Michigan's goose kill reached an all-time high in 2003 at 192,000 geese. Due to a reduced season length in 2004, that number was much lower last season. Typically, 70 to 80 percent of the harvest is made up of giant Canada geese, 15 to 20 percent come from the MVP flock, 3 to 7 percent from the SJBP, and the balance are lesser Canadas. Of the local giant Canada geese harvest in Michigan, approximately 2,000 to 10,000 birds are bagged during the late January season. Another 50,000 geese are taken during the special early seasons in September.

Because Michigan's giant Canada goose population has dipped below the population goal, there may be some changes lurking on the horizon.

"It's quite likely that we're going to see some changes in harvest within the local population," suggested Luukkonen. "There has been some discussion of reducing the bag limit from five to three birds during the early season."

Changes in the focus of Michigan goose harvest from migratory geese to the local giants that began in 1998 apparently have done its job. Prior to that time, Michigan's giant Canada goose population was increasing at a 14 percent annual rate. With the population now declining, wildlife managers are now looking at ways of stabilizing the population. "Hunting is not the only solution to controlling goose numbers," said Luukkonen.

The harvest of migratory geese in the MVP flock is based on the number of birds migrating through each state and harvest data. Typically, Illinois and Wisconsin are each allotted approximately 32 percent of the total allowable harvest and Michigan gets between 12 to 15 percent.

"Michigan was harvesting more than our quota in the mid-1990s, but not now," said Luukkonen. "In years past, Michigan has had a bigger portion of the MVP population than actually recognized."

One factor used in setting harvest quotas is banding indices. Harvest quotas are set, in part, by calculating the number of birds banded versus the number of bands recovered from certain locations. The problem is that banding within sub-populations or regions where geese use distinct or narrow migration corridors can greatly distort the results. The USFWS has tried to shift banding locations in recent years to the south coast of Hudson Bay to give wildlife managers a more accurate reflection of actual kill. In recent years, biologists have come to rely more on breeding bird estimates, rather than on band recovery rates, to estimate populations and set harvest goals. The spring of 2004 produced the latest hatch ' June 28 ' ever recorded on the Canadian breeding grounds. The late hatch resulted in poor nesting success, few young birds in the fall flight and reduced season lengths to limit harvest. Hence, the 30-day regular goose season last year.

As Michigan's population of giant Canada geese exploded over the past few decades, other factors were found to further complicate estimating the migratory goose population and predicting harvest.

"Breeder estimates have been skewed in the past by the influx of molt migrants," said Luukkonen.

Molt migrants are local giant Canada geese that are unsuccessful breeders or immature birds that migrate during May and June to the area around Hudson Bay where migratory geese in the MVP flock typically breed. As this segment of the population has grown, it would be very easy to include these birds in the overall population estimate of MVP breeders. Biologists are now very careful to make population estimates before the molt migrants arrive on the breeding grounds. These molt migrants leave the breeding grounds in mid-September in advance of the MVP birds and provide a secondary peak in hunting success during the early portion of our regular goose season.

Even with the special seasons Michigan hunters have enjoyed in recent history, many people still complain about not getting their fair share of the migratory goose pie.