The news from the OMNR was equally positive with regard to the MVP of Canada geese.

"Spring 2006 was exceptionally early on the MVP breeding grounds," they said. "As in 2005, snowmelt occurred almost one month earlier than in 2004 throughout much of the range. Spring conditions are well advanced, and 2006 should be a good production year for MVP geese. The estimated breeding population of 384,353 was the highest recorded since 1999 and was 6 percent above the 1989-2006 average. Nest densities were slightly above the average in all three strata. The spring population estimate was 704,954, 8 percent above the 1989-2006 average."

Meanwhile, closer to home, waterfowlers enjoyed improved hunting and more success on the managed areas around Saginaw Bay last season. And with both migratory and resident giant goose populations up, hunting should be even better in 2006.

"I would say goose hunting at the managed areas was average, with the exception of Shiawassee, which had improved hunting," stated wildlife biologist Barb Avers, who overseas the managed areas around Saginaw Bay. "Fish Point had a very average season and didn't reach its quota. Shiawassee didn't reach its quota either, but had the best season in five years."

Avers indicated that hunters at Fish Point harvested 646 geese in 2005 during the Oct. 15 to Dec. 3 season compared with 690 in 2004. The number was well below the quota of 750 birds. The percentage of juveniles in the harvest was above average. The overall harvest in the Tuscola/Huron Goose Management Unit was likely much higher, though, because of a change in habits of the geese using the managed areas.

"I think at the managed area around Saginaw Bay, the geese are using the area up and then leaving the managed units for areas outside the GMU boundaries," suggested Avers. Food and cover at Fish Point shouldn't be a problem this season, because as of early May, everything was planted.

Once food supplies are exhausted at the managed areas, geese shift into another mode. Hunters who are willing to freelance will find great hunting on private lands to the east of Saginaw Bay near places like Akron, Fairgrove, Bach and Unionville where there's a bounty of corn fields in which geese can feed. To be successful, hunters need to scout to find concentrations of geese, and get permission to hunt the land, which requires an investment in time, but the rewards can be some great shooting.

While the harvest in Saginaw County's Goose Management Unit was far below the allotted 2,000 Canada geese, hunters saw more birds, and the harvest was up accordingly. According to Avers, hunters killed 1,250 geese at Shiawassee last season, a substantial improvement over the 655 birds taken in 2004. Again, the harvest for the area is much higher if you factor in the kill at the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge and the surrounding private lands. It was the seventh consecutive year that the goose harvest quota has not been reached in the SCGMU. Both hunters and geese should find plenty of food and cover at Shiawassee this season.

For more information on conditions and goose hunting opportunities in the Saginaw Bay area, contact the DNR's St. Charles Field Office at (989) 865-6211.