is it true!!!!!

[Guest]

has anyone heard about goose season opening up at the begining of August? That be SWEET!!!!! get in the gruve before duck season

[Guest]

i've heard of it but i've also heard that it was only a proposal by the fish and wildlife service.

[goose pit]

I seriously hope that it does not go in effect. I mean what is the DNR's reasoning behind this? I can remember seeing geese that can't even fly in early August. If the DNR wants to controll the population more, than I say let us hunt water! Just my 2 cents

[joneshat11]

to me its makes since but I agree to hunt over water otherwise the geese are limited to small areas. places to hunt these geese are hard to find for your average guy.

[hattrk4me]

You would almost have to hunt over water, unless your hunting state land. Most farmers won't start thier harvest in August. I say Keep it in Sept and allow water hunting.

[Guest]

Amen to the hunting over water proposal, where would we hunt in early August if we couldn't hunt water? Its hard enough to find Feilds for Early Goose in Spet, being that most are not harvested. I saw screw early Aug, just let us hunt water!! They can still find lotsa places to roost like golf course..lol!

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If I'm not in the duck blind or the ice house I'm thinking about it!!......maybe thats why I can't pay attention in class!

[Guest]

I think if we were hunting over water it would educate the ducks of the upcoming season. I'd rather keep to the same regulations. To hot in early August and I too believe that some may be too young. I'd rather have good duck'n

BB

[Guest]

bbsteal,

GOOD POINT

[Sartell Angler]

BBSteel, you took the words right out of my mouth. When I heard about this PROPOSAL a few weeks ago, my initial reaction was "why not just let us hunt over water?". Well, this would be good for the goose hunting, but would wreck the duck hunting. I don't think that there is that big of a goose population problem. We should just stick with what we have for an early Sept. season now, and maybe be more liberal on the bag limits, although I'd never shoot my limit of 5 anyways-- no fields for me to hunt before the end of October anyways.

S.A.

[GullGuide]

I look at this 2 ways....
1) Yes, the goose population should be thinned a bit so hunting over water would make that task much easier. But, as stated before, doing so would educate our ducks. If you rely on local teal, woodies and mallards this would be a huge issue for you.

2) Being that my best hunts are later in the year, and I for one do not really care for teal (although they are tasty little buggers) I would love to be able to hunt geese over water this early in the season...would greatly prolong my waterfowling pleasure since the powers that be are talking of a shortened season for us duck hunters. (really sux when I hear that they want to open the season Sept 28th and close it Nov 6th...just catering to those who have pushed for years for an early teal season...grrrrrr....if the ducks fly anything like the last 5, season will be closed LONG before we get the flight)

The negitives of course would be trying to hunt geese in 90 degree weather, mosquitos galore, VERY immature birds, TONS of pinfeathers and not to mention lack of hunting opertunities since most crops will still be unpicked.

Either way...I'll still be out there!!

[Guest]

I just thought I'd pop in & pass along the info I saw on the news last night.

Problem Geese: Proposals to destroy nests, extenend seasons, & reduce "local" populations.
From watching the articles it looks like the golfers want to rid the courses of the geese. Think back to 10-15 years ago when a flight of geese was a "drop jaw amazement"!
"Now there are just too many" <--- {Their opinion..NOT mine} I hope there is no plan to destroy nesting... It just doesn't make sense to me! Relocation is the answer!

Later..... Dugan!!!

P.S. And we are not talking snow geese here!!

[This message has been edited by Jozie-Dugan (edited 05-04-2002).]

[This message has been edited by Jozie-Dugan (edited 05-04-2002).]

[Guest]

If they move the season close to Nov. 8 I will rage out. I think that the best duck hunting is during deer season, the last couple of years thats when the flight has taken place and nobody is in the marsh. Minnesota has some of the dumbest regs around. Just ask people in neighboring states that hunt here.....

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If I'm not in the duck blind or the ice house I'm thinking about it!!......maybe thats why I can't pay attention in class!

[Sartell Angler]

people in neighboring states that hunt here.............

Isn't that an oxymoron? Who would want to come to MN to hunt ducks?

S.A.

[Guest]

GullGuide,

I believe that all local ducks have a natural starting place. Therefore, the ducks that you shoot later in the season will be moving through sooner and possibly more dispersed. They too were also someones local ducks at once (domino affect). I also feel that this would really increase the amount of slob hunters that would be tempted to take ducks out of season. I know I have nothing to base on facts so if this proposal does go through only time will tell. I just think the cons out weigh the pros in this situation.

[CANOPY SAM]

Is it just the early season that you aren't allowed to hunt geese over water? I know quite a few fellas hunting birds over water on the Minnesota river, but that was probably late in the season. I didn't even hunt down here last year, but I'm tempted to give it try this fall.
It's true. Starting the season earlier isn't the answer to managing the metro goose pop.. Neither is allowing only a marginal low end slot limit for walleyes on Mille Lacs the answer to managing the fishery.
Either these birds are getting smarter, or we're witnessing a global climactic change. I mean you guys must have noticed how late the flights have been for the last four years. They sit in Canada until freeze up, then everything moves to Arkansas in about three days, then it's winter! Even the Dakotas have gotten tougher to hunt - and I hunted there a lot over the last 15 years.
The wildlife managers have got to allow later season hunting for ducks and geese, more liberal bag limits on Giant Canadas throughout the whole state, and evening hunting throughout the whole season.
I'm surprised by the statement earlier about "remember when seeing geese was remarkable." I come from northern Minnesota - we see geese more often than we see our neighbors, and we always have. Funny thing is, for the last several years we haven't been able to harvest more than one goose per day in the Northwest corner of the state! This is where a really large portion of Giant Canadas spend the summer.
I don't know what the answer is.. Hunting is getting so competitive, expensive, and complex when trying to adhere to the rules. I really have a deep seeded passion for hunting waterfowl, but in the last few seasons in Minnesota I've really questioned whether or not it's worth it!

[Guest]

Yes Sam...you are permitted to hunt Geese over water during the regular waterfowl season. I agree with your comment about making the bag limits of Giant Canadas a little bigger. On the other hand later in the season we would be shooting more migrant birds. So I say, if they were to anything to the bag limits for geese then up them for early season and around half of regular season. Although being as many rules and regulations as there already are for migratory waterfowl, this would just make more rules for people to break.
Jus' my two cents!

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Get wet, get muddy, get birds!