5 day early goose in August?

[JPowell]

I heard through the grapevine that there might be a early, early goose hunt in august. I know there in one in Sept. but has anyone else heard anthing about this?

jp

[Rost]

My brother mentioned that he had heard that rumor as well. True or not, he'd rather see them skip the August season in exchange for a 3 bird limit throughout the season.

[gorrilla]

With all the scouting and I've done in August, I've found they don't start flying much earlier than the week or two before Labor Day anyway... I'm all for a land only early season outstate and a more liberal limit during the early and late. We were done taking photos of a 6 man limit by 90 minutes into opener last year. We could have pounded more if we wanted...

[Sartell Angler]

the USFWS has allowed state DNR agencies to have the option to expand the opportunities to cut down on goose numbers...nothing will be changed this year but next year may be a different story.

I'd hope for more opportunities into January and perhaps an increased limit and unplugged shotguns--do not think the season should begin before Sept. 1 and do not think E-callers should be allowed for anything other than snow geese during the spring conservation order.

SA/wdw

[joe_stack20]

just my 2 cents......swattin mosquitos in 90 degree weather while goose hunting isnt my idea of fun! i prefer to extend the tail end of the season! rather be cold....then sweaty itchy and buggy!

[Rost]

I agree... The thought of hunting in August makes me cringe. Even September can be miserably hot.

I don't get it. MN wants to clear some geese out by adding another season, yet they only allow you to shoot 1 during the regular season (atleast in SW MN). They let you hunt for two weeks for early goose, then make you stop for a week, just so they can open it up again. Why not just take the extra season, squeeze it in and let you keep hunting?

Do I have this correct?

[Quackaddict9]

pretty much correct.

except 2 all over the state except for nw and sw zone in regular season.

[LABS4ME]

The problem is that the Interlake goose population has not and is not flourishing like the local Giant Canada flocks. They allow us the early and late seasons to reduce the numbers of the locally reared and more plentiful of the species, while remaining conservative on the Interlake population. If they held it open status quo through the "guts" of the season, the harvest of the non-local, non-giant species would be higher than those populations could sustain. I agree with more late season hunting, we can really reduce the size of the local goose flocks but not add additional pressure to ducks through the early goose hunts... especially over water. I really feel this helps move more locally reared birds out of the state prior to the opener of duck.

Good Luck!

Ken

[tearin' lips]

I have also heard this rumor.

Quote:

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I agree... The thought of hunting in August makes me cringe. Even September can be miserably hot.

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I agree, the thought of an august hunt makes me quiver. Though the second weekend of the 2005 september season was just as hot and just as many bugs. Normally North of Baudette where I hunt the heavy flocks of geese don't come down until labor day or shortly thereafter anyhow.

I know what kind of a problem the geese are becoming, and I like Rost's idea of an extra week between the seasons. Labs also has a good idea, to not pressure the ducks during early goose, rather let them do there thing. Eventually someone will come up with a good way to solve this problem.

[Eric Wettschreck]

As much as I love hunting........Goose hunting in August just sounds hot. Real hot, way hot, oh my god it's hot.

Wonder how long it would take for a dead goose I shot in the morning to get real gamey????

[Quackaddict9]

the ducks dont seem to get alot pressure on them during the early goose season where I hunt. They keep coming in flocks after flocks in the AM and Evening.

[gorrilla]

The ducks get DRIVEN off the majority of wetlands in the southern half of the state where I've hunted since the youth season and early goose water hunts were allowed. I don't see drastically higher goose kills or extreme amounts of kid recruitment either...

I hunted my first duck hunt on opener and it worked for me...

Lets leave the sloughs alone so the ducks can grow up and stay local til opener. The geese will still come out to the small grain, alfalfa, and sweet corn fields during early season...