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Canada Goose Hunting Time

Posted by on August 20, 2013

Maryland Resident Canada Goose Hunting Season is Almost Here

 

September 2, 2013 marks the beginning of another early resident Canada Goose hunting season. Maryland is split into two zones. In the Western zone September Canada Goose season continues until September 25, 2013, while the fun ends on September 14, 2013 in the eastern zone. Hunters in either zone may take 8 birds a day. Complete details for Canada Goose season and the rest of Maryland Hunting season can be found on this cool calendar.

 

Canada Goose Hunting

During the September Resident Canada Goose Season, hunters are permitted to have more than three shells loaded in their shotgun and may hunt 1/2 hour before sunrise through 1/2 hour after sunset.  This only applies to the early season.

Because of the size of the flocks during this time of year, goose hunters will find smaller sets of decoys often work better than several dozens of decoys. I have been known to use as little as 6 decoys in September. As a general rule the size of the local flocks should dictate the size of decoy spread used.

Ask any waterfowl hunting guide and he will tell you the top three important factors leading to a successful hunt is location, location and location. This is even more true in September. It is very difficult during this time of year to pull birds into a field and decoy set where they have not been feeding regularly. These birds grew up in the area and know where they want to go.

Canada Goose Hunting

Being on the “X” has it’s rewards

As an example, one September, I followed two family groups of geese leave their pond roost, fly a mile and drop into a freshly cut corn field every morning for over a week. After asking and getting permission to hunt the field, including a promise to give a few of the geese to the farmer, I set up for a quick Wednesday morning hunt. Just like clock work, I watched from my hide in the last few rows of corn, as they left their nightly roost, fly low across the Carroll County valley and pitched into my six decoys. They did not bother with circling the field; they just turned slightly with the light breeze and dropped in. At 7:30, I was picking up my decoys and heading off to work, just a little late.

Canada Goose Hunting

Doesn’t seem that long ago, but this was opening week of 2006. I still love chasing geese as much today as back then.

That leads to another aspect of September Canada goose hunting. It happens at daylight and shortly after. Rarely do I stay in a field past 8:30 am. There are exceptions, but as a general rule it either happens right off in the morning, or the birds have found somewhere else to be for the day. I have seen days were they do not leave the roost until almost noon, but not with enough regularity to warrant my hanging around in a layout blind in the increasing heat, waiting.

Shooting a roost – not a good idea in my opinion. I have witnessed it first hand and have learned that geese will only take a few times getting shot at while trying to land at their resting water before finding elsewhere for some rest and relaxation. On the last day of the season or the last day you plan to hunt a pond would be about the only time I would suggest shooting geese over the pond. Even then, and with the new regulations allowing hunters to hunt right up to sunset, it seems that the geese arrive after legal shooting time.

One exception if you are so inclined to hunt geese over water is to set up on one of the public hunting accessible waterways. With the low summer flows on the local rivers and creeks the resident geese can often be found lounging daily on these waters. While they definitely have preference on certain spots along the rivers and creeks, they seem more open to investigate a decoy set in an unfamiliar locale.
A note on camouflage. While we like to look at September as the beginning of fall, September is summer here in Maryland and the vegetation is green. The dark colors of many of the camouflage patterns are way too dark to use in freshly cut corn or hay fields. A hunter wearing light natural greens and browns is often better hidden than the hunter in full camo. Faded Carhartt duck cloth blends invisibly in a cut corn field.

Canada Goose Hunting

Pick your lead and follow through. Its’ Goose Season.

To break it down, early season resident Canada goose season tactics are slightly different from the traditional means used later in the season. Large decoy spreads, pitched around a pit blind on a traditional migratory flyway with hunters hanging out for the day drinking gallons of coffee to stay warm while waiting for the next wave of moving geese is not the September goose game. The September goose game starts with scouting and learning what field the 25 or so birds are using, gaining permission to hunt the field (hopefully), setting up 6 to 24 decoys early in the predawn, arranging a quick hide of either standing corn, or layout blinds, and in light colored camouflage sit motionless until the 7:15 AM flight of geese drop in for a meal.

Then it’s off for a quick breakfast before heading to work for the day.

For the Augie’s Adventures team September means goose hunting.  This weekend I’m loading the canoe and decoys on the truck, buying a case of shells and oh yea, I need to get my hunting license.

Canada Goose Hunting

It’s almost time. Are you ready?

This year the plans are to spend more time on the water Goose hunting and less time in the fields, partly driven by the lack of scouting time but also because I like to combine some fishing with my September goose hunting.