State of the goose—2001

The 2001-2002 waterfowl seasons and bag limits selected by the Pennsylvania Game Commission were forwarded to the United States Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) on Monday, August 20. Final approval from the USFWS is expected by late September.

Hunters throughout the Upper Delaware Valley will enjoy a 30-day season and a two-bird limit, up from a 15-day season and a one-bird limit for Atlantic Population Canada geese last year.

This is the result of a large breeding population and excellent production in 2001. The estimated number of breeding pairs of Atlantic population Canada geese increased to a record high 146,000 pairs, 57 percent above the 2000 survey.

Nesting studies by the Canadian Wildlife Service along Hudson and Ungava Bays indicated the number of nests increased by 50 percent over last year and gosling survival appears good.

Biologists say the overall production looks excellent across the Ungava region and a fall flight of 900,000 to one million Atlantic population Canada geese is expected to head south this fall. The recovery of this population of Canada geese is continuing and the future looks bright as birds from the excellent production years in 1997 and 1998 enter the breeding population.

Resident geese

In addition, the waterfowl season package once again includes expanded hunting opportunities for resident Canada geese in early and late seasons.

As we reviewed here in Talking The Wild a few weeks back, the early statewide season for resident Canada geese will open September 1, and continue through September 25. This year, the statewide bag limits have been increased to five daily and 10 in possession. In 2000, only the southeast portion of the state had a daily bag limit of five and a possession limit of 10, while the remainder of the state was restricted to limits of three and six, respectively.

Good news for duck hunters

The 2001-2002 duck seasons include 60 hunting days and a daily limit of six birds, which are the same as the last two years.

Breeding populations of most ducks are above long-term averages, and habitat conditions in eastern North America were good for duck nesting and production.

Although mallard and wood duck breeding pairs decreased from 1999, they still are near long-term averages and can support a 60-day duck season.

Remember, however, predictions of record fall flights of ducks does not necessarily translate into improved hunting success. Weather patterns and food availability on migration and wintering areas can have a tremendous impact upon where the birds are at any given time in the flyway. And then there’s your shooting to contend with.

Upper Delaware field notes

• The Southern James Bay population of Canada geese, which are the predominant migratory goose population in northwest Pennsylvania, nests on Akimiski Island, Northwest Territories and in the James Bay lowlands of Ontario. There were 102,700 Canada geese counted on aerial surveys this spring, which was 15 percent higher than in 2000, and a fall flight larger than last year is expected.
• The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has rescinded its conditional approval of tin shot as a non-toxic shot for waterfowl hunting. Tin shot will not be legal for the 2001-2002 waterfowl hunting seasons.
• Non-toxic shot no larger than “T” size is legal for waterfowl hunters. Legal shot includes: steel shot, steel shot with coating (one percent of either copper, nickel, zinc chromat or zinc chloride), bismuth-tin, tungsten-iron, tungsten-polymer and tungsten-matrix.
• Waterfowl hunters are encouraged to use a toll-free number, 800/327-BAND, to report banded ducks and geese they harvest. Callers will be requested to provide information on where, when and what species of waterfowl were killed in addition to the band number.

Until next time, be safe and good luck!