Atlantic Flyway. This is going to hurt. We hope that the New England AP states will be able to hold a late Canada goose season in our AP zones by the 2022-23 season. That will ease some of the pain that our goose hunters have been and will be feeling for the foreseeable future as the AP continues its slow recovery."
We have plenty of geese here in the Midwest but unfortunately of proliferation of hunters hunting soley to put their photos on the gram. I love to hunt waterfowl but the amount of disrespect many waterfowl hunters show is hurting the image of hunting.
Crazy, but I think most migrators are now becoming resident geese. No reason to migrate much more when they have everything they need and we haven't had bad winters. Its packed with them everywhere along the east, but they are mainly resident geese (Paul's pond hoppers).
Pat, I trhink your biologist needs a bit of instruction on the difference between "unforgettable" and "forgettable". Personally the worst season I have ever had would be quite forgettable, and only my best and most memorable would be unforgettable!
I believe on Long Island in the regular season we will remain at 2 birds. In September early season we can take 15 as the resident birds are abundant and need to be thinned.
They are VERY abundant in Oklahoma. I don’t goose hunt, but I suspect if I found some fields that the geese were frequenting and asked for permission, I’d probably get it.
There’s so many in Kansas tons of them don’t even migrate. They have taken up permanent residence, live and breed here year around now. Especially around the bigger cities.
Bentstick54, it's the same thing here, a lot of Canada geese stay here and don't migrate. The river where I fish for white perch always had Canada geese and they will swim by while we are fishing. The pair up and nest. By May when the white perch run is about over, the geese and ganders will come by with bunches of goslings. We had a problem with mute swan until the game wardens figured out how to slow them down. The find the nest and shake the eggs real hard and put them back in the nest. They don't hatch but the swan has set on them so long they don't try again. it used to be they threw the eggs away but the swan just made a new nest and hatched them
I received this email today: Hi Migratory Bird Hunter,
Attached you will find our proposed season regulations for the 2021-22 season. It is looking like there will be no Continental breeding survey again this year, and there is likely going to be no Arctic banding for a second year. This is not good and although we are going to be able to promulgate hunting season regulations, the uncertainty in population status due to a lack of monitoring (survey and banding) will result in more conservative seasons and opportunity.
In our state there is the continued need to hunt smartly and not give those who oppose hunting to begin with more fuel to further restrict how and where we pursue our passion. Please think about all of us and how your actions reflect upon us all.
Please email me any thoughts and proposed changes.
Happy and Safe hunting, and stay well out there.
Min
Min T. Huang, Migratory Bird Program Leader CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection 391 RT 32 N. Franklin CT 06254 860-418-5959 (office) 860-617-2200 (cell) 860-642-7964 (fax)
Every patch of grass in northern and central California has resident honkers there. Golf courses are packed with them. I even See them down in Southern California now. Now specs are a whole different bird for eating. They are incredible to eat and I’m not a real waterfowl loving person.
Packing out 80+ lbs of geese is good practice - We don't drive to the pits on fresh snow days.
Packing out 80+ lbs of geese is good practice - We don't drive to the pits on fresh snow days.
Pat- Yet another reason to leave CT. Plan a trip to Colorado in Dec or Jan Paul@thefort can take you on a bow goose safari and I can get you a few too. We had some very good days with 5 dark bird per hunter limits. Rumor is we are going to a 7 dark birds in 2021/2022.
The future of the Atlantic Flyway for traditionally valued species is grim, but so is the current situation. black ducks, mallards, geese, between nesting habitat and agricultural changes betting on an improvement in the near term seems foolish. The macro changes that have brought about the current situation are not going to quickly change.
I can definitely see the changes in My lifetime. I'm convinced one of the big factors in the change, is the invasive mute swans. They just wiped out food sources in the ducks traditional feeding areas. They can reach much deeper in the water column. It was nothing to see flocks of 200 of these pests living for years in the same coves , inlets and in the main body of water all over the state. It seems to me the flyway has moved farther West from where we are used to seeing it.
I’m only speculating but if you dig deeper the reduction could have something to do with one of the many subspecies being in trouble and not Canadian geese on the east coast as a whole.
I watched a Cob eat an entire nest of Canada goose eggs one afternoon… Those goslings were well enough developed that I could see them flapping their wings as he gulped them down.
It was a little gruesome, to be honest, because he just swallowed them whole. A fox or coyote would’ve at least chomped them up a little bit.
I would hunt mute swans in a heartbeat… And I bet their primaries would make some totally freaking awesome fletchings…
Which reminds me… I have some goose primaries from Paul that I need to either grind or have ground so that I can put them to work…