THEY'RE HERE-Not the real migration, just birds moving into the area.

[Maxxed Out]

I was taking my springer for a walk and getting the short reed loosened up at the same time when I saw three nice big flocks (25-75) of migrating geese flying over Maple Grove tonight. I LOVE IT! There are definately birds coming down as the ponds around my development have doubled in numbers in the last week.

Now is a great time for all the people learning to call and learning cadence for both geese and ducks to get out and listen to birds. I didn't have a my Straight Meat Mallard with when listening to the ducks, so I turn the call around and just blow air through call to get the rhythm again. Would highly recommend this excercise to anyone because it allows you to practice but still be able to hear the birds.

[Gordie]

funny how they show up on the last day of early goose season but you are correct it is a great time to practice your calling

[kc0myy]

That is the very best way to learn how to call!!! I learned the basic notes from a CD but after that I learned by how the birds talk. the bad news I found out today I have to work duck opener 8-4. but I kinda thought I would have to work because I started 4 weeks ago. but I don't lose out on money that way. and the 1st day we dont get many birds anyways so I am not missing out on much. but my teacher at school (college) is taking monday off so I have no school so I still get my 2 days of hunting in.

[broken_line]

it seems a little early for them to be doing this??? i noticed alot of geese tonight..

[brmuskie]

I was on the water today and saw large flocks of geese all day long today. It was amazing seeing all of the geese that I couldn't find 2 weeks ago.

[BP2]

it seems a little early for them to be doing this??? i noticed alot of geese tonight..

They are actually 2+weeks late. This migration should have happened early this month.

[nate larson]

Yup I heard lots of geese flying in the west metro tonight. It was music to my ears!

[broken_line]

mm i dont rember seeing any high flyers in the #s i have seen tonight..prolly seen 200 to 300 geese tonight.. only time i have seen them in this concentration is mid to late oct..

[icefishing21]

there were tons of geese in lakeville tonight! i was hearinga good amount of high flocks tonight after dark!

[Maxxed Out]

Lac qui parle is where I hunt, and when the birds want to come...they come. I've seen many times where the population will jump 30,000-60,000 over the weekend. Usually it takes a good strong NW wind and you giant flocks of Migrators coming into the lake. It's an awesome sight.

[walleyehunter80]

Ok I can explain this for all of you. After winter is over and the geese start moving North back to their breeding grounds, last years juvies keep going all the way to Canada while the rest stop off at their usual nesting sites. Once the young of the year have fully matured slowly last years brude make their way back to where they were raised the year before (this will explain the early migration each year).

The real migration each year where the geese actualy head south to their wintering areas does not happen untill the weather pushes them away from their summer area.

So what you are seeing right now is an actual migration but not geese heading south for winter just geese heading back HOME

[Maxxed Out]

When I see large groups of geese V'd up and 200-300 yards in the air....you can go captain goose biology all you want. Those birds are migrating down from somewhere. Its a sight I just love to see plain and simple.

[snowgoose]

This migration is called the Molt Migration. It is about 2 weeks behind. It is behind because the lack of North wind. We finally have had some wind from the Norht the last few days. The molt birds ride down on air current. It is 1 1/2 year old birds coming home. Just google Canada Goose Molt Migration if you don't believe Science. This has been happening as long as the Canada goose has been around.

This is not the main migration. Not cold enough for that yet.

[chub]

Hunted yesterday afternoon. Saw around 35 flocks, some large, all about 500 yards up and going south. Still hearing them as I type flying around outside.

Wish it woulda happened a week or two ago.

[ChuckN]

I agree with the molt migration. I saw some large flocks myself last evening buckin' the north wind.

[S 16 Guy]

Walleye Hunter got it fairly close to accurate. The wildlife biologist/manager I used to work with claimed the secondary northern migrations you commonly see around Memorial Weekend and Bass/Musky openers is mainly all the juvie birds and non successfully paired/bred adults that head to places much farther north to get fat/dumb/and happy.

To quote a HSOforum to have all the answers is a little bit of a leap.

And to claim:

- "This has been happening as long as the Canada goose has been around."

is more than a stretch.

I doubt that hunting pressure moved geese in the second/third weeks of season into refuges and metro storm retention ponds since the beginning of time...

Basically in my experience and opinion is that waterfowl have some definate patterns, but none are totally set in stone. Things such as weather, crop production, wetland existance/condition, hunting pressure, etc. all have variable but strong influences on location, migration, production and hunter success. That's why most of us enjoy it so much. You don't just go sit over your food plot and smack your limit of honkers each year out of your Double bull.

Why do you think we are all so intrigued by band information? They don't always do what the book or HSOforum says they are supposed to...

But I will agree that there IS a molt migration, and that there was some kind of influx of new birds the last couple weeks, and tons of them yesterday. I limited out on a field near Fosston yesterday morning and could have loaded up the pickup if my shooting was better, and I didn't follow the rules.

***Plus the bonus of the year so far is my last bird of the limit was banded! I was told by Fish/Wildlife that it was originally banded on June 23, 2005 in Iowa.

[Quackaddict9]

It happens every year during the 2nd or 3rd week of early goose but this year we didn't have much N/NW wind and it was warm too. I wish it did, the #'s of geese would have boosted but the last weekend there seemed to be a little bit Migration going on, cacklers and bigger flocks.

[broken_line]

learn something new from here every day!

[Maxxed Out]

I know it's not THE migration fellas' it's just fun to see birds V'd up coming in from the north. That's all I'm saying. I know what the real thing looks like and I know we're far from it. It's just fun to see

[broken_line]

ahhh lets just call it the migration so it seems we are closer to winter! and northern flight mallards!

[Maxxed Out]

Sounds good, and I'm hopefully everybody knows i'm just being a smart [PoorWordUsage] by changing the title of the thread. I know sarcasm doesn't come across very well on chat boards.

[carpshooterdeluxe]

its the molt migration alright...and its late! oh well...birds are showing up in decent numbers out here too...our "early season" regs actually carry into the first few days of duck season so hopefully i will get to take advantage of the molts and brown ducks out of the same field saturday morning.

[BucksnDucks]

***Plus the bonus of the year so far is my last bird of the limit was banded! I was told by Fish/Wildlife that it was originally banded on June 23, 2005 in Iowa.

Thats a really fast turn around time on band information. I've never gotten any information regarding band info. faster than a few weeks to a month, always a letter of appreciaton including the birds info.

[Quackaddict9]

Originally Posted By: S 16 Guy

***Plus the bonus of the year so far is my last bird of the limit was banded! I was told by Fish/Wildlife that it was originally banded on June 23, 2005 in Iowa.

Thats a really fast turn around time on band information. I've never gotten any information regarding band info. faster than a few weeks to a month, always a letter of appreciaton including the birds info.

If you go to reportband dot gov, you can fill in the information of the band # you shot and location, name and everything then they will ask you if you want a certificate of the band information, they will mail you one. I've reported the bands on the same day it was shot and find out where it was banded, usually the state and day/year but the excat location will be on the certificate.

[jeepguy]

I agree with the fact that the day after the early goose season ends the geese come in droves. My morning run with my chocolate lab was a fricken canada goose show, and the woodies are moving in.