2019 Goose season

K

Kevin B

Well-known member
A long with the 2 bird mallard reduction you can now count on a reduced Canada season, 30 day from 45 and a 2 bird limit. Atlantic flyway. Done deal for 2019-2020
 
Kevin B said:
A long with the 2 bird mallard reduction you can now count on a reduced Canada season, 30 day from 45 and a 2 bird limit. Atlantic flyway. Done deal for 2019-2020
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I don't get the shorter goose season, There is no shortage of geese here in N.H..
scott
 
From what I understand the Atlantic Population has had very poor back to back breeding success.
I am told it takes 3 yrs for the birds to mature. I heard that the eastern shore is getting 30dys 1 bird.
 
Seeing how we are told most of our geese killed are locals, from banding info (from our biologists at the waterfowl meetings) this is bs....for the northern states. Yeah, shoot 8 per day this week in September, now kill 2, two weeks later. Mallard limits at 2 next fall, there will be alot of people quitting the sport on the Atlantic flyway
 
I never understood the point of the season difference in NC. In northeast N.C. you can only shoot 1 a day by permit only for like two weeks in January but you go a couple counties over and you can shoot more without a permit.
See lots of geese here and more and more each year.
 
I never understood the point of the season difference in NC. In northeast N.C. you can only shoot 1 a day by permit only for like two weeks in January but you go a couple counties over and you can shoot more without a permit.
See lots of geese here and more and more each year.
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Maybe one area has a larger population of resident geese while another is mostly migratory geese? I'm not positive, but i think that is the reason Coastal NJ has a higher limit than other zones.
 
You are correct Oliver, that is the thinking here in Jersey, that resident birds are in the salt along the coast but very few migrant Canada's in the winter. I live on the west side outside of Philly, and there have definitely been noticeably less migrant geese through here from Salem county into central Jersey for the last few years. Maryland is definitely going to 1 bird next year and 30 days. The mallard limits don't bother me, we never shoot 4 mallards anyway. What concerns me where I hunt is that the black duck numbers seem to be down and the green winged teal are definitely down in the last 10 years, and those are our bread and butter birds. Here I'm talking Delaware Bay marshes which are about as prime black duck habitat as you get. And this year has been so poor that it probably clouds my judgement, but if the counts were wrong and there aren't as many ducks as there should be, then the season needs to be curtailed, as with the geese. I remember the 90's when there was no season Canada season for a couple of years, and 30 days with 3 ducks. On the other hand, my parents drove out to Allentown Pa from north jersey and then back about a week ago, and they told me how they saw fields full of snow geese. They are not around this year like they should be on the bay front either. So maybe there is a pile of fowl somewhere to the north that has just never come down.
 
Greg, I don't know what happened to the birds, we had 2 negative 20 something mornings up north in the 3rd week of November. I think birds left then. The normal numbers we see on Lake Champlain just weren't there . Our Canada's left early.

I do know the Hudson was holding birds.

I remember the early 90's and scaled back seasons. I will adapt again to what the new regs are
 

For so many years in the Atlantic Flyway. Mallards were viewed as the scourge, and ruination of the Black Duck.

States like PA were ordered to stop stocking Mallards to SAVE THE BLACK DUCK. The offspring of all those Mallards, stocked in many states, private clubs, and game farms carried on for many years, and seasons. Now it seems that stock of birds has dried up.

So if the habitat is there, and the biologists are correct. With the decline of the Mallard in the Atlantic Flyway (which was the object of the mandates) within years, we should have a very healthy Black Duck population. I for one am looking forward to that, if it is indeed the case. If it is the case, I get to see both sides of the coin.


The Canada Goose seasons come and go with the populations, and we adjust and carry on. If we care about the birds, it is no big deal.


What is concerning. I recently read that waterfowl hunter numbers have declined 35 percent, in the last eight years. If that is correct, that does not bode well for the birds and the places that they need to live and thrive.

For many of us Gray Beards. We have seen the wheel go round, and round many times. If we are still here next fall, we shall buy our licenses & stamps, as we always do and hope and pray for the best. It is what we do.


Here's to next season, no matter what.


Best regards
VP
 
Yes Vince, the average age continues to rise every year. Most of us probably bought our life time licences years ago but I still buy 2 stamps in case I find myself out with someone who needs one (Daughter)

The Mallard numbers (breeding pairs) have been stagnate or declining for the past 10 years according to the meetings I have attended while Black duck and Wood duck have increased. The 2 mallard,2 black,3 wood bag will be more than enough for me. The reduction from 3 to 2 Canada's will be an easy adjustment.

I'm not sure how this will figure into actual hunter numbers, My guess is there will be less hunters but more violations depending on the Hen allowance, first draft was going to allow 2 hens which makes zero sense to me.

The NE task force meeting is in early Feb it will be interesting to see what the season setting matrix comes up with.
 
Kevin -

I was 60 1/2 years old when I moved to western NY. Missed out on the "good deal" lifetime license, so gotta await the 70 year old Geezer license. May well be the oldest age of any state to get a senior license that I am aware of. Even so, I think the regular resident NY hunting & fishing license is still a very good deal. The one stop shop to get it all but the waterfowl stamp I really like.

