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Can't remember where the hell I saw you mention it, so I'll ask you here. Did Michigan get an early teal season?

In my four years there, I only ever had one shot at a BWT, and it came after a mid-morning nap in the blind. 3 birds dumped in on my end of the blind, we all looked at them kind of dumbfounded, I hopped up and CLICK. Thought I had a dud, so I quick racked my action and it locked open. Fuckers had unloaded my gun during my slumber. They were laughing so fucking hard, they both whiffed on all of their shots, didn't pull a damn feather. Assholes.

The Feds approved "production state" teal seasons in their framework at the flyway meetings in July.
Because that approval came when it did, it was too late to roll out this year.
I'd say with about 85% certainty that MI will have an "experimental" teal season in early September '14

DeadEye_Dan wrote:The Feds approved "production state" teal seasons in their framework at the flyway meetings in July.
Because that approval came when it did, it was too late to roll out this year.
I'd say with about 85% certainty that MI will have an "experimental" teal season in early September '14

Good, maybe the northern half of Nebraska will get an early teal season as well! Fuckin' stupid that they even consider us a "production" state, look at the production conditions for Nebraska any given year, always sucks.
It seems that the Feds proposed a lot of shit real late this year, or is that just me? The Nebraska hearing was all speculation, they kept saying that they just heard about all these proposals and they weren't quite sure what to expect. Sounds like they just picked the proposals that they thought were a sure thing from the Feds and decided they would pursue those, everything else would wait until next year.

The flyway meeting are always in July, so it makes implementation of anything new a year to get done.

CWAC meets twice per year and they act on some stuff in March, ie. the early goose season and youth duck hunts - those were discussed and dates recommended in March. Guessing you'll see the same for Teal, next March.

I remember the other thing I was going to ask. I didn't see anything in the framework as far as an increase in the Dark Goose limit for the Mississippi Flyway, did I just look right past that? Central went to 8, no way Mississippi is staying at 2 is it?

sws002 wrote:I remember the other thing I was going to ask. I didn't see anything in the framework as far as an increase in the Dark Goose limit for the Mississippi Flyway, did I just look right past that? Central went to 8, no way Mississippi is staying at 2 is it?

Canadas in IL are staying at 2 for the regular season. Still 5 for the early season.

sws002 wrote:I remember the other thing I was going to ask. I didn't see anything in the framework as far as an increase in the Dark Goose limit for the Mississippi Flyway, did I just look right past that? Central went to 8, no way Mississippi is staying at 2 is it?

Yes.

The only data presented regarding goose populations was on the MVP & SJBP and both are still below target.

DeadEye_Dan wrote:

sws002 wrote:I remember the other thing I was going to ask. I didn't see anything in the framework as far as an increase in the Dark Goose limit for the Mississippi Flyway, did I just look right past that? Central went to 8, no way Mississippi is staying at 2 is it?

Yes.

The only data presented regarding goose populations was on the MVP & SJBP and both are still below target.

Suck.

DeadEye_Dan wrote:

sws002 wrote:I remember the other thing I was going to ask. I didn't see anything in the framework as far as an increase in the Dark Goose limit for the Mississippi Flyway, did I just look right past that? Central went to 8, no way Mississippi is staying at 2 is it?

Yes.

The only data presented regarding goose populations was on the MVP & SJBP and both are still below target.

coughbullshitcoughcough

Or, to officially summarize:

ANYONE THAT THINKS CANADA GOOSE NUMBERS ARE NOT OUTSTANDING IS A DUMBASS. NOT COUNTING RESIDENT GEESE AS PART OF THE TOTAL "HUNTABLE" POPULATION OF CANADA GEESE IS FURTHER DUMBASSERY. ANYONE WHO THINKS THERE IS A LICK OF DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CANADA GEESE WHICH DECIDED TO STAY AND ONES WHO FLY BACK NORTH IS A DUMBASS.


Seriously.

The goose population on our lake went from 15 last year to somewhere around 3 dozen this year. September 1 can't get here quick enough.

