Prairie Hunter-I see what you are talking about, and the problem is we were both looking at two different things in the bill.
There are two parts to the bill the first one which "creates and enacts a new section to 20.1-04. This is the part that implements a spring season on Canada geese.
The thing that I was talking about was the addition that state "The governor shall provide for a spring canada goose season" When a law says shall that means he has to have the season. If they are intending what you say they are it should read "The governor may provide for a spring goose season. The way it is worded is that the governor has to have the season, which he has no authority to do so.
The second part is what you are talking about which "amend and reenacts section 20.1-03-07.1" This like you said allows for a nonresident to hunt this new season they are enacting.
You are right on this part, they reworded this so nonresident can hunt if they implement the season like they say. I haven't really been arguing your points, just trying to state the fact that they cannot make up a season on their own, and by their wording that is what they are doing. A lot of people don't read the bills closely at times and shall and may are very common words in game and fish legislation. Because of these two words, the meaning of the bill can be changed drastically.
No, I don't work in enforcement any more although I still work for NDG&F in another capacity.
One of the reasons that I doubt the USFWS will allow a spring season for Canada geese is that how do you separate the migrants out of the residents. The northern Canada Goose species are not causing the problems and some of them are not at the population levels that the residents are. In fact, in our early fall season if the smaller migrant canada geese come early and we harvest too many of them in September, we are in danger of the USFWS shutting down our early season which is something we don't want. The other problem is when resident canada geese do the most crop damage is when they have flightless goslings and they walk up from the slough and graze down the crops. Hard to hunt then as you are not going to decoy them in.
The other reason that I think the legislators are trying to mandate a season is that Heitkamps name is on the bill as a sponsor. They do have goose depredation in his district, and he has been very critical of the department about stopping it. When the department issued kill permits for the landowners, he was on 790 complaining that we wouldn't let the farmers snipe them from long distance with a rifle. He wants to be able to kill geese any way possible.
I won't say much more on this, I am just trying to be helpful. If you don't want to believe me that is your decision, but I am not lying to you.