# once again



## snowkiller (Mar 19, 2005)

There are thousnds of honkers on the big lake and you cant hunt them.This is BS they should get rid of the early season and let us shoot them in the late season.It was a good season but we should be able to hunt them well into Jan.If you guys agree we should talk to the gf about this.I know there are at least 50000 honkers on the big lake and thats not counting the river were there is a LOT of geese.


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## dfisher (Oct 12, 2007)

Yeah, I don't know if I'd want to axe the early season but it was sure nice, when I lived in Ohio, to be able to hunt into January.

I don't know about you, but even when the birds are fewer and farther between, just being out at that time of the year is more like hunting than swatting mosquitoes in September. Fewer people and, sometimes, more cooperative birds.

Happy Holidays,
Dan


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

I know what you mean about the frustrations of a longer late season, but what about how late they come off this time of year? Since chances are they will only fly in the afternoon, that can rule out most days outside of the Sat/Wed all day hunts. It gets old setting up and waiting for hours on end for the birds to come off.

My .02

How much water is still open on Sak?


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## KEN W (Feb 22, 2002)

I disagree......in the first place the early season is basically for ND raised birds.Thus the 5 per day limit.Now most are migrants.The early season was started to reduce the numbers of state raised birds to numbers more tolerable to farmers.....not to give us more to shoot.Taking it away or shortening it would defeat that purpose.

Plus the entire state is available to hunt for EVERYONE in the early season.To me asking for a later season just to hunt river birds is being selfish.Since most of the state waters are now covered in ice.Most of us don't live near the Missouri or Lake Sak......we all live near birds in Sept.

It is much easier to find a place to hunt in Sept than try in Dec. with all the posted land where they now are.

I hope our GNF continues to do what is best for all of us......not just for people who live where there are still geese on a river.

In fact if the US Dept. of Interior would allow it.....I would ask our GNF to make the Sept season 3 weeks and chop off a week at the end.But to many lessers are taken in the 3rd week so they won't.But that is better for all ND residents.......not just a few.

If you can convince the Interior Dept to make the season longer.....go for it.....but not at the expense of the early seaon.


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## bjn (Jul 17, 2003)

I wonder why they can't break the state up like the High Plains Mallard season? The areas that have birds this time of year have much more limited hunting in September than the rest of the state. Another idea would be to have a split season for the Sakakawea/Missouri River region as hunting is pretty tough around here for the first month of the regular season as there just aren't birds around like the more traditional waterfowl areas.
This said, I understand the September season is for reducing the resident population and it also gives some people an oppurtunity to waterfowl hunt that wouldn't otherwise (such as some elderly, handicapped, youth, etc.)
It just does get quite frustrating to have more birds around than at any time of the year and have season closed. Chris also brings up a good point. With shooting hours ending at 2 five days a week, it really limits oppurtunity the last 3 weeks of the season. Happens every year and I think most that hunt these birds would agree that hunting them all day would have little chance of pushing these birds out early. These birds get very comfortable around here and are not leaving until mother nature really gets nasty.


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## Triple B (Mar 9, 2004)

I feel that for the most part, the reason these birds are feeding later is because they are adapting to the pressures of constant hunting. I know that in the area we hunt, there are groups hunting everyday. the only way the birds can get th their fields of choice is if they feed later. if there would be all day hunting, everyday, I think sooner than later, you would see many of these birds not sticking around like they do now. most of the time there are stragglers or small flocks that get off early. somedays you may have to scratch out a limit, but I feel this provides a challenge. also it gives the birds a chance to get into the fields they want. if their was constantly spreads in their fields all day everyday, which their would be, why would they stick around??? i think it fine the way it is, just beacuse you have to work a little harder to get your birds and you may not limit everytime people want to change it. but I thought getting limits wasn't what hunting was all about????


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## averyghg (Oct 16, 2006)

couldn't of said it any better myself TripB


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## honkerslayr (Dec 14, 2006)

Actually to be exact most of the birds that are in north dakota right now won't be leaving. You can bet on that, obviously they would have left already. The birds on the river will stay here all winter long also with the company of some ducks they are the locals that get very large and wont usually leave the state, they learned to adapt.

But i also agree with some on later seasons. January would be really nice to see but i think its too much to ask the gnf. The reason it ends on a friday this year(the 21st) was because of a federal regulation. A state's waterfowl season depending on the species can legally be open a certain number of days and no more. I just cant see the GnF starting the seasin in October which would be one month later, just so we could hunt in January although it would be nice, dont get me wrong. But for the ducks it is different obviously because they end on the high plains unit on the 31st and there are plenty to still be shot by from what I've been seeing.


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## h2ofwlr (Feb 6, 2004)

Something to remember. Per the Migratory Waterfowl Treaty, a state can have a maximum of 107 days of waterfowl hunting. And it must be between Sept 1st and Jan 31st.

A question to ask your G&F, is ND utilizing all 107 days?

I know MN is not, they are allowing about 103. I'd love to see those last 4 days used in late Dec.


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## wtrfowl14 (Dec 21, 2007)

You are right about the max. number of days and the NDGF are using the max. So if something is going to change someone is going to have to sacrifice days also. That does sound good about having all day hunting though after Dec. 1.


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## dfisher (Oct 12, 2007)

How about this?
What if NDGF was to create a late season oppurtunity for avid waterfowlers, but instead of allowing three birds in the bag, say they'd drop that to two or even a single honker. Would this still create the pressure that a 3 goose limit may well attract?

