Doug Leier
By Doug Leier
Nonhunters and hunters who don't target Canada geese may be taken a bit off guard when learning those hunters they've seen and heard are out taking part in the early Canada goose season in North Dakota. Relatively speaking, it's one of the most recently added hunting season in North Dakota.
Many North Dakota residents can remember a time in the 1960s when seeing a Canada goose was quite a sight with a mere 100 wild breeding pairs, which created a multi-pronged approach to raising and restoring Canada goose populations across the prairie.
In 1988, the US Fish and Wildlife Service annual spring waterfowl survey indicated about 18,000 resident Canada geese. In 1993 around 20,000 Canada geese dotted the state. About that same time the resurgence of water and snow recharged wetlands which had been dry for years.
The 2024 spring count was 251,375 during the May 2024 statewide estimate, down 15.6% from last year's index of 297,914.
Game and Fish began first by suspending relocation efforts, removing closed goose hunting zones and in 1999 offered the first early Canada goose season in southeastern North Dakota. In 2002, landowners were allowed to apply for permits to directly kill or destroy nests of birds causing depredation in early spring and summer.
This year the season opened August 15 with the Department fully knowing the obstacles of mosquitoes, and lack of harvested crops for field hunting may limit hunter interest. But realize the need to increase harvest provides the weighing of the odds of hunter's taking part in the season. Which begs the question: Why aren't they included in the spring snow goose conservation hunt? To answer that, here's the official response from the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
During the spring there are numerous temporal and geographic overlaps between the various Canada goose populations. Because the status of each population varies widely, and because any management action for resident Canada geese must be legally targeted at only resident Canada geese, we see no feasible way to consider springtime hunting or control of resident Canada geese using hunters during this time period.
Hunters understand the difference between the giant Canada's and the subspecies which are smaller and often referred to as Hutchies or lessers. These different subspecies can make for difficult identification in many hunting conditions.
Extending the season into August was granted as one of the only remaining viable options left under federal regulations for adding more hunter harvest opportunities into the giant Canada goose population management equation.
Hunting seasons in August or November for that matter are a result of cooperation between hunters and landowners. Any season designed is only as good as the interest from the hunting community and cooperation of landowners. It's understood many landowners will continue with fall work and in some instances hesitate with granting access immediately due to harvest or fall field work, but for the good of the management of Canada geese the season depends on providing reasonable access to hunters. Landowners who've experienced depredation issues in the past would allow hunters to assist with increasing goose harvest, and hunters need to understand and heed any request from the granting landowner.
Leier is an outreach biologist with the North Dakota Game & Fish Department.
Featured Photo: Goose populations have come a long way in North Dakota over the past 50 years. Through management and increased water on the landscape, the birds have expanded to the point an early management take season is not only granted, but now almost warranted as a measure of population control. NDG&F Photo.
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