# Spring season for Honkers



## fieldgeneral (Feb 12, 2013)

Anyone else hear anything about this one? Brother read something about a possible spring honker season in SD. I'll fill ya in when i get more details.


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## Flightstopper44 (Feb 9, 2013)

A big mistake my the Game Fish & parks. You can't use any decoys, calls, layout blinds etc. Was told you could draw to sit at a slough. But it mainly for pass shooting. Huge joke already have enough of them around. All I got to say is have fun trying to hunt any geese in the early seasons


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## dakotashooter2 (Oct 31, 2003)

I wonder if the feds would allow it. They allow the early seasons because it targets local birds/species that are causing problems. The reason limits are dropped after the early season is to protect some of the subspecies which don't have as large populations and don't cause such problems. Opening a spring season would mean ALL the subspecies migrating through get targeted again.... Not what they want.........


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## KurtR (May 3, 2008)

you can sign up on the sd gfp website and it will be pass shooting. I will go whack a couple if they really wanted the locals thinned out a surpressed 22 would be the cats ***


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## the professor (Oct 13, 2006)

dakotashooter2 said:


> I wonder if the feds would allow it. They allow the early seasons because it targets local birds/species that are causing problems. The reason limits are dropped after the early season is to protect some of the subspecies which don't have as large populations and don't cause such problems. Opening a spring season would mean ALL the subspecies migrating through get targeted again.... Not what they want.........


The SD GFP already has their ducks in a row with the USFWS. Hence the "no decoys, calls, blinds" provision, along with shooting birds in flight only. All birds must be donated to sportsmen against hunger. I don't get why the GFP feels the need to use hunters to do this. Give the land owners the kill permits and have them take care of their own lands.


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

We can get permits but you can only use shotguns, and after the first time you shoot, the birds get wise. They get wise to boomers, scarecrows, bascially anything we try doesn't work.


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## fieldgeneral (Feb 12, 2013)

The season opens March 23 thru April 23 and your allowed 50 geese per group. If a hunter gets drawn he can include 3 other hunters by the sounds of it to help reach the quota. Open only in 6 counties: Day, Kingsbury, Lake, Brookings, McCkook, and Minnehaha. No calls, decoys, or callers. Geese with visible young may not be taken. I personally love the current Honker population and hopes no one participates in this hunt. SD wants to have a goal population of 80,000 resident geese well if you ask me that isn't very many geese for the whole state. When are they gonna quit tinkering with things! There is a food shelf for the homeless where geese must be brought after the hunt apparently. Like bl said, they will get wise to it in a hurry. Let the dark geese be and go after the snows.


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## the professor (Oct 13, 2006)

fieldgeneral said:


> I personally love the current Honker population and hopes no one participates in this hunt.


I take it you're not a producer with depredation issues in one of the affected counties then...

Right, wrong, good, or bad, GFP will attempt to reduce the numbers of geese in SD. Egg drilling, trapping/relocation, shooting, kill permits for land owners, fences, spraying crops, 15 bird daily limit august seasons, the goose is officially a varmint.


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

When its dry you can use the roller effectively.


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## Wulffhunter (Dec 12, 2011)

Blhunter3 if you use a roller to kill geese you are a [email protected] That'd be like me running a pickup over a raccoon to kill it. And most farmers have rows they can't drive over so that would defeat the purpose of rolling.


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## BirdJ (Aug 24, 2011)

fieldgeneral said:


> The season opens March 23 thru April 23 and your allowed 50 geese per group. If a hunter gets drawn he can include 3 other hunters by the sounds of it to help reach the quota. Open only in 6 counties: Day, Kingsbury, Lake, Brookings, McCkook, and Minnehaha. No calls, decoys, or callers. Geese with visible young may not be taken. I personally love the current Honker population and hopes no one participates in this hunt. SD wants to have a goal population of 80,000 resident geese well if you ask me that isn't very many geese for the whole state. When are they gonna quit tinkering with things! There is a food shelf for the homeless where geese must be brought after the hunt apparently. Like bl said, they will get wise to it in a hurry. Let the dark geese be and go after the snows.


You are correct on the counties. But the season will run from April 1-30th. Almost 1,000 hunters have applied so far. 140 hunters will take part in the spring season hunt and they will be contacted at the end of next week and that's the way it stands of today.


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## BirdJ (Aug 24, 2011)

blhunter3 said:


> We can get permits but you can only use shotguns, and after the first time you shoot, the birds get wise. They get wise to boomers, scarecrows, bascially anything we try doesn't work.


Doesn't matter if it was a shotgun or a rifle! I think if they just wanted you to use just shootguns, I think it's a safety issue. oke:


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

Wulffhunter said:


> Blhunter3 if you use a roller to kill geese you are a [email protected] That'd be like me running a pickup over a raccoon to kill it. And most farmers have rows they can't drive over so that would defeat the purpose of rolling.


A roller is used to push rocks down and create a smooth surface AFTER planting anytime before emergence and after V2 and up to V5 stage on the beans.

