The Canada Goose Weather Vane Decoys offer a realistic paint scheme, toughness G+H is known for, and are made proudly in America. Choose from  30″ magnum feeders, standard 25″ variety pack(3 pack/free shipping), or standard 25″ feeders(3 pack/free shipping). You won’t find a more reliable and tough decoy for Canada goose hunting.

At G+H we also carry snow goose decoys. When you are out snow goose hunting you want decoys that are light, fast to set up, and offer a lot of movement to replicate feeding birds. Our Snow Goose Weather Vane Decoys are all of that and more!

The same can be said when duck hunting with our Mallard Weather Vane Decoys. Mallards are constantly moving side to side when feeding heavy in fields. Our decoys will trick the wariest of ducks and decoy them in your face for feet-down shooting.

So don’t wait. We have your duck and goose hunting needs covered with our new Weather Vane Decoys. To place an order go to http://www.ghdecoys.com/ .

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One thing that waterfowl hunters can always learn more about is the migration patterns of ducks and geese. To be successful as a waterfowl hunter it is important to understand how and why ducks and geese use certain migration patterns. Of course weather, moon phases and the calendar all play a major role in waterfowl migration timing, while feeding and resting opportunities dictate the flyway patterns.

Since the inception of the Conservation Order on Lesser Snow geese I have paid more attention to spring migration patterns. The spring migration is something that has been long over-looked and misunderstood by waterfowl hunters.

For instance, the majority of snow geese fly down the Western side of the Central flyway in the fall, while in the spring they tend to fly up the Eastern side of the Central flyway. I could get into detail about this particular phenomenon, but I would like to discuss a different aspect of spring migration, the molt migration.

Every summer ducks and geese loose their primary flight feathers for a short period of time, and then grow new flight feathers. This processes is called molting. While waterfowl are in molt they cannot fly and are vulnerable to predators. Because of this vulnerability, another type of northern migration takes place in the waterfowl world.

This northern migration, coined the “molt migration”, is to the tundra, where there are fewer predators while the geese molt. This is a migration process that waterfowl biologists are just starting to study and understand.

The two waterfowl species that can be most visibly noted participating in the molt migration through North Dakota are: resident Canada geese and drake mallards. Canada. geese, like most species of geese, do not breed in the first and sometimes second years of life. The older geese return to breeding areas sooner in the spring and quickly seek out nesting areas. The younger Canada geese, the juveniles, begin to form large flocks.

Have you ever seen large flocks of Resident Canada geese migrating northwest across North Dakota in early June? Those flocks are those juvenile geese making their molt migration to the tundra. The geese come from all over the Midwest and will likely return to their place of birth in future years for breeding.

In early September the young Resident Canada geese begin to migrate south to find waste grain in harvested fields. While hunting in the Early Canada goose season I have witnessed many high flocks of migrating Canada geese returning to the States. Sometimes in September the geese can literally appear over night.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service uses band data from Resident Canada geese to prove that the molt migration occurs. In the Early Goose season in North Dakota my buddies and I shot a few banded geese during those September hunts. None of those geese were banded in North Dakota. The most common state was Nebraska followed by Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa. Most of the banded geese we shot were less than 2 years old.

Have you ever wondered why one does not see many drake mallards in the summer? I am not talking about seeing drake mallards at city parks but about not seeing drake mallards in the wild. That is because drake mallards, like “juvie” Canada geese, also make a northern migration to the tundra to molt their feathers in the absence of predators. Of course the migration for the drake mallards takes place after their breeding duties have been fulfilled.

I  have often heard hardcore waterfowl hunters talk about hunting the late flight of Canadian mallards that seems to be “all drakes”. In my lifetime I have been fortunate enough to experience a few of these late flights of drakes as well. The reason there is such a high ratio of drakes to hens is also because of the molt migration.

I am not sure why the Mallards do not push as far South as the geese early in the fall. I believe it is because they have less competition for waste grain. However, it is easy to prove that drake Mallards have a migration of their own, the molt migration.

Understanding the molt migration may not help you to put more meat in your freezer. However, an overall understanding waterfowl and their habits will. Be a student of the game and you will be successful.

