Object Type: Folder
In Folder: RG 2019-30 Wildlife Division Reports, 1937-2017
Special "early" and "late" hunting seasons have been used in Michigan to help control populations of resident giant Canada geese (Branta canadensis maxima). The early goose season is 1 - 10 September in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and 1 - 15 September in the Lower Peninsula. The late season has been 30 days long, starting in early January and only in southern Lower Michigan. While an increasing trend in hunter participation and giant Canada goose harvest was observed during special seasons of the 1990s, resident goose populations continued to grow in much of the state. Increases in human-goose conflicts necessitate population control measures, and hunting has been identified as an important population management tool. In 1997, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) received approval from the Mississippi Flyway Council and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to experimentally expand the late Canada goose season hunt-area. The goal of the expanded late hunting season was to increase mortality on giant Canada geese wintering in the experimental area. Harvest composition during the late season must remain at or above 80% giants as required by the USFWS. The time period established for the experiment was 3 years, encompassing January 1998 - 2000 (the 1997-98 to 1999-00 waterfowl seasons). This evaluation estimates hunter participation, goose abundance, and harvest during the experimental season. It also includes leg-band analysis, neck-collar observations, and morphometric analysis to estimate the relative abundance and harvest of giants vs. interior Canada geese.
