opulations of migratory geese tend to rise and fall dependent on breeding conditions in the far north and the number of adults that return in the spring. Michigan's resident giant Canada goose population is relatively stable compared with the migratory population. That's one reason why resource managers design Michigan's goose seasons to take advantage of the abundance of residence geese. Migratory geese are an added bonus.

Matt Gnatkowski of Ludington admires a pair of lesser Canada geese. Photo by Mike Gnatkowski.

Ideally, biologists like to control the number of resident Canada geese in Michigan at 175,000 to 225,000 birds, and recent expanded hunting seasons have done just that. From a glut of more than 325,000 geese just 10 years ago, hunting harvest not only has kept the local geese numbers in check but also reduced their numbers to the low end of population goals. However, good nesting success and regulations that are slightly more restrictive has the resident giant Canada goose population booming again. Biologists estimated the 2006 spring population at 186,000 birds. The number jumped to 219,000 last spring and is likely to be close to ideal population goals by spring.

"I would expect we're going to see numbers of resident giant Canada geese similar to last year," wildlife biologist Joe Robison said. "The early estimates place the population around 210,000, but we'll have more definitive figures with regard to that in another week or so."

Robison said the resident goose population is approaching the upper limits of their population goals, so wildlife managers are taking steps to control the population.

"We've proposed increasing the bag limit during the early season to five birds again," he said. "That alone should up the harvest by another 10 percent."

Robison said during a typical season, 60 percent of the goose harvest occurs in the early September season, another 10 percent or so are harvested during the late season and the balance are taken during the regular season. Michigan typically harvests somewhere in the neighborhood of 180,000 geese, which is in the top three states for Canada goose harvest in the Mississippi Flyway.

Robison said there are some proposed changes that should make managing Michigan's goose populations less complicated and easier for hunters.

"We're moving toward managing geese like we do ducks -- by zone. Ideally, we'd like to align the goose zones with the duck zones and manage the goose populations as one instead of different populations as we have in the past."