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Shooting a big Canada goose decades ago was rare in most parts

I  don’t think of myself as a veteran hunter. But when I put pen to paper and add up the years, I realize it’s been nearly 25 of them since I took hunter education in LaMoure in 1984.

During that time, I’ve already experienced some significant changes in our hunting landscape.

In the mid-1980s deer license numbers were roughly half of what they are now. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Reserve Program was just beginning, and pheasant harvest was about 15 percent of the million birds taken the last couple of years.

An even more dramatic change is the overwhelming success of giant Canada goose restoration efforts.

In my early hunting years I remember zones, and areas entirely closed to Canada goose hunting. Even in open areas the limit was one per day. Any success in the field for Canada geese evoked a mild celebration.

For anyone who began hunting in the past 10 years or so, I’m not making this up. I’ve seen many snapshots of a hunter with a smile from here to Winnipeg holding a single Canada goose. It was that big of a deal.

Such is the case with limited hunts and lower populations. Nowadays, if you are lucky enough to draw a permit to hunt prairie chickens, I bet dollars to doughnuts you’ll take a few minutes for photos if you get one.

How many would do the same after a dove or sharp-tailed grouse hunt? It’s human nature to take for granted more bountiful quarry and focus the spotlight on those limited or more exclusive opportunities.

In some areas resident Canada geese have flurished.

Decades of earnest work to protect and enhance giant Canada goose populations have paid off. While wildlife managers no longer push for people to put up goose nesting tubs, many sloughs and lakes across the prairie still feature evidence of a time when wildlife managers, landowners and hunters all pitched in to develop nesting structures that geese would use.

Times have certainly changed. Today, giant Canada geese are the focus of continued management to curb and reduce overall local populations. The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s management objective is 80,000 breeding birds statewide, which would maintain a viable population for hunters and reduce problems that develop when too many birds congregate in the same areas.

The current population is nearly three times the management goal, which is why the Game and Fish Department has been able to offer an early September goose season each year since 1999. It started first in just Richland and Sargent counties, then expanded to statewide the next year.

Since then, the season has opened on Sept. 1. For several years it lasted three weeks, but last year and again this fall it is limited to 15 days, because by the time late September arrives, so too do migrant Canada geese. Since the focus of the early season is locally breeding giant Canada geese, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requires North Dakota to close its early season before very many migrants start to arrive.

2007 Early Goose Season Details

This year’s September Canada goose season is similar to last year. It opens statewide Sept. 1 and closes Sept. 15.

Hunting hours are 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset daily.

The daily limit is five and possession limit is 10. When the regular goose season starts, Sept. 22, that daily limit will likely be three with six in possession.

Restoration or population expansion efforts for any game species begin with an eye toward increased hunting opportunities somewhere down the road. In that respect, the giant Canada goose restoration effort in North Dakota, and across the continent, has been a marked success.

And even with those increased hunting opportunities, one giant Canada goose in the hand is still worth a smile from here to Winnipeg.

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Some take for granted that not all areas of the country have opportunties for freelance hunters to be on the X

Most of my goose hunting success depends on my ability to run traffic over my decoys. I almost always hunt for geese in a harvested field within a mile of a heavily-used roosting area to ensure that a sufficient number of birds would fly over my decoy spread on their way elsewhere to feed. Over the years, I observed that under these conditions success in bringing geese into range depended on the weather, the look of my decoy spread, my calling abilities, and the capricious behavior of Branta canadensis maxima. My latest goose-hunting experience changed all that.

Because I live in an urban area, hold a 9-to-5 job, and spend most weekends during hunting season ferrying my kids between hockey arenas, I have no time to scout for locations where birds are feeding. My usual goose hunting spot is located in Wisconsin’s storied Horicon Zone, about 150 miles from my house. I hunt there because the geese are concentrated at the Horicon Marsh consistently in October and November. Because of the distances involved and time constraints my trips to Horicon allow no time for scouting. My Horicon hunts consist of running traffic using the same fields I have hunted for the past ten years. I never knew what it was like to hunt a location where the geese actually want to be, the so-called “X.”

A harmonic convergence occurred the week between Christmas and New Years 2006, that changed all that. I had the week off during the late part of the northern Illinois goose season and the kids did not have any hockey games or practices on the schedule.