I know it's not the entire flyway, but Michigan has to have one of the most consistent presences of huntable populations of Canadas in the nation. From September 1st to March, there is ALWAYS geese around. Other places will obviously get higher concentrations once the migration starts, but one thing that never failed when I was there was the goose population.

assateague wrote:Or, to officially summarize:

ANYONE THAT THINKS CANADA GOOSE NUMBERS ARE NOT OUTSTANDING IS A DUMBASS. NOT COUNTING RESIDENT GEESE AS PART OF THE TOTAL "HUNTABLE" POPULATION OF CANADA GEESE IS FURTHER DUMBASSERY. ANYONE WHO THINKS THERE IS A LICK OF DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CANADA GEESE WHICH DECIDED TO STAY AND ONES WHO FLY BACK NORTH IS A DUMBASS.


Seriously.

It's the same bullshit reason that we have been fed about Sandhills and Tundras..."you might get an incidental kill on a Whooping Crane or Trumpeter swan". Horse shit.


We sent a letter to the NRC requesting they adopt a Crane season.

#notholdingmybreath

DeadEye_Dan wrote:

assateague wrote:Or, to officially summarize:

ANYONE THAT THINKS CANADA GOOSE NUMBERS ARE NOT OUTSTANDING IS A DUMBASS. NOT COUNTING RESIDENT GEESE AS PART OF THE TOTAL "HUNTABLE" POPULATION OF CANADA GEESE IS FURTHER DUMBASSERY. ANYONE WHO THINKS THERE IS A LICK OF DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CANADA GEESE WHICH DECIDED TO STAY AND ONES WHO FLY BACK NORTH IS A DUMBASS.


Seriously.

It's the same bullshit reason that we have been fed about Sandhills and Tundras..."you might get an incidental kill on a Whooping Crane or Trumpeter swan". Horse shit.


We sent a letter to the NRC requesting they adopt a Crane season.

#notholdingmybreath

That's another thing that pisses me off. Nebraska is the only state in the flyway that doesn't get to shoot cranes. Probably the same bullshit reason plus they are a huge tourist attraction in the spring here. Those annoying bastards are so popular in the spring that we have zone closures around the Platte River for snow geese just so the cranes don't get disturbed. Not to mention this year they are going to close the season April 1st because that is when the peak of the Whooping Crane migration is for Nebraska. I'm just saying, if we just wiped those damn whooping cranes out, we wouldn't have to hunt around them anymore (same goes for the California Condor)...

sws002 wrote:
That's another thing that pisses me off. Nebraska is the only state in the flyway that doesn't get to shoot cranes. Probably the same bullshit reason plus they are a huge tourist attraction in the spring here. Those annoying bastards are so popular in the spring that we have zone closures around the Platte River for snow geese just so the cranes don't get disturbed. Not to mention this year they are going to close the season April 1st because that is when the peak of the Whooping Crane migration is for Nebraska. I'm just saying, if we just wiped those damn whooping cranes out, we wouldn't have to hunt around them anymore (same goes for the California Condor)...

Yes, I'm quoting myself...

Anyway, if these stupid bird watchers want us to leave their precious cranes alone, how is it that we are not able to lobby them to contribute to the cause (i.e. buy a federal duck stamp)? I say if they want a voice in the opinion, put up or shut up, until they start contributing, we should be able to lay down the most epic crane slaughter one has ever seen.

sws002 wrote:

sws002 wrote:
That's another thing that pisses me off. Nebraska is the only state in the flyway that doesn't get to shoot cranes. Probably the same bullshit reason plus they are a huge tourist attraction in the spring here. Those annoying bastards are so popular in the spring that we have zone closures around the Platte River for snow geese just so the cranes don't get disturbed. Not to mention this year they are going to close the season April 1st because that is when the peak of the Whooping Crane migration is for Nebraska. I'm just saying, if we just wiped those damn whooping cranes out, we wouldn't have to hunt around them anymore (same goes for the California Condor)...

Yes, I'm quoting myself...

Anyway, if these stupid bird watchers want us to leave their precious cranes alone, how is it that we are not able to lobby them to contribute to the cause (i.e. buy a federal duck stamp)? I say if they want a voice in the opinion, put up or shut up, until they start contributing, we should be able to lay down the most epic crane slaughter one has ever seen.

Until they "put up"and then you dont get to shoot shit anymore because they have more money than you. Slippery slope - I'm prefectly happy paying the way for all, as long as I can do what I want.

