High-flying geese

[IFallsRon]

I spent the weekend at Mille Lacs. There didn't seem to be much waterfowl around but we did see two small flocks of geese flying at what I would consider heading south height. I'm wondering if this is a sign of early migration.

[ChuckN]

I observed a several large flocks of V form geese flying south on Labor Day and Tuesday 9/7. I couldn't believe the migrants, and all a mile high! This was north of Brainerd.

This weekend I observed one high flying flock. Not many geese around my home near Fergus Falls, compared to 2-3 weeks ago!

[jiggin' fool]

The commorants are certainly on the move. Saw many flocks of them on Lake Pepin this Saturday.
Also, the early goose season can and does get some honkers "moving-out" if the pressure is intense, as it is in some areas of the state. If the honkers fly into very many ponds, and get "shot-up".., they can and do leave the immediate area in a hurry.
Could be one of the two you seen taking place.., migrating commorants or geese getting "outta Dodge".

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"You should have been here yesterday"....,

[smalls]

High flying geese may not be as indicative of an early migration but moreso a result of pressure on roosts. It's pretty well documented that geese do not tolerate being hunted on their "security roosts". If roosts were hunted less and secondary waters and fields were hunted more, birds would stick around alot longer.

Note that if it was an "early migration" that the birds your loosing should be replaced by the birds from up north, and as they haven't started showing up yet, even under less than ideal canadian feeding conditions I seriously doubt that the birds just naturally decided to head south.

[Riverratpete]

Sat morning saw a lot of those *&^% fish eating birds outside Cove bay, don't remember seeing them except up on leech.

[Riverratpete]

Sat morning saw a lot of those *&^% fish eating birds outside Cove bay, don't remember seeing them except up on leech.

[IFallsRon]

I live near Apollo HS in St. Cloud. They reseeded about 80 acres of soccer field this month. It looked like a goose refuge when I drove by yesterday.

There's a couple of big year-round flocks in St. Cloud but this field had to be full of migrants. And they were huge, too.

[Roosterslayer05]

Every year after opening weekend of early season I see a huge number of geese move in around my house in the cities, and they are flying very high. I think after all the pressure they get they migrate into the twin cities area.

[Nitebiter]

Probably the early molt migration... just wait till we get a good north west wind for a day or 2 and you'll really see the migrants moving in!!

[Roosterslayer05]

nope, too late for the molt migration

[cvo]

I think the DNR has really messed up our early goose season by allowing hunting over water. We were always able to pattern the geese and have good hunting throughout the season. Now they get jumped off the roost ponds the first few days and gone. This year we've shot 3. Most years we had 40 to 50 by now. It seems to be moving some ducks out early too - mainly mallards. Anybody else noticing this?

[Nitebiter]

Too late?? This is the first year they didnt all leave from around here, but usually its around this time that they start filtering back.. there was a big write up about it in the star trib last year.

[Roosterslayer05]

Yea I read that article and read a few in the outdoor news, i believe they said some migrate in august when they are done molting then stay wherever they go till fall when they start migrating. So most of the molt migration probly happened a couple weeks before the season. The geese I see in the city are definatly birds pushed out of the country, they fly a couple hundred yards high and get really nervous when they see people within 80 yards and fly away, they also wont land by anyone thats standing in a feild or lake, they definatly have been shot at, more than once.

[honker23]

I think we need to just give the geese a little credit. They get blasted at for a few days and get pretty smart. They all filter into their safer roosting spots "in the city" and stay there until lack of food pushes them out. I think it is way too early for any geese to begin migrating.

I also think it is funny when I hear hear some people in my area question where all the geese went after opener. I know for a fact between 75-100 were shot in 3 days from a 2-3 square mile area, so I think a good percentage were shot or have moved to the refuges in the city.

[Nitebiter]

OK.. if they dont start to move again till the main migration in the fall then where do the birds keep comin from every time theres a northwest wind? Not tryin to start an argument here, but the birds keep showin up here, alot moved in last night with that wind... i see it every year- get a good north or northwest wind and the goose population around here doubles...

[ikes71]

I agree that there are some flocks migrating already. I work nights, and when I go out side for the last week, there have been numerous flocks flying over, in the middle of the night. It looks to me like there have been a lot of geese moving out of the state already. In the area that I goose hunt, we have been seeing more birds recently, than we did in the first week of the season, and we have hunted these fields about every third day.