Goose hunts improving State effort increased population

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Twenty-five years ago, the number of Canada geese in Maine during September could be counted on a set of piano keys, and some of the black keys wouldn’t be needed. Last year, nearly half of the estimated 9,300 geese taken during 10 weeks of goose hunting were bagged during the three-week September native goose season.

Native geese are birds that breed, hatch, and raise their goslings in Maine, and despite the harsh winters, most native geese spend their entire life in some part of the state. Migrating geese are the big honkers that travel through the Pine Tree State during October and November on their way south. Huge flocks of these Atlantic flyway birds stop over to rest, feed, and fatten up on central and northern Maine’s abundant agricultural acreage. Many, many more geese are at hand during the late season, which makes hunter-success numbers for this month’s short season that much more impressive.

Maine’s Canada goose numbers and seasons haven’t always been so prosperous. Were it not for the foresight of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and the dedication and hard work of our waterfowl biologists, our native goose population would remain as dismal as it was two decades ago. In the early 1980s, biologists captured and transported wild geese from Connecticut and relocated them at various Maine sites.

It was suspected that the adult birds might migrate back to Connecticut for the winter, but the geese hatched and raised here would remain. That’s exactly what happened, and soon there were enough native geese in some areas to allow relocation of part of those flocks each year, and within a dozen years the entire state had a healthy, huntable population of these big wily waterfowl.

Things have not always been as rosy as they are now for goose hunters across the nation. In 1995, the population of migrating Canada geese plunged to an alarming low and the federal waterfowl commission closed the season all across the U.S. Only native geese could be hunted that season, and Maine wasn’t set up to put an early hunt for local birds into effect, so there was no goose season that year.

The federal ban lasted two or three years, and even when hunting was reinstated, the limit was for one bird. Even now the late-season daily bag is two Canada geese only. Wildlife officials and biologists got all their ducks in a row, so to speak, and Maine enjoyed its first native goose hunt in 1996. Since that time the season has grown to three weeks with a three-bird daily bag limit. Hunting improves each fall, and the goose population seems to expand and grow marginally each year. This year’s early goose season began Wednesday and ends Sept. 25.

September advantages

I never lack for reasons to go goose hunting, but for the uninitiated, this month’s season has a lot of things going for it that the late season does not. For one, in many areas, hunting pressure is almost nonexistent. A lot of outdoorsmen are tied up with bear hunting or late-season fishing, and up north it’s harvest time. With so many folks occupied with work and other recreations, crowding and overgunning aren’t a problem.

There are fewer honkers around during September than when the late season migration is under way, but the birds are concentrated in specific areas. Native geese are somewhat less wary since they haven’t been bothered all summer, whereas the migrating Canadas are exposed to decoy spreads, calling and plenty of shooting all along their flyway route. They get smarter every day.

Don’t get me wrong, even the uneducated native geese are sharp-witted, wary, and have acute eyesight, which means they will outsmart hunters on a regular basis. But then that’s what makes them such an exciting and challenging quarry. Generally, however, sportsmen will need fewer decoys and less calling to attract early-season birds. Elaborate blinds and extensive camouflage aren’t as important as they will be next month, either, because a lot of our native geese, although fully grown, are this spring’s birds and not as experienced as the older Canadas.

September hunting conditions are much more comfortable than the frosty and sometimes snowy pre-dawn mornings of November and early December. A layer of lightweight camo clothing will do this month, and most mornings won’t even require a jacket or heavy gloves. The bag limit is greater than during the late season, and since the geese aren’t traveling long distances, they are fat and the meat is tender and delicious.

Early-season tactics

No matter what region of Maine geese reside in, certain habits are developed regarding their home territory. Each flock will display a specific routine from day to day, and properly observed and utilized, these regular practices can be very beneficial to hunter success.

Flocks favor certain roost waters to spend the night on, and to rest and sun themselves on during the midday. One group of birds will favor a barley field as a food plot, another bunch will like cut grain fields, while still a third will go for harvested potato fields. Most flocks will travel no farther between roost water and feed fields than necessary, and they will fly at set times, within a few minutes each day.

