Got your goose?

Still itching to get up before the crack of dawn, wade through the mud in the cold or rain and take a few shots at high flying birds? Well, it’s time to get your goose. The extended goose season is upon us and there are plenty of geese. The only question is what to do with them after you take them. You can only eat so many geese before you realize that vienna sausages really do taste better!

Take a gander at this late season opportunities for geese in Louisiana (Remember, most of northeast Louisiana is in the EAST zone:

GOOSE SEASON – Conservation Order season: For blue, snow and Ross’ geese only Coastal Zone,  Feb. 3-March 2;  East Zone,  Jan. 27-March 2; West Zone:  Feb. 3-March 2. **  No daily nor possession limits. Hunters allowed to use electronic calls and unplugged shotguns, and hunting hours extended to one-half hour after sunset.

What is the purpose of the Conservation Order season? To keep from writing a four-page discourse, it is simply that the federal government allows hunters to take as many geese as possible because there are more geese than there are places for them to live. They were over-conserved for years and now they have taken over. They ruin many of the prime nesting areas for ducks and with dwindling habitat, that becomes crucial. As they migrate south for the winter, they also gobble up food supplies that could be used by other birds. They work their way through a field of rice stuble faster than a horde of locusts going through a cornfield.

Realistically, hunters don’t have a chance to stop the problem. But they can put a dent in it. Here’s the latest on conservation order results from Larry Reynolds, state waterfowl leader for Louisiana:

“From our state harvest survey results, LDWF estimates that 1,850 people spent 23,720 days afield during the Conservation Order; the index to their harvest was 43,637 light geese in 2012/13 season.  Our survey is conducted only on those hunters who reported hunting geese during the regular season and killing at least 1 snow goose, and we know the results are biased toward more dedicated hunters, but it shows there is interest and participation in the Conservation Order.  However, both participation and harvest is lower than in the past. Recent summaries of mid-winter data show fewer snow geese are wintering in Louisiana (see the attached power-point slide) and thus opportunity is more limited for late-winter hunting during the Conservation Order.”

There is nothing extra needed for a hunter to participate in the Conservation Order, but remember despite extended hours and no limits,  all wanton-waste, non-toxic shot, and all other laws not specifically addressed in the Conservation Order regulations are the same as during the regular season.

One more thing. If you have a great hunting dog, or need to train your retriever some more, this extended season offers you an excellent opportunity for some time afield with your four-legged hunting buddy. If you want to find out more, check out

  http://www.ducks.org/hunting/goose-hunting/light-goose-conservation-order

Now, if we could just get a conservation order for CORMORANTS!!!!! 

Or to keep Al Gore from predicting the weather.