July 2008
DNR News
Experimental goose season was successful

An experimental late Canada goose hunting season in 30 Indiana counties got off to a flying start with hunters bagging almost 4,800 birds during the 15-day season that began Feb. 1.

“I’m really happy with how the first year went,” said Adam Phelps, waterfowl research biologist for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. “I don’t think it could have been better.”

Phelps said 81.7 percent of the geese that hunters submitted to check stations were giant Canada geese, the primary target of the three-year experimental season aimed at reducing their populations in and around urban areas.

“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service mandates 80 percent, so we’re good,” Phelps said.

If Indiana stays above 80 percent for the three-year period, it can petition the USFWS to allow a permanent late season.

“We’d be able to do those 30 counties every year, there’d be no special permits required, no mandatory check stations,” Phelps said. “All that stuff would go away.”

The DNR issued free special permits to 4,231 hunters, who were required to also have a valid Indiana hunting license, Indiana and federal waterfowl stamps, and a Harvest Information Program (HIP) number to participate in the late season.

Hunters had a daily bag limit of five Canada geese and a possession limit of 10, and they were required to report every goose killed. At designated check stations, DNR staff determined the age and sex of each bird, removed the heads and submitted them to the Bloomington office for additional data collection. Skull measurements were used to determine the proportion of giant Canada geese in the overall harvest.

The 3,705 Canada geese checked in included 2,048 adults, 1,278 juveniles and 379 of unknown age. An estimated 1,122 additional geese not taken to check stations were reported in follow-up hunter surveys.