Snow Goose

[N Hardy]

Me and my buddy shot a snow goose in the Ely area this morning and was wondering if anybody else has shot a snow up in this area. It is very unusual for them to be here.

[Dr. Bob]

I live between Gilbert and Biwabik. A few years back there was a flock of snows that hung out in my neighborhood for about a week.

I also saw a flock last year flying over Virginia.

[N Hardy]

I also saw a flock of six yesterday and another loner besides the one we shot today.

[Dr. Bob]

Cool. That's nice to hear.

Hopefully with the dryer conditions in the Dakotas maybe we will actually have a few birds swing over here this season.

[Finlander]

There are reports of snows being spotted here in Minnesota! I think due to the dry conditions in the Dakota's they are shifting there flight pattern or due to the fact that there are a "Bajillion" of them snows now that they are spilling over into the Mississippi Flyway. Also many reports of Pintail ducks are showing up in numbers not normally seen here. Yup, going to put out some snows decoys out with my Canada goose decoys, you never know!!
Ya Baby!

[Guest]

Wow, Ely huh? Over the water? I lived in Ely in '93-'95 and I never saw any back then.

I shot some last fall near Fergus Falls and near Moorhead. Last fall they were thick near Fergus!

[huntnfish]

Last Sunday when I was out I saw a flock of 80-100 snows and lesser canada's. Sure does seem awful early for them to be in these parts. They were very high and appeared to be migrating. There were also some flocks of Canada's that were very high and migrating also.

[jlm]

There are lots of snows in MN. Many are in the Thief Lake area. I saw thousands migrating westward on the second day of the season. Wish I would have put out the deeks. Four landed but were out of range. More and more common every year!

[N Hardy]

Deadeye, It's been pretty slow. Just a few here and there. I haven't been seeing to many. I have also gotten more jump shooting than setting out decoys. Oh well though, I'm going to North Dakota for seven days next monday so that will make up for it.Get ahold of me if you want to go grind em.

[Guest]

On Saturday night I saw 2 flocks of 150 or so snows (with blues and specks mixed in) flying very low near the Garden Lake Bridge. Looked like they were fixing to set down for the night on Garden. Stopped and watched them for a bit.
Usually they fly over pretty high - practically need a telescope to see them, but many, many snows and blues pass over each fall and spring. Sometimes they will spend the night on larger bodies of water like Basswood, but not very often.

[Mr. Nailz]

I had about 150 sitting in a field near my house by Thief River Falls. There has been a few flocks in the area the last few years. Still can't get them to come in though.

[fishface5]

Many years we've seen snows the first week or so of the season around the Mille Lacs area. Pretty high and just passing through, but more years than just a fluke. I Did Hear a flock Wed. AM before the sun was up in Wright Co., never saw them though, but they do have a sound all their own.

[g'eye pilot]

We occasionally see a snow or two in the Rochester area, hanging out with their Candian friends. Obviously it's not a common scenario. I doubt it has much to do with the fly way shift, more so with the shear #'s of the criters. Also, biologists will tell you that waterfowl can and do spend as much time going east & west during migration, as they do going south.

[deadeye]

Nick, I saw a bunch out on big rice this past weekend when I went hunting there. They were flying pretty low, so I think that they were hanging around here. How are you guys doing? We got quite a few jump shootin but they just wouldn't decoy for some reason.

[Mark Christianson]

I think it was last October on the Rainy, we saw several flocks of Snows moving through the area while we were fishing near Baudette. Large flocks!

[Guest]

I saw a flock of snows fly over Fergus Falls yesterday late afternoon on my way home! This is crazy they are hear this early! Those birds just glow in the sunlight!

[This message has been edited by CD (edited 10-03-2003).]

[full force five]

In the western 1/3 of Minnesota it's common to see snow/blues. Ely, that might be the edge of their range.

[fishface5]

Saw quite a few groups over the N. end of Leech, Fed. Dam. area, most high and migrating, but one group of 8-10 looking hard for a spot to land.