Western and northern Michigan don't have managed areas to concentrate and hold geese, but that doesn't mean you can't find some good shooting.

"It was so hot during the early season that the geese didn't move very much," said avid waterfowler Mike Smith, who hunts west Michigan. "You might get a few birds early or late in the day, but for the most part, the hunting during the early season was pretty slow." Smith noted that the number of local giant Canadas in the areas he hunts seemed to be down considerably.

Smith said hunting during the Nov. 24 to Dec. 5 split in the regular season was fantastic.

"There were just a ton of migrants around when the season re-opened and a lot of fields still had corn," Smith said. "We limited out more often than not."

Hunters who don't have access to private lands can find some great shooting on the larger inland lakes in western and northern Michigan.

Most U.P. residents are off chasing grouse and deer in October and November.

"Canada geese are probably the most underutilized opportunity for waterfowling in this area," said DNR western U.P. wildlife biologist Bob Doepker. "There's a limited amount of agriculture, so when you find a good field, it can be a real bonanza."

One popular place that attracts plenty of geese is the Baraga Plain in Baraga County. But even there you won't find the number of hunters that you'll see almost everywhere downstate. Besides field-hunting, there are countless reservoirs, floodings and miles of Great Lakes shoreline in the U.P. that attract geese. You just need to scout to find the places the birds are using. And because of the unpredictable U.P. weather, your window of opportunity is often short and sweet.

With numbers of local giant Canada geese on the rise again, and with outstanding reproduction of migratory birds this spring, Michigan goose hunters can look forward to a dandy season in 2006.