DeadEye_Dan wrote:

sws002 wrote:

sws002 wrote:
That's another thing that pisses me off. Nebraska is the only state in the flyway that doesn't get to shoot cranes. Probably the same bullshit reason plus they are a huge tourist attraction in the spring here. Those annoying bastards are so popular in the spring that we have zone closures around the Platte River for snow geese just so the cranes don't get disturbed. Not to mention this year they are going to close the season April 1st because that is when the peak of the Whooping Crane migration is for Nebraska. I'm just saying, if we just wiped those damn whooping cranes out, we wouldn't have to hunt around them anymore (same goes for the California Condor)...

Yes, I'm quoting myself...

Anyway, if these stupid bird watchers want us to leave their precious cranes alone, how is it that we are not able to lobby them to contribute to the cause (i.e. buy a federal duck stamp)? I say if they want a voice in the opinion, put up or shut up, until they start contributing, we should be able to lay down the most epic crane slaughter one has ever seen.

Until they "put up"and then you dont get to shoot shit anymore because they have more money than you. Slippery slope - I'm prefectly happy paying the way for all, as long as I can do what I want.

Ya I get that portion of it, but at the same time, it's not like we're aren't paying. The way I look at it (I know it doesn't always work this way), if you want a voice, contribute. That's the problem though, we are paying for it all, but we don't get to do what we want, we are still being railroaded by the fucking freeloaders.

Spend a billion dollars, convince the public the cranes are deadly and eat small children. Before you know it the same freeloaders that are railroading you will demand that somebody do something in the name of safety... for the children.
Dont forget,
Vote for me!

sws002 wrote:I know it's not the entire flyway, but Michigan has to have one of the most consistent presences of huntable populations of Canadas in the nation. From September 1st to March, there is ALWAYS geese around. Other places will obviously get higher concentrations once the migration starts, but one thing that never failed when I was there was the goose population.

I think you are probably quite incorrect in this assumption. Just cuz there's a few always around doesn't mean there's a consistent high population of huntable geese. Have you ever been in a serious goose flyway? From what I've seen, they don't stop coming during the season in which you are allowed to hunt them. Who gives a flying fuck whether they stick around for the rest of the year if it's not during hunting season.

The problem is they only count "wild" geese. That's just silly. If there are 328,000 tigers in zoos, and 2 in the wild, that does NOT mean they are "endangered". A Canada goose is a Canada goose, and to count them differently is just dumb.

Bulldog0156 wrote:I think you are probably quite incorrect in this assumption. Just cuz there's a few always around doesn't mean there's a consistent high population of huntable geese. Have you ever been in a serious goose flyway? From what I've seen, they don't stop coming during the season in which you are allowed to hunt them. Who gives a flying fuck whether they stick around for the rest of the year if it's not during hunting season.

I think you are probably quite unqualified to assume anything. At what point did I say, "There's always a few geese around"? Yes, I live in a serious goose flyway, have hunted geese all over Nebraska as well as an annual trip to North Dakota and 4 years in Michigan. You missed the point entirely. My point was that while Michigan may not have the largest population of geese to hunt, it has one of the most consistent populations from day one. When I say populations, I'm not talking about a dozen golf course geese, I'm talking 3-5,000 bird roosts are not uncommon at any time during the entire season throughout the majority of the lower peninsula (or at least the parts I've seen). There's no doubt that the migratory geese coming through Nebraska are many times more numerous than those in Michigan, but our resident goose population is pretty slim. Take the Dakotas as an example, they kill a ton of early season geese, but October they are pretty thin until they start getting migrators back in. My point was, and still is, from September to February (read: hunting season), Michigan has a very consistent and huntable population of geese, one that would easily allow more than 2 bird daily bag limits during the regular season.

sws002 wrote:

Bulldog0156 wrote:I think you are probably quite incorrect in this assumption. Just cuz there's a few always around doesn't mean there's a consistent high population of huntable geese. Have you ever been in a serious goose flyway? From what I've seen, they don't stop coming during the season in which you are allowed to hunt them. Who gives a flying fuck whether they stick around for the rest of the year if it's not during hunting season.

