# 'Light' goose population remains high



## KEN W (Feb 22, 2002)

'Light' goose population remains high

By Tim Spielman, Associate Editor, MN Outdoor News
Thursday, April 30, 2009 8:02 AM CDT

Minneapolis - Another spring light goose season - the result of an ongoing federal "conservation order" - wrapped up this week, but indications are that despite the efforts of hunters, the population of snows, blues, and Ross' geese (collectively, "light" geese) remains high, and their Arctic breeding habitat continues to take the resultant abuse.

"It's been two steps forward, one step back," Jim Kelley, of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Minneapolis, said of the population-reduction efforts.

According to a USFWS press release in 2000, a year after the implementation of the conservation order that provided for the spring harvest of "light" geese in several Mississippi and Central flyways states - with liberalized hunting methods - the breeding population of the geese was about 5 million birds. Last fall, as the Service announced continued use of the order, the press release stated, "The current breeding population of mid-continent light geese likely exceeds 5 million birds, an increase of more than 300 percent since the mid-1970s."

Current research under way in Canada, by researcher Ray Alisauskas, indicates the light goose population might be substantially higher than that.

Recently, the USFWS made the conservation order - in place on an interim basis since 1999 - permanent. The order was the result of the Arctic Tundra Habitat Emergency Conservation Act.

Kelley, the USFWS's Mississippi Flyway representative in Minneapolis, said spring harvest of the birds had increased the overall harvest, yet that harvest hasn't outpaced good hatches of the birds on their struggling breeding grounds in Canada, much of it Manitoba tundra.

Hunting of snow geese during spring in Minnesota is largely a hit-or-miss endeavor; most of the major migration occurs to the west, in the Dakotas.

Still, the state typically issues between 1,000 and 2,000 permits in the spring, says Steve Cordts, waterfowl specialist for the Minnesota DNR. He said the harvest varies in the spring, but usually is about an average of two geese per hunter.

The state's total harvest pales compared with other Midwestern states' harvest: During the 2006-07 season, the conservation order resulted in the harvest of about 160,000 geese in Missouri, and about 96,000 each in the states of South Dakota and Nebraska. Several southern states also harvest thousands of light geese during the conservation order period.

Overall, the USFWS says, "Since implementation of the conservation order in 1999, the harvest of mid-continent light geese has more than doubled, and the growth rate, as measured by the midwinter index, has been reduced."

Many times, the harvest during the spring conservation order has been equal to or greater than the "regular season" hunt.

In recent years, Kelley said, the total harvest of snows, blues, and Ross' geese has been between 1 million and 1.5 million. Yet, the population remains at a level similar to a decade ago. Why?

Kelley said there are a number of reasons, but one stands out: When the light goose hatch is good, the young birds (those that aren't decoy-shy or wise to the electronic calls used during the conservation order season) are the ones most often killed; the older, more productive adults remain in the population, and continue to reproduce.

He said the light goose population in past years dipped from 3.2 million to 2.3 million, then rebounded with a vengeance.

"There were a couple years of good productivity where they really cranked out the babies; now we're back to where we started," Kelley said.

"We're really in a stable situation right now," he said. "We need two to three bad years in a row up in the Arctic."

The best way to reduce the population, Kelley said, is to harvest the adult breeders in the light goose flocks.

Kelley said the USFWS will continue to re-evaluate and reassess the mid-continent light goose situation while the spring conservation order continues. If the population continues to be high, and habitat destruction continues, other, less desireable alternatives might be considered. The Canada government - and other groups - isn't keen on direct killing of birds on their breeding grounds.

Further, Cordts said "oiling" of eggs, which effectively smothers the embryos, is largely financial unfeasible.

Kelley said the conservation order soon will be an option for some Atlantic Flyway states, where greater snow goose depredation is becoming a larger problem.

