August goose season?

[Finlander]

There might be a August season this year. Hmmmm, get your camo shorts and sleeveless camo shirts ready!

[MikeH55343]

Those yearlings are easier to pluck when they are still fuzzy gray.

Just kidding, an August season would be great. In the last few years, our wheat fields are completely feed out and over grown with weeds by Sept 1.

[surewood]

Pretty sure it's for areas around Alexandria and west. Somewhere around there anyway. Won't work for me, but good luck to who gets the opportunity.

[otterman91105]

This would be great for place's that aren't to far from the metro. Seems to be plenty of them around would hurt to add a few weeks to the early season.

[erikwells]

Hooray for goose jerky!

[bassinboy3]

I have mixed emotions about the August season. Like Mike said all the fields you have scouted turn to junk before the season, however in my area where theres not huge numbers its really gonna hurt hunting pretty much untill we get a big migration push which hasnt happened the last couple years. I think zones in the metro and out west would benefit.

[Eric Wettschreck]

I'm thinking it would be awesome. Yous guys wouldn't believe how stinkin many honkers are around here.

[Finlander]

Every year it happens, there are thousands of geese around just before September 1st, then they disappear!

Anybody know if this August opener will happen?!

[mallardnwalleye]

+87654 for an august season!

[Roosterslayer05]

I don't like it. Its too warm, no fields are cut, and it will just make the resident geese even warier. I see the opposite as Finlander. I start scouting multiple times a week starting 2-3 weeks before early season starts and I barely ever see any geese flying. Usually the hunting doesn't start getting good until that first push of molt migrants show up. The best answer to increase harvest is to keep the season the same but increase the limit during the September season. Think about it...How often do you really get your 5 goose limit, and the few times you do reach that limit you could have shot 10 apiece.

I question the estimate of resident geese the DNR came up with last season. I hunt at least 10 days every early season and I talk to guys that hunt from Warroad all the way down to the cities and everywhere in between. These guys all hunt a minimum of 10 days every September and some are guides. They all said the same thing...where are all these geese?? Nobody I talk to did very well until that first push came down second weekend. All these guys are serious waterfowlers and none of them are in favor of the august season. The comments on this forum are the first I've seen that are actually in favor of this season.

[Eric Wettschreck]

They all said the same thing...where are all these geese??

The western and S. western part of the state.

[Musky Buck]

I'm with roosterslayer on this one 99% anyway. I don't think where I predominately hunt it would matter much, once they get busted at out of the city limits they tend to never leave the city limits again eating in the park and a pasture in the city limits and a few grain fields in the city limits, like said until the molt migrants show up. Mosquito's and Heat I guess no matter when it opens. Have had good August spots at times go dead by opener, I don't know I guess it doesn't make much difference where I'm at for the most part of if that part of the state will open in August is it statewide talk or back to the 100 yards from water ?

[BoxMN]

Waterfowl hunting and mosquitoes don't mix, IMO. But it doesn't matter one bit to me either way, I'll let you guys hunt the heat, I'll be sipping beverages on the pontoon catching fish and dreaming about when the real season starts

Really, I think it is fine, but would like to keep it to fields. Too many things still going on on the water (lakes anyway, not potholes). More of the geese should get shot so I hope they go for it. Just not my thing that early.

[theharvester]

raise the limit in the first 10 days of duck season instead of august hunt. lot more hunters out then

[IceHawk]

I am all for the August season but we will see what happens.

[dan z]

I'm lop sided on the situation, I will hunt when they let me. I think a spring season would be better for taking a bunch of the population issue we are experiencing. Plus hunting out of a camo otter fish house would be bomb!

[Gordie]

Dan you gotta make room for me this year I will help take a dent out of the population when ever they let me.

[Roosterslayer05]

The western and S. western part of the state.

I think your idea of allot of geese and my idea of allot of geese may be different. I hunted early season for 6 years in SW MN very close to your area and stopped 3 years ago because the number of geese wasn't worth the drive.

[Storm]

raise the limit in the first 10 days of duck season instead of august hunt. lot more hunters out then

This wouldn't target the geese the august season is intended for. The entire purpose of the august season is to lower the population of resident geese which are the only ones around during that time. If you increase the limit during the regular duck season most resident geese are going to be either gone or most of the geese harvested during that time are migrators. T

The same problem happens if we open a spring season like someone stated earlier. There are certain species of Canada geese that migrate through minnesota during the spring that the flyway does not want to shoot. The resident geese are the only ones the state wants to lower the population in great amounts.

[carpshooterdeluxe]

the DNR wants to target resident birds before they transmigrate. Wheat is usually combined south of I-94 by the first week of august. I'm not big on the august seasons after hunting them for 4 or 5 years now between ND and SD, but I'll probably give it a go in MN just for the simple fact that we're up at the cabin every weekend in august anyways.

[otterman91105]

I hunt on mainly buffalo pasture for the early season which has been great for quite a few years so bring on the early season as long as the grass in the pastures is green.