"Given the establishment of resident populations of geese at so many places, we don't pay much attention to specific sub-flocks anymore," said chief DNR waterfowl biologist Kent Van Horn. "You don't need to drive very far from essentially any point in the state to find a population of geese that has grown to huntable numbers."

In numerous locations, resident Canada geese have reached "nuisance" status, with a September hunt with a five-goose daily bag limit. By the time the regular goose season rolls around, migrating birds from points north of Wisconsin are part of the mix. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service establishes quotas in states along the Mississippi Flyway to ensure an equitable portion of the goose harvest.

"The early-September hunt is extremely important to goose management here in Wisconsin, trying to keep resident flocks in check," Van Horn said.

The 2004 goose harvest report indicated September and October are the most productive months for shooting honkers. And it should come as no surprise that Saturday morning is not a good time to be a goose winging over Wisconsin. Most geese are killed on the weekends when there is higher hunter participation to keep geese on the move. This report is fascinating reading, and is a great template for planning your next hunt. It is available at www.dnr.wi.gov/org/ land/wildlife/hunt/waterfow/. Click on Reports on upper left side of the page. Please note the site is spelled "waterfow" not "waterfowl."

Harvest numbers and hunter participation fall off dramatically in November and into December if the quota has not been reached. Ironically, many hunters like John Volkman from Neenah and Tony Toye -- who hunts mainly along the Mississippi River in southwest Wisconsin -- would rather chase the whitecheeks when the weather tends to hold more of a wintery edge.

My dad was an ardent waterfowler, and he once observed that, "ducks fly by the weather, geese fly by the calendar" in a homily that remains accurate about migrating geese to this day. The first migrating geese that arrive at Horicon Marsh to stage before continuing on to wintering areas at Union County Refuge in southern Illinois have been documented to show up down south on Sept. 21 each year. In recent years, fewer and fewer geese have imprinted with this migrational behavior. They now "shortstop" and remain as long as food, water and ambient temperatures all meet the honkers' needs.

Gerald "The Eagle" Cain hunted and guided goose hunters in southern Illinois for over 60 years. He made this observation about goose behavior: "If the temperature drops below 15 degrees for three days, the geese will push farther south. Of course, this freezes most of the water up, but even if the geese have plenty of food, they'll leave when it gets too cold."

Big Green Lake is Wisconsin's deepest inland lake and is among the last bodies of water to freeze. If deep snow doesn't blanket the landscape, an established resident population of Canada geese that lives there will stay in the area until after the season closes.

Geese seek open water for loafing areas, with the most desirable spots having an island or a sandbar or two. If these birds aren't bothered, they will probably remain in a given area until it gets too cold or the food is covered with snow. This provides exceptional hunting potential for waterfowlers who are willing to invest time in scouting and are not afraid to knock on doors to seek permission to hunt private lands.