Goose season gives hunters extended option

By Brian Williams
MUSKOGEE PHOENIX (Muskogee, Okla.)

January 25, 2008 12:21 pm

— With duck season winding down, many waterfowl hunters call it a year.
But for the hard-nose waterfowlers it just means it is time to switch their focus from duck to goose hunting.
In most states, goose hunting extends well into February and even March, if your state has a conservation order light goose season like Oklahoma does, running from Feb. 18 to March 30. Extending your waterfowl season another month is an opportunity you do not want miss out on.
Goose season and regulations are broken into three categories: Canada, white-fronted, and light geese. Bag limits and season dates vary on all three species so it is important to check your local waterfowl regulations before your hunt.
Light geese, consisting of snows, blues, and Ross’ geese, are the most populated of the geese species, but hunting them can be a real challenge. Snows and blues typically do not decoy very well. To overcome this it is important to have a large spread of decoys. Also, the birds tend to be quite vocal, too, so it is important to have several callers in your setup. Of course, finding some friends to accompany you on a good goose hunt is usually not a problem.
Canada geese, which include the greater and the lesser, also known as a cackler, are by far the most popular of the goose species. Hunting them is not always easy, but if you are setup in the right place they normally decoy much easier than light geese. They do not require an enormous spread of decoys and usually access to them is much easier. Light geese spend most of their time on private agriculture fields, but Canada geese can be found on agriculture, pastures and even lakes and rivers. With a little scouting, a good Canada goose hunt can be put together fairly easy.
No matter which species of geese you decide to hunt, one thing they all have in common is they yield the potential for a great time with some of your hunting pals.
Don’t store that hunting gear away just yet. Instead, head to the goose fields.

Brian Williams writes for Muskogee (Okla.) Phoenix. E-mail him at 247brianbowman@sbcglobal. net.

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