We get a good array of puddle ducks here. Many Pintails, Wigeon, and GW teal. but fewer Gadwalls and Black Ducks than in western PA in my hunting experience here.

Wood Ducks and Teal are my favorite to carve, hunt and eat. The Mallard limit does not concern me (but the 2 hens made no sense). The season dates do concern me, as many of the birds leave prior to the first season. As I am no longer a Gooseaholic I can abide the new Canada goose regs. The March season here still makes little sense to me though.

God willing I anticipate some road trips elsewhere, to enjoy some early waterfowling and dove hunting.


If indeed it is a shorter NY season. The meetings will be very spirited, opinionated, and no place for folks with high blood pressure and heart disease.[;)]

Hopefully the hunters that are still into waterfowling will not retire, due to lean times. Not good if the violations increase, no one wins. There just aren't as many "casual" duck hunters as there used to be. Deer hunting has taken a mighty toll on how hunters want to spend their $$$$$ and time.
 
I think they are worried about the migrating population; not that I agree with that. Here in NJ, we have massive quantities of residents. We usually kill most of our geese in the September resident conservation order and special winter season. Mid-season kills are incidental. I've actually passed on them the last couple hunts.

Our resident population is getting out of control. I see the same bodies of birds, on the same properties, 365 days a year...and it only keeps growing. In fact, to give you a perspective:

Down in south NJ near my home, there is one group of 20-30 birds that keeps growing. There is one banded pair I see every year. They lead the pack. I am 100% convinced it's the same birds because what are the chances that I see the same banded pair, leading the pack, crossing the lot, at the same time...every year. And every year they have about 4-5 goslings they raise. This has been going on for 5-6 years maybe longer.

Hope they know what they are doing with this....
 
Jay -

I agree with you concerning the resident Canada goose populations.

When the first "Nuisance Goose" Sept, seasons were enacted they were a short term "success", and a long term major problem.

There are no dumb animals, or birds. Not so for people...

The Canada geese that survived the first several seasons became Very Educated Canada Geese, that adapted quickly to hunting pressure they were never, ever given credit for. In short, Giant Canada's that are Super Geese. Trying to "correct" the "Nuisance' problem made it worse IMO.

Worse to the point that oiling eggs, addling eggs, goose round ups and slaughter, were put into place to solve the Goose Poop Problem that many humans can not abide.

I do not know if that has happened in NJ, but it has in other places. To the point that now they are trying to bring the Canada geese back that were "Nuisance" in the late 1980's.


Migrant Canada Geese are a class unto themselves, and must be closely monitored and cared for as best we can. Trying to differentiate between the two. Where and when they will "be" where they should, during residence and migration is something only Mother Nature knows. Science can take a educated guess.

This is what the birds and we must live with, until someone comes up with something better. With less hunters in the mix, we can only guess where this will go.
 
Vince,

I agree completely. I will say, NJ has done an amazing job of segregating what they believe (likely, know) to be a resident population from the migrators. We have two seasons:

September, conservation order, is similar to yours; more than likely. Complete statewide open. 10 bird per person per day limit. It's aimed at truly controlling the residents. The problem here is I see less and less people in NJ taking advantage of this season. When I started 4 years ago, I knew of 2-3 other guys. Now? No one seems to bother.

The "Special Winter Season" here is quite remarkable. Really, truly is.

https://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/pdf/migbird_zones.pdf


I have personally witnessed in the last couple weeks truly how much thought went into zoning for this. I have a decent scouting network at this point. The closed area in the center of the state is in a mass migration at the moment. I've had reports of upwards of 20-30,000 geese a day moving through the central corridor of our state. I reside in the northern portion of the north zone. Everything inside the borders of the hatched area is pretty quiet. However they studied and data sampled, boy did they nail it.


You are absolutely right about these birds being smart. I drove through the migration belt yesterday. It was amazing to see the cornfields empty and the retention ponds/lawns of industrial parks slammed full of birds.


The real problem for us is just that. These birds are A) not only smart, B) We have so many areas closed to hunting where they flourish C) We do get migrators bleeding into the residents and hanging around. We've shot banded birds during the September resident season with original banding locations in far upstate NY.


This is going to be a complicated one. Especially for my state. We have a booming deer population as well. NJ is returning to the wild with no control.
 
Am I correct in recalling a closed Goose season, on the Eastern Shore about 20-25 years ago, due to over harvesting and a couple straight years of horrible reproduction?

I do know, if not closed, it was reduced drastically.

Jon
 
Here in Ny the early 90's did had reduced bag limits. In the mid -eighties the bag was reduced from 5 to 4 and reduced days from 50 to 40. 93 the limit was 3 ducks and 1 to 3 Canada's according to my search. 1990 was the first year the Sept. Goose was increased from 8 to 15. It seems then as now the concern was reduced migratory hunting.

Some of the present changes reducing bag limits now may prevent us from having to go to shorter hunting days. I would rather be able to take 4 birds for 60 days,then 6 birds for 40. I hope the reduction to 30 days ( Canada's)helps the breeding pair numbers but I still think the Sept season should be shortened ending the 20th and reducing the limit from 15 back to 8
 
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