Waterfowl
Goose Hunting - Understanding Geese
By Tom Van Horn
Sep 20, 2005, 11:52

Goose Hunting - Understanding Geese

By T.R. Michels, Trinity Mountain Outdoors

     Shortly after I began guiding goose hunts I met Dr. Jim Cooper, one of the most highly respected waterfowl researchers in the world. When I met him he was an Associate Professor of Wildlife with the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at the University of Minnesota, and he had been studying Canada Geese for over twenty-five years. The first time we met I told him I wanted to pick his brain about the calling, feeding habits, reaction to weather, habitat, family behavior, flock makeup and migration patterns of geese. After talking to Jim, and reading the results of his studies, it became apparent to me how important the family behavior of the flock is in understanding geese. Once I began to understand what the role of the family is in the flock, it changed the way I hunt geese.

Goose Social Structure

     Geese traditionally mate for life. In the winter, geese congregate in large flocks consisting of several groups or subflocks. When the geese migrate north in the spring the subflocks, consisting of several families, stay together and the young return to the same body of water where they learned to fly. If there is available habitat young female geese will nest in the same area where they were raised. The result of this is that the flock in that area is related through the female side of the family. They stay together throughout the year and recognize each other by sight and sound. In the fall groups of families from nearby areas often band together to form the subflocks. If there are several subflocks together at one site, the individual subflocks remain apart from each other. Although subflocks may be made up of hundreds of geese, the families within the subflocks remain together, and the individuals within each family remain in close contact with each other. On the ground each family of from two to twelve or more birds requires its own space, apart from the other families. In the air the geese fly in family groups.

Food Preferences

     Geese are primarily grazers. They eat succulent greens likes sedges, grasses and forbes (wild flowers) when they are available. Even when there is abundant corn I have seen geese eating grass on city parks and golf courses while most of the ground was covered with snow. If you can find a green field of grass, alfalfa or clover it is one of the best places to decoy geese. Geese also eat the leaves and seeds of small grains like oats, barley and wheat. They will also eat the new green sprouts of sugar beets, and leftover sugar beets. In the fall Canada geese seem to prefer oat and barley fields over wheat fields. After forbes, sedges, grasses and small grains have lost their chlorophyll in the fall geese will also eat larger grains like corn and soybeans.

Feeding Habits and Resting Periods

     Geese generally fly out to feed twice a day, once within an hour of daylight, and again within an hour of sunset. When they are don feeding geese may fly back to their nighttime roost to rest during they day, or they may rest on other lakes, ponds and sloughs. During the day geese often loaf or sleep on the water or nearby land. In urban areas geese will often spend the midday hours at city parks, golf courses, and lakes and ponds with homes around them.

Reaction to Weather; Barometer, Wind Speed, Precipitation, Temperature

     Weather affects geese in a number of different ways. Noted waterfowl biologist Dr. Jim Cooper says that because geese have numerous air sacks in their body they have the ability to detect subtle barometric pressure changes. Because of their ability to feel barometric pressure changes geese often feed heavily before or during the first few hours of a storm, and again after a storm lets up. When severe fall storms approach late in the fall geese often stop feeding and begin to flock-up as much as two days before the storm, and if the storm is severe enough, and the food sources are depleted, they may migrate. Heavy precipitation and strong winds make it difficult for geese to fly, therefore, unless they are migrating, they may not fly as much or as far as they normally would. When there is precipitation with high winds geese often fly lower than normal. In heavy rain or snow geese may fly out only once late in the morning, or they may not fly at all.

     When temperature or wind-chill is above 20 to 25 degrees geese normally fly out to feed within a half-hour of sunrise, and again within an hour of sunset. When the temperature or wind-chill is below 20 degrees Canada geese often fly out later in the morning than normal; or they may not fly out to feed in the morning, but wait until late afternoon to feed. When the temperature or wind-chill is below 20 degrees geese often spend a lot of time resting or sleeping to preserve their energy. When the temperature or wind-chill is below 10 to 15 degrees giant Canada geese often remain on the roost all day, or they may take short flights before returning to the roost. According to Dr. Jim Cooper, if geese fly in extremely cold weather they may actually lose more calories than they gain in feeding. His studies show that giant Canadas can go 30 days without feeding or leaving the roost.

Reaction to Visibility; Light, Fog, Rain, Snow

     Because geese rely on their sight to detect danger they don’t like to feed or rest on land in low light conditions. They usually wait to feed until there is sufficient light for them to feel secure. However, geese will often feed long into the night when there is a full moon and no clouds. As a result of this they may not fly out to feed in the morning during the full moon. Clouds, rain, snow or fog generally cause geese to fly out later in the morning than normal because of reduced visibility.  New snow or fog disorients geese and they may fail to recognize refuge lines and feeding fields, which makes them wary of anything that doesn’t look right. When they are going out to feed they often follow other flying flocks, and look for fields that have flocks already feeding in them before they land.

Migration

     The larger subspecies of Canada geese nest primarily below the 60^th parallel, with western subspecies nesting as far south as northern California and Utah. The smaller subspecies nest above the 60^th parallel; these geese begin to migrate toward their wintering areas in the fall when cold weather, strong winds and snow signal the onset of winter. They may migrate only as far as they have to in order to find open water, available food, and temperature suitable to their body size. Because of their large body size giant Canadas can withstand colder temperatures than their smaller relatives; they may not migrate any farther south than the northern tier of the United States.

If you are interested in more goose hunting tips, or more goose biology and behavior, click on Trinity Mountain Outdoor News and T.R.'s Hunting Tips at www.TRMichels.com. If you have questions about geese log on to the T.R.'s Tips message board.

This article is an excerpt from the Dusk & Goose Addict's Manual ($14.95 + $5.00 S&H), by T.R. Michels, available in the Trinity Mountain Outdoor Products catalog. 

T.R. Michels is a nationally recognized game researcher/wildlife behaviorist, outdoor writer and speaker. He is the author of the Whitetail, Elk, Duck & Goose, and Turkey Addict's Manuals. His latest products are the 2003 Revised Edition of the Whitetail Addict's Manual, the 2003 Revised Edition of the Elk Addict's Manual; and the 2003 Revised Edition of the Duck & Goose Addict's Manual. For a catalog of books and other hunting products contact: T.R. Michels, Trinity Mountain Outdoors, PO Box 284, Wanamingo, MN 55983, USA. Phone: 507-824-3296, E-mail: TRMichels@yahoo.com

Web Site: www.TRMichels.com