Report Nr. 3477 2006 Waterfowl Harvest Survey

A sample of waterfowl hunters was contacted after the 2006 hunting seasons to estimate hunting activity and determine opinions and satisfaction with hunting regulations. In 2006, about 50,200 people hunted waterfowl. The number of people hunting ducks and geese was unchanged between 2005 and 2006, although license sales increased by 1%. Compared to 2005, an increased proportion of duck and goose hunters in 2006 were satisfied with their overall hunting experience (57 versus 50% satisfaction among duck hunters and 55 versus 49% satisfaction among goose hunters). Goose hunters were asked their opinion on the use of various methods to control goose numbers in areas where human-goose conflict was a problem and hunting was not possible. The method receiving the highest level of support was relocating geese from problem areas to areas where hunting is more likely (67% approval). The next most popular methods were killing the geese and processing them for human consumption (50% approval) and flushing geese from problem areas to eliminate reproduction (46% approval). The least preferred methods were feeding geese a dietary supplement to reduce reproduction (3% approval) or killing problem geese and burying their carcasses (2% approval). Duck and goose hunters spent an average of $421 for waterfowl hunting trips in Michigan during 2006. Collectively, waterfowl hunters spent $21.7 million on waterfowl hunting trips in Michigan.