# Migrators



## Carbon Express (Sep 17, 2005)

I was sitting in the garage last night in Fargo after getting back from a scouting trip and heard the best sound you can hear in town in the fall. To my surprise it was 3 large flocks of lessers headed to the SW. Is anyone else seeing any birds moving?


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## greatwhitehunter3 (Sep 15, 2006)

i was outside working the last couple days down by lamberton mn and theres been flocks of 40-60 flying every night


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## davenport wa. (Feb 11, 2006)

You guys are so lucky to live in ND and see that many birds,here in eastern wa, we might see 15 flights a day at the height of the season, and then a lot them are residet.>>>>>>>>>   bob


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## Jeff Zierden (Jan 27, 2006)

Lots of birds moving through the area right now. I was out scouting tonight and saw some lessers and even saw a lost group of Blue geese. There was three eagle heads and three juvies in the group. They are sitting on a roost pond not far from my house. Hope they are still there in the morning when I go to work. I will bring the camera and snap a few pictures.


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## hoosier dhr (Jul 24, 2003)

does this mean an early winter?


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## HonkerExpress (Sep 23, 2005)

I could be wrong, but last night when I got home from the bar, I could have swore I heard snows and blues flying overhead? I could be mistaken, but thats what it sure sounded like. Sounded like a pretty good sized flock too.


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## djleye (Nov 14, 2002)

How much did you drink?????? :drunk: :wink:


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## HonkerExpress (Sep 23, 2005)

now now, I drank my fill, but gosh darn it, I know I heard snows and blues, I might have been a little intoxicated, but I know what them dirty sky carp sound like. sounds about as good as running your finger nails down the chalk board, haha. Dirty little buggers, haha.


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## dosch (May 20, 2003)

Saw a few hundred snows around last weekend, had a couple come into the dekes and flare as usual. But we were not in an area where we usually see snows this early so I was a bit surprised.


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## Snow Hunter (Nov 16, 2004)

HonkerExpress said:


> I could be wrong, but last night when I got home from the bar, I could have swore I heard snows and blues flying overhead? I could be mistaken, but thats what it sure sounded like. Sounded like a pretty good sized flock too.


We had a gray back snow fly over the decoys this morning, a little too high, but it was very near GF.

I have seen several small flocks of snows a ways west and south of GF over the past week and even one speck. the migration has begun.


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

We had lessers migrating over us in the decoys this weekend. You had to look WAY UP to see them. I love this time of year.

Eyes to the skies...


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## HonkerExpress (Sep 23, 2005)

ya see that, it wasn't the bottle making me hear noises, lol.


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## Carbon Express (Sep 17, 2005)

We too saw lessers flying over the decoys on Sunday morning, a mile high and headed to the South. Surprisingly I am yet to see a lesser holding in the area I am hunting.


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## greatwhitehunter3 (Sep 15, 2006)

hey this is a stupid ? i know but im new to hunting..what is a lesser?? haha laugh i know


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## Goose Guy350 (Nov 29, 2004)

Saw a good push here in MI on Saturday too, its starting everywhere


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## Carbon Express (Sep 17, 2005)

A lesser is a subspecies of the larger (greater) Canadian Goose. Same bird just half the size or even smaller. These birds are higher pitched and tend to group up in large flocks much like snow geese.


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## DJRooster (Nov 4, 2002)

We were hunting at Washburn in November a few years back and one of the kids shot a "lesser", "lesser"! He was really small!


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## ADN (Sep 27, 2005)

There are actually multiple subspecies of the Canada goose of varying size and coloration. Some are darker, some lighter.

It's interesting stuff, check it out when you have time. The American Ornithologists Union recently split the subspecies into two different species, Canada goose and Cackling goose. Between the two, the AOU recognizes 12 different subspecies.

As far as I know, when it comes to hunting regulations they all fall under the Canada Goose classification.

Last year we had a hunt with at least three, if not four, different subspecies in the bag. It is interesting to see the difference in size between the little cacklers and the big locals. Also, the coloration differences.


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## KEN W (Feb 22, 2002)

DJRooster said:


> We were hunting at Washburn in November a few years back and one of the kids shot a "lesser", "lesser"! He was really small!


What you had used to be classified as a Richardson's or Hutchin's.I believe starting last year all those small geese are all called just Lessers.So there are no longer 12 subspecies.


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## ADN (Sep 27, 2005)

Between the two, Cackling and Canada, there are eleven subspecies.

Search "the new goose" and there is an article on the AOU decision to split the two "species".

There are 7 subspecies of the Canada goose and 4 subspecies of the Cackling goose.


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## Maverick (Mar 4, 2002)

> now now, I drank my fill, but gosh darn it, I know I heard snows and blues, I might have been a little intoxicated, but I know what them dirty sky carp sound like. sounds about as good as running your finger nails down the chalk board, haha. Dirty little buggers, haha.


I heard a flock of those buggars last night, and I *wasn't* drinking.


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## SASKATOONGOOSEHUNTER (Aug 25, 2005)

Hey Greatwhitehunter3, as a general rule - the smaller the goose, the farther north it nests. I.E. you won't find any five pound Canadas nesting in Minnesota, the little guys are all from the Arctic. The big jumbos will be local birds.


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## goosebusters (Jan 12, 2006)

Yeah for all you Grand Forks guys in the area, I saw 43 S&B's over town yesterday and earlier in the morning we shot five S&B's but that is a conversation for that other forum. A lot of cacklers have been around especially out west. I heard rumors that the farm fields have been mostly tilled up in Canada so there is little food for the birds. That is why it may seem they are moving early. Just a thought.


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## dosch (May 20, 2003)

Talked to a farmer friend last night and he said their has been a little push the last few days....


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## nemitz (Oct 18, 2005)

There are large amounts of snows , canadas and ducks in our area [about 4 hrs north of Minot ] Lots staying and lots moving through.


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## USAlx50 (Nov 30, 2004)

shot a limit of lessers today in nodak along with some snows... damn it was fun the sum*****es were decoying all morning after we limited and were waiting for mallards


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