We took advantage of this rare occurrence and piled in the 1994 Volvo for a trip to outer-suburbia that took us as far west as Rochelle, IL, about 80 miles west of where we live. I persuaded the kids to come along because I promised our destination that day would be that extraordinary piece of railroad real estate known as the Box, which happens to be the junction of the main lines to and from Chicago for the country’s two major rail lines – the Union Pacific and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe. The experience there is like watching Thomas the Tank Engine on steroids.

In the back of my mind, however, was the ulterior motive for the trip. After some train spotting and a suitable lunch, during the trip back home, I would follow the back roads and scout the fields for flocks of feeding geese. Once spotted, my plan was to obtain permission from the landowner to hunt the “X” the following morning.

The temperature that day was in the 50s, the sun shone brightly, and, as luck would have it, we hadn’t seen a goose all day. Just the week before, while driving home from a waterfowl hunting trip on the Mississippi River south of Burlington, Iowa, I had spotted thousands of geese feeding in harvested fields adjacent to Interstate 88, near DeKalb, IL. But today – nothing.

Birds will react better in areas they're comfortable using on a regular basis

After we passed through DeKalb, on IL-38, it didn’t take long before the ulterior motive for the trip became the real reason we had come this far. My jaw dropped as we spotted about 500 Canada geese lazing in a crescent-shaped sheet-water pond on a chopped corn field. A quick u-turn and another slow-speed drive-by to survey the spectacle of 500 geese no more than few hundred yards from the road confirmed what we had seen. I turned into the driveway closest to the field where the geese were working and hoped the house at the end of the path belonged to the guy who owned the adjacent land. Turns out it did and after promising the land owner that mine would be a one-time hunt (at his insistence) and that I would gladly give him a goose if I got my limit, he cheerfully granted me permission to hunt his field the next morning.

The alarm went off at 3:30 the next morning and by 4:00, I was on the road. Driving on Chicago’s expressways that time of day, it takes only slightly over 90 minutes to cover the distance between the densely populated suburbs where I live and the transitional zone between newly-built bedroom communities and old-time farms. When I arrived at the field I eased off the highway and on to a grassy strip parallel to the road that led to the flooded low spot in the field. I lowered the window to survey the scene and immediately noticed that geese were still on the pond. What do I do now?

With the wind the way it was that morning, the only place to hunt without walking through the middle of the geese was on the downwind spit of land at the center of the crescent-shaped pond. I started lugging my decoys to the spot. The geese didn’t like the intrusion and moved away from my side of the pond, but to my astonishment, did not take flight. I made about eight trips from the car to the spot I wanted to hunt and each time the geese noisily raised the alarm, but none flew away. After about 45 minutes of setting decoys and positioning my field blind, I climbed into my blind and waited for shooting time. A pack of coyotes, my competitors for geese that morning, also noticed my presence and yelped their disapproval from an unseen distance. Over the next 15 minutes or so, the 150 or 200 geese not 50 yards behind me, seemed to forget about me and settled in to welcome the dawn.

Adrenaline rush for a waterfowler

At about the same moment shooting time arrived, a lone goose approached directly in front of me, set its wings and glided in 10 yards over my blind to join its companions on the pond. In Illinois, the limit is two per day, so I decided not to take the single and wait for a group of two or more to come into the decoys before reminding my neighbors of my presence. Five minutes later, but this time off to my right, another single glided tantalizingly into range. Again I waited. Meanwhile, I never made a sound with my goose call. The geese behind me did all the calling and surprisingly, they honked and clucked more sparingly than me when calling to new arrivals. About 15 minutes later, my unwitting hunting partners called in the pair for which I had been waiting. The two geese set their wings about 50 yards in front of me and glided toward my blind about 15 yards off the deck. I raised up and had my pair on the ground at 7:30 in the morning, about 40 minutes after legal shooting time.

At the sound of my barrage, the flock behind me left in a panic and surprisingly, given the wind direction, none of them circled back above me. I gathered up the dead pair, put half a dozen full-body decoys on the iced-over pond directly behind my blind and began an experiment to see whether additional geese would land in the field. Didn’t take long, about half an hour, and geese began to filter back in to the field. First in small groups, then progressively larger ones until, finally, groups of 10 to 25 birds would spot my decoys, hear a couple of soft clucks and grunts from me, and land within gun range.

