A collective effort of waterfowl managers across the continent. (click here)February 18, 2018
By Mike Bleech
...Canada goose harvests (click here) by hunters of both the Atlantic Flyway and the Central Flyway in about 2006 began a steep decline.
Southern James Bay geese gather in large numbers at Pymatuning Lake during the fall migration. Water levels and other habitat factors have been well managed at Pymatuning and other wetlands in the region to make this excellent waterfowl habitat during the migrations. But this alone has not been enough to maintain the Southern James Bay Canada goose population.
In fact, populations of local Canada geese and Southern James Bay Canada geese both have declined. The number of Southern James Bay geese gathering at Pymatuning has become less significant than the local goose population.
Currently the Game Commission is managing to increase the resident Canada goose population in the Pymatuning area.
Asking who is to blame for relatively poor Canada goose hunting in the area during the past few hunting seasons is not a valid question. The question should be what is to blame. Look at climate change as possibly the most significant culprit. Maybe climate change is short term, maybe long term. Whatever it is, it appears to have changed some behavior patterns of Southern James Bay Canada geese, notably for local goose hunters their migration pattern.
