# ND dark goose population way down!!!



## kody (Jun 27, 2003)

In the past 20 years of hunting ND, I must say the local dark goose population has never been so awesome and now so bad. In the past 3 years ND has taken measures to reduce the number of geese due to the crop damage they cause in the spring. Unfortunetly life is about making a living and making money!! So I do understand the reducing the goose population is important but I think things have gone past the intent of the programs.

Here is what I see has happened.

1. August hunting seasons with daily takes of 15 birds per person. I have been on hunts where 10 guys have taken over 100 birds in a hunting morning. Just a little excessive!

2. Farmers shooting nesting geese off the rat houses with rifles.

3. Farmers breaking eggs with nesting geese.

4. Last spring 2013 we had a late season snow storm with cool temps, which made nesting very poor.

Net result when the Oct. 2013 season started, the dark goose population which use to be killer is now the poorest it has ever been.

DOES ANYONE ELSE FEEL THAT THE LARGE DARK GOOSE POPULATION IS A LITTLE WEAK IN NORTH DAKOTA IN 2013????


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## GooseSlayer14 (Mar 15, 2010)

Nope


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

Only rifles we can use to shoot geese are rim fire rifles. There is very few that get killed that way. The best thing for goose control in rollers!


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## dakotashooter2 (Oct 31, 2003)

I thought the numbers were down too................................ until about the first week of September when geese were showing up all over the place. I saw more geese in my area this year than last and I know they got hit hard last year...... While it may seem like farmers are shooting a lot I question if they are taking more than a couple birds from any family group of 8-12 birds. That still leaves a lot. They just don't have the time to be shooting birds.

Populations seem to have some regional fluctuations. There was also some significant re-nesting this year. I don't think some of the birds even had any sustained flight capability until right before the start of season. And some of the fluctuation may be due to a shift in food sources. If the areas that held grain last year had corn this year the food just isn't there late summer early fall so they go elsewhere.


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## fieldgeneral (Feb 12, 2013)

Weather will dictate the population ultimately, it always does, not hunting pressure, trust me on that one. There is not enough people out there hunting the birds hard all the way through the season to put enough of a dent in them. Just my opinion obviously.. This spring was down right nasty on all wildlife so that had a lot to do with what you were seeing this fall. Breeding success was pretty darn good all across the board in Canada.


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## tilley (Jul 28, 2011)

blhunter is a professional at mowing over duck nests but I would like more information on your technique for destroying Canada goose nests...that is IF you have the time to post due to your heavy schedule.


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

tilley said:


> blhunter is a professional at mowing over duck nests but I would like more information on your technique for destroying Canada goose nests...that is IF you have the time to post due to your heavy schedule.


Find a way to cut hay and alfalfa without getting nests and get back to me.


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## shooteminthelips (Jun 13, 2007)

The populations isn't down, if anything it is way up. I seen more geese this season then I ever have. However the couple things I did notice are there are more hunters. Which does the following: spreads the birds out, conditions them to tactics and tricks, and locks up more land and you get way more people trying to set up in the same field all the time. To be a better hunter you are going to have to become more efficient and learn to stand out from everyone else. I don't like the way things are headed with the amount of out of state hunters coming into ND and for sure don't the lack of common courtesy in hunting now days. There is never a reason why there should be 2 people setup in the same field, if you get beat to a field have a back up spot. If you don't have a back up spot then I don't feel sorry for you.


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## dakotashooter2 (Oct 31, 2003)

There were a few more parties than normal in my area. One of the locals told be he had invited a friend to hunt the area and the "friend" thereafter brought a couple more guys into the area. :eyeroll: :eyeroll: So it goes.................................


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## Mike Kortum (Aug 26, 2011)

blhunter3 said:


> tilley said:
> 
> 
> > blhunter is a professional at mowing over duck nests but I would like more information on your technique for destroying Canada goose nests...that is IF you have the time to post due to your heavy schedule.
> ...


Turn the steering wheel.


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

Mike Kortum said:


> blhunter3 said:
> 
> 
> > tilley said:
> ...


How are you suppose to see the nests? Alfalfa is a bushy plant, and grass covers the view of the nest. 
Nice try....


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## snogeezmen (May 28, 2012)

That's way to much work for BL. Come on now.
BL has all the answers for everything.......just ask him.

Still waiting on your pics of 100,000 bazillion acres of depredation you had


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## tilley (Jul 28, 2011)

Maybe if you weren't posting in the tractor you would have better vision..but then again being a member of the million post club is a really big thing. oke:


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## Mike Kortum (Aug 26, 2011)

blhunter3 said:


> How are you suppose to see the nests? Alfalfa is a bushy plant, and grass covers the view of the nest.
> Nice try....


When i cut alfalfa i see the hens flush, then i get off my lazy arse and walk around til i find the nest, mark it with a tall stake, then i turn the steering wheel to avoid it and continue on my way. Sure it might be easier for a predstor to find at that point but atleast im not being the predator. It really is an easy thing for us farmers to avoid as long as we arent being total dbags.


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## dakotashooter2 (Oct 31, 2003)

Good for you for doing that............. But hens are not always going to be on the nest and they may not even be near the nest when they flush. It also depends on what type of cutting equipment you are using. While a tractor pulled implement will generally give you a little more opportunity to see a nest before running it over, it's harder for the guys who cut with self propelled swathers. How many of us could see a nest in 12-18" grass 20-30 feet away from our seat in the tractor/cab?


