West Zone Goose: Almost a foot of snow on the ground in the High Plains got dark geese in the mood to decoy during the last weekend of the regular goose season. Outfitters said they took limits of Canadas and a few snow geese to boot over corn and wheat. The regular goose season ended Feb. 7. The Light Goose Conservation Order began Feb. 8 and few hunters took advantage of the liberal rules. Many did not want to fight the snow, and other did not want to fight the high percentage of adult snow geese in the population this year. Prospects are fair.
East Zone Goose: Stiff east, southeast winds over the weekend aided snow goose hunters using e-callers. Many hunters reported better decoying action as a result of the mild temperatures and southerly winds. There are still good numbers of geese on the coastal prairies, but that could change any day. Typically, five days plus or minus Valentine’s Day sees snow geese begin to trickle back north. Some outfitters reported 20-30 bird shoots. With the cold front passing through early in the week, many pass-shooters took advantage of the 25-knot north winds which put many flights on the deck within shotgun range.