As I packed up the car that morning, I considered what had just happened and realized it had been the single best goose hunt I’ve known. Never had I witnessed geese landing in my face with so little effort. Never before, I realized, had I hunted on the “X.” Here are the lessons I took from that hunt.

• Hunting the X is easier than running traffic.
• Hunting the X takes less goose-calling talent and know-how than running traffic.
• Hunting the X takes more preparation and time than running traffic.
• Hunting the X yields more consistent results than running traffic.

It is obvious that hunting the “X” is a more effective way to hunt geese than running traffic. The trouble is, when one lives in an urban area and has only limited time to devote to hunting, how does one get the scouting done? I need to think about that one during the long off season.

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Like clockwork the geese left the roost just as the sun rose above the horizon. The geese had their sights on our decoy spread. Our calls matched their mounting excitement as they approached the landing zone, this was the moment that we had all been waiting for. The geese were approaching the spread with landing gear down. As the geese made their final approach our blind doors flew open. Hundreds of miles and countless hours of scouting had led to this moment. It is difficult to beat the heart pounding action of Giant Canadas cupped and committed into the decoys but over the last few years many of the traditional roosting areas in the state have experienced increased hunting pressure.

The past weekend demonstrated the challenges accompanied by the increased roost hunting pressure. During the resident waterfowl opening weekend, waterfowlers from across the state embarked on the second annual Greenskins Classic. The Classic provided the opportunity for waterfowlers to showcase their waterfowling skills. Although the Classic is a duck hunting tournament, the majority of participants are just as verse in pursuing geese over decoys as they are at hunting ducks. Although many of the teams chose fields that ducks and geese had been feeding in throughout the week prior to the opener, the number of geese harvested was lower than anticipated.

Well before sunrise participants reported geese flying erratically throughout the area. As the sun rose above the horizon instead of seeing geese following the routes to fields they had been using during the previous week, geese were flying high and with no apparent destination. Although it is inevitable that goose behavior will change during the hunting season. There are a few things that waterfowlers can do to ensure goose hunting success throughout the entire season.

Perhaps the most critical key to success is to give the geese a break from the pressure. The more comfortable geese feel in a location, the more likely they will decoy and retain a consistent pattern. Without question the primary comfort zone for geese is the roost. Hunting roosts may be perhaps the biggest reason for erratic behavior by geese during the season. If a roost is left alone throughout the season, geese will remain in the general area and provide hunting opportunities through freeze out. If the roost is hunted, the geese will leave the general area and more than likely not return until spring.

A single roost can provide countless field hunting opportunities throughout a season, but if the roost is hunted it may be the only time geese are hunted in that area.

In most areas of the state local birds will be well educated by the first week of October. These birds have been hunted for about a month and have more than likely seen a multitude of spreads. Roosts are very appealing hunting destinations, as they inevitably hold geese. Although the roost may provide some hot quick action, leaving the roost will ensure quality hunting opportunities in the entire area for the majority of the season. Waterfowlers must be willing to work a little bit harder to ensure a successful hunting season for other hunting groups in their area.

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It was just after 5:00 on an early November afternoon as I watched the sun set in the western sky. It was a particularly spectacular sunset unfortunately I was watching it from the window at work instead of while out scouting for geese. Luckily, my hunting buddies were able to go scouting. It was killing me not being out there, but with the early sunset I couldn’t get off of work in time to scout. As I watched the sunset it was difficult for my mind not to drift to the thought of fields full of geese. I finally got the call that I had been waiting for, “We found a field full of geese but…!”

As my buddy gave me the details on the field I soon realized that we would have to adjust our game plan for these late season birds. We planned on meeting at 8:00 the next morning. It seems a bit late, especially since we had about an hour drive to the field we were planning on hunting. However, with the frigid temperatures these birds were only feeding once a day and not leaving the roost until about 11:00am.

We were set up in the field by about 10:00 the next morning. Then we waited…nothing…another hour passed….still nothing. We wondered if the birds were ever going to come. The temperatures had dipped down to the single digits overnight and it appeared to have an impact on the feeding ritual they had been following throughout the previous week. We had driven by the roost on the way to the field so we knew that the birds were still around, but we were still getting a little bit nervous. How long would it be before the geese left the roost?