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## fieldgeneral (Feb 12, 2013)

This thread took a little spin I would say... :eyeroll:


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## Mike Kortum (Aug 26, 2011)

dakotashooter2 said:


> Good for you for doing that............. But hens are not always going to be on the nest and they may not even be near the nest when they flush. It also depends on what type of cutting equipment you are using. While a tractor pulled implement will generally give you a little more opportunity to see a nest before running it over, it's harder for the guys who cut with self propelled swathers. How many of us could see a nest in 12-18" grass 20-30 feet away from our seat in the tractor/cab?


Thats why when the flushes you get out and search for the nest while walking around. You usually find it within 5 minutes. Its not a big deal, its very easy to do.


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## Mike Kortum (Aug 26, 2011)

fieldgeneral said:


> This thread took a little spin I would say... :eyeroll:


Its a coversation... coversations move on from the original topic all the time. If you want to comment on the goose population in nodak, by all means go ahead and do so. :eyeroll:


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## fieldgeneral (Feb 12, 2013)

Mike Kortum said:


> fieldgeneral said:
> 
> 
> > This thread took a little spin I would say... :eyeroll:
> ...


Oooops, some one is a little sensitive I see, sorry. :rollin:


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

Going around a nest is one thing, but when you run a tedder, then a rake, then bale, then hauling the bales. They have zero chance. Even if we don't use the tedder the rake touches all of the ground.


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## dakotashooter2 (Oct 31, 2003)

Mike Kortum said:


> dakotashooter2 said:
> 
> 
> > Good for you for doing that............. But hens are not always going to be on the nest and they may not even be near the nest when they flush. It also depends on what type of cutting equipment you are using. While a tractor pulled implement will generally give you a little more opportunity to see a nest before running it over, it's harder for the guys who cut with self propelled swathers. How many of us could see a nest in 12-18" grass 20-30 feet away from our seat in the tractor/cab?
> ...


IF you haven't already run it over. I've walked/driven within a couple feet of ducks/geese on nests before they flush. A couple feet isn't much time to get your equipment stopped.


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

Its apparent that a lot of people have zero clue on haying practices. Even if you manage to avoid the nest it would be damn easy for a predator to find the nest.


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## themaskedmallard (Mar 19, 2013)

blhunter3 said:


> Its apparent that a lot of people have zero clue on haying practices. Even if you manage to avoid the nest it would be damn easy for a predator to find the nest.


Who are you trying to kid? Regardless of if it would make a difference we all know that it would be fundamentally impossible for you to do it. Can you fill us in with your vast knowledge of haying practices just like that of your knowledge on depredation related issues?


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## Nelson_09 (Jan 10, 2014)

Nice post!


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

This is getting off the subject alright. However, I'm sure you guys know I am a retired biologist. With that said I grew up on a farm. One year I was so proud of myself because I had lifted the digger and left more than three dozen nests (breaking up old river bottom alfalfa and sweet clover) on 160 acres. Only one thing went wrong. Looking a few days later the fox and ***** had figured it out and there was not a single nest survived. I guess the tufts of vegetation I left they soon learned to use like a marking flag. Here I am come and eat me. Anyway, I tried, but the predators out "foxed" me.

Here is something interesting for you. I had two biologist friends who would debate about rock piles. One thought they wre the best habitat out there and another thought they were the worst. They were both right. Sounds crazy right? It depends on where the rock piles are. If they are in the middle of a 100 acre dirt field the predators will find the nest. If they are just another clump of rocks within good habitat the nests have a much better chance of survival. Perspective!

Dark geese. I'm guessing since there is a difference of opinion that it's spotty. I normally see a large bunch of geese on the Pipestem reservoir here at Jamestown. The numbers here were way down.


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

Coyete figure stuff out pretty fast.

These guys followed us almost the whole field catching mice.


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

I remember years ago, before the chemicals turned the soil into a biological desert, the gulls by the thousands would follow us around the field. I can still remember when we run the first packer behind the drill. I must have run over 30 gulls the first day. They would land right behind the drill and squash.


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

Its actually not the chemicals its more of the facts that many people have switch to minimum till or no till, or that people are waiting until later to apply fertilizer in the fall and the gulls have already headed south.


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## tilley (Jul 28, 2011)

Blhunter you are so damn smart it is incredible. Minimum till is definitely the problem. Pour on the chemical the more the better.


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## fieldgeneral (Feb 12, 2013)

tilley said:


> Blhunter you are so damn smart it is incredible. Minimum till is definitely the problem. Pour on the chemical the more the better.


I can't help but to ask, Tilley what is your personal vendetta against BL? You call him out on EVERYTHING.


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

fieldgeneral said:


> tilley said:
> 
> 
> > Blhunter you are so damn smart it is incredible. Minimum till is definitely the problem. Pour on the chemical the more the better.
> ...


I have been wondering the same thing for awhile.


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## nodakgoosehunter (Feb 23, 2014)

well I believe in the last few years the number of UNPLANTED and idle fields have had an affect on nesting and success efforts in the state.......what was it? over a million acres went unplanted last spring? hmm no food and no cover for the birds........just my two cents


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## SDMAN (Mar 8, 2014)

It did not help that GFP killed 120,000 canada goose eggs in the spring of 2013. :x :lame:


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