The USFWS says other species of water birds have been negatively affected by habitat loss in the Arctic breeding grounds in Canada. And poor habitat has an effect on light geese, too. They might nest in the same areas, but if food isn't available, geese will walk up to 30 to 40 miles with their goslings in search of forage, Kelley said. This can increase the mortality rates of young birds, he said.

According to Kelley, if snow geese were removed from the Arctic landscape, it still would take several decades for the habitat to fully recover, in part because of the short growing season, and in part because of the loss of surface moss, which promotes plant growth.

Besides being able to use electronic calls, hunters during the spring conservation order are allowed liberal limits and unplugged shotguns.

Rules for the order first were offered in 1997, but were withdrawn following threat of lawsuits. The order went into effect with the passage of federal legislation.


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## wildrice (Sep 11, 2007)

As Sgt Schultz of Hogans heros used to say............."Very interestink!" Population about the same but the Artic Breeding grounds which support these birds are still pumping them out. I'm no expert by any means and have seen pics of the damage done year over year but if these same breeding grounds are still pumping the light geese out, perhaps they are not close to its carrying capacity.

Either way I'm still happy to see the white devils both fall and spring.

WR


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## duckman1 (Mar 28, 2009)

they complain about all these numbers then why dont
they remove the 20 bird limit in the dakotas and canada
to help?


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## Chaws (Oct 12, 2007)

duckman1 said:


> they complain about all these numbers then why dont
> they remove the 20 bird limit in the dakotas and canada
> to help?


Talk to your Game and Fish, waterfowl groups like DU and Delta, talk to your local government. The individual states are the ones that can place bills to change these things.


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## shooteminthelips (Jun 13, 2007)

Giggty giggty alright!


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## ND_duckman (Feb 17, 2006)

wildrice said:


> Population about the same but the Artic Breeding grounds which support these birds are still pumping them out. I'm no expert by any means and have seen pics of the damage done year over year but if these same breeding grounds are still pumping the light geese out, perhaps they are not close to its carrying capacity.
> 
> Either way I'm still happy to see the white devils both fall and spring.
> 
> WR


Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe what is happening is that new snow goose nesting colonies are showing up in areas that previously didn't have colonies on them. This coupled with the old colonies staying in their traditional areas means expanded areas of disturbed or destroyed habitat, all the while the traditional snow goose colony habitat is still at or beyond it's carrying capacity.


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## Sask hunter (Sep 11, 2008)

duckman1 said:


> they complain about all these numbers then why dont
> they remove the 20 bird limit in the dakotas and canada
> to help?


And in Sk let us shoot ross and no plugs


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## KEN W (Feb 22, 2002)

He doesn't say they are starting new colonies.....he says they are nesting where they always have and walking their goslings 30-40 miles to find food.


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## MDV89 (Sep 8, 2008)

you would think that every predator up there would be so fat they could hardly walk for about 3 months...


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## KEN W (Feb 22, 2002)

MDV89 said:


> you would think that every predator up there would be so fat they could hardly walk for about 3 months...


Not when they are overwhelmed by big numbers.Plus goose parents are pretty feisty when it comes to protecting young.


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## 6162rk (Dec 5, 2004)

high population good for decoy sellers, local economies in the flyway, and some peoples ego's.


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## rossboss (Feb 16, 2009)

As a long time bird breader I can see that in the near future that the lesser snow goose will bring apon a crash in the population due to disease.


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## WingedShooter7 (Oct 28, 2005)

KEN W said:


> MDV89 said:
> 
> 
> > you would think that every predator up there would be so fat they could hardly walk for about 3 months...
> ...


Got that right! That section in Planet Earth defiantly portrayed that.


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## Pete (Jun 3, 2005)

I am also of the mind that limits should be raised. On the days it is "on" fall or spring, it is too bad 20 is the limit in many states. I spend a lot of days hunting with 2-5 birds/hunter so that when the geese are working it would be great to make the most of helping reduce the population. In addition to what I eat, goose made into summer sausage by a commercial processor is welcomed by our food pantry.


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