Let's face it, hardcore waterfowlers are going despite the limit or the weather. But would a lower daily limit curtail groups of hunters from coming across the state to hunt river birds? I don't konw, but it would be something to consider. It would be a win win for the geese, and for avid waterfowlers.

We actually had that in Ohio once. s I recall, it was a season to eliminate many of the local honers, the season ran from like the middle of January and up into the latter part of February in a certain zone in the state...and it was a long time ago so this time frame might be a bit off. We hunted and the honkers were, just as they are here, bunched in very certain areas. If you were lucky enough to be able to find a place in those areas, you waylayed them. If not, you might not see a goose all day.

Just my thoughts.
Dan


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## SDwaterfowler (Mar 2, 2006)

Here is something you could have your GnF consider... In SD, our seasons are different depending on what part of the state you are in. On the river, the season starts later and ends later. It makes perfect sense because there are no birds there earlier in the year when the hunting is good in other parts of the state but that is the only place there are birds late in the season. Have a look at our goose seasons here on page 16: http://www.sdgfp.info/Publications/HuntingHandbook.pdf
If we travel a small bit to hunt we can hunt canadas from Sept. 8 to Feb. 8.


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## SnoStackerz (Jun 28, 2004)

I have read that the GnF says the resident canada goose population is twice that of the management objective. I'd like to find out if that is true. One question begs to be asked is "where". I know certain parts of the state there are no or little issues with the population and very few gripes are heard due to hunting keeping the population down. In other parts of the state I hear the complaint of crop depredation all the time. During the months when crops are being damaged surveys could be done to identify populations and complaints. Let's find out where the most noise is coming from. We do pond counts for ducks, road surveys for roosters, lek observation for sharptails. Can we look at a Canada goose survey to better understand the breeding population densities in ND? When I talk to someone that is experiencing crop damage I ask them to call me and I'll be there with friends to hunt them on September 1. I have yet to get a phone call from ANY of them. I would love to have a problem of many farmers calling me to hunt them.
All day hunting all week long for Canada geese will bring no good to anyone. The birds need a break or behavior will change not only short but long term too. Be careful what you are asking for in this.


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## Triple B (Mar 9, 2004)

SnoStackerz said:


> The birds need a break or behavior will change not only short but long term too. Be careful what you are asking for in this.


agreed. life is good now. lets not get greedy because we want a few more weeks of hunting.


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## bjn (Jul 17, 2003)

I disagree. All day hunting would amount to 2 1/2 hours more hunting per day at this time of year as the sun is down at 4:30 to 4:45. The average working man is able to hunt geese essentially one day per week (Saturday) for the last 3 weeks to month of the season. The fact that other states down the flyway and Saskatchewan (after October 20th each year) allow all day hunting of dark geese each year shows that it doesn't blow them out of the country. Weather will be the factor that finally pushes them out. As long as there is open water and feed for them, they aren't leaving. In 25 years of hunting dark geese along the Missouri, the only years I've seen them leave early was when there was too much snow to get at feed. Every other season, there has been significant numbers well past our season's end. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I need to kill a bunch more geese, but I do not feel that the current system allows us in the west to capitalize on goose hunting for more than essentially a month of the year (roughly the week before Thanksgiving to Dec. 20 or whenever they close it.)


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## snowkiller (Mar 19, 2005)

After dec1 they should let us hunt until sundown for all geese.Lets talk to the G&F about this.Plus Iwas fishing at a place on the big lake last week and there was thousands of geese coming out and the season has been been closed for weeks.Plus a lot of mallards, I know mallards are still open but ALL those geese.GET RIDE OF THE EARLY SEASON.PS CHRIS there is alot of open water on Sak FULL of geese


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## dfisher (Oct 12, 2007)

All day hunting after December 1 wouldn't hurt a thing, in my opinion. I think as long as they have feed and open water that isn't bothered, they'll still hang around despite all day hunting.

Dan


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## Traxion (Apr 16, 2004)

So do you guys notice the birds feeding earlier all year, or just late in the season? In my experience, late in the year with cold weather, the birds almost always only leave once a day, the colder it is the later it is. And that is totally regardless of hunting pressure. I guess I am just skeptical that the birds are feeding later due to hunting pressure, unless it is happening ALL season long.


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## bjn (Jul 17, 2003)

Watch the birds now that they haven't been hunted for a week and a half. The majority still go out and feed well past noon and most of the time closer to 3 o'clock. Other than blizzard type of days or high wind days, they will stay in this pattern until they leave (if they ever do!).


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## headshot (Oct 26, 2006)

> The fact that other states down the flyway and Saskatchewan (after October 20th each year) allow all day hunting of dark geese


In the middle of Oct. here the hunting is so hit or miss that you need all day to bag a limit.Our season is open until dec.16 but I have yet to shoot any waterfowl here past the first week of Nov. I personally like the "half-day" hunting we have here now. It gives the birds enough of a break to stay and continue feeding. It is my understanding that these laws are put into place because the migratory birds put on as much as 30% of their body weight here. Keep shooting them all-day and all winter and they won't come back because they are dead or starving. Everyone wants more oppurtunities to hunt but let's not get so greedy that we ruin it. I love bird hunting but just because there are birds in an area doesn't mean you have to shoot them. I guess I should start whining about not being able to shoot birds in the spring. There are tons of canada's here in april and the gov't won't open it up......woe is me uke:


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