Although we could not see the roost itself, we were close enough to see if birds left where they were sitting. Finally, we saw some action stirring in that direction. A lone goose had taken flight and was headed in our direction, with a strong wind behind him the goose was on us before we knew it. A few clucks and the goose banked and dropped into our decoys with feet down. Another lone goose followed the same path and before we knew it we had two geese. We were feeling confident as every goose that had left the roost to this point had worked perfectly, even though they were only loners.

There were only three of us, so we thought that this would be over very quickly. But another 30 minutes passed with no action in the direction where the geese were sitting. Finally, another single was headed in our direction and dropped into the decoys. We had another goose. We had fired 3 shots and had 3 geese this was looking like a gentleman’s hunt. The action on the roost was finally starting to heat up as strings of birds were beginning to take flight. From our vantage point it looked like they were leaving the roost and headed in our direction but before they reached their cruising altitude they began to drop into the corn field right next to the roost. Group after group appeared to follow this same pattern. We watched what looked like the entire roost following this same trend.

It looked like it was all over. We talked about it and decided to cut our losses and pick up the decoys. I stayed and picked up the decoys while my two hunting partners headed to get the vehicles. We were just starting to load the decoys in the back of the pickup, when the geese started to get up and head towards our field. The question…pick up the decoys and get out of the field as quickly as possible or get the decoys spread back up and do some more hunting. We thought that it may be too late and didn’t want to ruin a good field, but decided that if we got the vehicles out of the field we wouldn’t affect the birds. I worked feverishly to get the spread assembled again as the other members of the hunting party got the vehicles out of the field.

Within a few minutes, the spread was reassembled and the vehicles were out of the field. The birds were heading our way in string after string. The roost was basically straight south of us and the wind was strong out of the south. Almost every string of geese flew directly over our blinds. With snow on the ground we had our blinds covered in bed sheets, corn stalks and some Christmas tree flocking. We blended in very well, unfortunately when birds fly directly over you from behind even the most well hidden blind really sticks out. Once the birds flew over our blinds it was all but over. Although all the birds did bank out in front of the decoys they all slipped off about 300 yards from our spread, landing in the field next to the one we were set up in.

During a break in the fly-overs we turned our blinds to face the direction the birds were coming from. That seemed to do the trick, the birds flew over us and now unaware of our presence began to work the decoys. Almost immediately after we turned our blinds a group of 7 geese committed to the spread. The blind adjustment paid off. We then picked up a few more singles.

Finally, at about 2:00 in the afternoon we had our birds and were ready to pick up. The day in the decoys really demonstrated the challenge and rewards of hunting late season geese.

If you plan to hunt late season geese, here are some challenges that you may encounter and tactics to help you harvest more birds.

With the sun setting earlier and earlier each night, especially after the loss of daylight savings time, scouting becomes challenging. Unfortunately getting off work early to go scouting for geese doesn’t always go over too well. Therefore you may have to sacrifice a day in the decoys to scout a quality field but the extra time will generally pay dividends. When daytime high temperatures drop well below freezing temperatures, geese may only feed once a day. Therefore the traditional scouting times of early morning and late afternoon may not paint a true picture of when and where the birds will be feeding.

If at all possible take a day to watch the birds you plan to hunt. Determine when they are leaving the roost and also play close attention to the weather. If you scout when temperatures are relatively mild but the day you plan on hunting forecasted temperatures are going to dip down into the single digits chances are pretty high that the geese will come out later to feed. Coordinate your hunting plans accordingly as you may not have to setup as early as you generally would for geese earlier in the season.

If you are hunting in a field that you can see the roost from and the birds appear to be leaving the roost but landing in between your field and the roost….be patient. Late season birds may fly around the roost a few times and land again on the roost or they may land in a field next to the roost but leave after a few minutes of milling around. Stand your ground, it may be difficult especially when it is cold but your patience will generally be rewarded.

Blind coverage is critical. By this time of the year geese have seen a large number of spreads and will spook from anything out of the ordinary. We have found that the most cost efficient blind coverage in snow is old white bed sheets with some Christmas tree flocking. Although it is not the most durable blind coverage it really does the trick in the snow. Also keep in mind that you will have to work a little bit to get the flocking cleaned off your blind.