Scouting is crucial to consistent action and success. Drive about the countryside during the late afternoon and check likely food plots for feeding geese. A good set of binoculars is a great asset and saves driving too close and scaring up a flock of birds. Once a group of birds is located, that’s the field you should set up in for the following morning, because the chances are very good these same geese will return at daybreak. In fact, they will use the same field until the food is gone or they get shot at a few times.

During the September season, field hunters will find that as few as a dozen decoys will be enough to dupe geese within comfortable shotgun range. Two or three dozen decoys will make honkers even less suspicious since they’re using the field regularly and accustomed to seeing other geese there. Shooters dressed fully in camouflage clothing, particularly gloves and a facemask, can often lay motionless right among the decoy spread and still lure birds up close and personal. Laying under a sheet of camo netting will provide extra cover for retrieving dogs and hunters who have trouble staying motionless.

Water hunting

Canada geese will spend each night on the water, and between morning and afternoon feeding sprees, the big birds will return to water to rest, digest, and sun themselves. Each flock has a favorite roost water – a pond, river, or lake near their home territory – and sometimes several flocks will use the same waterway. This habit of a favorite roost water, as well as fairly consistent daily fly out and return times, works in the sportsmen’s favor.

Once the hungry honkers fly out, hunters have plenty of time to set up a makeshift blind of natural brush, reeds, and deadwood near the favored roost. Often there’s enough brush or shoreline cattails to easily hide a gunner dressed in camo outerwear, and a blind isn’t necessary. A few decoys can be put out, six is generally plenty, and combined with just a bit of calling, the returning birds should glide within range. Since geese often return from feeding in small groups, shooters should get several chances to bag a bird or two.

Pass shooting is another practice that will offer dependable action with proper preparation. This style of goose hunting allows the gunner to place themselves along the flight path between the roost water and feed field. Productive spots for this tactic are generally close to the water or field edges, so the birds are still low and within range as they arrive or leave. Geese favor a specific route, another habit that benefits the hunter, but strong winds can change the pattern on any given day.

Hiding spots for pass shooters are fairly simple. Shoreline brush or a small copse of trees near the water’s edge work well, and if there’s an island the birds bypass, try that. A jonboat or canoe hidden among blowdowns, stumps, and reeds will also provide a stable shooting platform. Hedgerows, rock walls, irrigation ditches, and brush piles are excellent natural blinds for hunters setting up near crop fields to ambush geese coming and going.

Whether you field hunt, water hunt, or pass shoot, don’t overstay your welcome. As soon as you are done shooting, pick up the decoy spread and depart quickly and quietly. Canada geese learn quickly and remember well, and if hunters don’t overuse and abuse a spot, it can be successfully revisited a couple more times during the early season.

Guns and gear

An adult Canada goose is a big, strong bird and thick feathers and down make it amazingly resistant to shotgun pellets. As the season progresses, geese develop even heavier feather armor to combat the cold, but this month the geese are a bit more susceptible to a well-placed shot charge. September geese will often decoy easier and closer as well, so even a youngster or novice can make a clean head shot with a 20- or 16-gauge shotgun.

Steel shot is a must for waterfowling, so many sports favor the 10-gauge for some extra distance and power. In most cases a 12-gauge, even with 23/4-inch shells, will work just fine, if you remember that it’s not how far a shotgun will shoot, but more how close you can coax the geese that defines the success of a clean, humane shot. I favor No. 1 or No. 2 size pellets for September geese, and for those who distrust steel, spend a bit more money and buy the deadlier, more dependable bismuth, tungsten, or Hevishot. In the end, it’s the shooter, not a special gun or load, that brings the bird down.

Fall mornings are known for heavy dew and possibly a frost, and it may even rain, so wear comfortable waterproof boots. Pack a camouflage rain suit, or at least one in forest green color, in case you must lie out in a wet field, or withstand a morning shower. Hands move to use the goose call and faces search for incoming birds, so cover them with camo gloves and a camo mesh facemask. Don’t forget your hunting license and a federal duck stamp from the post office, as well as a state duck stamp from the town office.

Canada geese are wary, wily, and wonderfully challenging waterfowl, and the native goose season is in full swing right now. With two more weeks to go, check out your local area because there’s bound to be a few flocks that deserve your attention. When that first group sets their wings and sideslips in over the decoys, the sweetest sound of September are the words, “Take ’em!”

Outdoor feature writer Bill Graves can be reached at graves@umpi.maine.edu