I think you are probably quite unqualified to assume anything. At what point did I say, "There's always a few geese around"? Yes, I live in a serious goose flyway, have hunted geese all over Nebraska as well as an annual trip to North Dakota and 4 years in Michigan. You missed the point entirely. My point was that while Michigan may not have the largest population of geese to hunt, it has one of the most consistent populations from day one. When I say populations, I'm not talking about a dozen golf course geese, I'm talking 3-5,000 bird roosts are not uncommon at any time during the entire season throughout the majority of the lower peninsula (or at least the parts I've seen). There's no doubt that the migratory geese coming through Nebraska are many times more numerous than those in Michigan, but our resident goose population is pretty slim. Take the Dakotas as an example, they kill a ton of early season geese, but October they are pretty thin until they start getting migrators back in. My point was, and still is, from September to February (read: hunting season), Michigan has a very consistent and huntable population of geese, one that would easily allow more than 2 bird daily bag limits during the regular season.

Gosh, I must have been crazy to move from Michigan then. Fuck, it has the quickest changing weather, the most consistant population of huntable geese (as long as you live south of US-10), and Detroit, what more could someone want?

Bulldog0156 wrote:Gosh, I must have been crazy to move from Michigan then. Fuck, it has the quickest changing weather, the most consistant population of huntable geese (as long as you live south of US-10), and Detroit, what more could someone want?

Never said it was the mecca of goose hunting, Jack. Just trying to make that point that it's stupid that they can kill 5 birds a day in September and January, when they are shooting the same birds they are hunting October thru December. Go ahead and change the subject to weather and Detroit, you were the one who jumped my shit acting like I knew nothing of goose hunting, no need to get butt-hurt when I do.

Bulldog0156 wrote:(as long as you live south of US-10)

Oh, and this is WELL over half the lower peninsula, so I'm not sure what point you are trying to make there...

Ummmmm...Can the guy in Nebraska, and the guy in Montana stop fighting over the geese in Michigan (in a thread about teal)??? j/k lol OMG inbd

Feelin' Fowl wrote:Ummmmm...Can the guy in Nebraska, and the guy in Montana stop fighting over the geese in Michigan (in a thread about teal)??? j/k lol OMG inbd

We settled the teal issue, we're on to bigger and better things. I was kinda hoping I'd be able to make a return trip to Michigan for some goose hunting this year, but I'm not sure it's worth a weekend of time off and driving 10 hours to kill 4 geese...

sws002 wrote:

Feelin' Fowl wrote:Ummmmm...Can the guy in Nebraska, and the guy in Montana stop fighting over the geese in Michigan (in a thread about teal)??? j/k lol OMG inbd

We settled the teal issue, we're on to bigger and better things. I was kinda hoping I'd be able to make a return trip to Michigan for some goose hunting this year, but I'm not sure it's worth a weekend of time off and driving 10 hours to kill 4 geese...

I hear ya. I feel the same way about IL, as you do about MI. Soooooo many geese. Why only 2?

Feelin' Fowl wrote:

sws002 wrote:

Feelin' Fowl wrote:Ummmmm...Can the guy in Nebraska, and the guy in Montana stop fighting over the geese in Michigan (in a thread about teal)??? j/k lol OMG inbd

We settled the teal issue, we're on to bigger and better things. I was kinda hoping I'd be able to make a return trip to Michigan for some goose hunting this year, but I'm not sure it's worth a weekend of time off and driving 10 hours to kill 4 geese...

I hear ya. I feel the same way about IL, as you do about MI. Soooooo many geese. Why only 2?

They are trying to raise the gene pool back above a 25 pound average, jeez guys, practice patience and you will be harvesting B-52s soon.

AKPirate wrote:

Feelin' Fowl wrote:

sws002 wrote:

Feelin' Fowl wrote:Ummmmm...Can the guy in Nebraska, and the guy in Montana stop fighting over the geese in Michigan (in a thread about teal)??? j/k lol OMG inbd

We settled the teal issue, we're on to bigger and better things. I was kinda hoping I'd be able to make a return trip to Michigan for some goose hunting this year, but I'm not sure it's worth a weekend of time off and driving 10 hours to kill 4 geese...

I hear ya. I feel the same way about IL, as you do about MI. Soooooo many geese. Why only 2?

They are trying to raise the gene pool back above a 25 pound average, jeez guys, practice patience and you will be harvesting B-52s soon.

I hope you're right!

Feelin' Fowl wrote:I hear ya. I feel the same way about IL, as you do about MI. Soooooo many geese. Why only 2?

Prime example, Nebraska doesn't even have an early season anymore, and quite frankly, we don't need one, not enough geese around to justify one, but we could possibly have 8 of the bastards this year (likely only 5) while right across the river in Iowa they only get 2. Not a new concept, but it sucks to be Iowa...