Be very aware of wind direction and roost location. If the roost is directly behind you, it may be most effective to move your blinds so that the geese do not have to fly over you from behind in order to work the decoys. This will also give you a better vantage point when birds are approaching your field. If you are with a relative small hunting party you may want to set up with the wind crossing you from left to right instead of from behind. The key is to coordinate with your hunting partners to ensure that the person on the downwind side gets the same shooting opportunities as the rest of the group.

Just as with any other time of the season, scouting is really the most important part of a successful day in the field. The major portion of the migration is gone and the remaining birds are very educated. Many of your favorite roosts may be frozen, therefore only a handful of places in your area may still hold birds. Finding these areas is the key to success.

I also like to see geese in the same field for a few days, unfortunately a limited amount of scouting time combined with the potential for the next cold front moving out the remaining geese means that this isn’t always possible. I have enjoyed the most success late in the season when I have scouted birds after a hunt the previous weekend and saw them in the same field again the day before I plan to hunt the next weekend. This means that these birds have been in the same field for at least a week, if you are lucky enough to find a field like this it can help to even the odds late in the season. Only seeing geese in a field the day before you plan to hunt can be risky, there have been plenty of days during the late season where the geese simply didn’t come back to the field they were in the day before.

With only remnants of the migration remaining the late season is definitely challenging but the rewards of a late season hunt can provide memories that will help get you through the long winter and off season that lie ahead.

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The opening day of the 2002 Early Canada goose season really brought this to light. The evening before the opener we scouted a field we had been watching for over a week. The field continued to serve as a feeding ground for a good number of Canada geese. A look at the thermometer that afternoon showed temperatures in the 90s. It was evident that opening day wasn’t going to be a typical day in the decoy spread. As anticipation reached an almost unparalleled level we discussed the final plans for the next morning’s hunt. We discussed decoy placement, blind location, calling strategies and other details of the upcoming morning’s hunt. This was it, the day we had been waiting for since the last day of the Spring Snow Goose Season was finally here.

Overnight a front had moved through and was accompanied by a rain shower. The rain proved to be just enough to prevent us from driving into the field. We were going to have to carry in all the decoys, blinds and other equipment. As luck would have it the location in the field where the geese were feeding was in the middle of a section almost a half mile from the nearest accessible road. So begin the trek, after 5 trips back and forth from our vehicles we finally had our decoy spread assembled. Needless to say we had worked up a sweat during our quest to put together our spread. When we completed the task, it was still about 30 minutes before shooting time.

We had just enough time to relax in our blinds and patiently wait for the eastern sky to display the brilliant colors that accompany each sunrise. Just as we settled into our blinds, the air was filled with a distinct sound that anyone who has spent time in the outdoors in the northern plains is very familiar with…..the buzz of hundreds…thousands of mosquitoes. The brilliant sunrise was soon overshadowed by the constant harassment of mosquitoes. As the first group of geese left the roost we were oblivious as we were fighting off the little pests. Before we knew it we had geese banking on our spread. In all our preparations, we forgot to pack perhaps the most important piece of equipment for the Early Season…Mosquito Repellent!

The anticipation and excitement linked with the first group of birds to work the spread had been lost because we were fighting off mosquitoes. The heat of the day finally began to force our biting adversaries to other areas. As the geese continued to filter from the roost and head towards our spread the annoyances of the early morning faded like the dark western sky.

After the final group worked our spread, we all agreed that the day had been a success. We reminisced about the birds that had committed to the decoys and the birds that flared. We discussed the nice shots and the easy misses. As we began to pick up the spread, we were thankful for the early September heat as the field now dried enough for us to drive out to pick up the spread. The heat ended up being a blessing in disguise.

September brings different challenges than other portions of the season, so when you make your plans for an Early September hunt, remember your bug spray and don’t curse the heat as it may end up making your hunt a little bit easier.

