Early early goose season

DNR announces first August Canada goose season

Minnesota will conduct its first August Canada goose season from Saturday, Aug. 10 to Sunday, Aug. 25, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said.
“The state’s Canada goose population is very high and exceeds our statewide goal,” said Steve Cordts, the DNR’s waterfowl specialist. “We have continued agricultural depredation concerns in the western portion of the state with large numbers of Canada geese. This is one more option for us to try and increase our harvest of Canada geese.”
Hunting will be restricted to an intensive harvest zone in west-central Minnesota. The daily bag limit will be 10 Canada geese with no possession limit. Shooting hours will be from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. A small game hunting license, special goose permit and state waterfowl stamp are required.
“It’s hard to gauge what hunter participation will be since this is the first time we have had August goose hunting,” Cordts said. “But for those who are interested, there should be ample opportunity.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service approved the hunt as a management option for states dealing with overabundant populations of resident Canada geese. Additional details are on the DNR website at http://www.mndnr.gov/waterfowl.
The DNR will announce details of fall waterfowl seasons, including the September Canada goose hunt, in early August.

Can you imagine how bad the bugs are going to be. I hated the September season in SD. Had to carry a cooler and ice and get the inners out right away.

But I will say, shooting some really dumb local geese was fun!!

I know, the bugs and the heat will be nasty. Morning hunts only for me. I never complain when I get more time to hunt though

I wonder what the zone is going to be. Could be some awesome but uncomfortable hunting.

It says west central MN, but no more details. I can see myself floating around a small lake in an innertube with a shotgun in my lap

Anybody have any ideas on what their reasoning is for having an August season verses just upping the limit to 10 birds in the early September season? There certainly cannot be very many migrators around in early September.

I agree, you are shooting local birds through most of September in my opinion. I have a feeling the local population is out of control. I know it keeps growing up here on the course.

from what I understand they want to get them as soon as possible to keep crop damage down.

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Anybody have any ideas on what their reasoning is for having an August season verses just upping the limit to 10 birds in the early September season? There certainly cannot be very many migrators around in early September.

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from what I understand they want to get them as soon as possible to keep crop damage down.

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Good points in both statements.

My understanding is that the goal of the season (and even early season in general) is to reduce the local population. Though breeding location of Canadian geese is not completely based on previous location, there is still a solid correlation between nesting location (general area) and where a bird has either previously nested or was hatched.

The more the young of the year grow, the more they consume (typically agricultural crops). Later in the summer, birds will in fact move to areas in which better forage is available. For instance, where I hunt here, birds from our local area will move 25 miles or so north to take advantage of an area that has a canning factory and many acres in sweet corn and peas. I do not know exactly how far a bird will move for this forage availability, however, we have shot several bands over the years here in SC MN that were banded as “to young to fly” the same year a 100+ miles away in northern IA.

All in all, from what I’ve been told, what I understand, and what I interpret, is that these seasons (including the august season in SD) are to efficiently reduce local populations as effectively as possible (for various reasons which includes crop damage) while giving outdoorsmen an opportunity to utilize the resource.