So there for the rows don't matter and you would the nests. :sniper: :roll:


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## fieldgeneral (Feb 12, 2013)

As long as the farmers keep complaining about the geese things will change, and probably for the worse for the geese. Money talks and we all know farmers have made plenty of that over the last few years. When you sign up to farm your turning yourself in as a steward of the land and should accept you and your land will feed whatever passes thru you property. These tactics they are trying to deploy in SD will not work. They are just trying to satisfy the farmer and there complaints. Geese get smart to people trying to creep around and take pot shots at them so have fun whoever is going to crawl around in the sloughs and try to pop a few off. It will not change the population, mark my word.


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## clint_hay (Aug 25, 2010)

The thing they need to look at is how many of the geese in that come thru SD in the spring actually stay? What they need to do is open up the Sioux Falls area until February like they do in Pierre, and make the limit 5+. Pass shooting won't help decrease the population. It won't take them long to wise up. As for the fall, you have all these farmers complain about crop depredation. But they won't allow hunters on their land. Also, in the last 2 years the amount of wheat fields have decreased big time.

I'm not a biologist by no means...but this is how I feel.

There was a SD waterfowlers association meeting in Brookings a week ago. We as hunters need to come together and tell the GFP how we feel. Here's the guy to talk to. Please give him a call!!

His name is Tony Lief. Head guy on the spring season. His number is 605 773-3387


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## 6162rk (Dec 5, 2004)

your just screwing yourself and other hunters by buying into this b.s. how much money do the supposed land stewards need? it all boils down to greed!


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## Whackin-N-Stackin (Jul 16, 2010)

clint_hay said:


> The thing they need to look at is how many of the geese in that come thru SD in the spring actually stay? What they need to do is open up the Sioux Falls area until February like they do in Pierre, and make the limit 5+. Pass shooting won't help decrease the population. It won't take them long to wise up. As for the fall, you have all these farmers complain about crop depredation. But they won't allow hunters on their land. Also, in the last 2 years the amount of wheat fields have decreased big time.
> 
> I'm not a biologist by no means...but this is how I feel.
> 
> ...


X2!!
especially about the farmers not allowing hunters on there land. this fall was probably the worst out of all the years ive hunted for getting denied by farmers and many of my other hunting buddys also. they all complain when spring comes but dont do anything about it during the fall and another thing is all this land being tiled and sloughs torn out of fields and crop buffers being torn out becuase everyone has to farm from fence to fence and nothing inbetween. they are cutting off resources that the geese use to survive so in turn they are finding new resources to fill those voids not saying if they left the buffers and sloughs in the field that the geese wouldnt destroy there crops but it would be alot less in the long run.


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## dakotashooter2 (Oct 31, 2003)

Here in ND I have yet to be turned down for hunting the early (fall) season. I've even hooked up with a couple farmers through the G&F....... It's not just the wheat they are hard on.... Emerging corn and beans are also a favorite and they can whipe out 20 acres in a hurry...............

In ND we had very few nesting Canadas until maybe 15-18 years ago when the wet cycle started and the combo of water and and ample food source, via farming, began providing them excellent habitat. It will stay that way until the food or water is gone. Unfortunately it is likely the water will be gone long before the food source dries up................


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## clint_hay (Aug 25, 2010)

dakotashooter2 said:


> Here in ND I have yet to be turned down for hunting the early (fall) season. I've even hooked up with a couple farmers through the G&F....... It's not just the wheat they are hard on.... Emerging corn and beans are also a favorite and they can whipe out 20 acres in a hurry...............
> 
> In ND we had very few nesting Canadas until maybe 15-18 years ago when the wet cycle started and the combo of water and and ample food source, via farming, began providing them excellent habitat. It will stay that way until the food or water is gone. Unfortunately it is likely the water will be gone long before the food source dries up................


no kidding they like beans and corn better. a buddy of mine did his internship withe GFP last summer and he did a time lapse video of geese destroying beans. they were all the way to the ground....those are the crops the farmers are compalining about on the depredation side of things. Most farmers arent ot keen about hunters drivng a truck and trailer into a bean/corn field....


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## EllendaleND (Dec 25, 2011)

Buddy of mine lost over 40 acres just to nesting geese. 40 acres times 60 bushels per acre equals $38000 bucks! thats just for soybeans. Corn $47000 Would you be happy?? Diddnt think so!!


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## Myles J Flaten (Jan 31, 2008)

60 bushel/acre soybeans  your math is a little off but I agree losing acres to geese is bad any way you look at it.


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## Gunny (Aug 18, 2005)

EllendaleND said:


> Buddy of mine lost over 40 acres just to nesting geese. 40 acres times 60 bushels per acre equals $38000 bucks! thats just for soybeans. Corn $47000 Would you be happy?? Diddnt think so!!


Does your buddy allow hunters to help him, or is he a one man show? If he's the former... good for him. If he's the latter... oh well, he may be able to apply for some help from the government...