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September 1st will be the opening day for the 2004 early season Canada goose hunting in North Dakota. The 2004 season will be the sixth time in which the North Dakota Game and fish has allowed the early Season for North Dakota hunters. Once again shooting hours will be one-half hour before sunrise to sunset. The season will run for two weeks with a daily limit of five and a possession limit of ten, respectively. September 1st is the earliest any migratory game bird season can start per Federal Law. The opening day falls on a Wednesday, offering good hunting opportunities for students and those able to sneak in a morning before work.
 
Due to the coolness of the summer and bad nesting conditions in Canada, hunters should expect an early migration. Juvenile birds are typically later migators than adults and cooler weather will move birds towards the south. “I saw two snow geese mixed in with a flock of Canadas the other day…” Ricky Harrison told me, a senior psychology major at UND after returning from a recent scouting trip. Hunters should be careful before pulling the trigger because only Canada geese are legal in the early season.

Last year 6,870 hunters participated in the special season in North Dakota. These hunters helped to cut the high population by bagging 20,500 geese. Every year the Canada goose population grows in North Dakota. Last year, the population almost doubled. Similar to the Spring Season for snows, these special hunts are offered to help keep the local goose populations at manageable numbers. It is our obligation as hunters preserve goose populations at healthy numbers to prevent outbreaks of disease, or worse starvation.

Our neighbor to the East, Minnesota, consistently tops the nation in the harvest of Canada Geese. 282,000 geese fell to the shotgun blast of hunters in Minnesota last year during their early season and regular duck and goose hunting seasons. Minnesota’s early goose also runs an extra week longer than the season in North Dakota. Minnesota can do this because they are not graced with high concentrations of migrant geese like the Dakotas.

Whatever side of the boarder you hunt, I encourage everyone to participate in this special season. You may be telling your grandkids about these days when there are no longer high populations of geese. Scouting is the most important aspect of the hunt and can drastically increase your success rates. Shoot straight and practice your calling.

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September 1 marks the opening of the early Canada goose season in North Dakota.

Not so long ago, in the early 1990s, North Dakota hunters could bag only one Canada goose per day for much of the waterfowl hunting season.

The season also ended well before federal frameworks allowed because North Dakota Game and Fish Department biologists were cautious about directing too much hunting pressure on giant Canada geese. Through an extensive trapping and transplanting program, populations of these birds were restored to every county in the state, and too much hunting pressure was considered a recipe for a setback.

In addition to a restricted daily limit and short season, the state also had a couple dozen Canada goose closure zones, where no hunting of Canada geese was allowed at all. Outside those zones, the giant Canada goose was a trophy in every sense of the word. Hunters, landowners and curious onlookers marveled at their lumbering flight and unmistakable, deep, honk.

What a difference a decade makes. Due primarily to ideal habitat conditions across North Dakota, and their ability to adapt to close proximity to humans, the state’s giant Canada goose population has steadily increased.

The rains and snows that started filling the state’s prairie potholes began in 1993 and it’s no coincidence that the Game and Fish Department was able to start eliminating Canada goose closure zones in 1995. After that, the season was gradually extended to the full extent allowed by federal frameworks, and the daily limit was increased for the entire season.

Still, the state’s giant Canada goose population kept increasing. In an effort to provide more hunting opportunity and at the same time manage resident goose numbers, Game and Fish established an early September season.

This is the sixth year for that September hunt. The first year, early goose hunting was only allowed in two southeastern counties. Since then, the season has been statewide.

The two-week early September hunt almost exclusively targets resident giant Canada geese. Several other subspecies that nest in Canada typically do not start migrating into North Dakota until mid- September. However, the first few September seasons continued for three weeks, and included enough harvest of migrant birds to warrant scaling the hunt back to two weeks.

As a biologist and a hunter, I enjoy the early September Canada goose season. If you can put up with a few mosquitoes now and then, it’s a great time to get out and observe and hunt these majestic birds. They are still a trophy and still warrant a respectful upward glance.

The Nodak Crew enjoying the early season in 2001.

Judging by the numbers, a lot of North Dakota hunters are doing just that. Over the past few years, early-season hunters are bagging more than 20,000 birds a year. To put that in perspective, the number of large Canada geese taken in North Dakota during the entire 1992 season was around 16,000. In recent years the total bag for large Canada geese has topped 100,000.

