Hunting Season is Here!

September Goose

September 1st marks the official start of hunting season here in NJ with the opening of the early resident goose season. It's been more than a few long, hot months since the last time I was out goose hunting, which was a few days before the close of the extended season in February. The weather that day was a frosty 20 degrees, snowing, and not a bird was seen.

The 2010 season opener greeted us with 95 degree heat, and bright sunny skies, and not a goose was seen.

Generally, September goose

season is a struggle. Designed to control resident geese populations, September is a bad time for hunting. Birds are still in family groups, and content to stay in a small area, moving from feeding grounds to roost very little. In many cases, the feeding grounds and roosts are the same place - with no reason to leave the golf course or corporate park, why should the geese move?

Farmers have not harvested crops; beans and corn are still green and standing, or winter wheat is starting to go in and fields are freshly plowed. If you have water to hunt on, or a recently cut hay, wheat, or oat field you might be in luck if the birds are flying.

Almost done!

School is almost over for me - I will finish my last class toward a BS in business administration in December. Of course, I have time off scheduled for fishing in Maine in September, and then I'm back in Maine a week later for bird hunting. After that it's full speed ahead for my last two classes until I'm done. I expect I will be hunting a little less this year, but I will still try to make the most of it. My Shorthair turns nine in October this year, so that means next year I'll seriously need to think about getting a puppy. That is a topic for another day!

Safe hunting everyone!