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## drakespanker12 (Aug 28, 2006)

I know this thread is a little old, but I agree over the last 3 years gaining permission for early season honkers in one of the most populated areas of SD is getting harder and harder, some farmers have even told us no because the birds have done the damage already you won't fix anything by shooting them now so let em be.....I wonder how thats gonna work out for them this coming fall when the birds return?


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## EllendaleND (Dec 25, 2011)

drakespanker12 said:


> I know this thread is a little old, but I agree over the last 3 years gaining permission for early season honkers in one of the most populated areas of SD is getting harder and harder, some farmers have even told us no because the birds have done the damage already you won't fix anything by shooting them now so let em be.....I wonder how thats gonna work out for them this coming fall when the birds return?


Well every farmer that ive ever talked to. Knows me and lets me hunt. Ive been hunting early season for 4 years now and have never been turned down!!


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## Flightstopper44 (Feb 9, 2013)

Well every farmer that ive ever talked to. Knows me and lets me hunt. Ive been hunting early season for 4 years now and have never been turned down!![/quote]
How does every local farmer know you if you breathe and die for Ellendale Nd wasn't it earlier you had your panties in a bunch bc people were hunting in your so called area of nodak. Kinda sounds like it fine for you to come down here to shoot honks but you condone the guys that come up there to shoot snows.

But I have noticed in the early season it's tough for permission since most of the crops in my area aren't out yet. Or they just don't like people hunting on there land bc of bad parties in the past. Or it s in a trust or some Big Business Farmer from Iowa or local guy just doesn't want anyone out there. Would rather claim it as a lost from crop insurance


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

You would still claim a loss reguardless if you allow people to hunt your land or not.


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## EllendaleND (Dec 25, 2011)

Flightstopper44 said:


> Well every farmer that ive ever talked to. Knows me and lets me hunt. Ive been hunting early season for 4 years now and have never been turned down!!


 How does every local farmer know you if you breathe and die for Ellendale Nd wasn't it earlier you had your panties in a bunch bc people were hunting in your so called area of nodak. Kinda sounds like it fine for you to come down here to shoot honks but you condone the guys that come up there to shoot snows.

But I have noticed in the early season it's tough for permission since most of the crops in my area aren't out yet. Or they just don't like people hunting on there land bc of bad parties in the past. Or it s in a trust or some Big Business Farmer from Iowa or local guy just doesn't want anyone out there. Would rather claim it as a lost from crop insurance[/quote]
OK, first off, I only hunt in Edale and have never hunted out of the state. I hate out of staters so shut up!


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## Flightstopper44 (Feb 9, 2013)

But isn't this a thread for SD spring honker season? Then y comment on your early season success from nodak when it doesn't apply to you since your a guy that owns your birds in your state type. When more then likely with out staters bringing in a lot of money for your state with hunting and fishing. Just to think if nodak didn't have oil fields probably wouldn't have to much of money coming to support your game and fish projects and other things for the state


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

Mi67ke said:


> how much money do the supposed land stewards need? i


Farming is a for profit business, so enough to make a profit.


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## Gunny (Aug 18, 2005)

EllendaleND said:


> Flightstopper44 said:
> 
> 
> > Well every farmer that ive ever talked to. Knows me and lets me hunt. Ive been hunting early season for 4 years now and have never been turned down!!
> ...


OK, first off, I only hunt in Edale and have never hunted out of the state. I hate out of staters so shut up![/quote]

:crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby:

Who cares about the money. It's statements like this that sent me to Ellendale last year... meh...
and I will continue to drive through on my way to my final destination. There are birds there, so since I'm on my way through, and I have my gear, I might as well do some scouting. The land owners were very polite and were more than happy to let us on. I highly recommend checking it out if you are passing through.

Thanks EllendaleND for the tip.


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## themaskedmallard (Mar 19, 2013)

blhunter3 said:


> Mi67ke said:
> 
> 
> > how much money do the supposed land stewards need? i
> ...


Well we all know your the best farmer in North Dakota, possibly North America. Does farming's "job description" also include tilling up vital prairie habitat, putting in drain tile, and draining vital wetlands? Or does it just include driving around in the Spring being a steward of the county/section roads vs the actual land.


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## fieldgeneral (Feb 12, 2013)

Has anyone heard how the spring honker hunting went in the state of SD? Anybody know of anyone who participated in it?


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## fieldgeneral (Feb 12, 2013)

EllendaleND said:


> Flightstopper44 said:
> 
> 
> > Well every farmer that ive ever talked to. Knows me and lets me hunt. Ive been hunting early season for 4 years now and have never been turned down!!
> ...


OK, first off, I only hunt in Edale and have never hunted out of the state.


> I hate out of staters so shut up!


[/quote]

Damn kids always say stupid ****.


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## Flightstopper44 (Feb 9, 2013)

Haven't really heard much of the spring season but just heard and seen on the Gfp website unplugged shotguns for the early August season


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