The nuts and bolts of the season 

The 2005 early Canada goose season opens September 1. Last year an estimated 6,720 hunters harvested 24,930 Canada geese during the season.

Surveys showed hunters averaged 2.67 days afield and 3.71 birds each. Geese were harvested in 48 counties, with the highest number of birds bagged in Stutsman County. Other top counties were Barnes, Sargent, Nelson and Ramsey.

Hunters will have a daily bag limit of five Canada geese and a possession limit of 10. Shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset daily. Limits and shooting hours are different from the regular season, when the daily limit is three and the possession limit is six.

Normal licensing requirements for the regular season, including a federal duck stamp, apply to the September Canada goose season. Nonresidents who hunt in Sargent and Richland counties during the early season may do so without counting against their 14-day regular season license.

Registration with the Harvest Information Program is also required.

To obtain a HIP number for the fall season, log onto the Game and Fish Department website at discovernd.com/gnf; or call 888-634-4798. Hunters who got their HIP number for the 2005 spring snow goose season do not need to register again.

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Picture yourself in a cornfield. It’s late October, the previous night this particular field was lined shoulder to shoulder with Northern mallards. Standing in the headlights of your SUV you toss a few crispy corn petals up in to the air, and watch as a gust of wind takes them back to the ground. From your best estimates the wind is from the Northwest, now is the time to place out the decoys.

Wind will always play a critical role when it comes to waterfowl hunting. Ducks and geese will always take off and land into the wind. It is best to position yourself in a spot that offers the most effective shots according to the wind. This will increase your shooting odds and decrease the chance of crippling birds.

Decoy placement is not the only part of waterfowl hunting that is affected by wind. If there is too much wind, birds may lay low on the roost and avoid flying. High winds also make shooting more difficult. No wind and birds can approach decoy spreads from any direction. Usually landing at will, somewhere behind my blind.

When upland bird hunting it is important to walk into the wind. The birds have a harder time hearing your approach them for the downwind side. Plus, it is easier for bird dogs to smell game when they are working into the wind.

Now imagine yourself at the deer shack on a November morning. Stepping onto a porch the floorboards creak beneath you as you raise your moist index finger into the air. You gaze at the stars as you ponder the wind direction and the position of your tree stand. Will the deer be able to smell you as the travel from their morning resting spot to feed?

“If the wind is wrong, I don’t even go out to my stand. Most hunters won’t do that.” Said Brian Trachsel, an avid bow hunter. Wind direction plays an even bigger role when it comes to the pursuit of big game animals. Deer, Elk and Bear all have a very keen sense of smell. Hunters have to use the wind, which carries their smell, to their advantage. Especially bow hunters, who have to be close to these mammals for high percentage kill shots.

I feel that one of the biggest mistakes most hunters commit is not using the wind to put the odds in their favor. A lot of hunters think they can mask their own scent by washing themselves, and their clothes in various products. Hunters also purchase clothing that is supposed to trap their natural scents.

These devices give the hunter some piece of mind before heading into the field, which can be a plus. A little confidence can go along way for all of us. The truth however is that; your house has smells, your truck has smells, and the place you stop get a cup of coffee in the morning smells. By putting yourself in a position where game approaches you from the up wind side you can eliminate these smells.
 
There are a few different ways to tell which way the wind is coming from. Some guys will listen or watch the weather report, but most will check or re-check the wind in the field. When I lived in Grand Forks, North Dakota I hunted with a pilot named Dave Easton who would call a 1-800 number for a VFR Aviation Weather report. That might be the coolest way a hunter can get the wind direction, still once you get to your hunting spot you have to re-check it.

I found a new product that helps nail down the exact direction of the wind more accurately. This item conveniently fits into a pocket, blind bag or glove box. It is a small plastic ball that contains a scent-free wind powder by Windage LLC. Basically you squeeze the soft plastic ball and one can visually see scent-free wind powder get carried away by the wind. Information about this product can be found at bowloco.com.

The scent-free wind powder will help to depict exactly how the ducks will try to land and how your scent will travel from the tree stand. Sure tossing grass into the air or licking your finger may help to build your confidence in the wind direction, but in the field, sometimes you need more than confidence. When heading into the woods this fall try to put the odds in your favor by paying attention to the wind direction and using it to your favor.

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